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

[Venerable Ro]

They are going to hanging out together. So I could see some conversation on the train.

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Yeah they gotta take the boring old mortal train because someone only knows how to move in three dimensions, and at causality-limited speeds at that. Axe needs to get her up to snuff on Preliminal Meter ASAP so that Luna can be where she wasn't before she leaves where she never will be.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Yeah they gotta take the boring old mortal train because someone only knows how to move in three dimensions, and at causality-limited speeds at that. Axe needs to get her up to snuff on Preliminal Meter ASAP so that Luna can be where she wasn't before she leaves where she never will be.

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No, Selene knows how to teleport so she can also just pop up where she wills faster than any train. Honestly I just have to assume that our Names take boring mortal trains to places simply because they find trains neat.

 

[Pittauro]

The one where Selene couldn't effect the dream, the one with the distant Glorious light on the horizon, the one where she walks on Ash.

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Nah, that one's soft sweeps', and she doesn't know about the wolves. Why would she talk of it to anyone else?

 

[Shaper47]

Yeah they gotta take the boring old mortal train because someone only knows how to move in three dimensions, and at causality-limited speeds at that.

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Honestly I just have to assume that our Names take boring mortal trains to places simply because they find trains neat.

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More something mutilated the world (it's somehow round instead of flat!) so Name moment tricks can be off track.

Otherwise they'd just get a snakeback ride from Velvet Axe.

 

[Venerable Ro]

No, Selene knows how to teleport so she can also just pop up where she wills faster than any train. Honestly I just have to assume that our Names take boring mortal trains to places simply because they find trains neat.

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The Forge Name's sacrament is literally "Get me a train. I don't care how it happens, but I want a train and you want a Sacrament so get to it."

 

[Sveta08]

Huh.
There is something OurLadyofWires wanted to write for Selene going on the trip?
Hmm... Let me reread to try to divine what I can.

 

[Shaper47]

Why would she talk of it to anyone else?

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Well she noticed something was different about it.

"Something… something feels weird," you say to yourself, almost in a whisper.

You have just entered Soft's dream. But you can already tell that something is… off?

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But still, if everypony else's dreams feel like a gust of air, or perhaps a cloud you can shape with your horn, then this dream feels like clay. Or perhaps tar.

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And then she decided to investigate later when she had more experience... i.e. knock realization.

So, you try not to linger on this mystery. You will put this to the side for now, as something to keep an eye on. But you won't revisit this until you have a little more experience

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Given how Axe helped out with her dream Knock realization she might as well ask for advice on understanding what happened.

The Forge Name's sacrament is literally "Get me a train. I don't care how it happens, but I want a train and you want a Sacrament so get to it."

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I actually like our personal sacrament for forge.

Sure it costs money but only really as much as our personal Winter sacrament. Probably less with good rolls if we try to go cheap.

Just have to do it once per turn with attention of the Laws on Forge. 13 (Magic) + 80 (Forge bonus × 2) + let's say level 1 Forge reagent to be cheap 10 (reagent) = 103 + basic roll with a reroll.

With average rolls that 2 AP over 2 turns with a cost of 110 bits.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Just have to do it once per turn with attention of the Laws on Forge. 13 (Magic) + 80 (Forge bonus × 2) + let's say level 1 Forge reagent to be cheap 10 (reagent) = 103 + basic roll with a reroll.

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Sounds like a decent project to me, Faust knows reagents have been one of our biggest money sinks, getting better at them could only be a blessing.

Totally unrelated, it also occurs to me that Neighnia could easily have Secret Histories as her secondary Lore, given her service to The Elegiast, her role in the Medium legacy's pursuit of lost memories, and of course Winter's own close relationship with recollection. That would be funny, a Dyad existing but not between two Edge Names but rather between Baldomare and Neighnia as two competing historians.

 

[DelightedOne]

Just have to do it once per turn with attention of the Laws on Forge. 13 (Magic) + 80 (Forge bonus × 2) + let's say level 1 Forge reagent to be cheap 10 (reagent) = 103 + basic roll with a reroll.

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Isn't the doubling only for the Application bonus? As far as I remember we use the Knowledge bonus on the Forge Sacrament so AotL wouldn't do much.

