Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[AuthorTransient]

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Spoiler: Author's Notes

Realized I missed a few things in my earlier posts, so I've went back and edited them.

PATCHES:
1. Mareinette now suffers from the Outnumbered malus.
2. The trait [PUPPET OF THE RED SANDS] now appears on THE WIRE MOTHER's sheet.
3. Combat Rolls have been appropriately labelled.
4. Part 4 has been updated to include an updated THE WIRE MOTHER sheet (which will be the case for combat parts going forwards) and its name.

I'm planning on finishing the writing of this series of apocrypha by Halloween and editing them in time to post weekly.

Now, with all of that out of the way... wait, only 300 words? Whoops.

---

In Which (S) Collide - Interlude Jade

Jade: Sans Sanguine


You are Jade Whistle and you are currently -

You are currently comparing what is happening in front of you to one of the old book club meetings with the Master, but worse.

As long as you kept yourself into a tidy little box for the Master, they tended to be satisfied – well, you won't lie... there was always a chance that the Master would randomly decide that you or one of your precious ones would make a good pawn in the game to sacrifice. And you couldn't really go against the Master. Not as you were.

But for Your Lady of Wires... you understand that one cannot really appease Her. The desire of Hers is beyond Her own ability to control. She may play and pretend that She can, that She has a veneer of sensibility over Her whims – but She cannot.

So there's really only one outcome.

But as much as you trust Velvet Covers and... Her Royal Highness Princess Luna, you know that fighting something as great as Your Lady of Wires will not be as simple as blasting Her in the face over and over again. Your Lady of Wires is a being of the Lores – and She is One Who is Very Great in Grail and Heart, which, even without you simplifying their characteristics as 'being difficult to kill', a pony that has reached such a high understanding and survived for so long is very, very dangerous.

Hence, you turn to them and say: "Rarity, Fluttershy... you need to get all the bearers of Harmony together."

Rarity startles, but Fluttershy raises a hoof, her voice firming as she goes. "Okay... but what about everypony else?"

"Sorry," you respond, "but you will have to figure that out yourselves. Evacuate the town too, but... Harmony is more important."

Fluttershy nods, accepting that you are going to stay. Then she turns around and goes. You admire her ability to master her own inner conflict.

Rarity gives you one last wide-eyed look before she quickly chases after, but you're already bending down to carve a ritual circle into the world.

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[Quaxotia]

…Man, I really wish I knew how to edit images, let alone had the tools to do so; because I was just reminded of that one meme. You know the one.

"I lived, bitch."

Click to shrink...

Behold Paint 0 lore:

 

[AuthorTransient]

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In Which (S) Collide - Interlude: Reproach

Reproach: Seek

You are Beyond Reproach.

For a time, you were one of the best investigators in Vanhoover's Constable.

Then, the Catastrophe happened and Canterlot burned.

What happened, best you have so far put together with your hooves from eye-witnesses reports to recquistional receipts from the Royal Archive and the Lunar Bureau, was this:


Princess Luna was saved by the Bearers of Harmony (aka the Mane Six), who are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.

One-and-a-half years ago, Princess Luna fled the Royal Castle and, despite great effort, could not be found.

During this time, Lady Velvet Covers of Canterlot contributed significantly to the search, somehow taking charge of the operation (force of personality?).

Three months after the search, a new species of pony called Changelings, had an im-pony-ator who managed to convincingly fake Princess Luna, even to Princess Celestia, and was welcomed into the Royal Castle. Several days later, Princess Celestia's protege and one of the bearers of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle, sought an audience with Princess Celestia. Eye-witness reports agree that Velvet Covers attempted to stop Twilight Sparkle from using magic, but was teleported alongside as a result of a magical mishap. They were eventually escorted out by the Royal Guard without harm but seemingly without being able to meet Princess Celestia. (Why was Velvet Covers there?) There is no records of the objective of Velvet Covers at the Royal Castle.

Later, Twilight Sparkle and her companion, Spike the dragon, returned without Velvet Covers to meet Princess Celestia. Eye-witness reports corrobate that Twilight Sparkle returned with cheer and without Spike. By this time, it is likely that Twilight Sparkle had been replaced by a changeling.

In the period of time between this im-pony-ation and the Catastrophe, many ponies, even outside of Canterlot, are likely to have been replaced by changelings.

Seven months after the search, the Catastrophe occured. Changelings wreaked havoc across Equesteria and significant parts of Canterlot burned down. (What triggered the Catastrophe to occur at that time?) Outside of Canterlot, many ponies seemingly disappeared in the middle of the night. This is largely suspected to be the work of changelings (but other parties may have used the chaos to achieve their own agendas).

Again, Velvet Covers took control and calmed the situation in Ponyville, where she lives in her estate. Unfortunately, many documents regarding the previous political and economical situation in Ponyville was lost during the chaos of this incident.

Velvet Covers was then assigned as the Director of the Lunar Bureau to prevent or at least mitigate the next Catastrophe, ostensibly until Princess Luna returns to take control of the Lunar Bureau.

This gives her almost unlimited political power and might, only superseded by the Royal Princesses and presumably matched with Fair Trial, who was assigned as the Director of the Solar Court. You yourself have been assigned as an investigator of the Lunar Bureau, with all the political power that entails.

So far, Velvet Covers have worked with the Solar Court to ensure that ponies arrested are treated with a fair hoof – innocent until proven guilty. Even during the Blueblood affair, when the raid of the Lunar Bureau on the Bluebloods found condemning evidence on their premises, Velvet Covers did not declare all of the Bluebloods guilty, despite how easy it would have been at that time.

But there are three other things you no, not know – you feel, in the wake of these events, which is why you are here in the middle of the night at the Velvet Estate:

One, the Catastrophe proved that there is Evil in the world.

Two, many good ponies are now Paranoid of each other, (write it!) yourself included.


And three...

Twilight Sparkle was escorted out of the Velvet Estate.

Velvet Estate staff have been talking about strange and mysterious guests of Velvet Covers.

And there was an uninvited guest during the royal wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, who Velvet Covers met privately.

So three – too many things have not been Sun-damned adding up about your boss.

Or rather, there have been too many coincidences surrounding the Director of the Lunar Bureau.

Enough to make a discerning pony suspicious. Enough to make your cutie mark itch.


So you were here, in the dark, investigating the Velvet Estate.


You step forward, leaves mushing under your hooves.

And then, like a sword stroke from Shining Armor in his prime, the darkness of the night is sundered by a spear of white light.

Your mouth drops open. Such magical might, you have only seen from one pony before... wait, is that thing moving?

WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT?!


You struggle to decipher and understand its existence. Monsters exist – but this is far away from the Woods. This monster appeared in the Velvet Estate. Wait, how is it growing? How can its hooves handle its own weight?

Ah, it is hollow. That's how.

You don't know how long you stand there, jaw open and your mind gibbering.


Then you turn and run straight into another pony.

Uttered screams and curses do not quite manage to drown out the cacophony above, but they come close. Finally, all of you manage to disentangle yourselves from each other, and you come face to face with Rarity, one of the bearers of Harmony.

There's the sound of a throat clearing above you. "Um... hey."

Scratch that, Rarity and Fluttershy, two of the bearers of Harmony.


The ground quakes underneath your hooves and everypony ducks for a moment.

"We don't have time for this!" Rarity yells. "You! Whoever your name is! Go evacuate the town!"

"Um yes ma'am!"

They continue galloping down with you until you reach the main road, at which point you split from them towards the mayor's house.

And you can do this without worrying about them, because they are heading towards the library – they are heading towards Twilight Sparkle.


But you can't help but worry about your boss, and Princess Luna, and everyone else - !

You grit your teeth as you run, sweat soaking into your mane. In the air, there's a scent...


Smells like overripe persimmons.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

The next interlude is kicking my butt so hard that I can't even summon the energy to add the links right now. Anyway, best boy Reproach. I did the Pointing Leonardo DiCaprio when I saw his name in Turn 19. Also, rereading the 19 - Results, Part 9 shows that there are 15 obstacles (the Reflection of the Tapestry states that each defense gives a -10 malus, and there was a -150) barring our way to the Frangiclave. That is going to be annoying to deal with.

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[spiderhellian]

A Veil Broken, A Promise Kept

It's a scene that has happened precisely once before.

The urgent message. The unexpected messenger. The few words that spark an immediate response. The response is even near-identical, funnily enough.

And then, for the second time, the fabric of the world bends in the face of a force stronger than almost anything else inside it.

---

You are Velvet Covers. You are in bed, the covers pulled up around you. Silky's second-favourite stuffed animal lays beside you, because she didn't want you to be alone even after you finally convinced Softy to drag her to school. Stormchaser has stepped out to bring you a cup of tea — yes, you have servants for that; no, he is not feeling particularly trustful these days.

Your eyes are closed, and for the first time in just over year, you can't see anything at all.

It feels a little bizarre, in truth. Even more bizarre is how quickly the realizations you made during your eldritch studies became simply a part of who you are and how you perceive the world. You spent decades of your life going through it normally (or normally enough), and then in a little over a year, it starts to feel weird that you can close your eyes and actually feel engulfed in darkness.

Like when a high-pitched sound stops ringing, you're amazed by how quiet the world suddenly seems. There are no flashes of insight as your hooves brush the blanket on top of you. No sixth sense of where the creatures around you are. All that remains of all you've learned the past two years is your thoughts and your memories.

And the song you are whispering, though you're mostly subvocalizing by this point, thankfully. And the dance your hooves still stir in, blanket-ensconced as you are. And the beat your heart is driven to accompany.

But other than that, it's peaceful. At least, until the room erupts in a storm of pink light.

---

You stutter in your song, you stumble in your dance, but it doesn't matter. It may be a different Heart that is driving your own now, but it is no less insistent.

You've felt this power before, but it feels different now. You're in the eye of the hurricane, not its periphery. It's more intense than before, even if you're not buffeted the same way. It's more concentrated, more focused.

You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.

VELVET, YOU PROMISED!

You keep your eyes closed for a moment longer, as you fight down the pang of shame you feel as Love herself speaks.

When you open them, you see the Princess of Love, your friend, ensconced in the radiance that is her right and the power that is her sovereign domain.

She is looking at you. She is worried, and scared, and sad. She is launching a flurry of questions, as her magic surrounds you like a diagnostic spell and her legs encircle you like the warmest hug. She loves you.

You're not sure what to say, but you open your mouth all the same.

"I kept my promise," you whisper.

Then you repeat it, in a louder tone. "I kept my promise."

"It took…" You trail off, swallow your words and then swallow your fear, before continuing, "It took magic I shouldn't have, Caddy, but I kept my promise. I didn't leave you."

She pauses, and holds your eyes. Maybe she notices the way your legs are stirring. Can she hear the song being sung in your mind?

But she's clearly surprised, and stutters a reply, "Velvet, what — what do you mean?"

And so you begin to explain. Haltingly at first, but then in the vein of one of your old university lecturers — getting off track, going down tangents, but undeniably teaching something that could not otherwise be known.

You talk about your heart. About Heart. About the principles that gird the world. The magics you stumbled into, and then pursued.

---

Is it minutes, you talk for? Hours? You notice there's a faint pink glow around the door, and you're thankful for it, but you hope Stormchaser isn't too worried.

When you finally come to an end, she is left with a myriad of questions. But she only asks one, "What does this mean?"

It's one of the hard ones, then. One of the ones all your studies have not prepared you for, or at least not well enough. You look at the Princess of Love again, and she stares back at you.

So you're both surprised when, from the corner of the room, another Alicorn steps forward. Her form is dark, her mane the starry sky. Her words are undeniable.

"It means we have a chance."

Spoiler: AN

We've made our choice. I wonder what it'll do to Cadance.

And I had a thought about how the conversation could take an interesting turn, and wanted to write it into an Apocrypha. Not sure if it'll work out this way (surely we can, actually, send a more careful message to Canterlot?) but it was a fun scene to envision. (Even though I don't think I did her reaction right, and man dialogue feels tough, and I think the writing itself was a little choppy. But probably that's just my own internal critic, I hope people enjoyed.)

Poor Cadance, really. All this love's-chosen-facing-a-brush-with-death cannot be good for her heart.

I was also struck by how strange it must feel for Velvet to have all those senses, new but so relied upon, dimmed. And how strange it is that that would feel strange.

 

[spiderhellian]

The Axe Looks in the Mirror

The night smelled quiet. The axe was honed razor-sharp. The hatchling was sneaking downstairs to steal cookies.

All was as it should be.

And so, for the first time this visit back to the Wake, the Daughter of Axes was looking in the mirror. Some in the manor might do that out of vanity, or to keep an eye on the room behind them, or to see how it caught the light. But she wasn't vain, or on guard, or curious.

No. She was...

Well, adjectives like "sad" or "grieving" or "wistful" are not well-applied to the Name of Knock. So, let us say for the moment, that she was determined.

She breathed out, her forked tongue flickering, and the mirror before her fogged.

---

There was a story she remembered from her childhood, when she was but a young snake slithering out into the world. A story of a magical princess, who had to save a captured prince. The prince was trapped in a tower where the air had no taste, the walls had no doors, and the steps could not be slithered down. Only the princess could save him.

It was a story for hatchlings, so some might be surprised at how sad the ending was. After a long adventure, involving greater powers than just she, the princess had to sacrifice herself to free her prince — her blood-smell leading the way out, her venom melting a door out of stone, her corpse a path to slither upon.

When the Name heard that story, long ago, she wanted to be that princess. Not that she wanted to die, but even from a young age, she certainly aspired to a venom that could melt passageways, and she was proud of her royal blood.

But she never thought much about the prince.

The one locked away from all he knew. The one who had no say in his rescue. The one who was left to go on, alone.

What if he hadn't wanted to be rescued? What if he would have preferred just yelling at the princess from his tower, and her yelling back? What if they could have fought together, found a way together, come home together, instead of her making the choice for both of them?

Maybe that would have been better. A better life, one lived together. And if they failed, a better death, to die together.

Because whatever happened to that Prince after the story ended, he would be wounded, in a way that could never heal. Whatever his Mother said. And whatever world he found when he left that tower. And whatever he found to distract himself with. And, and, and — tha's just nae wha' sissers do!

---

With a snarl, the Daughter of Axes brought her axe out from under her robe. She swung it at the wall, and the mirror shattered, broken beyond repair.

She heard a scream from below -- could that wolf-freak just not, for once? — and replied with an equally loud yell, "Fok off!"

Did that wake up the ponies sleeping elsewhere in the manor? Maybe, but it's their own damn fault. They'd be fine if they heard like a proper snake, not with those oh-so-sensitive ears.

She looked at her shattered reflection in the mirror-shards below her. After a long pause, she sighed. And then with a grimace, the Daughter of Axes curled up in bed, Pasharka tucked close beside her.

She dreamed of home.

Spoiler: AN

Please officer, just one more Daughter of Axes theory, please, I promise this is my last, just one more, please.

God I love speculating about the DoA. There's just enough info in this quest, and just enough info in CS lore, to have a foundation for theorizing but nothing concrete. Absolutely perfect for deranged theory-crafting.

Remembering that Bird definitely has changed things from core CS lore, I'm wondering here about the Hooded Princes(ses) (or was there even more than her and Pasharka?) not having been saved, brought to another history, by the Mother of Ants... aside from one. Perhaps her sister(s) saved her, but perhaps not by her own will.

Because this:

She tells you that the thing you are looking for, or rather the thing that the Daughter-of-Axes is looking for, is very far away… and yet, closer than anypony might imagine.

Click to shrink...

Has got to be another history, right? Something oh-so-close but also incredibly far away?

So perhaps she grew up in a history where snakes or snake mares reigned, which explains why she's so confused about 'normal' ponies. She knew a time where she had a sister, and then a time when she was alone. Which puts that "ae dinnae want to be alone ageen…" she said when the curse struck last into a very sad context.

Where the Sister-and-Witch/Witch-and-Sister's curse comes in, admittedly no clue. Though that is more recent, I think, perhaps around the Mansus's ending? But it is peculiar, because that "imperative of binding and joining" has to be the curse that Baldomare references, what are the odds one Snakemare has two different curses!

Edit: I guess one possible explanation is she wasn't locked away prior to the curse, even if she left her Mother behind. And now for eras she's been unable to go back, not even to leave flowers on a grave…

 

[Shaper47]

For Harmony and Love! – A Princess Cadance Quest​

[X] You spend your nights with your dear Velvet Covers herself. The mare that you care for greatly, that you love. Get to know her, learn more about the mare who holds your heart. Of course, this will also do a world of good for you. (Immediately recovers three sanity. Learn more about your love.)
-[X] Ask about her rescue of Twilight when she disappeared during the Catastrophe

You are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. But you are called "Princess Cadance" by most ponies, and just "Cadance" by the one that really matters.

It is nighttime.

And beside you, on the couch in your room is a mare.

A beautiful mare with dark intriguing eyes. Her mane is flowing long silver. Her every act a promise of desire. Her forelimbs were bandaged, weakness clear though her body, and the contrast of her vulnerability and inner strength was just so very attractive. Around her neck was a necklace with something that felt of focused hate to your senses.

She was never interested in anypony before Shining Armor, but gazing upon the beauty of her very close friend. Well, she couldn't say she wasn't interested.

Ara ara… there is absolutely nothing in Equestria that could ruin this night. You can feel it. Knowing that you are going to spend the whole night with the mare you care about, with the mare you love, is like a dream come true.

There really isn't anywhere else in the whole world you would rather be.

Like lighting splitting though the darkness she appears so vividly in your mind as you gaze upon her. Admiration, friendship, jealousy, love. They all come together in a single great storm burning inside your chest. A candle in the dark, a fire whose warmth keeps you from freezing, a promise that when you fall she will catch you. You can feel that this thing coursing through you is…

Love.

"Velvet it's nice for you to be here" you say, although your throat is so dry for some reason your voice fails. But the smile on your face is growing so much you don't really have it in you to care.

She expresses her joy at your words through that bell-like laughter of hers that echoes in your ears. Like tiny gifts for you to cherish forever.

"It's good to be with you Cadence." Your heart throbs with joy at her words. At the small smile on her lips she sends you.

"So I was wondering," you purse your lips "what happened in your search for Twilight.".

You remember of course how relieved you were when you heard that she had found Twilight. That Twilight was safe at her home. That you hadn't failed.

But you never heard what happened.

Velvet is quiet for a long moment.

She seems in a way cold and something in the air, around that mare, feels of remembering something important. A memory you hold onto and can never forget in the end.

Then the icy beauty speaks to you. Her voice a cold whisper in the wind like the dying embers of a fire under the starry night sky.

"Changelings are evil."

"Or at least that's what I told myself. That's what I have been telling myself this whole time. They are evil. They are the enemy. That their species has caused terrible harm to countless ponies."

"They are not even of my species. So that makes them evil, right?"

"They are supposed to be evil."

"They have to be evil, by their very nature."

She looks sad but also determined. An iron will beneath a cold gaze.

"So why weren't they thrashing and hissing? Why didn't they resist to the very end? Why didn't they act like the cruel beasts that they were supposed to be? Like the creatures that prey on the love and feelings of ponies, the monsters who burnt down our works, who spread blood and fear into the hearts of ponies, who committed the most gruesome tragedy that pony species has seen in centuries?"

You feel it inside of her. Beneath the love she radiates something cold and beside it sharp hatred.

"When they were cast down at my hooves, defeated. They didn't do any of that. They didn't justify the hatred I should have felt for them."

"They just stared at each other, hollow resolute eyes trying to console each other in their final moments."

Something glittered in her dark eyes.

"Instead they felt exactly like a pony should. And when I killed for the first time I could not hide from myself what I was doing. When the other realised what its own fate will be, and alone with no companion, no reason to be brave. It quietly cried, it didn't close its eyes. It kept them wide open though the tears to look at its dead companion. Till its blood too covered my hooves."

For an instant you remember the catastrophe. Of bodies broken under your magic. You didn't even hesitate.

She didn't hesitate either.

What she says next you will remember.

You are absolutely sure that…

That by some cold weight that she had about her, a coldness that you somehow knew was not unkind, and a sharpness that would not be denied.

You will remember it, you are sure.

"Kindness is the intent to help. It's been the idea of what a pony is for over a thousand year. A good pony is not a pony who kills. In the end I was afraid."

She sighed, a sigh of losing something once held close.

"I made my choice. I crossed that line. Cast my fear aside. What I did I can not take back, and when moving forward. Well… Malice is the intent to harm."

Hearing her reminds you of yourself, your own thoughts. Of a mare who, when things really come down to it, cares about nopony but herself. Of a mare who only cares about her own loved ones and no others.

And so you ask her the question that beats in your heart.

"Do you regret it?"

She knows what you are talking about. The blood on her hoofs, just like yours.

The thing on her heck glints as she slowly shakes her head.

"Why should I regret anything at this point? There's no use in repenting for my sins. It would make no difference. There's nothing I can give back to the dead to undo what I have done. This is my chosen path."

"I know that if I want my happy ending, a happy ending for us. The path to reach it will require me to pile up many more bodies."

"For the sake of taking hold of my desire."

Hearing her words the same part of your mind that learned you can trust her is also whispering to you that…

The light you see in ponies.

The warm feeling of kindness for all living creatures.

That it is no longer there…


"Lady Velvet Covers. Unicorn. Noblemare. Mother. A mare you met by chance, and yet another example of how nobility can sometimes smother its own talents rather than cultivate them. She has a penchant of appearing in places where you don't expect her to be, but somehow that always seems to be for the best. She has a lovely family, and you have made no secrets that you hope to one day have one just like hers. But most importantly, she is a somepony you have chosen to love in this world, your trust in her is boundless, as is your happiness at her presence. The thought of her gives you strength and comfort no matter how dark things get. So long as she is by your side."



Name: Lady Velvet Covers

Council Position: Head of the Lunar Bureau

Harmony Affinities:

Generosity [+++]: She is a competent pony who avoids the spotlight. A mare who exhausted herself searching for somepony else's sister out of love. A noblemare who adopted a commoner (A Princess). And if you need any more confirmation, look no further than the namesake's Element Bearer, who practically gravitates around her.

Kindness []: Kindness is the intent to help. Malice is the intent to harm, and malice resides in her heart. To protect those she loves she has changed. To cast off her kindness in the flames of hate. To paint in blood another path. With sharp teeth and claws to bring an end to all that opposes her desire.

Magic [+]: She has a gift, of sorts. Even you can tell. You are not sure if it was twisted, if it was badly raised, or if it was simply never nurtured. But she has something inside of her, even if it a diamond still in the rough.

Laughter [--]: She didn't go into much detail. But you did your background checks, and you can put one plus one together. She was ousted from succession of her family's title. She was relegated to a minor position in a backwater town. And the other things you discovered under the table were somehow even more grim. She did not lead… a happy life.

Loyalty [UNKNOWN]: You know she is loyal to her family, but that's a given. (You might gleam more of her affinities if you get to know her better.)

