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

Pittauro · Friday at 8:25 PM

jelloloaf said:
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.

oh? Is this actually canon to the quest? Was Copper's Realization/Sacrament power about maintaining a large number of social contacts more easily?

jelloloaf said:
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.

Velvet and Copper really took opposite approaches to the cult. Copper was basically there all the time making "friends" and minions, being the center of attention.

Velvet was there so little that it ended up being extremely easy to eventually convince them we were never a part of the cult in the first place.

jelloloaf said:
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.

Mh... the cult also gave Velvet and Copper different things, all things considered.

as an Earth Pony Gardener, Copper wanted to feel special, the center of attention, the pony everyone admired.

Velvet cared far more about close personal connections, about her family. She's a noble, but she doesn't care THAT much about it (though of course she finds the perks of her status convenient)

And in the end... Velvet regretted what the cult did, and decided to back down at her first opportunity. We effectively committed to betray the cult when we didn't bring Luna to them, holding only the most slight hope that MAYBE we could eventually come to an agreement from a position of, if not superiority, at least equal standing and power.

I still wonder... if we had talked to her more, what it could have been. I think it was COPPER that once expressed doubts about what the cult was doing and was going to do, and nobody answered her.

jelloloaf · Friday at 8:44 PM

Pittauro said:
oh? Is this actually canon to the quest? Was Copper's Realization/Sacrament power about maintaining a large number of social contacts more easily?

As far as I know, we're never given a direct answer. However, in Turn 14 - Cult Meeting, we get a description of her brand.

The tool made to reap what is beautiful, and cut out what is undesirable. The one who finds the most precious flowers in the gardens of the King and cuts them away for herself, with or without permission.

I've simply interpreted it in a way that fits my own analysis; taking it to be related to the idea of the Lilyking/Flowermaker.

OurLadyOfWires · Saturday at 12:04 AM

Alright.

I am on a very tight schedule right now, so I apologize for being brief. If you pinged me for a question, please ping me again after this post.

Now, on to our usual schedule.

First of all.

VOTING CLOSED

Vote Tally : Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience | Page 233 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 7102-7225]
##### NetTally 4.0.2

[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)
No. of Votes: 19

[◈] Plan: Balanced Rewards
[X] Anjaxis
[X] Bakkasama
[X] DelightedOne
[X] Greymere
[X] jelloloaf
[X] LieutenantSpirit
[X] Limabot
[X] Maer
[X] MisRAR1
[X] Mr. K
[X] Nevermort
[X] Portec
[X] Potdl
[X] Rafuki22
[X] Sintonir
[X] Solace2117
[X] Steady Gaze
[X] Sveta08
[X] Waela

[X] Plan: Most Value for the options
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
No. of Votes: 9

[◈] Plan: Most Value for the options
[X] Earth-Destroyer
[X] Pittauro
[X] Rafuki22
[X] Shaper47
[X] Sintonir
[X] spiderhellian
[X] Sveta08
[X] Waela
[X] Zxzx24

[X] Plan: Servant, Mareinette, Bureau
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a few favors (gain TWO "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)
No. of Votes: 8

[◈] Plan: Servant, Mareinette, Bureau
[X] Arrkhon
[X] des-pair-2
[X] jason1stlegion
[X] Maer
[X] Pittauro
[X] Portec
[X] Rafuki22
[X] spiderhellian

[X] Plan Morals and Measures
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a few favors (gain TWO "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)
No. of Votes: 6

[◈] Plan: Morals and Measures
[X] Arrkhon
[X] BritBiscuit
[X] Greymere
[X] Mr. K
[X] Portec
[X] Venerable Ro

[X] Plan: Much Respect
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)
No. of Votes: 6

[◈] Plan: Much Respect
[X] BritBiscuit
[X] Greymere
[X] Maer
[X] Mr. K
[X] Steady Gaze
[X] Venerable Ro

[X] Plan: Marinette in the Middle
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)
No. of Votes: 4

[◈] Plan: Marinette in the Middle
[X] Arrkhon
[X] Limabot
[X] Rafuki22
[X] Steady Gaze

[X] Plan: Mareinette
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
No. of Votes: 3

[◈] Plan: Mareinette
[X] Arrkhon
[X] Shaper47
[X] spiderhellian

[X] Plan: Servant, Bureau, Mareinette
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a few favors (gain TWO "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Equestria will be better off without him in power (gain a reasonable amount of respect from the Bureau)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
No. of Votes: 2