 

[Alan975]

They are going to hanging out together. So I could see some conversation on the train.

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!!!! My guy sit damn tight cuz you've given me an idea and my drawing hand is starting to cooperate for once.

Addon: I can't for the life of me remember which chapters we got visual descriptions of the names, could anyone come to my rescue?

 

[Shaper47]

Isn't the doubling only for the Application bonus? As far as I remember we use the Knowledge bonus on the Forge Sacrament so AotL wouldn't do much.

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It says Forge Level and doesn't specify that it's a Knowledge test like it does for Lantern so...

I think it's an application thing.

You apply your Magic, Forge Level, and you may use any Forge Reagents you have at your disposal.

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In order to succeed, "The Conversation" will require a Lantern Knowledge test of CD 100 (does not apply any other status, other than Lantern 4 (+40) and any Lantern Influence you have).

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[Zxzx24]

Be well bird! Hope you have a good weekend!

 

[Pittauro]

It says Forge Level and doesn't specify that it's a Knowledge test like it does for Lantern so...

I think it's an application thing.

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if it was application, than we'd be doubling a +20 to +40, NOT a +40 to +80.


That said I expect it to use Knowledge application, mostly because if you don't get to apply your full bonus lore to learning a Sacrament it would feel weird. SH one used Knowledge bonus if I remember right

 

[Shaper47]

if it was application, than we'd be doubling a +20 to +40, NOT a +40 to +80.

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It might include both though.

Forge level might mean it can include Knowledge and application bonuses.

Like, the Blank Door had a Knowledge and Application bonus.

[Divining the secrets of the Blank Door, cd 70]

[Roll: 40 + 12 (Learning) + 10 (WINTER Level 1) + 10 (LANTERN bonus, doubled) = 72]

[Success]

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So 40 Knowledge + (20 application × 2) = 80

We should ask to confirm @OurLadyOfWires, what sacraments does attention of the Laws help with?

 

[Sveta08]

I didn't find what it might be.
Or, rather, I didn't find more than what I think and fear it might be. Nothing new for Selene turned up while drifting and reading.

I don't know how Selene will react towards being sent out to attack. But I know that she... Wants to do better. Do more. Be more.
This will be the first time she can. That she acts. Not independently, but that she... acts.

I found where Biedde felt Velvet is wanting. Where Mareinette does not so much as savor as offers. I saw better where Baldomare became real, where she forgot herself flesh and blood a time.
Maybe, if I have to guess, the scene involves Selene and Axe. They are near friends, as much as Axe would not promise otherwise. On what, or how, I could only guess.

But I found something else. Something that had slipped my notice that I will be chewing now. Something...
... well, this.

He doesn't know. He doesn't know, and that is why he is here.

Maybe he should have studied those secrets more intensely. Maybe he should have begged his friend for help, and paid whatever price he asked. Or who knows, maybe he should have quit his job and stayed home, regardless if his cutie mark insisted that he shouldn't.

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I don't know what to make of it yet. I don't know where it leads. And I can't quite pull together enough pieces to have it all fit together why it's important it was seen.
But it's there.

 

[Venerable Ro]

I don't know what to make of it yet. I don't know where it leads. And I can't quite pull together enough pieces to have it all fit together why it's important it was seen.
But it's there.

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I suspect it's at least partially my fault. Either that or I got unnaturally lucky.

Hold that thought.

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If that is where it came from then he's wracked by his uselessness for protecting his own home and family.

 

[Sveta08]

I suspect it's at least partially my fault. Either that or I got unnaturally lucky.

If that is where it came from then he's wracked by his uselessness for protecting his own home and family.

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Hmm?

Oh, no no no no. No, that's not what I was meaning. Sorry, I should have cropped that quote more.
Yes, he feels useless, yes he feels powerless, yes he feels like the situation is out of his control and despairs over the fact. That wasn't what I was pointing to.

It's that, when considering what he could do, that he could quit his job and stay home... His cutie mark insisted he didn't. That same twinge that was described earlier with him. That impetuous for action, or that something is important.
Now, maybe this is because at one time his cutie mark meant something more, and it's that reaching over. It may be because there is something dependent on Harmony that is informing him when and where things are and aren't important. I don't know, Harmony is a big black box of "It does stuff" right now.