Honesty [UNKNOWN]: Everypony has secrets. But if you can't trust her, who else can you trust? (You might gleam more of her affinities if you get to know her better.)



Positive perks:

[The Good Velvet]: Your background check came through. Her family is shady, but she isn't. (Unaffected by Noble Affiliations).

[How did you get here?]: She seems to have a hoof everywhere. Or at least, everywhere that matters. Somehow… (May add her bonus to the tasks of other Council members)

[Mother]: You have already picked your foals' names. And the logistics to get them are as irrelevant as they are inevitable. Still, here is a pony that might help you… facilitate your own journey, by virtue of experience. (Might be able to teach you lessons for "The Nature of Motherhood")

[LovesChosen]: Your Chosen one, the one who holds your heart. The mare you will forever love. The mare who promised not to leave you. (???)

[Beautiful]: "A work of art with a mane of flowing sliver." (+5 when trying to seduce other creatures, or just be pleasant)

[OTHER POSITIVE PERKS UNKNOWN] (You might learn more if you get to know her better.)



Negative perks:

[Clear priorities]: You will never blame her for this, but you know her family will always come first. (This Council member has a clear weak spot. Enemies might potentially learn of this).

[Scarred]: Once there was a small filly who loved her father very much. Now there is a mare, a mare who you love. A mare who still bears a scar. (-1 base Health)

[Murderer]: "This one's hoofs have taken a life" A burden she will carry for the rest of her life, clear and obvious for all those who have the eyes to see.

[OTHER NEGATIVE PERKS UNKNOWN] (You might learn more if you get to know her better. But surely, it can't be that many?)

Lost/discarded perks:

-Frightened [MALUS]: -10 to Personal Combat; (Once she was afraid. Once her mind was scarred with fear. Till at last she changed, cutting away what would hold her back. What would stop her from going so far.)

 

[spiderhellian]

In Which The Names Have Come to Play.

It's an event Equestria has not seen an at least an era. And even before that, it was a rarity. Perhaps an impossibility -- all the different practitioners so jealously guarded their secrets, and any true cooperation was fraught.

Tonight four Names walk the wake, united behind a single Mare's purpose.

---

Some might find their foe with a detailed stake-out and meticulous research. Others would kidnap a few subordinates, and make them talk, if y'know what's good for ya. But the Name of Secret Histories? She simply walks the streets, and her hooves lead her unerringly to the correct door.

Some might open that well-warded entranceway with a stolen key. Others might subvert someone inside to open up the gates. But the Name of Knock? She picks up her axe, swings it, and both the lock and door surrounding it shatter, and never could this passage again be barred.

Some might lead troops to slaughter those residing inside. Others might toss a few explosives in, and hope the resulting carnage is sufficient. But the Monster of Grail? She reminds you that you should never ask a Lady her age, or watch how she eats.

Some might take their foe down with a flurry of blade-strokes, launched in reckless abandon but at least keeping the enemy a few feet away. Others choose, prefer in fact, to get their hands dirty, and take the life in front of them with their own hooves. The Name of Edge? He launches a single dart, which cannot be opposed, by wall or body or eye or brain.

Mercilessly, unstoppably, deliciously, brutally -- one Pony's will is done.

Spoiler: AN

First, you can't really destroy an entire cult in a single attack, that takes place in a single night. Even if you focus on one or two of those points, the other points might scatter and flee. It is disingenuous to expect a perfect and absolute victory.

(Or maybe it is. You are sending quite a few Names, after all. What do I know?)

Click to shrink...

I know this isn't likely to be the case, but, well, a Mare can dream. And Velvet will be spending so much time in bed, and have so much time to dream...

 

[AuthorTransient]

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In Which (S) Collide - Part 5

Velvet: Struggle

Lantern. Forge. Edge. Winter. Heart. Grail. Moth. Knock. And Secret Histories.

Long ago, two lands lived in harmony.

Then, everything changed when the -

...

After Glory-knows how many eons have passed, an estate now serves as a... bridge of sorts, between the two lands.

It is very exclusive and secretive. Very few know of it. Invitation only.

Even fewer know that the estate also has a restaurant.

Or perhaps, it might be said that only one views 'it' as a restaurant.


One night, a starving guest of this estate who had been left out in the cold could no longer stave off her hunger.

Her hostess had been marinating a meal for a while now, and the smell drifting out of the window was making her ravenous.


An Outsider who transformed into a part of this New World, who poured itself into mending the cracks like iridiscent rainbow gold, changing both itself and part of the core of the world.

Who had underwent and survived the Rot of the Worms.

Who had transformed again, and then while in this transformed state mixed and stewed in a broth of Lores, until another state of transformation was reached.

Something never seen before – something never tasted before. Born and reborn and reborn again.


An exotic ingredient thrice alchemized. Lead to gold to crystal mithril.


The smell tunneling into her nostrils ensnares her heart.

And oh, how that causes her to THIRST.


Hence she politely knocked on the door of the owner and, when it opened, asked if she could share the a meal.

She got kicked out.

Like the fillies say nowadays, 'okay'.


She gathered herself together and knocked on the door again. Politely.

This time, the hostess, her meal, and the bellhop all came out to confront her.

So she apologized, gave some compliments to the hostess, and said that she did not mean any offense. She merely -

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

[Multi-combatant fight. Mareinette will only "compete" to wound Luna, but may be wounded by all other combatants]

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30
(Velvet only) ULTIMATE FATE WORKS
Reading the Record: 39 + 26 = 65, 3rd​ Breakpoint Reached

Ally Debuffs:
FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 2 - 20

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 50): 0]

[Current Allies overflow (damage occurs on 100): 84]

Mareinette's Turn. Multiattack.
First Roll: 92 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 20 ('Wire Mother') + 5 ('Blood Meridian') +40 ('An Incandescence')- 5 ('Outnumbered: 1') = 192
Second Roll: 19 + 100 = 119
Third Roll: 14 + 100 = 114
Fourth Roll: 14 + 100 = 114
Fifth Roll: 8 + 100 = 108

Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 92 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 ('Wire Mother') - 20 = 121
Velvet Covers: 48 + 29 + 30 + 30 (Reading the Record) – 20 - 20 = 67
Luna: 37 + 33 (Velvet Support) + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 30 + 10 ('A Sister's Promise) – 20 - 20 = 160

Overflow: Mareinette – 32, Allies - 84

Backend:
Jade Whistle: Dispel FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1: 64 + 21 + 30 - 20 = 95! 1st​ breakpoint reached!
Baldomare: Dispels FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1.

Comet Feet shuts down one head.

The others smash into yours and Selene's hasty shield and you pour your magic and grief and regret into maintaining it -


-- and the shield breaks.


Mareinette's head chomps down and you must have blacked out for a moment, because when your consciousness returns you're with Selene on another part of the battlefield, checking her over with your hooves.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Selene is yelling. "She didn't get me, she didn't get me."

Her coat has been shorn in several places but there's no blood. There's no blood. Your heart seizes in fear and anger regardless.

"Velvet! Focus!"

Comet Feet is circling in the air again, trying to find a weak spot to target, but it's difficult, it's really difficult.


Mareinette doesn't move like a pony made out of flesh and blood. Sometimes she just outright ignores gashes and some of her wounds aren't bleeding anything. Her turns are so sharp that they would break an ordinary pony's spine in half, and when she reaches for something – it's difficult to gauge a 'safe' engagement distance, for she moves without heed to gravity or inertia – sometimes its like the world slopes directly into her jaws and the terrible void behind it, no matter which road you take to avoid it.

As if it's like gravity, or as if she's at the bottom of a cup and everypony is just circling and being attracted to and draining towards the center. For all of you and your allies' skill or experience, there's just not enough time to react to a monster of that size abruptly blinking next to you and lashing out.

Not to mention all of Mareinette's newly grown... add-ons. Tendrils, you mean tendrils. What has been saving Selene has been knowing where your enemy is at all times, your desperate positioning, and your shoring up her gaps – but clearly that's not enough.


Each sweep of Mareinette's hooves sends wild gusts across the battlefield. You blink your sweat and mane out of your eyes -

- the humble guest makes a thoughtful offer about paying for it with her own personal services. Wasn't the hostess satisfied before? With the service provided by her mouth?

The hostess pinks.

The other residents of the currently cramped residence look askance at her.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

[Multi-combatant fight. Mareinette will only "compete" to wound Luna, but may be wounded by all other combatants]

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30
(Velvet only) ULTIMATE FATE WORKS
Reading the Record: 87 + 26 = 113, 5th​ Breakpoint Reached

Ally Debuffs:
Currently none.

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 50): 32]

[Current Allies overflow (damage occurs on 100): 84]

Mareinette's Turn. Multiattack.
First Roll: 94 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 20 ('Wire Mother') + 5 ('Blood Meridian') +40 ('An Incandescence')- 5 ('Outnumbered: 1') = 194
Second Roll: 79 + 100 = 179
Third Roll: 70 + 100 = 170
Fourth Roll: 41 + 100 = 141
Fifth Roll: 32 + 100 = 132

Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 46 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 95
Velvet Covers: 19 + 29 + 30 + 50 (Reading the Record) – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 118
Luna: 8 + 59 (Velvet Support) + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 30 + 10 ('A Sister's Promise) – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 177


Overflow: - INTERRUPT!

Despite that, she still refuses. As if she had never sought guidance and help from her! Why, this guest had given enough help to entitle her to at least a bite, surely!

No matter.

Words are her weapon, after all. And with all of them distracted, the guest is now close enough to - !!!


A life given freely – not through an act of death, but through a sacrifice of time – e'er the more powerful.

Now.

Swiftly traversing a thread of the tapestry, a storm unfolding like a bright rose, chasing to place a hoof on that different history -

Maybe in a world that hasn't already been warped – maybe in a history where Mareinette's presence had not already warped the world – this could not happen.


But there are no such things as coincidences.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls Cont.

Alt!Stormchaser: 65 + 10 (Martial) – 20 (Wire) + 30 (lantern) = 85
Luna's Final Combat Roll: 177 + 42 (Supporting Storm) = 219

Overflow: Mareinette – 32, Allies - 109
Mareinette suffers one damage! -100 to Allies' overflow.
FOR THE OLD BLOOD activates x 1!

Backend:
Jade Whistle: Dispel FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1: 67 + 21 + 30 - 10 = 108! Success!
Baldomare: Dispels An Incandescence!

Standing in front of you, as Mareinette charges full-tilt into a hole in the world and is violently expelled into the background somewhere, is Stormchaser. A Stormchaser that is branded.


"Hey, my little horseshoe," he says. "Sorry it took so long."

You give out a strangled wheeze and then immediately hone in on the scent on his breath, "are you drunk?!"

Alt!Stormchaser coughs. "Maybe don't focus on that."


The fucking husband??????????

Then the light turns on behind her.


In the distance, Mareinette is rising again, like a titan in the darkness.

But before she can do anything else, she freezes.

She freezes, because her shadow has been abruptly thrown in front of her by the glare at her rear. By what you had been waiting for, all this time. Like dawn after the night.


"Are you the one who's been hurting my sister out there?" Celestia's voice is a terrible, terrible calm that belies the immense burning fury threatening to explode out of her grasp.

"[MOTH]..."

Spoiler: Contest!

Mareinette: 31+60 = 91

Reroll used! 28 + 60 = 88!

Reroll used! 61 + 60 = 121!

Velvet: 33 + 12 + 20 + 60 ('Beyond All Suspicion') = 125!

"I'm going to fucking kill you now."


The Horse of the Sun has arrived.

Spoiler: THE WIRE MOTHER (Unofficial, as of Part 5)

Health: 25/50 (highballed)

Temporary Health: 0/5

[ONE WHO IS VERY GREAT]: Mareinette is willing to offer you Sacraments in the Lores of Grail and Heart, should you fulfill her requirements.

[OUR LADY OF WIRES]: Mareinette is immune to the effects of "Monstrous Appearance".

[HONORED GUEST]: Mareinette can "step in" on Velvet's horseshoes, and perform social actions in her stead even if only Velvet should have been able to perform them. (HOWEVER, see "Old Intelligence")

[WEIGHT OF PRESENCE]: Mareinette grants a full level up to the Secret Library for her preferred Lores.

[OLD INTELLIGENCE]: If Mareinette is alone while performing a social action, and a vote is offered, she will instead pick the vote based on what she thinks is best. (This will be based on her personal knowledge of you, as well as her loyalty. This trait can be either positive or negative, depending on interpretation.)

[MONSTROUS APPEARANCE]: Cannot be used for Social Actions. (Immune)

[PROUD]: Will refuse to cast any rituals that do not involve Grail or Heart.

[THE SECOND BIRTH]: Mareinette may choose to sacrifice a tremendous amount of health to immediately break her summoner's bindings. (Used.)

[NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE]: Mareinette may elect to hide some of her characteristics from you. (She certainly is hiding her health, and she may be hiding other negative traits or skills.)

[THE SUBTLE KISS]: Mareinette may hide attacks as completely harmless kisses, pats, smiles, or intimate glances, though they still require combat rolls. Targets may make an intrigue check to realize that damage was done after each successful attack. This compounds with OUR LADY OF WIRES.

[BLOOD MERIDIAN]: Mareinette may spend a combat action to consume the last traces of life and experience from a victim who has been brought to zero hit points to recover 5 hitpoints. This also gives her a temporary bonus of +5 to rolls per life consumed this way until the Turn ends. This action can be interrupted, upon which She loses the action. This action cannot be used while She already has more than Her maximum hit points.

[GRAIL OVERFLOW]: Mareinette may gain temporary hit points above Her hit point total, up to 5.

[SAPPING FLESH]: Combat rolls targeting Mareinette must reach an overflow of 100 or higher to harm Her.

[PUPPET OF THE RED SANDS]: Mareinette does not suffer from any status of being 'Wounded'.

[WIRE MOTHER]: Mareinette gains +20 in combat against any entity that can be considered to have a mother and they have a -20 malus when targeting her.

[UNQUENCHABLE THIRST]: For every turn in the Wake, Mareinette will seek out a Grail sacrifice and consume it.

[FOR THE OLD BLOOD]: Whenever Mareinette loses hit points, all targets in the vicinity suffer a cumulative -10 to rolls as the blood spilled intoxicates and causes hallucinations.

[ALL-CONSUMING NAME]: When Mareinette consumes a living being, their existence disappears from memories. Characters may figure out something is wrong (strange clothes that they would never wear, an empty room with paraphernalia) but it is more likely that they would simply fill in any discpreancies by themselves.

[Other traits negative, unknown]

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Made a small edit to the Reproach interlude. Will be editing links in later. I hope this update and all of its cheeky little references help.

You are not alone.

EDIT: Celestia's line is from the Adventure Zone: Balance - https://youtu.be/-IBBPeS7KZ8?t=214.

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[AuthorTransient]

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In Which (S) Collide - Interlude: Spark

Spoiler: Author's Notes

This one is a bit long, so I've hidden it under a spoiler. Also, I've ran out of buffer. Next update may only come out on December. Also, Pinkie's speech is in FF4DA6.

---

Spoiler

Meet​	Fine and Dandy​
"Will you help her?"
	"Yes, I will."
"Just like that?"
	"I would help her in any universe. Because I'm her friend."
In her stories, everything turns out alright in the end. Reality is not as kind. It is messy and complicated. Isn't that right, --- ? A unicorn without a horn opens her eyes to an empty ceiling awash in merciless light. To be so bright already... she had overslept again. Some bits of her felt guilty about that, as if she was dishonoring the memory of Spike. Most of her didn't care. It was difficult to care about anything nowadays. ...the bed was cold. She felt both listless and exhausted. Empty, or perhaps hollow. As if everything that made her 'her' had been emptied and scooped out, and everything that remained was just a hollow shell. The world felt the same, as if all of its colors had been bled out of it. Like another hollow shell. ...words weren't working. She just wanted to sleep and never wake up. Sleeping isn't the problem. The dreams are. In her restless dreams she sees -- Firmly and carefully, she pulls her mind away from that line of thought. Whatever happened, has happened. There's no point thinking about what-ifs. Too many times she had indulged herself and fell into an even worse slump. She is still alive. She has to eat, she has to drink, she has to sleep. Her throat hurts. She'll take care of that later. Let her lie here for a little while more. Just a bit longer. She turns her head to the side instead, but finds only an empty table and empty chairs. A huff of breath escapes her nostrils. Whoever impersonated her didn't do a very good job. Dust was already gathering upon it, but she still couldn't bring herself to get up. Later. Just... maybe later. The rest of her room is, objectively, a mess. The shelves haven't been dusted. Books sit in dusty piles, unused and unmoved. Her floor is filled with dust, and the curtains have been drawn since she can remember. But she still can't bring herself to clean it. She just feels tired, all the time. There's nobody around to clean it up and nobody around to badger her into cleaning it up. Sometimes it feels like she's an island on a sea, and everything was just going on without her. She no longer broke out into song. She just tried hard not to cry. Sleep beckoned out to her again (a world without hurt) but if its this bright already, she shouldn't. She needs to eat something and drink something, at least. Keep her body healthy. Although she didn't really care, Spike would be sad. Princess Celestia would be... Princess Celestia might just not care. But Spike... Her nose sours. Abruptly her temper erupts. Why did Luna have to die? Why did the changelings have to destroy everything? Why did Celestia leave her alone to waste away? Most of all, why is she still so useless?!! She reaches out to smash something, anything, into the floor. But nothing happens. Ah. That's right. Twilight Sparkle doesn't have a horn. What use is a Unicorn without a horn? Can Twilight Sparkle really call herself Twilight Sparkle without her magic? Just as suddenly as it arrived, the anger drains out of her. She gets up instead and then nearly falls off the bed when the ground shudders. The alarm clock jumps and falls at her hooves, coincidentally at an angle for her to read. ...what? For a moment, she can only stare in incomprehension, because the clock states it's in the middle of the night. She looks up to where even the drawn curtains can hardly block out the light. Huh? Did Princess Celestia - ? No, that's impossible. But her current condition - ? For a moment, her brain kicks back into gear. It's familiar how quickly she gets back into the groove, like a river finding its way back into the sea, spilling into familiar canyons. It makes her nauseated. It makes her want to puke. And some of the canyons aren't familiar. Not since - She presses her back against the wall, closing her eyes for a temporary relieve of oblivion, trying to stem the tide of thoughts. But the light. It spills. It spreads. It illuminates. The ground shakes again. If this was one of her adventure books, this would be a call to adventure. But... but she can't. Not anymore. Not without her horn, not without anyone to call upon (can she even call them her friends?), not without... But she will never see or hear Spike again. And no missive from Princess Celestia comes. Yet, the light... it is still so bright. It reminds her of... it reminds her of before everything started to go wrong. When everything started to go wrong. Her mind goes numb. It goes foggy. Isn't it better to stare in silence than think about that again? Better to just not think... to just drift away? To just run away from all of her problems? Do you really want to hurt again? ... But some part of her refuses. Slowly, she pulls herself together and heads for the door. Each movement, each step, feels like an ordeal. At once, part of her wants to break out into a sprint and another part of her wants to go back to bed. But more importantly, most of her wants to open the door. Which she does, coming up face-to-face with Fluttershy, of all ponies, her hoof raised and about to knock. She blinks. "Fluttershy? What's going on?" "You need to come with us, Twilight," Fluttershy says. "There's a monster at the Velvet Estate and I think... I think only Harmony can defeat it." Velvet. Velvet again. She can still remember seeing her face in that dark room, telling her that she was sorry, and that her friends would come for her. But in the end, that didn't happen, did it? It was Velvet again. Always Velvet. But even that thought can't really spark any embers in her chest. She just feels even more wrung out. "I'm not going to help, Fluttershy." In response, Fluttershy simply looks at her. Softly. Gently. Kindly. It feels a bit like burning, but even that can't really overcome the exhaustion she feels. Instead, she tries to communicate her feelings, her doubts, and that relentless exhaustion to Fluttershy without saying a word. Suddenly, it feels like there's a lump in her throat. "I can't." She forces out. "Look at me!" Fluttershy does. "How am I supposed to do anything? How am I supposed to be a bearer of Harmony if I can't even use magic! How am I to - " - to her horror, she can feel her eyes burning - " - to believe in friendship? When I don't even have any friends?!" And Fluttershy... Fluttershy doesn't say anything. Fluttershy doesn't even say anything. She continues, "I don't have Spike, Princess Celestia doesn't care about me, and, and...! And none of you ever come to visit!" She takes a step forward and yells hoarsely, "tell me! How am I supposed to believe in Friendship and Harmony???!!!!!" The silence that follows is deafening. "Whatever is happening, I don't care." She lies. "I'm too sick and tired to deal with anything. Esquestria can rot and burn to death for all I care. Just... leave me alone." She retreats backwards and closes the door. Then, shuddering, she collapses to the floor and cries. Dear Celestia, I'm such a mess, aren't I? But no... even Celestia doesn't care about me anymore. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, if you're out there... Spike... "Oh, Harmony. What am I supposed to do?" As her prayer softly dispersed, a solemn silence settled over her surroundings like a blanket of snow. For a moment that could have been anywhen between a second and forever, she was left with the bliss of being alone, even from her own thoughts. As if punctuating that question, there's a knock on the door. She raises her head to look at it, slowly. Just as she was wondering if she had misheard, there's a second knock. Then a third. Hurriedly, she wipes away her tears and slams open the door. "I told you – " On the other side was Pinkie Pie. "Hiiii!!!!!!!" She waved. "Can we come in? I brought a friend." "You're not here to convince me to go and help?" "No? Why would I do that?" Befuddled, she let them in. "Nice place!" Pinkie remarked, unfolding a large rug on the floor. "We'll just give him some time to set up." "Some time to set up what?" She coughed, trying to clear her throat. "Why, to let you see Spike again, of course!" Her motions slowed, disbelieving, as Pinkie rattled on. "Took me a few favors, and I had to part with some of my shiny things, but..." "Hold on, Pinkie. Let me see if I'm hearing you right," she said, stepping a bit closer. "You're letting me see Spike again? How?" The 'he's dead' sat unspoken like a, well, like a giant purple dragon in the middle of the room. "Why, through the power of friendship, of course! And umm..." Pinkie began, tapping her hoof on her chin. "I don't really get it myself, but I can tell you a story about it!" She side-eyed the other pony in the room, who was doing something to the windows that was somehow preventing the light from coming in. "Please." "Okay! So, imagine that there's a cat in a box." She nodded. "And we put a little bottle of manticore poison in there." "Pinkie, this isn't helping my concerns." "I'm getting there! Ok, so that poison bottle has a fifty-fifty chance of tipping over. Like a coin flip. So..." She drew the question out. "What happens to the cat when you close the box?" "It dies?" "Nope! It's either dead or alive!" The voice that chimes in sounds deeply eccentric, exceptionally so, as if the words zig-zag and zip around in the air. "No, that's wrong again." The other pony comes up alongside them, casting another cursory glance around the house. "It's - " " - both," Twilight Sparkle finished, straightening up a little as her worldview shifted to fit this new enlightenment. "It is both dead and alive until the box is opened. An uncertainty principle, a paradox space, a coin flipping infinitely in a vacuum." "Exactly," said the friend of Pinkie Pie. "And what we, or rather I, have just done, is close every entrance in your house, except for the front door. And when I've done that, your house will be - ?" "A closed box." "That's right. Wow, you got that Wasn't quickly! You have a knack for this. In fact, Pinkie, I think I may like your friend even more than I do you." "WHAT?!" Pinkie gasped in faux outrage. "How dare you! Why, I oughta - " "Why are you doing this?" At her blink of confusion, she clarified, "why are you... helping me, Pinkie?" Pinkie Pie smiled at her. "Why, because I'm your friend, of course!" "Really?" "Really, really. It's alright, Twilight. I just noticed that you haven't really been laughing a lot, lately. Which is kind of sad! So I took it upon myself to fix that!" "I guess you would know." Pinkie Pie reached out and took her hoof and said, softer, "it's going to be fine. I can promise you that." "Promise?" "Cross my heart." "Ok. Thank you... friend." Pinkie Pie smiled and closed the door, which was then sealed. She breathed, then breathed a little more. When she turned around, she saw a pattern of three concentric circles placed on an eye-searingly pink rug in the middle of her living room (or perhaps, it was the pattern itself that was eye-watering). Her furniture and books and shelves had already been moved to one side. "Okay," she breathed again, "so what do I do now?"
"Are you ready?"
	"Ready."
"Okay then, here goes!"
As if in answer, a rose-tinted light washes over the room.	The clock face freezes in motion and begins to glow a golden light until it can't be read.