What I'm trying to say, is he had an idea. An idea of something he could do.
His cutie mark said he shouldn't. And that means something.
Whether that is a "There is work yet to be done at your job that will be of use" or "Not yet" or "This was never your path" I don't know.
But... there. It's there!

It's a door that looks like a wall. One that is barred... somehow. By something.

 

[Venerable Ro]

It's that, when considering what he could do, that he could quit his job and stay home... His cutie mark insisted he didn't. That same twinge that was described earlier with him. That impetuous for action, or that something is important.

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Ah, I take your meaning now. Well caught!

That is rather ominous isn't it? I wonder if his Mark is keeping him out of danger for the moment?

I also suddenly realized that he's like as not to get himself a Secret Histories Brand if he ever climbs the Mansus, which would leave him and Velvet with a matching set. Nifty.

 

[Shaper47]

Speaking of brands I want us to have Selene get a Brand after she's done some more training.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Speaking of brands I want us to have Selene get a Brand after she's done some more training.

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If she does her Brand should be one of that soft darkness which conceals secrets and speaks with the sea's old voice.

If Cadance can have her Love then Selene can have her Moon.

 

[spiderhellian]

Speaking of brands I want us to have Selene get a Brand after she's done some more training.

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I wonder if she can.

She's not a Pony, after all.

 

[Venerable Ro]

I wonder if she can.

She's not a Pony, after all.

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We could have been a griffon or a (small)dragon, the Mansus may be shaped by Pony dreams but it doesn't seem to be exclusive to them.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Oh yeah, I also want to thank everyone who voted for my plan, unless it goes terribly wrong, in which case I curse you all and then myself.

 

[Shaper47]

unless it goes terribly wrong, in which case I curse you all and then myself.

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Don't be to hard on yourself.

Sure it's a bit hubris'y but given who we're sending it's kinda understandable.

 

[Pittauro]

It might include both though.

Forge level might mean it can include Knowledge and application bonuses.

Like, the Blank Door had a Knowledge and Application bonus.



So 40 Knowledge + (20 application × 2) = 80

We should ask to confirm @OurLadyOfWires, what sacraments does attention of the Laws help with?

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We've never had application and knowledge bonuses FOR THE SAME LORE apply to the same roll.

For the roll you quoted, it made sense. the Blank Door was a Winter Mansus Obstacle, so you use Winter Knowledge. It's also an object you're trying to understand/divine secrets from, so that means Lantern Application also applies.

It would make no sense for knowledge AND application to apply to forge sacrament. It's going to be one OR the other.

 

[Shaper47]

It would make no sense for knowledge AND application to apply to forge sacrament

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I don't know, the wording "Craft" and "Create" imply to me an application of the lore.

Perform the action "Experiment, Craft, Create" until you finish its progress.

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Just like "Experiment" implies knowledge of the lore.

Eh, who knows aside from the QM. Sacrament requirements are weird.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

[X] Plan They Have A Winter Name
-[X][BUREAU] You will assault Copper BEFORE the Bureau picks her trail.
-[X] Assault an opponent (Copper Secateur)
--[X] Who is going? (WRITE IN which followers will go)
---[X] Biedde (as planner). Daughter of Axes, Mareinette, Baldomare, Selene
--[X] What are they taking? (WRITE IN what artifacts, if any, to take)
---[X] Edge 3 artifact, SH 3 artifact, Heart 3 artifact, Winter 1 artifact, 1 Wrong Key (due to expire at end of turn)
--[X] What is their objective? (WRITE IN what your followers must do, in order of PRIORITY)
---[X] Neutralize Copper.
---[X] Neutralize Neighnia.
---[X] Remove any evidence tying us to the cult.
---[X] Loot their library, artifacts, bits, and so forth, should time allow.
--[X] Anything else? (WRITE IN any other orders or specifications you have)
---[X] Minimize non-Cult casualties.
---[X] Leave as little trace or tracks as possible.
--[X] Who is going? (WRITE IN which followers will go)
---[X] Rarity (as planner)
---[X] Daughter of Axes
--[X] What are they taking? (WRITE IN what artifacts, if any, to take)
---[X] Heart 3 artifact
---[X] SH 3 artifact
---[X] Winter 1 artifact
-[X] You are wounded! (You currently have 2 wounds. You must pick one of each option.)
--[X] Take a few breaks, every now and then. (Costs 1 action. Rolls TWO dice. 0/-15)
--[X] There is no holy grail for healing magic, no miraculous wound-closing spell. But vigor-enhancing spells, and other small boosts, are a thing. The crystals where they are stored for sale are expensive, though… (Costs 60 bits. Two dice will auto-succeed)
-[X][STEPPES] There is no guarantee he will be able to help you, but you will write him about…
--[X] How Silky has been shaken up by the attempt on your life, and how she might be comforted by her beloved uncle's presence.
-[X][SOCIAL] You don't have it in you to teach anypony of the Lores. But you can make a social call to… (WRITE IN) (IF CHOSEN, will give you a -15 to your healing roll, free action)
--[X] Mayor Mare
--[X] Cheerilee
--[X] Applejack