Then a glimmering circular portal resolves in the middle of the room. Its insides are somewhat blurry, as if being viewed through a foggy translucent mirror. But she doesn't really care for that, does she? "Hey, Twilight." Spike says. "I came to see you." He's larger than she remembers. "Hi," she said, not really knowing how to answer. Instead, she reached out… and felt her hooves press against a blank barrier. Her face fell. "Sorry," Spike apologised. "Neither of us can cross over. We can only talk, and even then, not for a lot of time because the air will run out." What was the point of even doing this, then? Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Spike apologized again. "Don't do that. Don't apologize. This was my fault, from the beginning," she said. "I don't think it is." Spike denied. "It was just… bad luck, that's all. You wanted to believe in Princess Celestia, didn't you?" "Not if the cost was you! Not if the cost was so much. If it was just me that suffered, maybe – but not you! Why did I have to lose you?" To her horror, she can feel tears spilling out over her face, but it feels so very distant, like a puppeteer observing their puppet yet still has to speak around the lump in her throat. "I couldn't save you; I brought you there but I couldn't save you. I really fucked it up this time." She dissolved into messy sobbing. "Sorry, I just – I just. I couldn't save you, Spike! I'm so sorry!" "Hey, hey, it's okay," he said. "I'm sorry too." "I told you to stop apologizing (hic). It's not your fault." "But it's not your fault too, remember? It was an accident. We didn't know what was going to happen. We were all just trying to do the right thing." "But the right thing cost you! And I – " She started sobbing even harder. "And I pushed away all my friends, because it hurt so much, and I - ! I don't know! I just feel like a very bad pony! And a very bad friend to you!" Something in Spike's voice firms. "If you were a bad friend for taking me with you, then I was a bad friend for not stopping you." "What – no, Spike! I brought you there!" "And? I should have stopped you, right?" Sharply, he gestured. "If you bringing me there made you a bad friend, then I also am a bad friend to you, for not stopping you there, for not raising my suspicions about that letter… for not wanting to break your heart." "But Spike, you didn't know!" "And you didn't know either! So we're both bad friends!" She didn't know how to answer that. Finally, Spike said, "but we're still friends. Twilight Sparkle, you're still my friend. I would help you in every universe." "Even after I hurt you?" "Even then. Despite everything that has happened, I'm still your friend." She looked down for a while. Laying on the barrier like this, she could almost imagine his warmth permeating through the cold. "I've missed you." "I miss you too." Outside, a song is starting. Spoiler: Music View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C8QmvcK0RA&pp=ygUbc2lsZW50IHJ1bm5pbmcgYnJlYWtpbmcgb3V0 'Take the children and yourself, and hide out in the cellar.' The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddle closely together, hiding under several blankets. Sweetie Belle closes her eyes and presses her hooves together, praying. 'By now, the fighting will be close at hand.' At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack lifts her hoof, feeling the way the earth shakes, the trees quiver, and her barrels of apples jump. Her eyes narrow. 'Don't believe the church and state, and everything they tell you.' Beyond Reproach is yelling and directing the evacuation, holding his Luna Bureau badge tightly in the air. 'Believe in me! I'm with the high command!' 'Can you hear me?' In a flash of rainbow light, Rainbow Dash alights to meet with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie outside the library. 'Can you hear me running, can you hear my calling you?' 'Can you help me?' And finally, a unicorn without a horn is looking at her friend, even as the ground shudders once more. 'Can you hear me? Can you hear me running! Can you hear me running – can you hear my calling you?' For a moment, silence descended again, so heavy that she could hear her own heart pounding. Spike begins, "the city doesn't know what's coming, she doesn't feel the heat." She raises her head. "The city won't know what hit her, what knocks her out into the streets." Her voice joins in, "the city is thinking that it's over, and she's already fast asleep. So I'm breaking out of here tonight." A wordless yell of defiance. "I have to be ready!" "Can I really do this?" She asks. "Twilight Sparkle, if you put your brilliant mind to it, you can do anything." He offers. "Plus or minus the power of friendship." She begins again, "we're given what we need, only the chance to survive." Spike joins in: "Even then it's a coin toss, a roll of the dice." She yells back, "there's got to be something better! Something that feels more alive." "So you're breaking out of here tonight?" "I'm breaking out of here!" "You've got to feel it girl! Feel the wind pick up!" Spike yells. As if on cue, a gust of wind rustles through the pages. "It feels like something's got to change!" She returns, "there's no use putting wings to a job if all the wills are stuck!" The wind picks up even further in her cottage, as if in howling. "But there's something wrong here!" The song echoes. "Like this whole city wants to scream, but no one makes a sound! You've got to feel it breaking!" Her teeth grits. "So I'm going to find out what it is! And I'm going to tear it down!" A lull. Spike solemnly nods at her, then smiles. "The ending's running heavy, we don't have time for goodbyes." At her step forward, he shakes his head and professes, "you know you can't come with me, though I see that look in your eyes." "..." He smirks. "So just kiss me fast, 'cause we don't have time to lose." "Oh my Sun, Spike - " "If you leave the light on, I'll come back for you." She nods back. "When everything is said and done, I swear I'm going to make it right." "So I'm breaking out of here tonight!" She reaffirms to herself, looking down at her hooves. "So I'm breaking out of here tonight!" The 'echoes' join in, "so I'm breaking out of here tonight!" The door slams open and Twilight Sparkle steps out, singing, "I'm breaking out of here tonight!" "I'm so tired of giving up, I'm so tired of giving in." She says to her friends. "You wake up knowing things should change, not knowing where to begin. This city won't say where she's going and she won't speak of where she's been. So I'm breaking out of here tonight." They chorus: "Break out." "I'm so sorry for yelling at you earlier," Twilight says. Fluttershy smiles and pats her on the shoulder. "It's okay. I know it was hard, and I'm sorry for not being there for you as well." "Yeah!" Rarity adds on. "What she said!" And all around them, they can hear the ponies of Ponyville, and maybe even all of the ponies of Esquestria, coming together to chorus: "don't turn your back on the city!" Their voices rising, they sing again, "oooooh - ! Don't turn your back on the city!" Silky Stream and Soft Sweeps, running in the darkness, collide into the light and into the Cutie Crusaders. 'Say a prayer for all the children still sleeping!" Stormchaser ducks under a blow. 'Say a prayer for all the fathers who still remember.' Selene and Velvet Covers and Celestia tag team Her Lady of Wires. 'Say a prayer for all the girls who learned to stand up!' And in an open box, Spike closes his eyes, smiling, as the portal fades away. 'Say a prayer for all the boys who won't surrender!' Now, as the entirety of the Mane 6 run together with Twilight Sparkle at the head, she admits, "sometimes I just want to strive until the streets run out, wanted to burn until there's nothing left to burn and burn." Then, she turns her head to the side, to her friends, and tacks on, "but this city's waiting for a better day. When I get back there'll be hell to pay! BUT IF I'M THE ONLY ONE STANDING, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL!!" "I'm breaking out of here tonight!" They yell together. "I feel a fever coming on – leaving me out of control!" "And I have nothing but this steady – for reals there's been nothing of the city, or the rodeo!" The song thunders on before them and around them as they harmonize. "If you can hear my voice outside these walls!" 'If you can hear me!' "If you can hear me singing out – this message tonight!" 'Wooah!' "Then break the silence, send a signal back!" 'If you can hear me!' "I'm coming, all I need is a little guiding light!" Then, dawn breaks on the horizon, the golden glow of Princess Celestia now unmistakably there with the yellow light. "If you can hear me! Don't turn your back on the city!" And as their voices reach her, she disengages to look back in all of her winged glory. They call out, "break the silence send a signal back!" When she doesn't, they call out again, "don't turn your back on the city! Break the silence, send a signal back!" And this time, Princess Celestia of Esquestria flares. It's like coming home. Twilight Sparkle grins. "I'm coming, all I need is a little guiding light!" "Don't turn your back on the city!" They echo and she yells triumphantly. "Don't turn your back on the city!" She calls out with all her might: "I'm coming! All I need is a little guiding light!" 'If you can hear me! If you can hear me! If you can HEAR ME!" Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic, with her friends and Harmony, exults: "Don't turn your back on the city!" Sometimes, all it takes is a spark to get a fire going.

1 2 3 4 J R 5 S 6 K​

 

[Shaper47]

For Harmony and Love! – A Princess Cadance Quest​

Spoiler: Music

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfvyM37hZ9s&list=OLAK5uy_nyGJM9Zngrx_wjS_Qv-rWcfpyEobqS1iM&index=6&ab_channel=Aurelleah-Topic

You are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

The Moonlight shines down through the window reflecting off the crystals to bathe the dark room in a silver glow.

And tonight you are in your room alone.

"Auntie Luna, you told me not to cry"

For Shinning is busy and your dear friend Velvet…

"But it's so hard;"

Your gaze returns to the letter…

"Ev'ry day that passes by"

The letter letting you know that her condition has worsened.

"Tears more at my heart"

Your tears flow down your face glittering with sliver light as they fall

"Velvet Covers, I know you meant your best"

You think of the warmth she gave to you

"When you stood your ground;"

The warmth of love that radiated from her like a burning fire. The warmth of her sweet embrace.

"Without your heartfelt sacrifice"

Yet you can't help but remember how cold she was.

"Your family might no longer stand"

Ashes of a once mighty fire

You turn your face from the letter and trot over to the painting.

The painting you have of her beautiful face.

And as you see the image of her so like your memories something within you lurches.

"But it still hurts, waking up without you here"

She is so worried that it hurts.

"Even spells can't quell the fear;"

That the one she loves might be taken from her like so many others have.

"That I might not get to see your face"

That the image on the painting or her memories might be the only way to see her loves face.

"Or fall asleep held in your embrace, ever again"

That she might not feel the warm hooves of her beloved holding her close. Two heartbeats beating united side by side.

"Or hear you listen to me"

To have her by your side, somepony you love that will listen and give advice without judging you for your weaknesses.

"About my hopes, my fears, my dreams;"

A friend that gives you strength when you find yourself with none of your own.

"But although it's been so long my hope still runs strong"

A love more steady then the ground beneath your hooves.

"So I'll keep going on…"

Because how can you ever truly fall if she is there to catch you.

…

For an instant your mind turns to the duties you have.

The crushing weight of your responsibilities as a Princess.

"My Wings will carry the weight"

That which keeps you from your love.

"No matter how much they ache;"

But no matter how your heart aches you place your trust in Luna.

"And I will never stop waiting for word"

In the flickering candle of hope that burns within you.

"For signs of your return"

Because you can't let it go. Can't let her go.

Because if there's any hope even just a glimmer you'll be holding on.

Because you believe in the two of you together.

You believe in her promise

"And if, the darkness would come"

For if your fears of something taking her away were to be.

"And claim the hope that spurs me on;"

For if she was to leave you.

"How am I to spend all of my days, without you."

What would you do?

"The one who made my life…

Without your love?

"A life worth fighting for."

Without Velvet Covers?




The tears continue to fall down your cheeks.

 

[Sveta08]

Howdy!
I've been thinking. And as is my want, I made that thought into a thing. A history that likely won't, but may yet pass. Mostly because the idea gripped me and refused to let me go long enough to play my games. So, enjoy!


In which A Detective Sees

---

The summons was short.

When you are in Canterlot next, see me.​

Not a word spared and hardly embellished. Not delivered by the royal mailpony, so it wasn't something of the utmost urgency. But it was delivered by one of the small league of professionals under her employ, so it didn't reach the mail itself. The poor mare who handed it off to you seemed as confused to hand it over as you were to receive it even. But, professional record keeper or no, when Velvet Covers asks you to deliver a letter...

Well, the writing may have been polite, but a summons was a summons. It's brevity spoke to it as that. But the manner, the delivery, the phrasing, and that it didn't quite come through the normal channels...
The why of it kept you company on the train.




As you stand before the door, you pray hope you know the reason why.
A knock to the door frame. An offering made from inside, and you enter The Commissioner's Office.

One day, the regality of it all will no longer register at the edges of your mind. Not the gleam of marble, nor the ancient, preciously crafted wooden furniture. Maybe the fact you work mere steps from where a Princess is meant to dwell will stop weighing in on you as you cross these doors.
Maybe if that room wasn't so empty, you might convince yourself that this is just a normal job. That these are just normal times. And that you are just asked to hunt down the crimes that no one else would find.

Maybe one day.
But not one soon.


"Please. Take a seat."
Velvet Covers raised a hoof from her desk, offering the seat across from her. Her desk, near immaculate, save for the baskets of work done, and yet to be done. Nothing out of place. Somehow, it was always like that save when she was working. Almost like she knew you were coming. But, the office itself is quiet. Most of your fellow detectives now out in the furthest reaches of Tall Tale, finding what they can of the Changelings there, the constables that you work with prying every hair from the hide of the few criminals you caught wind of. The ones who came after Velvet.

No one to announce, but always prepared.
The same expression crossed your face. The one you always had when seeing her, but you simply filed it away with the rest of the quiet oddities of your employer, moving to take the offered seat.

"Thank you. And, what can I help you with ma'am?"
A calm, collected tone. Voice measured as you were careful to not let your eyes search her. For the wounds that were now gone. For the marks on her fur that even now, weeks after, the bandages had still left. The pallor beneath her pelt, nor the look in her eyes.
She had made it known on no uncertain terms she would not hear of taking more time off. That there was work yet to do, and she would not fail Equestria by waiting for, as she put it, "Her color to even out." Were it another mare, you would worry for her. Were it another employee, you would tell them to not push themselves, as exhaustion and worry and recovery is more important. Were it another, you could claim even the job could wait another day.

Not so for Velvet.



"Tell me, Beyond Reproach" she began. "Do you know why I wanted to see you?"

And in all honesty, you do. Or at least, you fear you do.
"The attack."

She shifts.
Tilting her head just so.
Narrowing her eyes the faintest amount.
A single word answered.
"No."

Because you were right. Not for the first time, you wish you weren't, but you knew the answer.
Shuffling your hooves, you manage to keep your professional calm before her scrutiny. Before answering her in truth.
"You want to know if you can trust me."

And she... softens?
No, that's not quite right. Soft is not the direction, but her gaze does loose some of its weight. Her shoulders roll back, her focus wanes. You can all but see her seem to relax at your answer, the touch of a smile at the edge of her lips.
"No, but close. Or yes, but reversed. Both really. I wanted to talk to you. To ask you. If you trust me."

"... Commissioner?"

"Velvet." Her voice a correction. Firm, and insistent. "I need to know if you trust me. Simple as that."



That look crosses your face again. That same still confused curiosity. Concentration most would call it if they saw it. Because... can you?
The answer is obvious. This is the mare who has perhaps done the most for Equestria in... you don't even know how long. From coordination of the Hunt for Luna, to recovery after the Calamity, to being appointed to Commissioner of this very bureau by Celestia herself after loosing all faith in her ponies, to being the Alicorn of Love's own bridesmade! She is... well, beyond reproach.

But.
You wouldn't be a detective worthy of your own name if you hadn't looked her up. The Velvet name, how it carried with it a weight of sorts. One she rose up from, distinguishing herself from them... and in doing so being exiled to her home in Ponyville. How she rose up too was nothing short of meteoric! From the quiet lone noble of Ponyville to... entrusted as the right hoof of the absent Alicorn. In the grand scheme of things, she simply appeared.

And what's more, she... carries herself. Withstands under the scrutiny of Celestia, even in her wrothful ire. Holds fast to the reigns of this, an organization aimed at rooting out the worst and unknown secrets of the world, just as though it were her croplands back in Ponyville. It's said when Fair Trial struggles under the weight of her burden as the only head of the Solar Court, Velvet...
Velvet nearly died last month, and is back in her office now, asking you if you trust her. To say nothing of how beforehand she seemed to... to know even. How she carried that impossible sharpness and cutting regard just two months prior.



"Of course I trust you."



And she just taps the table. Speaking one word.
"Velvet." Her voice a correction. Firm. Insistent at the one word unspoken.
Commissioner.

Because, she knew.
She always knew.

You trust Velvet, the Commissioner of the Lunar Bureau.
But she is more than just the Commissioner. And that... That, you want to trust. But only want to.
Because the mare behind that title is... Impossible. Like a legend from a story come to life, rising up when the world needed ponies like her the most. Impossible in the best of ways, yes. But impossible all the same.



Left uncertain in how to answer, she finds her voice before you can. A faint touch of something in it. Weary, or maybe wistful as she talks.
"I think, I'm almost glad of it." She smiles, like remembering something she had long forgotten. A strange, almost sad smile. "That you don't know how to answer. That you hold in doubt, even if you can't place why, or maybe even how."

Her words were slow. Gentle and revealing. And yet steady. "Cadence told me, and I never really took a moment to realize how right she was. How... crushing it can be when people look to you for answers. When you are expected to hold everything together. How if you do it wrong, everything falls apart, so you aren't allowed to. But if you do it right?"

"Cadence became Princess Cadence. I... am becoming Comissioner Velvet Covers. We stop being... ponies. We are just what's left."

"So thank you. For doubting me."



Left to your own as she looks back up to you, you see...



(You saw something there. What did you see? Pick 1)


-[] A smile. Hidden, deep and quiet in her eyes. Only there for a moment before vanishing. Because she knew. She led you here, you and you alone. She saw your doubt, knew you, and manuvered you here. To make herself seem... normal. To lure you in like... who knows who else. She is impossible. She is. You can't trust her, and that... that something about her! You can't, you won't. Ever. But why then? Why does it feel like... Like she wanted you to see that smile?


-[] A mare. One with the world on her shoulders, and reins in her hooves. Impossibly stubborn and stuck in her position, but not faltering from it. Almost wishing she would falter from it. That she could be... just mortal again. Just Velvet Covers. But for the good of Equestria, refuses that comfort. Admirable. But you still don't know her. If you can trust her. She struggles, yes, but how is she still... here? How does she manage?


-[] Honesty. The crumbling edges of a mare who somehow was holding herself together. One that near died just a few short weeks ago, and now is... impossibly worried for you. Not worried about your commitment to the cause, but to you, personally. Because she saw that demanding you hold your questions weighed heavy, she wanted to speak with you. Despite... everything. You knew she was trying more than her hardest for Equestria, but... How? How could you not trust her now?

 

[Shaper47]

For Harmony and Love! – A Princess Cadance Quest​

You are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

You are Cadence.

And right now you are barely able to drink the hot tea your dear friend has placed in front of you.

Even now your eyes keep glancing to Velvet's revealed body.

Her flank flawlessly there in front of your eyes.

Besides you Auntie Luna seems to be doing much the same.

Then the mare you are watching so closely places down her cup.

"Now let's talk about what comes next."

At her word you focus forcing yourself to move past the shock at what you have so recently witnessed and the desperate hopes ignited in you for the future.


[Your dear friend Velvet Covers has revealed skills you have had no knowledge of, what should she aim for next with her abilities]

Due to knowing very little about what exactly Velvet can do you can not suggest write-ins. You can try and suggest a course but technically Velvet is under Princess Luna's authority. This is thus mainly a heads up only what Velvet will be focusing on rather then an opportunity to give orders. That does not however mean you are without influence.

[The winning option has already been picked. What you can do is pick a secondary goal for Velvet to potentially work towards.]

What is it you desire for Velvet to do?

[X] Victory is found in Strength
-"If my foundations are weak then I shall crumble."
-Velvet shall focus on growing in power in the lores
-This will grant more time till Celestia can piece her mask due to her mask being stronger (Celestia realizing Velvet's knowledge before Luna acts will result in Velvet's death)
-This will benefit in all future actions and goals by Velvet Covers due to her improved abilities

Luna heavily supports this

[] Smother the Eclipse
-"It's not about overpowering an enemy. It's about taking away what power they have. And we will, in time."
-Velvet shall focus on sabotaging the Eclipse the most heavily guarded ponies in all of Equestria
-Nightmares will shatter their minds
-They will die alone frozen from the end she brings
-An Agonising End will stalk their desperate efforts
-As this is done by rituals safely far away Velvet will come under no suspicion
-They have no shield, no wards that can stop what is coming for them
-What little they might see will not be enough to save them
-Celestia will not have any researchers into the lores
-This will grant more time till Celestia can piece her mask due to it being harder for Celestia to increase her own lore abilities (Celestia realizing Velvet's knowledge before Luna acts will result in Velvet's death)
- Velvet and thus the Luna Bureau will be and take the authority of the Lore experts in Equestria

[] Kindle the Flames
-"They shall be my finest ponies, those who give of themselves to me."
-Velvet shall focus on training the Luna Bureau in the lores and ensuring their loyalty
-The competency of the Bureau will increase
-The Bureau will be better able to deal with events regarding the lores
-Velvet will be able to use Luna Bureau resources to a steadily increasing degree in regards to lore preparations
-Speed makes suspicions, even with Velvet's skills going fast with this will arise suspensions especially given the skills of the Bureau members
-Potential shaky grounds for loyalty. Loyalty is like a seed, it takes time and care to grow. Time of which is lacking.
-The Bureau will sooner be able to use rituals like Forge's Redemption officially such as for the Secretariat Shinning Armor
-The Eclipse is likely to gather some of the lore knowledge Velvet would be sharing
-This will mean less time till Celestia can piece her mask due to it being easier for Celestia to increase her own lore abilities (Celestia realizing Velvet's knowledge before Luna acts will result in Velvet's death)

Luna heavily opposes this

[] Decisiveness is Crucial
-"We can't just cling to fillyish things as evil just grows closer."
-Velvet shall focus preparing for attacks on Equestria by enemy forces
-Wendigos shall be bound to be released immediately as necessary
-Preparations for future summoning of Wendigos and Ash Ghouls shall be undertaken
– Artifacts shall be gathered
– Reagents shall be made
– Pony sacrifices shall be found
– Materials (corpses) shall be prepared
-This is a potential force of much higher quality though less quantity then the royal guard
-A very strong contingency in the case of an attack
-Likelihood of an attack is greatly increased in the case of Celestia being temporarily unavailable



Alright, so things to remember. The primary option has already been picked and it's "Victory is found in Strength", mainly because Luna would much prefer for Velvet to both be safer and to be better able to teach her. Whatever you pick is mostly the secondary option, i.e. what you want Velvet to do. She may or may not get around to doing it, she is a very busy mare afterall!