[X] Plan Time's Up - Rarity Searching
-[X] (Detectives) Investigate the Commissioner's attackers
-[X] (Constables) Guard the Commissioner
-[X] (Selene) Winter Realization
-[X] (Selene) Guard us and our home
-[X] (Mareinette) Honored Guest: Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich
-[X] (DoA) Wrong Keys
-[X] (Fluttershy) Ask Comet to lead an expedition: A Grave on a Hill
-[X] (Baldomare-Free) Give her the Level 6 book if the expedition is successful, otherwise give her the Knock 5 book
-[X] Perform the Reflection of the Tapestry
--[X] Target: Copper and her cult. Their location, their resources, their defenses, anything and everything about them
--[X] To be performed on an inconspicuous place, located by Baldomare
-[X] Assault an opponent (Copper Secateur)
-[X] Search Canterlot for the Outsider (x 3)

[X] A tighter security detail, at all times.

You have gained the mundane trait "Security Detail".

Jade Whistle has successfully performed a scrying ritual. The information she gained will be sued by your imminent assault expedition. 30 bits have been removed from your inventory.

The Daughter-of-Axes has given you three Wrong Keys, they have been included in your inventory.





- - -

- - -

- - -





You are Selene, and right now you are in a dream.

It is a very simple dream. You are standing on a grassy plain, under the shade of a large tree. And everywhere you look there are flowers blooming, swaying with the wind and filling the air with perfume.

This is the picture of a calm and peaceful place. A dream that, in truth, you are intentionally making as serene as possible. Because the dreamer herself is in no condition to be exposed to anything else.

This is your mother's dream. And you can do nothing but watch as, even in this incorporeal place, she looks at you with a tired smile. You can tell that she is happy, of course. You can tell that she is happy to be here with you.

But still, you can't push away the pain you feel inside your chest, as you realize how sorry she looks even inside her own dream.

You can't push it away. So, you do the second best thing. You keep it hidden.

"Thank you for meeting me here, Selene," she says. And for all that her voice sounds healthy and strong, given how this is a dream, you can tell there is still something shaky about it. "This isn't something we could discuss while I am awake."

She sits down at the base of the tree, and you follow suit. And for a moment, you consider asking her why she asked to meet you here. But you reconsider.

Instead, you just stay quiet, sitting by her side. You stay quiet, simply because your mother looks content right now. After all, her dream-body is strong and healthy, to the point that even her flank is unblemished, and she can feel the soft breeze without being constrained by a dress. And you can tell, or maybe you can feel, that she is just savoring the sensation of a body that isn't about to shut down at any moment.

Granted, her expression is still tired, but… well, you are a firm believer that dreams are meant to be pleasant. So, you will just wait here with her, until she tells you what this is about.

"I… part of me doesn't want to tell you this, Selene. Part of me wants to stop here and now," she continues, after maybe a full minute. Her voice full of hesitation and doubt. "Because I… there is a favor I want to ask you, Selene. There is something that just needs to be done. And for all that I wish I could do it myself, I just can't."

She lets out a small sigh as she says that, and you… you just stay quiet.

You lean towards her, resting your face on her shoulder, but other than that you just stay quiet.

After all, you know what she is talking about. You know why she just can't do… whatever it is that she needs to do.

And that is because, just a few days ago, your mother's health took a turn to the worse.

Her complexion, that was slowly getting healthier, suddenly became pale again. What little energy she was regaining, which was enough for her to eat and talk and even move a little on her own, was gone.

You understand what happened of course. You realize that, deep down, that decline of her health was a good sign. Because this whole time, your mother's heart didn't even have enough strength to beat on its own, and she had been using… other methods, to make up for it. And now, she is finally strong enough to survive under her own strength.

She has, effectively, "stopped" using the other methods that were keeping her alive. And now, she can heal under her own power without getting addicted or dependent on those methods.

However, this is still being a ghastly period to live through, for you and your father… and especially for Silky.

So, of course your mother can't do anything on her own right now. Of course that, whatever this favor is, she would need somepony else to do it for her.

You are only glad that you can be here for her right now.

"But I suppose I lost the right to hesitate. No, more than just that, I just can't afford to wait. Not when I know what is on the line. Not when…"

She trails off, and you can feel the light tug of something, poking at the edge of her dream. For a moment, you feel the pressure of memories, filled with anger and fear, trying to creep into this dream. You feel the weight of your mother's emotions pressing down on the scenery around you, trying to cover the sun and turn the breeze into a chilling wind.

But you push back against that. With a thought, and without any effort, you keep the peaceful scenery around you as it is.

This is your domain, and you will not allow this dream to be sullied while you are here.

"Whatever it is, mom, you can tell me," you say, gently rubbing head against her. "You can trust me. I'm here for you."

You hear her let out a small, short laugh. But you can tell that your words had some effect. The pressure of her fears lessens, at the edges of the dream. And she sounds slightly less despondent, as she continues to speak.

"Thank you dear, I… well, I suppose you already know," you feel her plant a light kiss on the top of your forehead.

Although, once again, she lets out a small sigh, as if resigning herself to what comes next.

"The thing I want to ask you to do is… I know who tried to kill me, Selene. I know who it was, that sent all those ponies and that monster, who tried to get rid of me."

She says that, and her words are so sudden and direct that you can't help but freeze for a moment.

Because this entire time, you mother… well, she did not tell you who had hurt you. At times, you think she did not know who had done that, and other times you were sure she was hiding it. But still, she was just too frail and weak for you, or your father, to try to pressure her about it.

And as the days went by, with no other incidents happening, and the "official" story about a lonely attacker being repeated over and over again, you just… well, you didn't believe it, and you definitely did not forget about this. But still, you had basically resigned yourself to the idea that you would never learn anything more about the attempt on your mother's life. Not until she was fully healed, at least. Or not until you were able to act on your own.

But now that she is telling you this, you don't really know how to react. You are still sitting next to her, and your head is still resting against her side. But your eyes are wide open and alert. In fact, you can even feel your heart beating more quickly, as you realize the implications of why she is telling you this.

"I know who she is Selene. I know who she is, and I know that she hates me, and I… and I know she won't stop until one of us is dead. But if it was that alone, I wouldn't mind keeping this vendetta of hers between the two of us. However…"

Her voice trails off, and the aching pressure of her fears return, pushing against the edges of this dream so strongly that it almost takes you by surprise.

The sky almost darkens. And for a moment, the sun almost dims. But you hold those weights back, although it requires a little more of your attention than before.

Although, much more importantly, you keep listening to your mother, as she reveals to you the reason why she is so afraid.

"… however, I also know she is not above doing whatever it takes to get to me. I know she is willing to hurt one of you, instead. In fact, I think she might be considering that alternative right now, given how she must know that her attempt failed."

The wind picks up speed, and the calm breeze suddenly turns into a harsh gale. One that rustles the leaves of the tree above you, and that bends the flowers with its strength. A gale that is fueled by anger, a rage that was as sudden to appear as it is fierce.

You focus your thoughts, and you calm the wind down in less than a second. But still, it is telling that this stray feeling was able to sneak past you.

Because this whole time, you have been doing your best to compensate for your mother's emotions. You have been trying your hardest to keep this dream calm and serene. So, the fact that this stray feeling was able to evade your notice is indicative of how strong it must be.

For all that you can't tell from her tone of voice, you realize your mother must be very, very angry right now.