Also just because it's not Velvet's Primary concern doesn't mean she'll stop acting towards these goals. She'll still be gaining the loyalty and introducing the lores to the Luna Bureau even if you don't urge her to do that. It will just be slower and more carefully done.

As you can probably gather from the options Velvet is running under different rules. Older rules. But that's what happens when you have a ruthless mare who basically comes from part of an eldritch horror setting. Trust me when I say you are lucky she's both on your side and not a whole lot worse.

Still Velvet is just a mare for now. A mare who is very busy with her day and partial nightlong job running the Luna Bureau. She's also having to fund all this by herself. So there's limits on just how much she can do.

 

[jelloloaf]

The Effects of Social Isolation on Grail Expression: a Comparative Analysis

Abstract
The paper analyzes two studies which explored the key differences in methodology and ideology between opposed Grail practitioners, Copper Secateur and Velvet Covers. Data were gathered by means of semi-fictionalized biographies collected by Sunuli (2024) and Bodhisattva (2021). The collected data were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. The results of the studies demonstrated that, despite both practitioners having been exposed to a variety of situations which cut them off from their peers and encouraged unhealthy attachment patterns, their solutions developed in significantly different directions, indicating that other aspects of relational psychology beyond the simple lack of interpersonal emotional connections contribute to personal conceptions of Grail.

Keywords: Sacrament, Hour Symbolism, Apollonian/Dionysian Divide, Enneagram Model.

1. Introduction

Grail and its connection to interpersonal relations have generated significant interest among social researchers in recent years. This is because while the Apollonian principles – Lantern, Forge, and Edge – can all be characterized through solitary, ascendant practices, the Dionysian – Heart, Grail, and Moth – are descending and encourage or even require the participation of multiple subjects. While neither Apollonian or Dionysian, Winter is especially focused on the absence of social connection, and as such is not touched upon in this paper.

As described by Kennedy et al. (2018), Grail is the principle of hunger, lust, and the drowning waters, honoring both the birth and the feast. It should be noted, however, that not all of its aspects are equally applicable to the concept of companionship and family – hunger especially is considered among scholars to be the most withdrawn aspect of Grail, except for its secondary participation in rituals such as the Crime of the Sky, which already utilize other aspects primarily. Neither of the study participants engaged significantly with the more physical aspects of Grail, preferring instead to primarily increase their perceived status amongst their social circles, further justifying the decision to focus only the drawing out and the cutting away, the umbilical strings of affection, instead of a broader image of Grail as a whole.

Taking the above into consideration, the studies reported in this paper investigated the social circles of Velvet Covers and Copper Secateur in order to determine how they connected to the aspects of Grail which the two participants chose to embody. The paper commences with a short review of relevant literature. Next, designs of the studies are described, followed by the presentation of their results. The paper closes with discussion and conclusions.

2. Literature Review

Little research has been conducted into Grail in recent years, largely as a result of the interference of various regulatory bodies. However, according to Fludd (1601), "the Great Mother remembers," a rejoinder which this paper takes as an identification of the Red Grail as the first of the Gods-from-Blood. While the Apollonian Principles are generally considered to be more deserving of serious academic inquiry, the Dionysian constitute an older and more fundamental aspect of pony nature, which can reveal important insights into both antediluvian ethnography and more modern psychological inquiries.

Fludd's seminal work, The Orchid Transfigurations (1598), served to first establish the mystic connection between birth and consumption, as well as to give an account of the formation of alukites. "This devouring is the natural course of history," he argued. "We must devour and be devoured, and we cannot be undevoured, just as we cannot be unborn. Any time before the inevitable [ascension] is nothing more than a transitional state; the formless mass still floating in the womb." However, later scholars such as Malskær (1866) rejected the idea that the Grail reveled in the birthing-bed, describing the contrast between its Enticements and its Torments. Further research of the Red Grail focused primarily on close examinations of particular enticements or torments, such as The Thirsting Tantra (Burial, 1821) and The Devoured Tantra (Schaller & Ivory, 1844). Though this paper does not share their naming scheme, its goal is similar; to closely examine a single aspect of Grail and how it fits into broader patterns of pony behavior.

3. Methodology

3.1. Research Goals

Both studies set out with the objective of fully chronicling the participants' journey through the Mansus and the Wake as they learned of the Lores, the secret principles which turn the world. However, due to time and budgetary constraints, only significant events were able to be recorded, while 'non-essential' detail was often omitted.

3.2. Participants

The two participants of the studies were Velvet Covers and Copper Secateur, both mares, ponies residing within the town of Ponyville, and members of a cult dedicated towards stopping the Worms from devouring the world. Velvet Covers was a unicorn noblemare, while Copper Secateur was an earth pony gardener. At time of writing, both had conceptualized Grail to at least the fourth degree and were capable of performing Grail rituals. Copper Secateur held a Grail sacrament.

3.3. Data Collection and Analysis

The two studies examined in this paper both followed similar formats; the data were gathered via a novelization of the life events of the participant from their own perspective, with occasional asides to show outside perspectives in a supporting role. While analyzing the accounts, researchers noted the self-reported quality of interpersonal relationships, as well as information about their quantity and length. This format was chosen intentionally to allow for greater depth of the subjects' personal philosophy and Lore insights to shine through, which more formalized methods such as structured interviews or surveys would have blocked.

In the account, each participant was encouraged to use whatever style of narration they felt most comfortable with. Velvet Covers used second-person narration, while Copper Secateur used third-person limited. In both cases, permission was acquired to publish digital recordings of the account.

4. Findings

A thorough analysis of the gathered data yielded two different categories of close relationship; friends, and family. Note that a close relationship is defined in this paper as one from which both recipients draw emotional support and validation. If a relationship was one-sided or otherwise strained, it was not counted among the gathered data.

4.1. Close Friends

Figure 1 shows the number of self-reported close friends for both Copper Secateur and Velvet Covers, over a period of 20 months following their induction into the Lores. It demonstrates that Copper's psychological dependence on external validation to maintain her positive self-esteem resulted in both higher numbers of friends and a more rapid acquisition of those friends than Velvet Covers. This paper notes that the sharp decline in Copper's number of friends near the end of the studied period correlates to a deteriorating mental condition.

Meanwhile, Velvet Covers maintained a smaller number of friends, which remained very stable compared to Copper's relationships. This reflects both how Velvet's driving motivation to acquire friends was tempered by her much larger number of close family members when compared to Copper, as can be seen in the next section, and how her fundamental desire was less able to be satisfied with large numbers of weaker relationships.

4.2. Close Family Members

Figure 2 shows the number of self-reported close family members for Copper Secateur and Velvet Covers, over a period of 20 months following their induction into the Lores. Here, the pattern has reversed, with Velvet Covers being the subject displaying continual growth in her social circle. However, due to greater social stability within her peer hierarchy, she does not demonstrate a decline in her relationships near the end of the studied period.

Copper's lack of close family relations can be connected to her differing perspective on socialization than Velvet; she believes that social connections are inherently temporary and must be taken advantage of while they last, while Velvet creates long-term relationships which she intends to maintain indefinitely.


5. Discussion and Conclusions

The picture that emerges from the analysis of the collected data indicates that the desire for a particular type of social connection which a Grail practitioner wishes to fulfill can greatly influence the manifestation of their expressed abilities. Velvet Covers' worry over being abandoned by her family led her expression to develop into a rope or leash, a binding thread that would not come loose without her express permission, allowing her to regain control over the relationship on her own terms and keep that way for as long as she wanted.

To contrast, Copper Secateur's transient view of relationships and resentment over being treated as lesser by many different ponies drove her to interpret her Grail expression through the lens of cultivation, planting seeds within other ponies and nurturing them into new emotions on a large scale, allowing her the opportunity to maintain a much larger social web at the expense of increased upkeep costs and a lesser degree of power over each individual relationship.

Delving further into the personal factors which motivated the Grail expressions of the participants, this paper turns towards the deeper mysteries as analyzed by Dusk in The Skeleton Songs (1907); the Mountain-Mother has not only fruits and chastisements, but also gardens and regrets. There are nine gardens, which this paper takes as corresponding to the nine enneatypes described by Ichazo in Protoanalytical Theory, System, and Method (1958).

From her intense desire for perfection and susceptibility towards hypocrisy and hypercriticism, it is easy to characterize Velvet Covers as type 1, disintegrating into 4 and integrating into 7. This paper connects her childhood trauma of being emotionally neglected by her parental figures in favor of her brother to her activated type 4 stress response of feeling as though she has no distinct identity or significance, as well a hyperactive imagination, both of which carry strong associations with Moth.

Likewise, when safe and content, Velvet takes on aspects of the type 7, developing far-reaching and extensively detailed plans for herself, though still occasionally falling into the trap of searching for a nonexistent 'perfect solution' which could have been reached by following a different path. Placing her onto the Wheel, this paper finds Velvet to be Lantern-primary, descending into Moth and ascending into Forge. She is torn between the Black-Flax and the Meniscate; the first embodies her love of keeping secrets and Moth connection, while the Knock of the Meniscate attempts to draw her into the Apollonian virtue of Lantern and Forge. This paper also notes the association of the Meniscate and the moon, and the close personal relationship between Velvet and Selene.

Taking a similar approach, this paper places Copper Secateur as a type 2, disintegrating into 8 and integrating into 4. Her base state is that of the provider, whose greatest fear is being considered unworthy of love on her own merits and frequently relies on social manipulation and denial of her own needs in order to fulfill her desire for emotional connection. When her connections are forcefully severed and she is obligated to rely on herself for validation, she descends into type 8, responding violently towards any perceived external control and attempting to deceive herself with the idea that she is fully self-sufficient. This disintegration often comes with a heavy focus on self-defined 'justice', which acts as a foundational personality value until emotional connections can be restored.

In the other direction, when Copper feels secure in her social circle, she integrates into the positive aspects of type 4, developing a unique identity and pursuing self-fulfillment without worrying about how others will perceive it. On the Wheel, this paper describes Copper as Grail primary, descending into Heart and ascending into Moth. From this, it follows naturally to place Copper within the domain of the Ring-Yew, whose aspects are Grail, Heart, and Moth. This also serves to characterize her close connection to Starry Dancer, as the Ring-Yew once loved the Thunderskin before its death.

From these two Hour-connections, the conflict between Velvet and Copper can be synthesized into the conflict between the Black-Flax and the Ring-Yew, and later between the House of the Moon and the House of the Sun. Near the inciting incident, both Copper and Velvet were sworn to Moth as members of a cult, each embodying aspects of their connected Hours. Velvet spoke little with other members of the cult and was widely considered to be a myth, echoing the ideas of the Black-Flax's namelessness and love of hidden secrets. Likewise, Copper enacted the Ring-Yew through the encompassing of lower-status cultists and cultivation of new growth. However, when their guiding figure vanished, only Copper remained true to her prior allegiance, Velvet instead taking the Knock-Wound as an opportunity to dedicate herself to the Meniscate and fully align herself with the return of Luna as a primary goal.

Furthermore, this paper draws a connection between the guiding principle of the cult, Moth, and each participant's relationship towards it. Velvet enacted Lantern, descending into Moth, while Copper enacted Grail, ascending into Moth. This paper notes that Velvet deserted the cult at her first opportunity – less than halfway through the studied period – while Copper remained loyal to its ideals until the end of the studied period, indicating that approaching a Lore from different directions can contribute to a vastly different interpretation and personal significance of the Lore.

This paper concludes that Grail expressions, unlike previously thought, are not standardized between different practitioners, instead being based on a wide variety of unique personality traits which vary between different ponies. However, the limited sample size of the examined studies contributed to the paper's focus on only very particular aspects of Grail, and the author encourages further study in this field once additional data have been gathered.

References:

Sunuli, J. (2024) Chthonic Paean

Bodhisattva, B. (2021) Esquestria: the House of the Sun

Kennedy, A., et al. (2018) Cultist Simulator

Fludd, R. (1598) The Orchid Transfigurations, Vol. 1: a Feast

Fludd, R. (1601) The Orchid Transfigurations, Vol. 2: a Birth

Malskær, N. F. (1813) Twenty-Six Enticements, Seven Torments

Burial, G. C. (1821) The Thirsting Tantra

Schaller, S. J. & Ivory, F. (1844) The Devoured Tantra

Dusk, A. (1907) The Skeleton Songs

Ichazo, O. (1968) Protoanalytical Theory, System, and Method

---

Fun fact, this was all just an overly-elaborate way to tell you that I'm writing a recursive fic. (I am physically incapable of not committing to the bit.)

@OurLadyOfWires, if you're looking for an "In which" title, I'm quite partial to "In which we call upon the Malachite."

 

[spiderhellian]

A Guest is Honoured

It was a lovely evening in Ponyville. The sun's last rays still kissed the horizon. The air hung like a warm shawl, with but the occasional sweet breeze to disturb it. It was the kind of evening where friends and family gather after a day spent apart.

In one part of Ponyville, that was exactly what was happening. Two stallions were sitting down -- well, one was laying down, his ribs were still bruised -- the room lit sunset-orange as they passed a bottle of wine between them. The maids clustered as the day shift swapped over to the night shift, sharing jokes and the day's gossip. In a small courtyard, a hoofful of fillies played, not even imagining that bedtime creeps ever nearer.

Or that one creature did -- ah, no. This evening, she does not.

Tonight, in a small out-building, a Monster lays the table.

---

The world is askew. She could feel it the very first time she tread its soil with her -- let's call them hooves. She can sense all the earth's beats, the rhythms that shape it from morning to night, and they reverberate differently now.

She knows this bothers one of her fellow guests, reminds another to adjust his aim, and has caused a third no small amount of consternation.

She, on the other hand, doesn't mind it one bit. Perhaps she steps a little more truly, sees the sights more faithfully, than those who merely deign to lend the Wake a fragment of their attention.

After an era spent thirsting, why would she not give this land her full attention?

She is not some dainty Noblemare, treading lightly as if she walked with porcelain horseshoes, ever afraid of expressing an opinion or desire for fear of what the gossip rags might say the next day, or what unspoken rule of etiquette might be smudged with an ounce's dirt, or that it wouldn't be proper.

The plates on the table rattle as she laughs, CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK.

For it seems -- surprisingly! -- tonight's guest is not either.

She had long thought otherwise. That first evening set the tone, when the whips of etiquette and the bindings of summoning had been wielded so harshly against one who solely meant to admire. The next few months were not much better, as her ostensible host invited over guest after guest she deemed sufficiently refined, while leaving Her out in the cold. She had to beg and plead merely to offer her host a gift that none of those snooty stayers-on even dreamed of providing!

Then there had been a visit, not one fortnight prior. A gift, and a promise. While any haughty Noble would consider groceries a paltry gift, to Mareinette they weighed more than gold. Precious metals could never produce that intoxicating aroma drifting in from the kitchen.

That visit had left her oh-so-busy, there's always a rush when you're having people over. It left her thinking, as well.

Perhaps her host, too, esteemed desire, more than she esteemed the cage that so often surrounds it. Perhaps she respected it, as a lion-tamer respects a lion, or a tornado-chaser respects a storm. Perhaps she knows the oenophile always at least samples a vintage, trying a drop and a sniff, before rejecting it out of turn.

Perhaps not. Perhaps, instead, it was merely out of respect for Her. Thankfully, there is little difference between the two.

With the last of the table decorations laid out, Mareinette is complete. She is tempted to check on the food, but all this work has left her simply ravenous, and it wouldn't do to pick at the meal ahead of time. That, at least, is a rule of etiquette she will obey.

She steps back, and surveys what she has prepared. She is proud of what she has accomplished. Perhaps this, too, leaves the world a little less askew. The knives are well-honed, the crystal goblets are full, and the table merely awaits its centerpiece.

And the guest of honour, of course, who does her honour in turn. But look, there she comes now!

Spoiler

I don't think Mareinette's sacrament is going to indelibly corrupt Velvet. It's not going to make her into a filly-hungry monster. It's not going to be a stain on our hooves that bleeds into the Glory. It's not going to turn the Pony we know into a monster, or take decisions out of our hands.

It's about respect. For Mareinette and for desire. For Grail. The kind of lesson a Sacrament is made of.

It takes a degree of honour, to make our Honoured Guest a friend. We have forced her to obey our desires, and disrespected hers. To have her truly honour those desires, and respect them in turn, we need to at least give her a shred of doing the same.

 

[Artemis_Fowl_2nd]

For Harmony and Love! – A Princess Cadance Quest​

Spoiler: current objective

Enjoy the wedding!

"I do."

And you truly mean it. Today is the happiest day of your life, and this moment is pure magic. You are officially married! Everything feels flawless—your husband, your dress, your day, and the celebration. Could it all be too perfect? Surely not. What a silly thought. As your beloved leans in for the "kiss the bride," you lose yourself in sheer joy.

The cheers and warm wishes pour in, and soon, you're at the heart of your perfect party. How is it going?


[Love!, breakpoints 50/100/150/250/400/500]

[Roll: 100 (banked crit spent) + 10 (stewardship) + 15 (Alicornae Level 3) + 100 [COLOR=ff4da6]Chosen of Love[/COLOR]+ 10 (Courtly Experience) + 30 Generosity's aid + 50 (maid of honor) + 25 (random event roll) + 100 (The... proper sacrifices) + 25 (P E R F E C T) + 25 (city prepared) +5 (prepared your whole life) +5 (weather factory) +50 (points to Gryffindor!)= 500]

[total roll 500, final breakpoint reached! oh dear]

Its perfect, obviously. Why would you even bother to check? Rarity was so wonderful with the dress, and Velvet rallied the staff so well, the coordination and preparations have gone so well. Has there ever been a party half as perfect? It's kind of going beyond a party. Indeed, its gone beyond being just a party a while ago. The entire nation must be celebrating at once, all across Equestria, celebrating your perfect day.

All throughout Equestria, trumpets blare, drums beat, and whatever refreshments can be found are passed around. For almost all of ponykind, celebration beats loud, almost loud enough to wake the dead. And why not? If any dead ponies where to join up, who cares? Hand em a flask, join the fun! In truth, it hasn't ever been so loud with joy, so bright with extravagance, not since beyond recorded memory, when the lord sun traveled the sky on his own power.

Certain things remember those times, and isn't it perfectly natural that their attention be drawn to the party of the millennium? They cannot attend, being dead and gone ages ago. But their echos, the habits and peculiarities left on the world? Those seem to be in attendance, winding their nonexistent way through the actions of the guests, giving just the slightest edge meaning and weight to anything they approve of. Such attention has not been seen amongst the waking world for such a terribly long time. It is attention that the learned of old would have killed for. So, it would be best not to waste it.

But enough about waking and attention, it's time to enjoy the party! What activities will you partake in?
Pick 3
Would have prepared the circle, 7 ponies arranged around the last, all skilled and with their ritual implements prepared. They would know what was coming.
[Z] Dance with your beloved!
-Enjoy the music, and have some quality time with Shining Armor (Gives marriage xp)
-It feels like you would never need to stop~
-(???)
Would have started the ritual, the first pony on the drums, beating them to the song in his heart. Would have silenced the heart, your dagger through it, but the beat of the drums does not stop
[Z] Head to the refreshments table
-Is that Rarity, the bearer of generosity?
-She will share with you certain tips that she surely never used herself, but that she knows would be of use to a married mare.
-(???)
Would bleed the neck of the next pony, into a golden goblet, and they would drink it, as if to replenish what was lost. Would have torn herself apart, desperate for more of that precious crimson liquid.
[] Leave the party
- Caring naught where you go, for isn't the entire world your party now?
- Will lead to unexpected opportunities.
-(???)
Would shear first the mane, then the fur, then the skin, then the bone, stopping only when the jerking stops. You make sure to not let any fragments escape the circle. and they will try.
[Z] Say hello to Celestia
- You can see her atop her tower, why not fly up and greet her?
- Everyone could see you
- Will not reduce Celestia's ire, but could have other positive results
- (??????)
Would draw the intensity of the sun's glare, through thousands of carefully placed mirrors and lenses. Would not, you could not look away until naught but ash remains.
[] Watch the fireworks
- Sit with your beloved for the show.
- Perhaps you could try adding some of your own? (will give magic xp)
- (???)
Would reforge the knife, originally this sacrifice's work, and this time, to be quenched in its creator's blood. Would take multiple blows, they were a hardy pony
[] Join the games
- There are plenty of ponies setting up games of strength and skill, they would be overjoyed to have you.
- They gladly let you join further games, later. (physical xp now, with the contacts for further opportunities)
- (???)
Would stab, and stab and stab and stab, wearing down your knife on this monster of a pony whos body resists such things
[] Stay till the end
- There is a certain beauty in the end of things. But this one may not come for a long time.
- Will lead to additional, lesser, opportunities.
-(??????)
Would finally shatter the blade on this, the final? Sacrifice, leaving you cold and unarmed into the final pieces
[] Throw open the gates
- Will let in anyone from the city to your party
- Will improve your standing with the populace (is that even possible? they love you)
-(???)
Would drag the handle across the center pony, perfectly harmless, yet the wounds appear all the same, openings like the skin becoming unzipped
Something else?
-You may not choose this option, you haven't chosen it.
-Have you?
-If you have some spare time in the future, why not spend it here?
Would stand there, chest heaving, in the circle of dead ponies. You know theres one more sacrifice, but where is it? You have to complete the set, you know the circle isn't finished, you need the one on top. You know you had enough ponies when you started, but for the life of you, you cant recall. As the corpses stand up, and descend upon you, their own knives ready, you realize. The last sacrifice, is the only living pony remaining.
(The room would now have the Attention of the Laws)
(Or, you could throw a really nice party)

Spoiler

I am so late on this lmao. Intended to get this out even before the wedding finished.
technically a continuation of my omake here.

Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience Crossover - Mature - Users' Choice!

This quest is alive and well, just being updated in another site on the following link: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/esquestria-the-house-of-the-sun-a-pony-cultist-experience.28651/ You are part of a cult. In Equestria. What started out as a very interesting book club...

forums.sufficientvelocity.com

I swear I spend a normal amount of time fantasizing about how to murder pastel ponies. and relating that to a wedding.
This is leading up to something i think is clever, been meaning to do this since the quest was on SV. I am cooking.
tried really hard to get the vibes going right.