But that doesn't stop her from asking you what needs to be done.



"Her name is Copper Secateur, Selene. And I need you to kill her."



There is something uniquely chilling about hearing those words coming out of your mother's mouth. Your whole life, ever since you woke up as Selene, you have heard nothing but kind and soothing words from her. Of course, she can be harsh and demanding at times. And like any other foal, you have already been scolded and reprimanded by her. But no matter what happened, you could always feel in her undertone that she still loved and cared about you.

So, there is something somber about hearing this gentle and loving mare asking you to… kill somepony.

However, you are even more surprised by the fact that-

"I will do it, mother."

-that you not only agree with her, but that you also want to do this.

The wind picks up again, blowing through the grasslands like a galloping herd. And as you once again focus your thoughts to smother it, you finally realize that… you finally realize that this wind is not being caused by your mother's emotions.

It is being caused by yours. This is your own anger, influencing this dream.

This is your anger, because your mother is telling you about the pony who hurt her. This is your anger, that you are finally being able to direct towards something useful. This is your anger, that you can now focus on the pony who is willing to hurt your family.

And you feel no inclination to put it under control, right now.

So, you allow the gale wind to blow, even if it plucks the petals out of the nearby flowers, and even if it causes both of your manes to sway with the wind.

"Thank you, Selene, but that is not everything I had to tell you," she says.

And the wind dies down, even if only a fraction, as you raise your head from her side.

Because you have a lot in your mind right now. You have several thoughts, some of them even conflicting with each other, that you still need to parse through. You still need to come to terms with the fact that you just agreed to kill a pony. You still need to process the fact that it is your own mother who is asking you to do this. You need a few moments to accept that you want to get this done anyways. And finally, there is the very practical matter that you still need to figure out how to do this. After all, your mother only gave you a name, so far. You will need more than that, maybe a cutie mark or perhaps an idea of where that pony is, before you can do anything.

However, there is something about her words, just now, that made you curious. So curious that you were able to push all those other thoughts to the side, for now.

"Selene, I… I want to apologize to you," she says, looking towards the grassy horizon even as she speaks with a tired voice. "I don't think I am a very good pony. I don't think a good pony should do this."

You shake your head as you turn towards her, looking her in the eye. Because you want to tell her that she is wrong. No, you will tell her that she is wrong.

Your mother is not a bad pony. Protecting the ponies you love does not make her a bad mare. And you will be sure to tell this, no matter how downtrodden she is!

But when you turn to look at her, you are immediately surprised by the fact that she is meeting your gaze. You had expected her to be looking downwards, or perhaps towards the horizon, or at least that she would be avoiding your gaze.

Instead, she is looking straight into your eyes, with an expression you can only describe as determined.

Ah, you misunderstood…

She isn't apologizing to you for what she just asked you to do. Because she knows you too well. Hay, she raised you. She knows that you two are of the same mind, when it comes to this Copper mare who tried to hurt your family.

Instead, she is apologizing for…

"There is nopony else I can trust with this, Selene. But still… I am sorry."

She says that.



And you almost shout as your mind is suddenly split in two by PAIN.



Something is happening. Something is gripping into your mind. Encircling your skull, or maybe even your brain, with shackles made out of light.

You can't see them. Even in a place like this, even in a dream, you can't really see these chains. But you can feel them all the same. You can feel them, because they are gripping at your very soul.

These things, these chains, they are heavy. They are heavy, and they are bright, and they are devoid of any mercy. Locking themselves to the corners of your minds, and gripping at the flaws of your soul. Shining a cruel light on all the fears you wish you could forget about.



[You have received the bindings of Baldomare, the Name of Lantern]



The pain is sharp. It is sharp, and it is BRIGHT. Like a headache you can feel on your entire body. Like a parade of bad memories and regrets given physical form, and that somehow became capable of eating you from inside your own body. The pain is horrible, but you…. You push back the shout that is forming in your throat, you quite literally grit your teeth, and you force yourself to endure it.

Because the moment these shackles finish tying themselves to you, you immediately understand what your mother just did.

You immediately understand who she is binding to you. And you…

…

… this ache, this damn LIGHT, you thought it would stop hurting, but it doesn't.