 

[Maer]

Edit: Might help if I specified.

Omake

1. Background

You are Velvet Covers.

It's a harrowing thought, one that inspires fear in those around you who know of your reputation, your name, your accomplishments and your deeds. The trail of improbable and downright impossible acts that had rendered you a hardened, impossible Mare of fire, determination, and Spite. At least, the public persona you had crafted so painstakingly carefully followed such. None knew who you were on the inside, nor should they- that was a cold, lonely place with space reserved for but a few people- your beloved Stormy, your sweet Silky, and dear Cadence. You had begun carving out another pair of sacrosanct alcoves for one 'Twilight Sparkle' and Cadence's beloved Shining, but this... as things stood, that had more time before they could truly be considered to have a place wholly in your heart.

It started in a Bar, when a single Mare spoke to you, and offered you a secret. Not just any secret either... a Secret. A thing of whimsy and foals-tales. And yet... Moth. No... not Moth... Moth. It was a frightful, worrying and devastating thing, and it had seemed so innocent. A few meetings, a few acquaintances, a 'book club'. But then... well, Stormy asked a question one morning, and you realized you lied to him. It was so easy, so startlingly, frighteningly easy... and it rankled something within. To know that you could so easily mislead your beloved after everything he'd done for you... some echo of Love seemed to tickle at you and tell you that this was NOT the right thing to do. So you'd stepped back, told him everything including the Lores... and left the cult. You'd maintained your connection with Copper, though. After all, you'd had so few friends, and it was so comforting to have Copper as a friend.

For her part, Copper kept you abreast of the Cult's growth and general goals- the Worms... they worried you. You offered bits and aided in expeditions where you could, but your main focus remained on Silky and Stormy. Lantern to do your duty a bit better, Moth because it held a... special place in your heart... Secret histories because it was needed on the expeditions and searching for books and Artifacts. And just a hint of Winter as you offered Windy's establishment patronage and had somewhat befriended him.

Then Luna fell, and the world slipped into Chaos. You tried to help, and when no one could manage things, you delved DEEP into your Lantern and Moth, Sneaking past the guards in your way, Stepping sideways through places that should have been blocked off, but weren't for you, and once you reached the tent where your skills were needed, you considered Lantern, but decided that your daughter's friend demanded a purely Pony effort for this. At least where others could see... so you grabbed your knowledge and experience as a Mother and you bent the stallions in that into shape. It was your first scraps of Edge and Forge at once.

Winter grew with practice as you delved into it to resist fatigue and remain calm and clear-headed. You slowly fell more and more into the Lores that bound you like chains, your Sacraments untested as of yet- but you finished that trial of your Moth during the search, in the worst possible way, after so closely befriending a secretary you would never meet again... You had your regrets, but it gave you that extra fluttering insight to guide your whimsy in ways that led to fewer deaths, some connection to the darkness allowing you to guide the other ponies away from the tripwires and pitfalls within it. Still, it was a struggle every single day, and you ended up begging Copper for lessons in Grail to help you manage things better. You rapidly grew to nearly the third tier, your own realization growing as she sent you manuscripts and you sent them back with your own version of the relevant level scrap written down. You refused to leave debts unpaid, after all.

Then Celestia appeared. The pain in her eyes, the loss, the exhaustion... you knew that feeling. It was one you had worn yourself in the past, when Silky had gotten lost in the market on a day out and had stayed missing for hours thinking it was a game of hide and seek. You refused any repayment. You couldn't... not with that. Not with... that. Even you weren't so horrible a being as to demand payment for something like this. And Celestia... she... she saw you. That shook you to your core. She saw you, broke past your weak Winter and shallow grail, the sincerity in it bypassing the Moth you wore as a mask. It was too honest, too pure. Too... too horribly relatable. It burned the shriveled wretch you knew you were inside with the warmth of compassion and gratitude you didn't deserve.

She thanked you, and left. It hadn't been long ago, and now you had managed to find the time and place to personally scry the location of the lost princess, your Lantern and SH enough that you could easily slip there ahead of time. You brought Stormy with you, his awareness having only grown as he'd delved deep into the Lore of SH, and dabbled in Grail for... more intimate reasons. But together, it was enough. It was expensive and difficult, but you found... her. And together, you had met the parents who asked you to help her, save her... be gentle with her. You had promised. You knew how Celestia would be if she found Luna like this, so you hid her, and brought the girl home... and began to fall for her. Another trembling space carved and etched into the cold embrace of your heart without you even noticing. Until it was far, far too late to be concerned about it.

You had begun studying the Lores more proactively, fixating on previously uncared for avenues of growth and power in earnest; determined to aid your new daughter in her recovery, though it was slow-going thanks to the simple need to collect the manuscripts and then study them, and then return them with repayment on the investment. You had asked Copper if she knew what had caused Luna's disappearance, and she'd been... sick. A few words of comfort, and she explained. Your horror mingled with her own doubts, and together, you set up something of a separate Cult. A place where she could work on righting her wrongs. But it wouldn't be enough alone, and you trusted her to build relations between her, and yourself, and the other Inner Circle members.

For a time, that had been enough. Comet was softening as he gave lessons of Sharpness to your daughters, Windy was feeling more and more present as he gave lessons of Calm Acceptance to them, and Starry was like the sister you never had while she doted on your girls and played lessons of Hide and Seek, though you had to spin the second Cult as a surprise gift for her Master. The dance was difficult and unsettling, and that was before Copper asked to introduce you to someone, shortly after you completed your Lantern sacrament, having had the time and... available targets, now you had others from the Cult in your life and helping to teach Silky and Selene. As Baldomare stepped into your tea-party, your eyes met, Light recognized light, and... your Histories sang together.

It was that moment that left you playing in a dance with another Velvet, one who was further ahead than you, for now, and who needed your help. How could you possibly say no? Which... well. Which led you here. To this place. This time. This History. A History where Copper was dead, having tried to murder your family. 'Uncle Windy' was missing, 'Auntie Starry' was dead, Comet hated you and was dating some Mare named Fluttershy- maybe that was a bit of good you could bring back?- and The Master... well... you were glad you had never met them outside of occasional lessons in Moth. Never spoken to them enough to care that they were dead... Yet.

----------
The meat of the matter:
----------

You were Velvet Covers. That thought... it resonated with you this time like it rarely had before. After all, now you were Velvet Covers... but you weren't YOU. That was a stunning feeling, a realization that was... shocking. You could be yourself, without being what you thought you were, without being that wretched creature you saw within yourself. The liar, trickster, recalcitrant daughter, Vile and unworthy friend. Yet here... with the outside perspective on this Velvet's life... you were simply Velvet Covers. A Mare trying her best under impossible weights and with impossible strain on her self. Clawing against death and Regret to drag what happiness and Light she could from the Nowhere that felt so all-encompassing.

It was the most roundabout, impossibly convoluted form of self-acceptance you had ever conceived of, but it soothed you. It resonated with you, with what Moth you had gained Insight under. Still... there had been a note for you. Simple. Begging you not to worry her family even more. And if her silky was anything like yours, and the ache in her body told the stories your Lantern said it did... well. You may not have the depth you normally did, but you could recall the nuance of Light and Shadow as they danced through your veins, Moth desperately chasing after the light while Heart beat a weak drumbeat in the silent, still portions of time where you stopped and just... breathed. She had nearly died, you could feel it, and it ached within as she shook without.

You had a small accounting of details, a journal she had kept to catch you up to speed- apparently she felt that her visitors being wholly lost was worse than having some idea of the circumstances. She'd saved Jade, here... Oh Celestia, she'd saved Jade... and killed Copper and Starry. Had plans to kill Windy if he was too dangerous, or tainted by... a dark thing that was avoided in the text, but reeked of Regret and agony. This Velvet was far from a happy Mare. So, to avoid setting off too many concerns... you called Pon Pon, and informed her that you would be taking a nap. After all, maybe you could collect the Heart-aligned Drum that Copper had mentioned finding? If this frighteningly competent Velvet hadn't done so already...

You weren't one to visit the Mansus often. It was frightening, intriguing, but... it did not feel safe or welcoming. Copper and Starry spoke of how they felt welcomed in its branches, but though you yearned to climb, you found the Wood rarely accepted you in any way but begrudgingly, curious like some sickly predator slowly limping around you while waiting for the moment to pounce... and as you clipped the lock from your mane and slipped under the covers, you closed your eyes thinking it would all be the same. Another night of suffocating weight and mild fear of what might be hiding from you in that darkness that whispered so seductively of the great and terrible Unknown... But no.

It was worse.

You opened your eyes and found yourself standing in ash. Slowly looking up from the faint traces of ashen refuse dusting the crossroads under your hooves, you saw... Tartarus. You found yourself walking closer, unable to stop yourself. Eyes wide, you looked around, approaching and arriving in the ashy wastes quickly. You trembled, looking straight up at Glory. It was so bright, and shone so ruthlessly down on this sea of horror. Every step sent echoes of pain and agony through you, countless deaths, secrets lost, Histories erased... step after step, more and more of the ash clung to your hooves, until you found the pawprints of a wolf. You shook, realizing the suffocation was still there, but... distant. Sharper. And it welcomed you, with bloody arms of broken glass and thorns. Loving licks of sandpaper and salt, and playful nips of biting teeth and serrated obsidian. Every step burned, but... you were not who it thought you were. The Mask of HIS Velvet Covers was enough to let you hide under the terrible gaze of that creature, that... that SON.

Velvet Covers son.

Velvet Covers had done... this.

This devastation, this unholy Sin... this desecration of The Mansus, that House of Glory... Stripped it of dignity and stealth, rendered the light visible with nothing to blind or distract, save the pain of burning ash. A dangerous expanse, but an exposed one that hid nothing of Glory. Those who traveled here would not search to find the light, it was there in the open. They would not find desperation to Climb for the sake of escaping shadow, of escaping the dark to enter the light... they would climb in desperate fear, fleeing from danger and chasing that distant hope while exhaustion and Agony laced their limbs. This was no seeking of the light... it was escaping from the Ash. You yourself wanted to flee, to run away or run through, reach that door you had never quite reached before, and escape this horrendous, Agonizing place that stank of Regret and Loss.

You trembled, but noticed your hooves carrying you in another direction. Following old pawprints, ones that had faded from sight, but not from History. At the end, you found a body... Starry... your sister in so many ways... Clutched close, a dead seed. Familiar to you. There was... this was horror. Dread and Ruin, and all hope lost. Sucking in a breath, you felt the wisps of that Seed... the paths that could yet be, and had not been yet unmade in fullness. Not while this seed yet lingered... What once was dead could be reborn. Grail and Forge were secrets you did not specialize in, but Lantern colored through their perspective mingled with the Histories of those that HAD specialized in them, and sang secrets of what may yet be made of that frail hope. To plant the Wood again. But not now, not with ash to suffocate any forest that attempted to grow. There needed to be a place for it. It needed some... Element you did not know of. Heart maybe? So that it would Refuse to Die once planted. Against this Ashen nightmare, it may or may not be enough. You shivered, feeling tears on your face.

Your sister... holding that seed... you slowly lay next to her, hoof touching her face, as closing your eyes. You wished to comfort her... give her one last hope... even if it was not truly YOUR Starry. You Opened Your Eyes and Stepped To The Side. Blood and Fire surrounded you, Starry screamed and cried- she swam in Acrid Blood that eagerly chased itself down her throat, into her veins, through her body... a fluid that stripped flesh from her bones and unmade her organs. Her eyes were unfocused and gushing tears from pain, but mostly from the hopelessness that filled her. She was near death already. You were far, far too late to unmake this tragedy. But... you stood like a ghost on the sea, and knelt down, her eyes catching sight of you, hope lighting in the dying gaze. Her lungs were gone already, her pleas breathless and silent in this nightmare, but you heard them.

So you took the seed from her, the tears on your face clear. Her own tears turned joyous, and she smiled at you, thanking you one last time with everything she had... and closed her eyes. She finally gave in, her Heart Ceasing to Beat as she sank and was lost in the current. You held the seed close, watching as every drop of blood turned ash, and the Wood died. Standing vigil to the dying of that last, great defense of Glory, being replaced with barbed wire, venom, hate, and Evil. You... could not plant the seed here. No History where Ash claimed the Wood could support this seed, without effort that you did not have the knowledge or ability to offer. But... you could plant the seed back home. Give it to YOUR Starry... a final farewell, and a plea for forgiveness to a sister you had not wronged. So you wandered the Waste, growing to know your son a touch better and Regretting the action that led to his birth, even if you had not truly had any part in it. Then you left that place behind.

And when Velvet Covers came back to her home, you had left her a simple note, reminding her of Starry... that the Seed she tried so hard to save may be dead, but so were the Risen that grew new groves for the Wood. A ritual could bring it back, if she found the right one. It would be hard, it would take ages, and the effort would be immense, but... if she truly tried... maybe this Regret didn't have to be unfixable. Maybe- just maybe... she could soothe the fears of the Wake with the comforting darkness of the unknown once more, if she found some way to hide the terribly sharp teeth with new growth. Then again, what did you know, compared to her?

You were merely Velvet Covers... though maybe you could bear to try and climb now.

Now that you knew what you COULD have been climbing through, the darkness was downright welcoming upon your return home... or would have been, if you hadn't found that ashen waste there as well. Starry distraught and clinging to the Seed you had saved... The Master nowhere to be found. Maybe you could bring back the Wood. You would certainly try, given you knew how it had been affecting HER world... but, worst of all...

The Wolf welcomed you home. You were not his Mother, but you reflected her, and he 'loved' you just the same...
[/SPOILER]

These... don't feel terribly good? But the thought of that Seed has been tingling my brain for a while, and this felt... like a decent way to explore it. Nothing impressive or special, but I hope you guys enjoy it. None of it is terribly likely, and I didn't put a lot of though into that first part for how she gets where she is, but... still. Even though this will almost certainly not happen to us, I figured it could be interesting.

Tell me what you think, I guess?

Edit: minor corrections: There is only one Mansus, despite there being many Histories.
Edit 2: I have been informed by WOG of Our Lady, that these are both good Omakes, AND that they are, in fact, close to what she envisioned at the beginning of the Quest. So... that it a VERY big sense of pride right there.

 

[Maer]

Ashen Weaver


You are Ashen Weaver, a simple Stallion, and somepony who recently found himself walking home after a late shift in a factory. It was hard work, but you knew it was good work. It was also ending soon- the way your boss looked at you, you could tell that your time there would soon be over. You had already been looking for a new place to work when the explosion hit, and you screamed and looked up along with most of the city, watching the building begin to collapse. It had been so fast, and you were so close... Papers flew out, chaos reigned, and a paper got caught on your face as you ran, screaming and wildly racing around to try and escape. You were several blocks away before you had the presence of mind to pull the paper from your face and look back.

The building had sent dust into the sky, darkening the streets and blinding you. You shivered, mentally praying that nopony had been hurt. Though the paper in your hoof caught your attention again, and you read the words. Something about Moths and craving Lanterns... and a trick to getting into a place called 'The Mansus'. It sounded like a legend, some silly childhood myth like saying Nightmare Moons name into a reflection of the moon three times. Great fun, but ultimately harmless. You tucked it into your bag, focusing on the building again. What... what had CAUSED that? It couldn't have been an error in the structure, could it? Most construction ponies had something of a sixth sense for things like that...

It didn't really matter. It wasn't your business... so why were you walking back? No, not walking... running. You got there along with a dozen other ponies, more and more gathering as you all started working together. You didn't need to speak, didn't need to ask what was going on. You KNEW why you were here. The unicorns worked on trying to lift the rocks, helping the earth ponies even if their magic wasn't strong enough for the larger rocks. You had managed to get some short way into things when the Lunar Bureau people showed up, and efforts stopped, fear and paranoia gripping you all. The efforts to see if anyone was inside that rubble were... well, old habits were hard to forget. Especially after the last tragedy... after so much death and pain... people knew the pain. They didn't want that for others if they could help it. But... that memory was instinct, and once that instinct broke, it was hard to summon the will to see the ponies around you as PONIES again, instead of possible monsters disguising themselves.

You'd nearly felt that weave between ponies you'd felt all your life, up until just before that wonderful wedding... The world felt so much darker, but it made moments like these stand out as so much brighter. Despite the vile cruelty of the world, suffocating hopes, dreams, and love, ponies refused. To be a pony was to dream of the future, to hope and dream and love. To shine brightly with all you had. The so-called Elements of Harmony were merely a reflection of that. The efforts Ponies had made, the dream of a brighter future... this world may have had no light of its own, but ponies had been bringing light to it for thousands of years, or more! And you were determined not to stop.

You turned, beginning to stubbornly struggle against the rubble, ignoring the Lunies as they did their jobs and tried to figure out what had happened. They went from pony to pony, gathering more and more, but at the same time, you worked and slowly... slowly... the ponies around you made their choices and began to work again as well. Either you'd save some ponies, or you'd help the bureau, you didn't care. What mattered was... this. This connection, to the ponies around you, burning inside you like a flame, a blazing light of connection, loyalty, and generosity. You would NOT give up on those values, those sparks of dreams and hope for the future to become better than it was right now. You were a PONY. That meant something!

Piece by piece, pony by pony, the tattered wed of connection, unity, and purpose began to weave back together between ponies. You could feel it... you were no Unicorn, and while an earthpony you may be... you had a connection to living things. You could feel this tapestry as easily as you could the life in the earth, the plants, the weave and pattern of the fabrics you wore... you were whole. And you were not going to give in and give up. You could do this, and you WOULD do this.

By the end of the night, you were bloody from scrapes and scratches, exhausted, and had been questioned extensively. You'd given them the scrap of paper you'd had, and described the experience... but you never stopped working. When they asked why, after it was done... you just looked at them. After all, did you really have to explain? This was who you were. You were Ashen Weaver. You remembered what was forgotten in your woven patterns, and you brought peace and community where you could. You were an earth pony. It was in your blood to build and care for those fragile things... the delicate life that so weakly grew in the fertile soils of Equestrian soil. This weave, this bond between ponies, it was delicate, fragile, and oh-so broken... but it was vital. It was important. It was a light that would never dim or go out, and it was so wonderful and frighteningly weak.

You didn't know anyone else who could feel it, not like you could. How could you not take up the duty? Who else WAS there? No. No you had work to do supporting your community, building the weave thread by thread as you always had before, and carefully guiding the growth of those wonderful strands. You knew the world was dark and you may not have the power of Celestia to burn away and shelter ponies from the darkness, or Luna's gift to soothe those lost in it's embrace and destroy it's monsters, but you had this. The weave, pattern, connection... you had something. So you would use what you could to save this world. Every last light mattered, every last hope and dream was vital. When they asked why, all you could wonder, as you answered them, was... how no one else could see that.

Finally, you were sent home, the city's own construction ponies arriving to take over with a far more professional and efficient setup than you ragtag bunch of barely-held-together volunteers. So you left, exhausted and wondering how the world had grown so very dark... and as you slipped into your home, you remembered that cute little ritual. So you tried it, smiling to yourself and remembering your foalhood as you carefully snipped your own mane in the mirror... but you had noticed secrets in the paper, enough to recognize and remember the ritual, and some lingering feeling of something more... so, as you lay down and fell asleep, you did not dream of fabric and thread and weaving as you normally did... no. You dreamt of Ash, of pain, and of the sharp teeth in the darkness. And when you awoke, you felt... dimmer than before, and you had forgotten that odd secret, and the ritual attached. By choice, not by force- not that it would stop those teeth from biting you in your sleep again, now they had your scent... Sucking in a breath, you refused that path, the dim brilliance and Glory of it, dragging yourself out of bed through sheer determination. Your light would recover, and you would help heal those lights that belonged to every other pony around you.

You had too...
--------

I need to work on making these longer next time. Not even 2,000 words... I'm just failing at my own standards... Regardless. Tada!
Another Omake.
I'm done for a while.

Again. I have been told that this is actually a good one! So hooray!

 

[Sveta08]

It's short. It's imperfect. But it's...
Well, I deeply hope I'm wrong.


The Wounds we Won't Heal

---

You are...

You... are...?

You aren't supposed to be here.

Yes, I know what you saw. And I know why you are here, but I told her. I don't want her to do this. I don't.
I know where this leads. She doesn't. And of everything that poor mare has to handle, I don't want this to be another burden.

She doesn't know and she shouldn't.







But you aren't going to let that be will you?

No... No I don't think you will. Too eager. Too helpful. Too earnest to just stop now. I can see it already.
Planning. Scheming. Best of intentions as they say!

But I know Velvet. Better than I want to, had to hold her in my hooves for a time.
Unless you decide not to, she will push. And unless you steer her away, she's going to find... truths.
Truths better left forgotten. This is a new age, a new era. A new people to cover the world. These bitter truths won't serve her any good.



But you want to anyway.



Maybe I can't stop you. And goodness knows it would break more than a few things if I stopped Velvet!

So listen close. Because this is something she can't know and the only way to do that, is if you know.





Tell me. You know the names of the Hours. As they were, the way they were once. Maybe in a different reflection than here, but you know them. Know of them. Not just the power they wielded, but of their nature, their names as they were, and how they came to be. How alone they were. You know of the Alukite. Their sisterhood of sorts, the fact they were cursed and spurned and monsters in the age of the Manus. You know of the afterlife, of the Blank Plains and the Door that leads to them. The light like stars amidst dew made of memories. The place where all goes to rest and retire at the end that always comes.

You know all this, and you know things that don't match. But you've never thought to question it. Something I've been... grateful for.
But for my sake, for Velvet's, I have to tell you something you already know.


The Blank Plains provide rest and succor. It's the end of the line for every soul that knew of them. And when I was once flesh, I knew of them. They were to be my end. My rest everlasting. The final adventure.
So too did Illopony, my beloved.



Now, the cleverer among you already know what I'm going to say now. But such is the nature of what I am and have become, a story half finished would be better not begun.

You see, marriage back then was different. Or, not so different, as heavier. Vows meant something in the same way a brand doesn't mean what a cutie mark does. Vows bind in a way that's more than just words and contract. There was more heart in it. I wonder if Velvet might have invoked some of that for her friend Cadence even. But, what you understand is that, it meant something in a way that's hard to compare now.

I swore to Illopony. To hold, to cherish, to love and keep them till death take us.
And it did.



But I promised. I vowed. To take care of them. Love them and keep them company.
So there, in the Blank Plains I made my home. Full of memories and secrets and the whole world.
The Manus could rattle, the Wake could crumble, and the worms could threaten. But there?
I would stay with them.

My better half.



Even as they forever fade, as long as I can give to them, we won't go out. Of course then, I am bleeding. If I staunch the flow, Illopony would be...





If not for me. For Velvet, don't let her know. Don't ask. Don't hunt.

Velvet and Stormchaser... I don't want their life to be caught up in this. Because even if Velvet succeeds and reaches GLORY.
She will face this same problem in time.

I don't want that hurt for them.
Let them live and love as they are.
So please.
Don't.

 

[DelightedOne]

This is a thing I had in mind for a while now sooo... Here it is.




You are Velvet Covers and you have been given a Gift.

Something you wanted but never thought you would be given, something that almost seems impossible had you not received it personally.

The Gift itself is of course nothing physical, but it still shines in a way you can't help but think there is some kind of lantern illuminating the room. No, not that Lantern, because this light is Kind and shows mercy for those that need it.


As is the nature of such a Generous gift it is not meant for you or rather it's not just for you. The rest of the World should be allowed to benefit from what will happen when you open it.

And you will open it tonight. But you can't help but feel there is a certain... spark, missing from it.




- - -



There are many things you still don't know about Harmony, but you do know it is not malicious, that it protected the World for as long as ponykind remembers in its History and if properly assisted will continue to make the World a better place. So you can work with it.

When the night comes and your daughters and your husband are sleeping, you carry the Gift with you to the bed you will be using for the night, because you don't want to risk anything going wrong and harming(or even worrying) your family.

When you pull the covers over your coat and place your head on the pillows the Gift is right in front of you, ready for the short journey through the Crossroads that is needed to reach the Mansus.


When you can start to see what remains of the Woods in the horizon, the Gift seems to answer your guilt and revulsion with a comforting warmth. It doesn't help much but it is a good feeling, like being surrounded by your friends and family with no great worries about the end of the World.

The moment your hooves touch the ashes the meaning of what you're about to do becomes so much clearer, daunting even. Failure is not an option when the future of Equestria is at stake.

Now it's time to work.


[Unleashing the Light, breakpoints 60/80/100/120/150]

[Roll: 82 + 13 (Magic) + 10 (Love's Chosen, Friendship) + 10 (Mother of the Moon) + 10 (The trust of Generosity) + 10 (The trust of Kindness) - 10 (The loss of Magic) - 15 (Stained Soul, Level 3) = 110]
[Third breakpoint reached]

You did what you wanted, you did what you needed. But how much was that?


[] (Roll 60) "The bare minimum." (Your actions were reversed as much as you could or were willing to spend effort in)
-You will clean the remains of what you broke of the taint of the Wolf... and that shall be enough.
-Evil, Paranoia and Ash will cease to exist. The World will still bear the scars of their births, but at least the wounds are healed.
-Equestria will return to how it was before your first meeting with the Wolf.
-But is that enough to make up for what you did?



[] (Roll 80) "This is a good start." (You did a little more than what was needed and built the foundations of a future great work)
-The consequences listed previously will happen.
-After the powers of the Wolf were gone you noticed something glowing next to you, it was... a Seed and a Stone?
--The Seed will be planted in the ashes of the Woods. What will grow there? Only time will tell.
--The Stone will be placed in the place where the Tribal Door used to stand. What is it for? To build a Door, of course, what else would it be for?
-As long as Harmony exists what you started will grow and change and when it is time the Mansus will have the ??????? ????? and the ?????????? ????.
-The Dreamlands will start reaching for the Mansus in earnest, in such a way some observant ponies might take notice. Anything that strengthens Harmony's power will accelerate the subversion of the Mansus and the progress of the Seed and the Stone.
-You will not feel tired or receive any malus from this action.
-But will this suffice?



[] (Roll 100) "That is just enough" (You did not wish to leave before the work was really done, so you did more and more until you could barely believe what you had accomplished).
-The consequences listed previously will happen, in a much greater way.
-After the powers of the Wolf were gone you noticed something glowing, it was... you?
-The Seed and the Stone won't be needed, because you managed to harness their power by your own means.
--You will instead walk all across the Ashen Wastes, not even a single spot left untouched by the light emanating from you. And as you walk you notice the ashes are shifting like they are trying to form the base of a new landscape and after you are done you notice there is something growing, tiny blades of grass that seem like crystal and when you leave they will still be growing.
--The next step is obvious, but still important. You must climb until you reach the wound you made in the higher parts of the Mansus... and walk past it with your friends in mind. When you do, a new Door will appear, it's requirement for passage the existence of a deep bond with two other ponies from different tribes.
-The Crystal Woods and the Friendship Door will be grown and built, immediately.
-The Dreamlands will expand rapidly, reaching the edge of the Crystal Woods in a very short time. All creatures that visit/reside in the Mansus will notice, but no one will know who did this or how it happened.
-You will not feel tired or receive any malus from this action.
-What you created is wonderful...but how long will it last?



[] (Roll 120) You did not roll high enough to do this.
-Maybe it's better this way.


[] (Roll 150) You did not roll high enough to do this.
-Do you really think they could have changed?




You did all you could and maybe that was enough, but there is always more work to do. For now, rest knowing that no matter what you choose, the World will be glad for your help.


Regardless of the choice that was made the following will happen:
-The Sons will not haunt the World anymore.
--For Evil, that means Equestria will return to how it was before Velvet Covers had her first audience with the Wolf-Divided.
--For Paranoia, that means his "-5 (Paranoia)" malus won't be active anymore and ponies will instead become more individualistic.
--For Ash, that means ponies will once again be able to enter the Mansus without being threatened by him and the influence of the Wolf will be removed from the Ashen Wastes. Additionally, nopony will ever be afraid of the dark again.
-Soft Sweeps will live, but the Seed in her heart shall remain unless you find a way to remove it without causing her death... or maybe change it somehow?
-Velvet Covers will lose the ability to perform Regrettable Actions, consequently "The Mother of Wolves" ending will be LOCKED for the rest of the story(because He won't tolerate your betrayal to His End).
-Those may not be the only consequences of your actions, only the most obvious.

Spoiler: Notes

Phew, that was a lot. I shouldn't be surprised by that considering it's been years since I wrote anything and I never did it in english.

The roll was real by the way, I was very surprised when it was such a high number.

 

[spiderhellian]

The Detective is On the Case

You are Beyond Reproach. And you are on the case.

It's a role you've taken up so many times before, ever since those days as a colt traipsing around with a magnifying glass in your saddlebag. Some might have lost count of all the mysteries they've solved and investigations they've handled by this point, but not you. No, you remember each one. Each time you poked and prodded at the lies the world tried to tell you, and unravelled a crystal-clear truth.

You also remember all the questions that were left unanswered. The cases that went fallow after a shift in priorities, the investigations that ran into a dead end, the trails that went cold despite all your fervent efforts at lighting a fire under them. You know that type of thing bothers some of your colleagues, and that frustration is part of what pushes them to the caliber of the Lunar Bureau. But it doesn't bother you, not exactly.

Sure, they stick in your muzzle like a pesky fern. But where some people collect records, and other people collect recipes, you collect inconsistencies. You keep them warm, keep yourself sharp with them. Because the thing about reality is that it is always true. The world is true, it cannot be otherwise.

What people see, or think they see, or how they feel about what they see -- there they can shade the truth like coloured filters placed in the light. But the light is always out there. It shines true, however weak its glow may be. If you keep it whole, keep it safe, keep it unshaded, you know it'll eventually lead you where you need to go.

That rock-hard belief is what has let you solve cold cases others had long given up on. It's what has you keep in mind even those earliest cases, in the hope that one day the few missing holes that remain are filled in. And it's what has led you to what you're doing right now.

So yeah, you've done this before. That's what you keep telling yourself. It helps with the quiet screaming in your mind -- because in every other way, this case is like none other.

---

That part of you screaming? It's the part of you that knows you should not be doing this.

This is a pony who the Princesses trust without reservation. This is the detective who just single-handedly crushed a conspiracy against the crown. This is your Commissioner.

You should go home and sleep, right now, and forget about it. Or you should go drinking with Iron Button, and make yourself forget about it. Anyone you asked would say exactly that, and that's why you haven't mentioned this to anyone.

You should. You really should.

But if you could, you wouldn't be you. You wouldn't have that cutie mark on your flank. You wouldn't be Beyond Reproach.

And so you're on the case. The Commissioner's case.

You're checking the train timetables, and chatting with one of her maids who's visiting family in Canterlot. When did she get home, that day? Just before sunset? That's okay, I can check the weather-ponies' tables.

You're visiting some of the archives the Greenhoof's case file pulled records from, bugging an archivist who's bored at their desk. Have you seen a pony of roughly this stature and appearance? Can you check the last person to access this ledger? Oh, it hasn't been used in a decade? But it might just have gone unrecorded, sure, I can see that.

You're asking questions at one of Canterlot's best camera shops, and you haven't exactly said you'll be buying one, you've just let them assume. So what kind of lens would cause this distortion? Which models could boost the brightness like this? And where could you buy a camera like that?

You can still hear that screaming. But Celestia's smile, you love this.

The light may be refracted. Obscured. Cloaked in shadow. But you can see it shining through, and you'll follow it if it's the last thing you do.

You think about that for a second. Think of Velvet Covers. Think of those records you dug up on Velvet Dagger…

It very well might be.

---

There's one moment, in every case, that you always think of. It haunts your dreams, sometimes. It's the moment that the buried light you've so patiently nurtured shines through, sprouting like a seed to illuminate the world. When you deliver your report, denounce the culprit and outline every step that revealed their scheme.

You've seen the perpetrator break down in tears. You've seen them try to flee. In one memorable instance, you saw them pull a knife on you, and quickly add "Attempted Assault on a Watchpony" to their list of crimes.

As you come to the end of your report, in front of Commissioner Velvet Covers and Deputy Shining Armor (present at your request), the voice that only recently stopped screaming in your head is remarking that you've never seen a perpetrator behave like this. Occasionally, your suspect frowned, or narrowed her eyes. She's smiled three times, and chuckled twice. However, right now she's stony-faced, even as you punctuate your final line by thudding a hoof on her desk.

"You did not do this, any of this, yourself. Tell me I'm wrong, Commissioner!"

She opens her mouth, and your blood goes cold as she begins her reply.

...

With a giggle? And now she's chuckling? And now she's laughing, her full body shaking, pounding the desk with her hooves just like you did?

A moment later, you hear Shining Armor join in behind you with a few low chuckles.

You've really never seen a suspect behave like this.

Is she-- you thought-- does she not know anything of what it means to be a detective? You frown, and open your mouth to continue, but she cuts you off with a gestured hoof.

Between the guffaws, you can make out a few words -- "No", "It's -- it's alright", "just-- just a moment."

After a few more seconds of laughter, she composes herself. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath (letting one final laugh escapes her lips), before looking over your shoulder to her Deputy.

"Well, Shining, he's figured me out," she says.

The musclebound stallion replies in a warm voice, "He has, Velvet. He really has."

Velvet Covers looks you in the eyes, and gives you a solemn smile. "Your work is exemplary as always, Beyond Reproach. Your conclusions are undeniable. Would you like to meet my accomplice?"

What? You expected an explanation or excuses. Not, what even is that, a full-blown confession?

She rises from her chair, and makes her way out of the office, gesturing for you to follow. What is she doing? Where is she going? You're not sure you can let her leave the base, not until you know the truth. But can you stop her?

These thoughts fill your head as you make your way out behind her, followed in turn by Shining Armor. They're discarded entirely as you realize her destination is just next door.

You step into the cavernous office, intended for only one pony. One pony who isn't. Here. That's why you have the job you do, and that's why you all work so hard at it.

You meet the Commissioner's eyes, and she gives you a nod, before beginning in a light tone.

"You're right, Beyond Reproach. No one pony could have done all that. Especially not a married mare with -- how did you put it -- 'no relevant experience prior to this year'."

She frowns.

"Though I think you're underestimating how crafty a foal can be in planning raids on the cookie jar. But no matter," Velvet says.

She gives Shining a look, and then continues on, "No. One. Pony. We were planning on telling the Bureau about this soon, but you've earned yourself something of a spoiler."

Slowly, the chair before you begins to turn...

And like when the full moon comes out from behind a cloud to light up the night like day, the truth of the world is illuminated, and you know it will never be the same.

Spoiler: Alt Ending

"No. One. Pony. But what about if that pony was taught by the most ancient and most evil creature to walk Equestria in millennia, sabotaged and then stole a demigod, betrayed the crown then betrayed the cult that had betrayed the crown, and all-but-touched the power that shines through every corner of this world? What then, Roach, what then? Tell me these lore-drenched hooves couldn't do it all, oh wait you can't, you don't even know what the lores are! "

---

Spoiler: AN

Just a thought on how all those inconsistencies and peculiarities Beyond Reproach is noticing could get resolved.

I find Beyond Reproach a great character, and the more I see of him the more I like him. The idea of putting the Luna in Lunar Bureau also appeals to me, even though I'm not sure how it works out logistically/Daybreaker-wise. What if she could do Commissioner actions...

 

[Sveta08]

Well, I teased it earlier at the followerers phase and, eghh. It's not easy. I don't think I'll ever be happy with this piece, but it is here.
What was the quote, "Perfect is the Enemy of Done"

Because there will be a moment that this is asked. I don't know when, and I don't know where and I don't know why it would be asked. But it will.
This is but one potential way it is asked, perhaps using a good few catalists to make it visible.
It's uncomfortable and it's full of itself and was difficult to write. Doesn't mean I'm not proud of it though.



The Only Choice that Matters

---

You, are Velvet Covers.
And never has that been more true.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?



You are Velvet Covers, and that's kind of a lot right now.

Not that it hasn't been for a long, long time though. From noble daughter to married mare to itinerant cultist to Glory seeker, to The Commissioner and beyond, it is fair to say you have worn more than a few hats in your time, and very few of them have been easy.

Still, it is not Velvet Covers, the mare of many titles and deeds that's hard to take in. Because for those gathered, they know those deeds to the one. Many of them have even helped you on the path to here. They understand the burden to lay the stepping stones you have for each of them as well, and how it, in turn, weighs on you. It is not for your resilience and your deeds that you are a lot to take in.

It is that you are Velvet Covers, First in line to GLORY and stand now...

Ready is wrong you think. You will never be ready, but you are as ready as you could imagine you could be.



Canterlot is home to the center of Ponykind.

Ask any foal, colt or filly and they could tell you that. Ask any mare, any stallion who lives and breaths in the last thousand years and they could tell you that Canterlot has been, ever was, and ever will be the center of Ponykind. For the longest, for everyone who lived from then till but recently, it could be described as nothing more than the jewel of Equestria, the very heart of it's land and it's people, where it's Princess deigns to live. It is the best of what ever was and could be hoped for for its peoples.
And if you ask anyone now, they will tell you much the same. Canterlot is the crown of Equestria and its people. Some realize the difference for what it is, but for most? The difference is slight. Felt, but not articulate. The difference between a jewel and a crown is hardly important to most when it comes to metaphor. Same way as how describing it as the heart of Equestria has given way to it being the seat of power of Equestria. It always was those things after all.

For you?

Canterlot is a mountain upon which the Sun sits. One whoms cliffs stretch to reach all heavens.
It is the home of what once were gods. It is the home of your final test.
It is old and dangerous in a way that nothing else ever could have been to you.
It is what once was your home. It is only fitting it would be your last step.



There are rooms inside the Lunar Bureau.
Rooms for every purpose under the the Sun. Almost certainly for every purpose under the Moon too, should she ask them. But here, amidst this little conference room, you are gathered.

All of you. Everyone of your hands and hooves and pawns and tools that matters.
Every face that you look across shining with... if not hope, resolve. Determination. Drive to see this through. To see you through to this end.

You see it too in their gazes. In the reflections, in the shadows you cast.
Draped in the influences of powers older and greater than known history. Several wrapped fast around you, emboldening every word, every step, every pace and every thought with...
There is only one way to describe it. Power.

Nigh visible reflections of your climb. Of your desire made into a second skin. Imbued with the hopes and aspirations of all those gathered. That you, first in an era and an age, might reach GLORY. How about your body hung artifacts, tools that once took aspirants a lifetime to achieve now crossing your body like the jewels of a noblemare.
Maybe it is fitting. Maybe it is too much. Maybe it is not enough.

Everything. Anything. More than you thought you could, and yet somehow always not enough. It was all brought to bare for this.


So then why...

"Where is Baldomare?"

One of your oldest, longest, grandest companions. Latest and newest true companion, in the ways she and she alone knew how, she somehow was both. But since you did what you did she has ever been one of your most stalwart of allies.
So why then, now when all is ready to be set, to be off... Why is she not here?!



She is not blind. At times lethargic and at other indolent, but perhaps only ever once blind. She has to know?

Just like you all do. Just like everyone in that room had agreed. Had seen. Had known. The Sun... Celestia, she was...
Near.

In the same way as the rising dawn, in the same way you could never stop seeing GLORY, she was near. Nearer all the time, every moment rising higher, shining brighter. Pristine and pale and putrid perfection in bleached ash. Were she aware that there were heels to bite, she would have torn your hindlegs off. She was close, disastrously close! So why -?!



"She... said she needed a drink?"

It was a voice that spoke up. Confused as you were at the answer by the sound of their voice. Everyone here knew how... how important this was. Nothing more dangerous, nothing more difficult, nothing more... consequential than this. That Baldomare decided she just... needed a drink? Now of all times?!

If it weren't for the fact it sounded exactly like her, you'd probably be more upset.

"Fine, I'll find her. Just... wait here a moment." Words dripping with every command, lush with promise, and ringing with drive fell from your lips, hooves moving before you had even finished. No one else would leave. Not till you returned with your lost ally. And, perhaps, a bottle or three to share.

Baldomare did have a good eye after all.




There are rooms inside the Lunar Bureau.
Rooms for every purpose under the the Sun. Almost certainly for every purpose under the Moon too, should she ask them. Rooms for gathering, for meeting, for working, for training. For celebrating, and yes, even for drinking. Though, if you have to be honest...
You are fairly certain this room does not exist.

The ground does not feel like the stones beneath your hooves. Nor does the the small table look like anything you would see in the Bureau. And while the fireplace looks at home on the wall, the wall doesn't look at home on the... wall somehow. Nor windows that show things that are unimportant.
No, the only thing that looks right, that fits is her. Sitting on one of the three seats at the table. One bottle before her, crystal clear cups full to the brim and not a drop wasted.

"Baldomare, wha-"

No more words leave your lips. No more sound echoed in this room. Nothing changed.
But something moved.

Not in the corner of your vision. Not hidden beneath the table, or around the edges of the room. Not even out the windows with nothing in them. Not in the flickering light of the fire, nor in the drop of the wine into the glasses.

You moved.

You moved to the seat opposite Baldomare.
And the edges of your memory moved with it.

Well, not quite your memory, but something close to it.



For all that you have known Baldomare, she has ever and always been one of the nicer Names. Maybe it's a bit dismissive to put it as such, but she is. She doesn't carry baggage like some of them do, she is actually fairly personable, and she even, after much coaxing, seemed to take some manner of interest in the world and it's people!

But as she sits across from you, something seems to shift in her expression. And perhaps maybe, just maybe, you were wrong. Or maybe it's better to say, she doesn't carry baggage like some of them do.


Her expression is one of... well, it's hard to place really. Not because it's unfamiliar, no hardly. But rather, it's an expression you haven't really seen her wear before. Maybe one you would have seen, had you looked a little closer.
Frustration, but resigned. Irritated, but hopeful. Troubled but.... not herself.
The same Baldomare you have known, yes. But somehow...

No.
It is the same Baldomare you have known. But not only her. Not just the friend you have slowly made, that you invited into your home. Who has grown attached to your family and the people you know. Who has played with your daughters and has helped guide you in the past. This... This is not Baldomare, Name of Lantern

This is the side you never realized you never saw.

Baldomare, Name of Secret Histories

And you, are Velvet Covers.
And that has never been more true.






"There. Now we are all on the same page."

By the stars, her voice! Even if the room itself didn't seem to drown in it, it was just as stifling all the same. Rich and foggy, not quite so encompassing as some Grail rich voices you've heard but it didn't need to be. Grail gave you something to be lost in, this... This didn't stay long enough to get lost in it, but it overwhelmed all the same. And...

And, why does she look so...?

"I realize this isn't exactly what you had in mind." Words far less piercing, but equally muddled offered. Words as she lifted her hoof, inspecting it in a way you couldn't quite place your hoof on. "Not quite how I imagined either. It's a bit blunt and forceful for these sorts of things. Not quite revealing, but it is certainly forcing the issue."

"No. This is not how I would have like to have done this."

She...
She is...
Frustrated?

"But that's simply the way of things. Much as I might not like it, the only way I'm here is if it's out of my hooves. " She's still smiling that bitter smile. A smile that doesn't look quite right on her as her eyes take in the glass. The wine that hasn't been touched. "I would have at least had a drink by now. Something to give time to breath, to think." The corners of her mouth twisted, irate despite the smile. "Goodness Velvet, even these words are hardly mine. You should know this if you were paying attention. But that's the price of these sorts of things."

"That, and the price you already know."

Knowledge. Understanding. The awareness of things that you already knew, but never really put together. Or more often than not, things you did not wish to know, despite searching for the answers. These were always the gift of Baldomare, much as they were her curse.



"I know. You are busy. And I don't want to do this."
Words, not quite fighting at eachother. Not quite struggling but certainly not pleased with the path of things.

And as much as you strain. As much as you can feel your lips moving, as you can see the struggle that so rarely visited Baldomare's expression... Nothing you said would reach.
Not that it wasn't heard. Not that you wouldn't try. But that knowledge of what would touch is out of your grasp as of yet.
You are not her friend.



But.
But.
You could be.

And because you could be-
"Yes, yes, I know. I couldn't be a friend if I didn't tell you. I wouldn't be an ally if I told you. And yet if I didn't tell you but knew, you'd never forgive me. And despite it all..." She dipped her head. Older and more... mortal than you have seen her before. Not simply wearing a face that is saddened, but touched.
That worries for you.

"Despite it all, I still want you to know. Even knowing what it might cost."



She sits up. Putting on the appearance that you have ever known. Baldomare the Name, but still yet a pony. A friend even. A smile enigmatic and full of sacred secrets and eyes full of the knowledge that this isn't real. And the fact that doesn't matter.
"This isn't a warning. The Histories don't work like that, and neither do I. Not a prophecy either, though I've been wrong on that before. Not a request or a demand, or anything you need to do. It's an offering. Nothing that you want, and everything you would hope for all at once."

She turned to you. Speaking words she knew true.



"Silky Streams just got her cutiemark. Call for a carriage, and it won't be but ten minutes and you'll be on your way to her."

Maybe it was the air. Or the wine. But whatever it may have been, you... you couldn't tell if your heart was breaking or soaring. Perhaps both.
But Good Baldomare was not done. The Name of Lantern would speak and be known. On this fact, on this decision, the Histories held their breath. And she would carry this burden to it's end.


"You must choose."
"Stay the course and I will follow you back. We shall all make the ascent, and we will find you your Outsider. You will have your blood, and you shall reach GLORY"
"Go to her and I will follow you back. We shall all return to your home, and we will celebrate with you and your daughter. You will have your family, and everything that entails."


"I..."
She didn't say anything more. The look in her eyes was enough to say it. Baldomare, the Name who knew a path to Glory, and did not take it. That survived in the Blank Plains in her little cottage. Who was not alone. Who felt perhaps you had enough of a peek of her own answer.