Still, you can take this… or at least, you think you can.

"Baldomare knows her. And she will find her for you."

You hear your mother say that, and the only thing you can really do is nod with your head.

It takes you a few moments to realize your eyes are closed. At some point, while you were fighting back the pain, you must have shut them.

And when you open your eyes, you… you realize that…

Everything around you seems brighter. This dream, the air, the sunlight that is peeking in through the leaves of the tree over the two of you.

You open your mouth, to try and say something. You open your mouth, to tell your mother that you understand, and that you are alright, and that she is not a bad pony for doing this.

But the moment you meet her gaze once again-



-your veins begin to burn with POISON.



Your body is melting. Or at least, that is the only way you can describe it. Your insides are being corroded, and this is painful, and you can't even scream because something is coiling around your lungs.

The world seems to shift around you, and for some reason the ground is right next to your face. But it hurts. It hurts too much for you to understand that your legs buckled under you, and that you simply fell.

You almost don't have any strength left in you. You certainly don't have the willpower to stop yourself from yelling in pain.

But still, the constricting pressure around your chest doesn't allow you to scream. You can't even breathe anymore.

You have the distinct impression that there is a line of droll falling out of your mouth, but you don't care. You don't care, and your jaws are locked open in a muted scream.

You can only wait. You can only wait, and suffer.



[You have received the bindings of the Daughter-of-Axes, the Name of Knock]



"Axe knows of her. She can take you to her, once Baldomare finds her."

You hear those words, but you can barely understand them. You think those words are laced with regret. You think your mother is about to go back on this decision.

But she can't. You know she can't. Your mind is too numb to understand why this needs to happen, but you know deep down that this needs to happen.

Somepony needs to hold the reins. Somepony needs to make sure that these ponies… that these assets that she has are not lost, or that they do not slip away at a critical moment. Especially if she is sending you against a mare who had no scruples in sending a monster to try to kill your mother.

So, you force your jaw to close, and you nod with your head. The movement is painful, even though this is a dream. But still, you nod to her.

Still, it takes you several seconds before you can even breathe again. And it takes you even longer before you dare to open your eyes.

"I-I… am fine, mom…" you say to her, or perhaps to yourself, as you force yourself to stand up.

It doesn't even occur to you that this is still a dream. It doesn't even occur to you that you shouldn't possibly be having these sorts of difficulties in a place that, in truth, is under your domain.

And even if that thought did occur to you, you would also realize that… well, what is happening right now runs a lot deeper than mere dreams.

"I… no, this was a bad idea. You are not ready for this, Selene. I am sorry. Let me t-"

"No," you interrupt her, raising a painful, snake-constricted hoof as you do. "We… we need them. I… I am going to need them to…"

Your thoughts are still confused, but you still see the reason behind this.

Because even though you do not have the formal knowledge about this, you still know that your mother's… guests, are not really ponies. You already had enough strange interactions with them, and you have already been told enough secrets, to know that for sure.

They are not ponies. Not in the usual sense of the word. They are creatures, old and large and dangerous, that are somehow connected to those deep dreams that your mother has. The ones that don't allow you to open her dream-door, when she is asleep.

You know they are not ponies. You know they are like colors, or like lenses, that are filtering some vast light.

And most important of all, you know that they are not your mother's friends. You know that, behind the façade of pleasantry and etiquette they maintain, that they are actually bound to her. Through something that is older than magic, but that still bears some resemblance to it.

So, given your mother's state… somepony has to hold these bindings. Because your mother's grip is so weak right now, that they might just slip out of her grasp if they were to give their chains the smallest tug.

And since you are about to have them follow you to kill a pony, one who is also knowledgeable in these arts, it only makes sense that you…

"Do it," you say.

And you take one last breath before you look her in the eye again.



[You have received the bindings of Biedde, the Name of Edge]

[You have received the bindings of Mareinette, the monster of Grail]



How does your mother live with these things inside of her?

They are hot and they are cold and they are silent and they are screeching obscenities and temptations at the top of their incorporeal lungs.

One was painful. Two was too much. But four?

You know, for some reason that you can't explain, that they are the ones bound to you. You know, although you have no idea why, that these bindings only go one way. And that if you pull at them, they can either follow, or be ripped apart and banished to the place they came from.