But it ultimately did not matter.

This was not her choice. It was yours.

The only choice that matters.





Pick one and only one.

[ ] Stay

[ ] Go

 

[Shaper47]

The Heart of Velvet Covers​

You are Velvet Covers and you are at home.

After a long week working very hard you finally can relax.

Now you just need to change these bandages before you have a drink or two to dull the pain.

Then you can climb into bed with your warm little Stormy.

Yes, the perfect end to your day.

[Attackers ambush attempt, CD IRRELEVANT]

[Velvet Covers is immune to ambushes]

[All guarding characters have been alerted]


!!!!!

You are in danger.

You can feel them. You feel them as they approach the farmland. Four ponies and a familiar hateful being, a Windigo.

Leaving your bloody bandages unchanged you pull at the chains.

You whisper to them your will, to the soldier, to the horse-leach.

So that your guards may fulfil their duty.

At a steady trot you move, walking down to the entrance of your home.

You feel them make their way through the farmland.

At the central gardens you make your stand.

You feel them make their way to the side-gate only to find the soldier there waiting for them.

Inside you feel your ira grow, as an aching hunger while your guard does not ambush them. Such pride, perhaps you should give into the urge to unmake that from him.

[Attackers have unleashed their sealed Windigo]

[The Monster of Desire has initiated combat]

[Windigo has initiated combat]

The sky turns black as the storm rises, a blizzard blowing the cold wind of death.

A petty imitation of the father.

You feel as the horse-leach attacks dragging three of the pony invaders further into the croplands then

[The Monster of Desire has engaged three of the invaders]

Spoiler: The Monster of Desire combat rolls

[The Monster of Desire has invoked "NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE"]

[Details of combat have been redacted]

You feel as the hateful child meets the Soldier in battle

[Windigo has engaged the Soldier of the Scarred Pony in combat]

Spoiler: Soldier of the Scarred Pony combat rolls

[Windigo's current health: 3/3]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony's health: 5/5]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Windigo – 0, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 0]

[A Confident Certainty: Windigo can reroll one every six dice]

[?????: Soldier of the Scarred Pony can reroll one every two dice]



[Windigo: 22 40 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 85]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 88 29 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 168]



[Overflow: Windigo – 0, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 83]

[Windigo suffers one wounds (-50 to Soldier of the Scarred Pony's overflow]



[Windigo: 77 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 122]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 15 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 95]



[Overflow: Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 33]



[Neither combatant wishes to perform any actions]

[Combat will continue as normal]

You feel as the last of the invaders gallops forward, that from the path they take they know exactly where to go. Till they reach you and you see his will, his goal, your death.

You see the mantle of strength draped upon him both a shield and a weapon.

"Did you really come all the way here just to try to kill me?"

You are half dead and yet you are still resolute.

Reaching out with your soul you light the beacon you had prepared.

You call out with your soul in a voice that he can not deny.

As hatred calls to hatred.

[Velvet Covers has invoked the Attention of the Father]

And a whisper of malice in the world turns slightly louder as you added your voice to it.

As you welcomed it inside of you.

Where it belonged.

"A very poor decision."

Prowling forward with hateful speed you saw fear in the eyes of the bat wielding earth pony.

[Velvet Covers has initiated combat]

Spoiler: Velvet combat rolls

[Velvet Covers has invoked the Attention of the Father]

[Velvet Covers is under the effect of a Resolution (+40 to personal combat)]

[Invader is under the effect of a rousing air (+20 to personal combat)]



[Velvet Covers' current health: 1/2]

[Invader's current health: 3/3]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Velvet – 0, Invader – 0]

[A Confident Certainty: Velvet Covers can reroll one every six dice]



[Velvet: 85 88 + 89 (total combat bonus) = 177]

[Invader: 9 + 37 (total combat bonus) = 46]



[Overflow: Velvet – 131, Invader – 0]

[Invader suffers two wounds (-100 to Velvet's overflow)]



[Velvet: 35 + 89 (total combat bonus) = 124]

[Invader: 83 + 37 (total combat bonus) = 120]



[Overflow: Velvet – 35, Invader – 0]



[Neither combatant wishes to perform any actions]

[Combat will continue as normal]

Spoiler: The Monster of Desire combat rolls

[The Monster of Desire has invoked "NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE"]

[Details of combat have been redacted]

Spoiler: Soldier of the Scarred Pony combat rolls

[Windigo's current health: 2/3]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony's health: 5/5]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 33]



[Windigo: 90 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 135]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 89 7 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 169]



[Overflow: Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony –67]

[Windigo suffers one wounds (-50 to Soldier of the Scarred Pony's overflow]



[Windigo: 52 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 97]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 23 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 103]



[Overflow: Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 23]



[Neither combatant wishes to perform any actions]

[Combat will continue as normal]

You leap forward like a wolf.

Before he can his eyes can widen in surprise, before he can blink, before he can swing his weapon you are within his guard.

You see the line that would bring his end.

"Come to my house-"

The artery of the heart that provides blood and life.

You trip him with a hammer kick spending him sprawling beneath you upon the ground.

"-where my husband lives-"

You reach down forcing one of his forelegs with your own holding his hindlegs in place.

"-and where my daughters sleep?"

In a smooth moment as you do you take the blade around your neck and hold it in your mouth.

The blade is excited as you cut deep into his heart.

As it sinks into his chest.

"Very. Poor. Decision."

The blade sinks in but not enough.

Too short to fully cut into his heart.

Spoiler: The Monster of Desire combat rolls

[The Monster of Desire has invoked "NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE"]

[Details of combat have been redacted]

Spoiler: Soldier of the Scarred Pony combat rolls

[Windigo's current health: 1/3]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony's health: 5/5]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony – 23]



[Windigo: 36 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 135]

[Soldier of the Scarred Pony: 4 46 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 169]



[Overflow: Windigo – 27, Soldier of the Scarred Pony –57]

[Windigo suffers one wound (-50 to Soldier of the Scarred Pony's overflow)]

[Windigo has been defeated]

Spoiler: Velvet combat rolls

[Velvet Covers' current health: 1/2]

[Invader's current health: 1/3]

[Current overflow: Velvet – 35, Invader – 0]

[Velvet Covers' Attention of the Father has faded]

[Velvet: 5 + 69 (total combat bonus) = 74]

[Invader: 91 + 37 (total combat bonus) = 128]



[Overflow: Velvet – 35, Invader – 54]

[Velvet Covers suffers one wound (-50 to Invader's overflow)]



[Velvet Covers has reached zero health]

He flails widely against your iron grip. Kicking with all his legs.

Then you feel his free leg hit your face and something breaks.

As his empowered hoof cracks your skull.

Thrown off him you collapse to the ground.

Broken.

Thump​

The fire that burns within your horn fades into ash…

WHEN THE FORGE IS COLD​

Thump​

The light within your hooves dims…

AND THE GLORY IS DARK​

Thump​

Your one working eye dulls as upon you falls darkness…

AND THE WOOD IS DUST​

Thump​

The book upon your flanks becomes blank…

AND THE RIVER IS BLANK​

Thump​

The weapon that is your body is shattered…

AND THE EDGE IS DULLED​

Thump​

The gears inside your mind fade as they stop turning…

AND THE KEYS ARE LOST​

Thump​

Your blood grows cold and stills, unmoving…

AND THE GRAIL IS DRAINED​

Thump​

You can not breathe…

AND THE WELL IS DRY​

Thump​

Your heart…

AND THE HEART IS…​

Thump​

Your heart is…

Velvet Covers had reached 0 health

Velvet Covers has

AGONY

NO

AGONY

Velvet Covers Heir of Agony invokes "Dancing With Death"

AGONY

Thump​

[Velvet Covers is being attacked in her home, she will refuse to "Escape" or "Play dead"]

[Velvet Covers has chosen to continue combat]



[Acting despite intense brain damage]

[Heir of Agony invokes "Malice is the Intent to Harm"]

[Roll = Irrelevant]

Spoiler: Velvet combat rolls

[Velvet Covers is under the effect of a Dulled Blade and Broken Body (-21 to personal combat)]

[Velvet Covers' current health: 0/2]

[Invader's current health: 1/3]

[Velvet: 64 + 48 (total combat bonus) = 112]

[Invader: 18 + 37 (total combat bonus) = 55]



[Overflow: Velvet – 92, Invader – 4]

[Invader suffers one wound (-50 to Velvet Covers's overflow)]

[Invader has been defeated]

You are in agony…

You are…

You don't remember who you are…

… and everything hurts.

Your body hurts. Thinking hurts. Existing hurts.

You can not think with your body, your mind.

Not with this blurred darkness that is your existence.

So instead you think with your soul.


You are Velvet and you know what you must do.

You force your broken body to stand as blood falls from your eyes and mouth.

Wounded in body, wounded in mind, wounded in soul.

The increased pain you feel, the agony you suffer fuels your hatred.

Hatred that you must act on.

Throwing your broken body towards the downed object of your hate you act with Malice.

The intent to harm.

You slam your right foreleg into his chest.

Punching the knife all the way in.

Till the blade unmakes the life of the pony beneath you.

Only then do you collapse.


[All invaders have been defeated]

[Enemy attack repelled]

 

[Rafuki22]

Christmas is in little over a week and here i'm thinking of Mari Lwyd as a nicer Mareinette that is an alcoholic instead of a cannibal.

Spoiler: Mari Lwyd by NatalieDeCorsair

It's her day off. Would you hang out?

Click to shrink...

Dude... give me the bottle

Click to shrink...

@OurLadyOfWires do you like it?

 

[DelightedOne]

Okay, my mind went crazy with a possible Twilight recovery so here is the thing.



You are Velvet Covers and you... and you...

You can't believe you're doing this. Not again, not after what happened the last time you tried to talk to Twilight Sparkle.

You failed to help her then, so why are you even bothering trying now? Is it because you understand Grail better than you did back then, because of your recent Dance with death or are you just tired of making mistakes?

Well, none of that matters right now when you are already in front of her home. The library that used to be so lively is now a rotten tree, a shadow of a happier, more innocent time for its now sole occupant that seems to scream that its current state is your fault.

You decide to ignore it.

Just like in that fateful day the door is locked and you can't help but think it has been locked for a long time, possibly since your last visit.


[Outpacing the Wolf, breakpoints 60/80/100]

[Roll: 79 + 12 (Intrigue) + 20 (MOTH bonus) = 111]

[His tracks are fresh in the snow, the air is thick with his smell, but you found her before He did]


And she is still there too.

You hope that is a good thing, that you're not too late, that you can still save your friend that pony you care about.

The door is the only obstacle in your path. Well, as much as any regular door has been an "obstacle" for you this year(so, not at all), a quick tap of your hoof is enough to unlock it and allow you passage into her... home.

The feeling you had when you reached the library is stronger now that you are inside of it, its state of disrepair serving as a warning of what will happen should you fail in your self-appointed task.

A brief look at your surroundings makes your eyes fixate on the stairs to her room, where you once whispered nightmares to her so that ugly, twisted LIGHT that took hold of her could be snuffed out. She must be there.

As you reach the stairs you can't help but remember who accompanied you when you climbed these steps for the first time: Spike, her brother, the child that died because you chose to spare Twilight's feelings.

If you could go back in time you would make another choice, anything to avoid the guilt you feel for ruining two lives.

The climb is slow(maybe you're stalling or maybe you're just trying to not startle Twilight when she is already in a vulnerable state) and when you reach her room you can see Twilight as she is now: broken, defeated, void of any hope for the future.

But you still need to try.

"Twilight?"

Her ears move. She heard you, but her body does not make any movement that indicates the intention of looking towards the direction your voice came from.

You know you need to move to have her attention so you cross the room and stand in front of her when you say "Twilight? I... need to talk to you."

Her head lifts itself slowly, her eyes dull, it's almost like she is seeing right through you instead of looking at you.

"Why... are you... here? I don't... I want to be alone"

Her voice is weak, she must have been silent for so long you wonder how she survived in that state you worry about how painful it must have been to endure that all alone.

"I-I came here because I'm worried about you Twilight Sparkle, I came here because I want to help you but most of all I came here because..."

[Reigniting the Spark. Breakpoints, 80/120/150]

[Roll: 48 + 14 (Diplomacy, Grail doubled) + 40 (GRAIL bonus, doubled) = 102]

[Velvet Covers invokes GRAIL re-roll]

[Re-roll: 74 + 14 (Diplomacy, Grail doubled) + 40 (GRAIL bonus, doubled) = 128]

[Second Breakpoint reached]

"Because you're my friend"

You see something change in her gaze for a moment, as the words you say awaken something in her she probably never thought would be possible for her to feel again. It is almost like a Spark of some sort just... appeared in her eyes.

And you know that is just the start but you can't help the relief that comes to you when you realize what that means.

You managed to reach Twilight Sparkle in her darkest hour.

That won't be enough to fix everything(or anything meaningful) but it is a good start.

Spoiler: Twilight Sparkle's last chance

<80: You failed, again. (Nothing will change. Dread)

80: She will at least try to live now. (Twilight Sparkle won't be LOCKED as an Acquaintance anymore and Velvet Covers will be able to use actions to restore their friendship)

120: "I came because I am your friend" (Twilight Sparkle will be your Friend again, Velvet Covers will be able to invest actions to assist in Twilight's recovery)

150: ???

 

[spiderhellian]

The Hooves In Front of You

You are Princess Lu—

…

You are Sele—

…

You are...

As you stare at your hooves in front of you, you can only think one thing.

You are a murderer.

It was retribution. It was reasonable. And you know in your heart that it was right.

But even so, these hooves? The ones that sit absently on the worksheet in front of you, with a but a smudge of dirt to mar from morning recess to mar their inky-blue surface? These hooves have taken a life.

You still remember how they felt draped in the warmth of another pony's insides. You were just so frustrated, and you didn't want to let your dying mother down, and you weren't going to let that criminal get away. You moved, and your foe did not, and then her blood was on your hooves.

You scourged them mostly clean when you let loose with your magic in the skies above Manehattan, your foe's lifeblood just another piece of evidence to eradicate. You wouldn't want to be traipsing it around in the streets afterwards. But you can't stop thinking about what you've done, and you can't help but see yourself a—

WHUMP!

You look up with a start, as the classroom bursts into giggles. Ms. Cheerilee has just slammed shut the large dictionary she keeps in the corner — and she did it not two inches away from your muzzle. You can feel your mane ruffle in the outrush of air.

A blush spreads across your face, but your teacher only gives you a kind smile. "Day-dreaming in class, Selene? I know math might not be the most interesting subject, but you never know how important it might be in your future. Who knows, you could be an architect or an engineer or senior policymaker, and need to grapple with numbers every day." She looks up to the rest of the class, raising her voice to continue "And if you're a farmer, you need to track your seed-stock; if you're a field-worker, you need to count your paycheck. What ever you become, you'll be using the lessons you're learning now."

You know she's a good teacher. Silky loves her, and you did too.

But somehow, you don't think she'd say the same if she knew what you're becoming. Or what you already became.

Spoiler: AN

A short piece inspired by the peek we got at Selene last chapter. She's juggling a lot. What she's done, what she's doing, who she is.

I'm not sure if her thoughts get quite this dark. I hope they don't. But I'm definitely glad she's Moth-aligned first and foremost, it can't be easy.

 

[jelloloaf]

The Burning Fountain

Starry Dancer is living up to her name.

She is dancing, for those who are taking a moment too long to figure it out. There are no moments left to figure anything out. There are no moments left at all.

She is dancing. The Master is in danger. She can feel it. The river flows outward and on it there are fallen leaves. Fall comes before Winter. But, after Winter comes Heart. She needs to bridge the gap.

She is dancing. Copper doesn't understand. Nopony understands. They almost hear the words but they forget, unable to push through the wet. They are too weak and so the thunder song distorts them. But they are trying anyway, and so Starry tolerates that weakness.

She is dancing and watching her are the ponies she could convince of the importance, if not the reason for it. They stand around her as she is dancing because they do not understand, but they are trying to understand, so Starry keeps dancing so that they can learn the rhythm so that they can follow along and help her. If they help her then she will be able to do more than she could do alone. Friendship is power, they say.

She is dancing. The last few ponies filter into the room, instruments tightly clutched. Even if they do not understand the reason, they know the methods. It is more difficult to dance without music, and they cannot hear the same song as her. They are making a circle around her, because circles are a continuous shape with the least number of edges and she wants as little Edge as possible. They are lighting matches and lighting lamps and lighting incense that bleeds out smoke in great plumes of rosewood-ash. The light will help them see, hopefully. Otherwise, it is a waste of symbolism. She needs as much symbolism as she can get.

She is dancing. The name of the sound. Hooves against brick. Hooves are made of keratin, like hair. Bricks are made of clay, like the earth. When the bricks crack beneath her hooves she is burying her hair in the earth. But the bricks are fired, and so this will also draw attention instead of just opportunity. She wants to draw attention, so that she can take a burden in place of another. A burden shared is a burden halved, and a wolf halved is what she is drawing the attention of. The opposite of a half is a whole and she is taking the hole and putting it in the walls of the House. It is symbolic. It is also working. The air ripples with ecstatic vibrations, waves crashing to the shore. Now they will no longer keep their hooves weighed to the earth like ore. They will hear and they will learn and they will follow and they will help and they will dance.

She is dancing and they are starting to dance as well. A well is a hole in the earth through which water is drawn. They have drawn a circle in the earth and it is filling with water. They are the water, and as they flow circularly they will enact the river. It is symbolic. The musicians start to play their instruments and the sound suffuses the air like dense fog, so thick that even the greatest water-hunger could be sated if only she would take a bite—no. No. Too far. Thirst is of the Grail, but the dance must be of the Heart if it is to have any effect at all. The Grail will subvert the Heart and so it must be removed. She tells Copper to leave and there is much shouting and begging and telling her of how she will not survive this please Starry don't do this please but she is of the Heart and she will not be denied. She sees that there are tears in Copper's eyes and she tells herself that these are a lie because they are easier to ignore that way. They fall to the ground like spring rain. It is symbolic.

She is dancing and the ponies crowd close around her and they are dancing too, the floor echoing under their hooves and their instruments quivering and their voices all raised and swept up together into a tremendous gyre. In the eye of them all is Starry and she is there dancing with her hooves lively and quick, and then rearing up and stretching her wings wide, haloed from behind like an eclipsing moon. She bows to the east and then to the south and then to the east again and she throws back her head and lets her lungs pump their breath reversed into a great joyous shout and she is dearly loved by all. The chorus sings out that she never sleeps. They say she'll never die. And as she is dancing they can see her blood there dancing with her, veins swelling with tidal force. It rolls and pulses and ebbs and flows and keeps up a constant accompaniment as she closes her eyes and closes her eyes again and swings along the room's edges and takes up one of the timbrels and spins about and makes a circle, two circles, three, dancing and playing and breathing together all at once. Her hooves are light and nimble. She never sleeps, the music cries out. It says she'll never die. And around the lamps the shadows are all dancing and they can see the spark burning in her eyes even through the veils drawn over them and they can see how it whirls about her head and sets it aflame from within and they can see how the inside and the outside reflect each other across her skull. They can see how the fire blooms upon her and drops its petals to all her limbs and chars her skin to sand and boils her blood to tar and sears her hair to smoke and they can see how throughout it all Starry keeps dancing. She dances aboveground and then below, and she is dearly loved. She does not sleep because she is still dancing, dancing. And the dancing, it tells them all that she will never die.

---

And, long after that day, in small hush-gathered circles, there are still ponies who speak of a mare who saw her stage go up in smoke and chose to keep dancing anyway because she was a dancer, and she knew that if she did not dance then she was nothing. And they say that she was burnt in a great ravenous pyre that gnawed and gnawed and gnawed until there was nothing left of her but the flavor of her bones. And they say that if somepony would to sift through the ashes to find those few barren stalks that are still warm to the touch and lie them down in still water, then it would be almost possible to see the slightest ripples emerge as they keep on shivering back and forth forever.

And they say all this because she will never die.

---

Spoiler: Author's Note

I've been thinking about Starry lately. We know that she loved the Master, so it seems reasonable that she would have stayed loyal during the schism. We know that she was with Copper in Manehattan when she predicted that the Master was gone, so it seems reasonable that they would work together there. We know that she is like a 'damn Moth prophet,' so it seems reasonable that she would see what Velvet was doing. We know that there are fates worse than death, because the Wolf experiences them continually. We know that it wants to share.

Spoiler: Vague References (Optional)

There are many accounts of this History. As the Bird tells us, "she died, in agony, when the Woods burned, as she foolishly tried to save the only thing she had ever loved." As the Worm tells us, "always dying, never dead." And, as the House of Lapsang tells us, "remember our ancestors, when Bird and Worm were one." Perhaps it is an enigma that will never be solved.

 

[Venerable Ro]

We have Hearth's Warming this turn.

Click to shrink...

Then we'll have to go shopping.

---

A Gift For The Mare Who Can Find Anything
​

You are Velvet Covers, and you are, oh what is the term?

Vexed.

Yes, that's the word, you are most profoundly vexed. Confound all ascetic, mortality-discarding, "oh I've read that already" Lantern Names! You've gotten all of your Hearth's Warming shopping done, for your family, your friends, and even your various Guests, except for Baldomare. And she knows it too!

Oh yes, even if "Good" Baldomare hasn't said a word you can tell she knows what a frustration she's being, the smugness is unremitting. You don't ask much, all you need for a proper Hearth's Warming gift is something that the recipient will appreciate, and just as importantly something that will surprise them. You're generally an expert gift-giver, if you do say so yourself, and the unexpected surprise of a well-chosen present is the best part!

Unfortunately, all of that becomes rather difficult when the mare you're trying to get a present for is the Name of surprise-spoiling Lantern.

Perhaps a walk will clear your head, it is very early yet but the weather teams have scheduled a very mild winter. You let Stormchaser know you're going into town and you set off down the road.

.
.
.

You are Velvet Covers and the brume this morning is quite remarkable. You can barely see your hoof in front of your face as you cross the bridge on your way into town. Though you see a few lights on in the various shops it appears that no one is up and about yet, the fog is so thick as to render the place nearly unrecognizable. The post office though you can tell, is clearly open, perhaps they've received the latest catalogues?

The bell on the post office door chimes sharply as you open it, a few curling tendrils of the ever-present brume wisping in with you as you trot up to the desk. Behind the desk, the figure sorting mail into a series of cubbyholes stills at the sound of your hooves before turning to face you.

The Postmistress regards you with a raised eyebrow, saying nothing. You resist the urge to fidget, wondering if you've somehow gotten something on your muzzle or if your dress is askew. You know you haven't, but dear Celestia this mare could give PonPon a run for her money! Just before the silence becomes truly awkward she relents.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Ah! Yes! That is, yes I was wondering if the newest catalogues have come in yet? The holidays are just around the corner you know and I have been having the worst time finding a gift for a friend of mine..." You ramble somewhat aimlessly for a moment or two, you're not quite certain why you're so distracted today but the mare patiently weathers your dithering before gesturing with one hand to a rack along the wall.