You know that.

So why…

… why does it feel like you are the one being pulled? Why does it feel like these four burning, crushing, clasping and grasping chains are about to tear you apart? As if they are pulling at the edges of your soul like a group of ponies might try to pull your legs until they are ripped out of your body?

It hurts. It really hurts. IT. HURTS.

It hurts so much that the dream begins to crumble around you. It hurts to much that you can't even feel your mother, as she hugs you, and you can't even hear her, as she apologizes again and again to your ear.

It hurts so much that you lose your grip on everything else, and the dream just ends.

And when you wake up, drenched in sweat and with a red stain on your pillow where your mouth was, you can't even believe that the pain was only imaginary.

But most shocking of all is the question that comes to your mind, when you finally get your bearings once again.

Because how…

"…how can she live like that?!" you whisper to yourself, still shivering as the bindings settle around your soul.

It takes you more than an hour to finally calm down. It takes you a long time to finally come to your senses, and realize that everything that happened was real, but also that it was all imaginary. Thankfully, you woke up in the middle of the night, and you had plenty of time for yourself before the sun finally rose again.

However, the answer to your question comes a lot earlier than you expected.

Because on that same day, as soon as the sun rises, you understand… you understand how your mother manages to live with this eldritch bondage around her soul. You understand why she not only puts up with it, but also goes out of her way to keep them.

Because on that same day, as soon as you are done having your breakfast, you are surprised by the fact that the elusive Baldomare calls you to her room.



"Now, Velvet Covers asked me to do a few things this month. But it appears I no longer answer to her. So, as per our present agreement, is there anything you would like me to do?"



You understand why your mother does this. All of this.

After all, on that same day, you were accosted by a mare who knows everything. And she very politely asked you what you wanted from her. A mare who is older than you could possibly imagine, who remembers more than you will ever know, and who has absolutely no qualms with performing any sort of action.

Yes, that was the answer to your question.

The reason why your mother not only accepts these creatures, but relishes their presence, is…

Power.

And right now, you have four of the most terrifyingly powerful creatures in Equestria at your disposal. As well as a single order, to seek retribution against the pony who nearly killed your mother.

…

Yes… yes. This will do.

You realize this is a test. You realize your mother is giving you a chance to prove yourself. To show that you are a Princess who will not overstep her authority. To show that you are an alicorn who will not abuse her power.

However, you also realize your mother is at least as angry as you are with her enemy. If not angrier.

And you also realize that as much as she wishes she did not have to send you, her daughter, to do this… she also wishes to visit a very great vengeance upon her foe.

"No, I… no," you answer Baldomare, although the slightest tug you feel on the chains around your soul tells you she plucked the answer from your mind before you even spoke it. "Please, I… please, do whatever my mom asked you to do."

You say that, and the mare answers you with a slow nod, going back to reading from a book as if nothing had just happened.

"Very well then. The old soldier was put in charge of preparations. Just tell me when you would like me to leave, yes?" she asks.

And for all that, to the whole world, this is just a strange conversation between a bespectacled mare and a filly, in truth…

In truth, you know that…





Selene has taken control of the assault team that will be sent after Copper Secateur.

Like the good daughter that she is, she will return to you all the bindings as soon as your health improves.

But for now, there are only two things on her mind. The first is the stunned wonder that she is feeling, thanks to the powers you have allowed her to experience. In truth, she was neither trained nor prepared to bear this burden. But somepony has to, and her nature as an alicorn was barely enough to make the cut. And the second is the fact that this power, she knows, was given to her for a single purpose.

And she has no intention of failing you.

More to follow.

 

[Spacemurica]

As someone who chose not to vote for this last turn, yeah I thought the question of what to do was obvious. And I was right.
Anyways I'm greatly looking forwards to seeing all of our semi divine characters interacting.
Edit: wow did I have ridiculous timing. Excellent update!

 

[Witherbrine2671]

I am very excited for when Copper gets jumped. I also really like how the bindings are described.

 

[Rafuki22]

In truth, you know that…

Click to shrink...

Yes, this was truly something.

Hmmm, Biedde and Mareinette bindings were less descriptive, wonder why?