"The new forms from T.R.N. Limited have arrived, the catalogues themselves stay here but I can post an order for you if you wish to browse."

You thank The Postmistress for her help, and it's honestly a relief when that piercing gaze returns to meticulously sorting the mail. Trotting over to the catalogue display you find the one belonging to "T.R.N. Limited" without much difficulty. Somewhat disappointingly the company proves to be some sort of wholesale grocer specializing in exotic foodstuffs, (and, arsenic? Surely that is a typo...) with a particular focus on spirits. Humph, as if you needed any help acquiring alcohol considering your home's proximity to Equestria's finest vineyards. On the other hoof...

[On the vineyards of Equestria and Beyond, breakpoints ???]

[Roll: 59 11 +14 (Learning)+20 (Secret Histories) =93]

[Velvet Covers has invoked a re-roll]

[Your Memory Is Very Foggy Today]

Armagnac? That's an uncommon offering to find even in a Canterlot specialty shop, let alone a post office order form. For that matter you are quite certain of your familiarity with the various Prench distilleries that produce the stuff, and you've never heard of "d'Ys". You'd dismiss it as a cheap imitation intended to prey on ignorant rural townsponies but, glancing back at The Postmistress, you somehow feel that nothing fraudulent would ever be permitted here.

Returning to the counter with the catalogue lightly gripped in your magic you wait patiently as The Postmistress transmits an outbound message over the telegraph on the countertop. Her speed and accuracy is impressive, to your knowledge telegraphs are a very new Equestrian invention yet her hand is steady and unhesitating. In only a few moments the message is sent and The Postmistress's attention is once again focused on you.

"Well then? Do you have an order for me?"

"Yes, I would like to put in an order for a case of the Armagnac d'Ys", you gesture to the entry in question on the catalogue as you place it on the countertop along with an appropriate amount of bits.

The Postmistress raises an eyebrow, but she fills out, signs and seals the order, and places it in the place that stamped orders are properly placed.

"Wait three days."

Somehow you don't doubt that the form will absolutely be delivered, and that in precisely three days your order will arrive. With that you take your leave, the day isn't getting any younger and Silky will be waking up soon. As you step out of the door back into the morning fog you vaguely hear The Postmistress mutter something that sounds like...

"Numa."

---

The idea's been rattling around in my head for a while, especially since I saw a particular character illustration. I hope to write the followup at some point, but for the moment we'll stop here.

 

[spiderhellian]

The Day Before Hearth's Warming

'Twas the day before Hearth's Warming, and all through the estate, ponies were preparing for the holiday.

In the most prominent house, a couple put the finishing touches on the decorations. One levitated the holly into place, the other hovered to carefully affix it to the mantle — but the details of what they were doing were not important either, solely the fact that they were doing it together.

Dashing through the corridors like she was practicing flying, their youngest daughter was delivering hand-written cards to the house's most important guests. One of them knew what it said before she opened the envelope, another cared more to remind the filly that she'd be warmer in his cap than about any sentimental prose, and the third dinnae ken tha' point of this fookin writin' but still accepted the card as payment for fifteen minutes worth of stories. Still, the filly cared about Hearth's Warming and cared about them, and in their own way, each of the guests cared as well.

The maids scurried to and fro, finishing their work while exchanging gossip and well-wishes and discussions of what the next day's break would see them doing. Many would gather at the estate to join in the celebrations, but one in particular mentioned she would also be visiting friends, who were very much looking forward to the occasion.

An uncle sat alone in a cozy chair, lost in thought. A brother fretted over the half-dozen gifts he had planned to give, thinking over how they could be made into exchanges instead. A princess stared from the roof into the snowy sky, a slight smile on her face, as she considered how far she has come in the past year, and how far she has yet to go.

And of course, a small way's off, a monster prepared as —

Well. She did, but tragically that most honoured of guests will not be this story's starring character. Though she undoubtedly remains at the center of it, all the same.

No, to find today's protagonists, you'll have to take a step in another direction. Not north or south or east or west, not up or down, not left or right. Take a step in a fourth direction.

---

Here, you'll find another house, just as central to the estate yet never seen by its denizens (except one, perhaps.)

Yet walk inside, and you'll find it is just as full of activity.

In a corner, a white-blue Pokémon works hard at an easel, painting with watercolours as a complement to what the Primarina normally does with words. For all the work demands focus, nothing in the room -- not a single stray line of dialogue, or peculiar choice of wording -- escapes this thoughtful artist's notice.

A strange figure, dressed all in black and bearing a sword, knocks at the front door with one hand. The other is dragging… what was once a quite beautiful pony, but is now undoubtedly a corpse. For all he insists that "Copper is my plus one!" and "she did nothing wrong!" and "it's all explained in this ten thousand word treatise!", he's not allowed in until he pushes the body roughly into the snowbank with a whispered promise that he'll be back for her soon. But then he is eagerly welcomed, a cup of lush cider pressed into his hands.

Above the fireplace there is a mantel laden with dice, and above that mantel a spider spins a web. It has some intricate decorations, some truly bizarre ventures, and if you look from afar you can make out what he's spinning now — it seems like some glorious fire or star, surrounded by increasingly frantic arrows.

In front of the fireplace, a just-as-firey white wolf has curled up, enjoying the way the warmth feels on her newly adopted flesh (it allows so much more sensation than the black hole ever did!). Still, she will not let the cozy crackling drag her to slumber any time soon. Instead, she exchanges words with a strange person nearby, dressed all in black and white. They've been interlocutors for years now, and yet to run out of conversation.

A great dragon has even squeezed itself into the house, with minimal disruption to the furniture. It wishes there were more friends around ("they say friendship is magic, but really it's an economic engine!"), but that hasn't stopped it from adorning the wall behind it with some of the abode's most impressive decorations. They shade from colour to colour in a beautiful gradient, and add a new artistry to the abode. In conversation with the dragon is one of the few guests that can match its stature, an impressive tigersaurus, whose talons flash through the air as it gestures to make a point. It is deep in conversation, but all the same, it doesn't let any guest into the house without giving them their share of thumbs-up badges.

Lounging on a chair, a dark wolf's thoughts turn to an idea at the center of this holiday -- family. The wolf doesn't earn much in the way of looks askance -- though this house is rife with wolf-related paranoia, this one in particular is always a welcome guest. Nearby, a Fall Maiden has paused in sharing their unique perspective, taking a break from combatting (or is it embracing?) that paranoia to instead sip on a blood-red cup of mulled wine.

Hovering high above the gathering, a floating eye looks up from its close review of some pages levitating next to it, and with focused blinks it begins a 'dialogue' of sorts with the blue-white pattern that decorates wall nearby. A forge-draped figure exchanges words with one similarly steeped in knock, with... is that the tricuspid gate itself?! joining in from time to time.

A few seats are left empty, a few glasses are filled but remain undrunk. There are absent friends, and places lost to ash.

Just as that other manor house has been so recently reminded, there is loss and pain. These things are certain in life. Yet that truth should only serve as a reminder of how grateful we should be for ongoing joy and company.

With a hush, the room goes quiet, and all eyes turn to a large mirror on the wall, which shows the world left behind in that strange, fourth, direction.

The scene zooms in past birds flitting by, and lands on a certain Monster who looks particularly self-satisfied today. What, you thought you could leave her behind? Impossible, she is as vital here as blood or a heartbeat is to the body.

And all watch, as Mareinette, Our Lady of Wires, begins to dance.

Spoiler: AN

It's been a long and eventful year. But throughout it, and though it seemed rocky at times, this story has been a source of joy and fun. Thanks to everyone who makes that possible: from Bird for writing it, to all you who comment and vote and make this thread a fun place to be, to everyone reading this, lurkers included.

Happy holidays!

 

[Flaregamer82253]

The Sisters' Magical Night

You are Soft Sweeps, and today, you are busy!

"Ngh!" you grunted as you finally placed the last item on the floor of the barn you are in.

Frankly, you didn't think that you would be able to get it all prepared so quickly, but a single comment in frustration suddenly had the entire grief support group taking the time out of their days to help you get everything you needed ready. Whacky especially seemed to know multiple places where you could get the right supplies to do this. Still, you were almost ready to pull off the biggest surprise of someone's life!

Taking a step back, you beheld everyone's efforts with no small amount of pride! A pain staking effort made from sweat, blood, and tears.

Five sealed Windigo jars.

In truth, the hardest part of all this was just finding the right time to pass off the supplies when they wouldn't be needed by Mrs. Velvet. A cold memento and a little piece of metal meant you had everything you needed to get started, and it went better than you could have imagined.

You nodded to yourself. Asking Mrs. Velvet to teach you a way to protect her and everything important to her was about to pay off!

…Except there was still a problem.

How exactly were you going to get these to where you need them?

Your support group has already done more than enough for your efforts unprompted. Asking for anything more would feel grossly impolite but delivering them was gonna be difficult as a one pony job. You want to surprise Mrs. Velvet by taking care of her worries! And you couldn't do that if you took too long.

Still, needs must after all, so you'll just have to fib some-

"What'cha doing?" a squeaky voice sounds next to your ear.

Failing to stifle a squeal, you swerved your body around with a flap of your wings only to see-

"Silky!?" you gasped out with a hoof raised to your chest, "What are you doing here!?"

Silky's expression slumped. "I'm bored," she waved a hoof around limply, flitting her wings to stay afloat. "Mom, dad, and Selene still aren't home yet and everyone else seems busy. So I started practicing flying. Then I saw you pulling a cart over here, so I came to check it out!" Perking up again, Silky gave you a big smile. "Sooo, what'cha doing?"

Right, that. "I'm um, uh…" You look at her, fumbling for some kind of explanation. You can't exactly tell her you've been summoning esoteric creatures to attack one of her mom's enemies. Turning, your eyes take in the five jars nearby, and- "…I've been making- making cookies! To send to Mrs. Velvet's fo- FRIEND who owned the building where she used to meet for her old, uh, book club. It's an, um, belated Hearth's Warming gift…?"

There was complete silence in the barn. You could feel your fur standing on end as the embarrassment started to slip inside your skin. It feels as if even the sealed Windigos were speechless from your claim, as if they were too confused at being called cookie jars to remember to hate that they were called that. You open your mouth to at least try and salvage-

"REALLY!?" Silky shouted with a zip up to your face. With a short step back, you recognize her expression is the one where she's about to start- "That's a lot of cookies! How'd you make so many? What flavors are they? Why'd you keep it a secret? I would've helped! Did mom ask you to help with this? Can I have some!?" She started to fly right past you towards one of the jars.

"I got a lot of help from some friends, snowballs and gingerbread, because I want to surprise Mrs. Velvet by doing this for her, no she doesn't know, no you can't have any they're not for you," your mouth answered as you reached out to gently turn her back towards you. Her sweet tooth has caused many struggles, but it's at least something you know how to handle. "These are for Mrs. Velvet's friend and only her friend. I just finished packing them all up for delivery, so I'm putting them here for a moment until I can deliver them in the evening"

"So you just need to deliver them? Can I come? Please? Pleasepleasepleaseplease? I'm so boooored. Pleeeeeease?" Silky started to beg with those puppy dog eyes of hers. Unfortunately for her, you are an older sister.

"No Silky you… can't…" your mind slowed to a halt, considering the answer to all your problems.

You could probably get these to their destination alone if you took enough breaks on the way, but you wouldn't be back until the midmorning past the beginning of your shift. It wouldn't do for you to miss any more work after being given so many days off over the year. Silky was young, but even her efforts in helping to move your small cart would lessen the load significantly, meaning you would need to take less breaks and be back in time for your shift and for Silky to go to school.

There's also the matter of how you were gonna sneak the jars into his home undetected. Silky is better than you are at being quiet.

"…Actually, maybe you can help me deliver them!" you finished with a big smile towards Silky. Her expression immediately mirrored yours.

"YES!" she jumped right back into the air. Her excitement was almost contagious. "When do we go!?"

"We'll go this evening after dinner. Just meet me here an hour after. It's a couple towns away, so we'll have to fly through most of the night. We'll take plenty of breaks though." You gave her a firm look. "But remember that we're giving these gifts in secret. It's supposed to be a surprise for everyone involved, so we're just going over there, quietly leaving the gifts inside, and then coming right back. And you never tell ANYONE we did this. Understand?"

"If it's a secret, can I have a code name then?" she whispered with wide eyes.

"Uh, sure. You can be… uh…" you racked your mind for a good name to indulge her. Looking around you, you answered "…Stable Hooves! The secret gift giver, Stable Hooves. And I'll be Rosy Glow, who takes you through the night to your destination," you finished with a long, slow wave of your hoof.

"Awesome!" Stable Hooves shouted. She was shaking with excitement. "I'll be here on the dot. Thanks Soft!" she gave a quick hug around your neck before dashing off with a "Woo-hoo!" that she couldn't hold in. Your lips curved into a little smile.

Keeping Silky happy, doing your maidly duty, and making mother proud. Tonight was gonna be a magical night!

Spoiler: Author's Notes

I'm not the kind of person that does much writing, but the idea has been in my head for most of the last week and I needed to get it out. I had two inspirations that formed this.

The first was that I noticed like many of you did that turn 9 was our last Hearth's Warming and it is now turn 21 while we are in our own holiday season. Sometimes we get to have nice coincidences like that, and it has been an enjoyable time reaching for Glory with all of you this past month. I'm glad to be a part of this quest with you all and hope to remain for a long time to come, running around like headless chickens all the while.

The second inspiration was this:

I mean, the stuff I had in mind for her requests were "buy me a cute dress" or "teach me how to summon Windigos" or "half-siblings or not, please approve of my marriage with Evil"

Click to shrink...

and the idea hit me like a truck. So really, OurLadyOfWires, this is your fault.

Finally a couple loose ends to take care of:
We need way more of Soft spending time with her little sisters, and I'm mostly convinced that Silky is MOTH and KNOCK aligned. I won't explain why here, but I think it fits the bill, and it played perfectly for the theme of family and holidays that I was going for here.
Yes, they are going to deliver to you-know-who, the background of why Soft is sending Windigos there and how she knows where he lives are beyond the scope of the story, but there are plenty of ways to fill in the blanks.
Yes, Gingerbread. Probably one of the only times you can ever make this Edge colored, but it works when you get it.

And with that, I hope everyone has a happy holiday on this merriest of nights!

 

[AuthorTransient]

1 2 3 4 J R 5 S 6 K
​

In Which (S) Collide Part 6

Spoiler: Author's Notes

I think for some of yous Christmas isn't over yet. Anyway, here is a holiday gift. This segment fought me quite a bit, like trying to pet a wolf while making sure your mouth doesn't get licked.

I also realized that Reading the Record needs to apply to diplomacy contests as well :/ that's what I get for not writing finish the entire series before posting.

Wait, where the fuck did I get that +26 bonus from? Shit, now I have to try and mindread my past self. Assuming that SH applies, that's +20 for 'finding something', as in finding out the future or finding out the telegraphed AoE splash zones to avoid, then I guess apply Martial 9 during combat so it's +29? But where's the +6 from?? Did I seriously get confused with + 25 + 1?

And wait, did I really edit out the narration of casting Ultimate Fate Works with Velvet's Brand? This is what I get for not writing completely the entire series before posting :/

Same for the Twilight interlude - Twilight didn't apologize to her friends at all.

Previously:

"Are you the one who's been hurting my sister out there?" Celestia's voice is a terrible, terrible calm that belies the immense burning fury threatening to explode out of her grasp.

"[MOTH]..."

"I'm going to fucking kill you now."

The Horse of the Sun has arrived.

---

Slowly, Mareinette takes a few steps backwards, keeping both sides in view.

You eye Celestia nervously. Side by side that you and her are, or rather, between Celestia and Selene that you currently are, you feel... something. Something strange – something that's not a part of any Lore that you know, and yet still feels familiar and almost welcoming. Like warmth.

But you don't have time to examine it carefully. As you watch, Mareinette's jaws unhinge. All of them. White cartilage shine along the deep darkness of her throats like lights in a tunnel, or a snake. The blood rubies that are her eyes glisten like overripe fruits and almost seem to grow, as if to take in everything that is Celestia's golden sun. In a moment that seems to stretch on, the song of her heart rumbles throughout heaven and earth.

And for that moment in time, you stare into her abyss.

Then a blinding white-hot comet smashes into her face.

Celestia activates No Holds Barred! +30 to her Combat!

Spoiler: Rolls Breakdown

Celestia is not trying to prevent you and your allies from escaping, so escape rolls auto-succeed. However, due to No Holds Barred, you and your allies must roll against her combat for injury.

Celestia: 67 + 90 ('Alicorn Combat: Celestia') + 30 ('No Holds Barred') = 187

Reading the Record: 92 + 29 = 121, 6th​ breakpoint reached!

Velvet Covers: 76 + 29 (Combat Bonus) + 60 (Reading the Record) = 165, Pass
Selene: 70 + 90 ('Alicorn Combat: Luna') = 160, Pass
Alt!Stormchaser: 70 + 10 (Combat Bonus) = 80, Fail
Jade Whistle: 84 + 6 (Combat Bonus) = 90, Fail
Comet Feet: 12 + 39 = 51, Fail
Baldomare: 82 + 30 (General Bonus) = 112, Fail

Some loose instinct in the back of your brain has you throwing up a barrier over everypony, and in the next moment you're already careening through the air in a flickering sphere, shut eyes not helping at all as heaven and earth trade places like hot cakes, not even having the time for thoughts before you smash back down through several branches and trees and the barrier breaks, its magic spent. You lean over and retch. For a moment, that's the only thing you can do.

Then you get back up. Everypony! Is everypony alright?

Baldomare is already there, and Selene is alighting beside you, and you can smell Comet Feet coming from... oh. Oh dear. Oh – fuck!

You gallop forward to them, the smell of iron souring your nose, and help Comet Feet carry your husband and Jade further into the small clearing you had made with your body.

They're injured, heavily. Jade's eyes are closed and she's breathing laboriously, and your husband is... he smiles at you. It's not fair. It's not fair how much you love him, and it's not fair that for all of your love for him – that you still can't prevent him from being harmed.

You dig your face into the crook of his neck, but despite it being muffled, you still can't quite miss the soft sound that Selene made, like a stiletto sliding between your ribs.

The ground rumbles, and you wish you could ignore it. But Stormchaser – he still gently pushes you away. "I'll be fine, my little horseshoe." And you hate, you hate it so much. "I just need to take a small nap," he tells you. "And I'll be right as rain afterwards. You take good care of yourself, okay?"
Your words get stuck in your throat so you just wordlessly nod.

"And Selene, take care of your mother for me. I'm just going to take... a short rest..." Slowly with your help, he bends to the floor and closes his eyes. There's a soft sound like a page turning, or a rose being placed into a bouquet, and you can't feel his brand anymore. Stormchaser – your Stormchaser, though the difference is arbitrary – lies there now, uninjured but still asleep. His chest rises and falls and his expression is unlabored.

You wipe your face and try to untie the knot in your heart. And as you do, you realize something.

Separating from him was like wounding yourself. Like the blood on your hoofs was yours as well. And you can't help but compare what you felt and are feeling right now to Mareinette's philosophy. As you look up, you see the light shining a path through the woods, giving you an aperture to look at the battlefield. Through a lens, darkly.

In the distance, two titans dueled. One of an unceasing pulsing hunger, one of incandescent divine wrath. Flesh burnt and carbonized by the other sloughed off and regenerated. Galeforce and snapping limbs went ignored or were dodged entirely. A monster tries to swallow the burning sun.

Mareinette is a shadowy titan in the fire and smoke, clashing again and again against a white-hot comet. For a split moment, Princess Celestia of Esquestria rears her head back, the halo behind her a blazing incandescent sun of divine wrath, pillars of light erupting from the earth and descending from the heavens, a thunderstorm manifest except the raindrops are fire and lances of light. Projectiles fire off in every direction, unheeding of collateral damage.

It's an attack that you are not in the ballpark of, you are nowhere near this ballpark, you are outside of this ballpark, the ballpark is in another city, this attack has literally changed the landscape.

Essentially, fire. Fire everywhere.

It was a scene of utter desolation. This is not a fight you can really contribute to.


But ignore all of that for a moment. Look at Mareinette.

Look into her eyes and her abyss.

And you think you can understand, just a little.

To give and give and to keep giving, yet always finding yourself left behind and alone. Desperately reaching out with outstretched hooves, but everypony else keeps saying goodbye. So maybe it's your fault. Maybe you're not giving enough. And you give, and give, like boiling an empty kettle, like removing bits and pieces to feed others and please ponies, until you're unsure if you're even living at all. Somehow managing to convince everypony that you're fine despite howling and screaming in loneliness.

No wonder you want returns – you want to show that you're useful, you want to show that your actions weren't worth nothing, but more than that, you want ponies not to leave you alone.

And then one day you make a mistake. A mistake only a monster could make.

What happens when somepony who is able to convince the world itself was wrong - - turned that power onto herself?

Convince yourself that you are a monster. And a monster would do monstrous acts, right? And they wouldn't feel guilty about it. A monster would enjoy doing them, even. And as you commit more and more, the easier it is to convince yourself that you are a monster, and the easier it becomes to hurt others.

A self-deception as volatile as it is potent, and frighteningly... self-sustaining.

Becoming an absence in the world, or an eternal hunger, a void that only knows how to consume. A cup that can't be filled - an empty mare.

You had once looked into that abyss, to remove a fear that you had - but even then, it was only a glance. You didn't stare. Now the abyss is staring back.

And you see yourself in it. You could have been this pony.


...or maybe this isn't what happened at all, and you're just projecting. Trying, desperately, to see something worth redemption. Because it means that you could be redeemed as well.

But can you risk that? Can you even risk that chance of Mareinette winning? Even now, whatever material she's made out of is regenerating, even now she looms from the smoke. And all she has to do is outlast Celestia until the toxic fumes from her vitality overwhelms the Princess of the Sun.


You realize... you're not strong enough to be able to offer that mercy.

And so the moment passes. Your mind focuses. Due to the Illumination, Mareinette can't hide, but mortal beings will find it difficult to fight on the frontlines of this battle, and may even be snatched up to boost Mareinette even further.

Oh. She may not be able to hide, but she can run to Ponyville and use any of the hundreds of ponies there. Blood is the currency of the world. A hot flash runs up your neck. Did you really think you could kill a monster so easily?

Killing her would require a Name. A Name, you realize, you have the summons for.

Simultaneously, an understanding crystallizes. If you don't stop Mareinette, she will swallow Esquestria's sun. And then she'll come for your daughter.

And you can't let that happen.

---

Current Allied Status:
Stormchaser – INCAPACITATED
Jade Whistle – INCAPACITATED
Comet Feet – 1/3
Baldomare – 1/2
Selene – 4/4
Velvet Covers – 2/2

Who do you send to support Princess Celestia?
[] Write-in

Who will help you in the summoning ritual (pick one)?
[] No One
[] Write-in

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