[◈] Plan: Servant, Bureau, Mareinette
[X] des-pair-2
[X] Sintonir

[X] Plan: 700 bits for Jade and Selene friendship adventure
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Remind him that nothing is free (gain 200 bits)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Wring him (gain 400 bits)
No. of Votes: 1

[◈] Plan: 700 bits for Jade and Selene friendship adventure
[X] Shaper47

[X] Plan: Books are expensive
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Wring him (gain 400 bits)
No. of Votes: 1

[◈] Plan: Books are expensive
[X] Shaper47

[X] Plan: Mareinette but we still jail the traitor
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have Mareinette deal with it (unpredictable result, that will still benefit you)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)
No. of Votes: 1

[◈] Plan: Mareinette but we still jail the traitor
[X] Arrkhon

Total No. of Voters: 29

Secondly, and much more importantly:

jelloloaf said:
In which we call upon the Malachite

This is so, so, SO awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this!

Seriously, how did you host those images? I'm always afraid of trying it, because I think I'd have to create an imgur account or something.
But seriously, this felt like an actual academic paper. Reading it was an absolute treat!

Shaper47 · Saturday at 12:08 AM

The Future of Velvet

"Share this like the cold blizzard winds share their snow, scatter it amongst those you know and let the fate of Velvet Covers become known to all!"

Due to how divided the sources of information are I have taken it upon myself to create a summary of what Velvet has in knowledge of the lores, what Velvet can do to grow in her knowledge of the lores and what sacraments she can get when.

Knock "To open the way forward": Velvet is at 3 out of 4 scraps at level 4. She can get the final level 4 scrap from a lesson with the Daughter of Axes. Technically there's also a level 5 book but we really don't need it with DoA on hoof so we can just feed that book to Baldomare the Camden Lock.

For sacraments;

Daughter of ~~Axes~~ Velvet Sacrament "Muh daughter collection!"

Personal Sacrament is unimportant compared to the the stunning argument for it above.

To elaborate the Daughter of Axes Sacrament "Though the Foggy Mirror" has been found through investigation to contain the Frangiclave which is needed to free her from her curse and become the Daughter of Velvet, befriending the Name. As befriending Names is of upmost importance this is the chosen Sacrament. We can also just do the personal sacrament research project later.

The Sacrament cost an unknown amount of actions but is hinted to cost time rather then blood. The Name has not indicated that Secret Histories would be useful in completing the Sacrament but the Name also had no idea the Frangiclave is there. So a SH influence could be useful. It is estimated to take an average of 3 AP (average sacrament completion time). Requires 4/4 lore first.

Secret Histories "To know the way up": Velvet is at 4 out of 4 scraps at level 4. No further scraps needed.

For sacraments;

Personal Sacrament: The direction and flavor is around Velvet's alternate histories. This presumably would allow for hax around this theme. Knowing and able to pick between different options, for example such as knowing Twilight would Leroy Jenkins herself into Queen Chrysalis if we didn't take her for ourselves. Also things such as that "Wasn't now Will Be" idea and other such hax.

The Sacrament costs 3 AP investigating alternate Velvet histories of which we have already performed one. DC for step one was 110, next steps are higher (maybe 5 or 10 additively) , with a SH influence our bonus is 40 SH level 4 + 40 SH influence + 14 learning = 94 with one reroll. It is best done once per turn to take advantage of our SH reroll or with a SH influence. If having a SH influence for DoV's Sacrament it's best to be completing this Sacrament at the same time.

Baldomare's Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around expedition/searching. This presumably would be useful for Velvet personally searching for expedition sites or perhaps a search bonus like Bladomare has. Given how Velvet has Baldomare to do that stuff for her already the sacrament has a good chance of not being that useful.

The Sacrament costs 1 Velvet AP and 1 Baldomare AP along with 40 bits, it has unknown dangers. Given the very disturbing lack of interest in Velvet gaining bits along with the usefulness of Baldomare's AP in coming turns (influences and searching for Neighnia), not advised to focus on this sacramnet.

Lantern "To see the way higher": Velvet is at 0 out of 4 scraps at level 4. She can get 2 scraps from a level 4 lantern influence (Baldomare), 1 scrap from studying unknown lantern artifact level 4 and most likely 1 scrap from studying Baldomare's beacon or studying the flowers at the Garden of Mirrors. Note that studying artifacts and mansus items? is best done with a level 4 lantern influence.

For sacraments;

Personal Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around Velvet's lantern secret investigation skills. This presumably would increase the breadth and depth of those skills. Good for picking up memories, secret lore and just a general buff for what Velvet uses lantern for.

The Sacrament costs 1 AP along with a prisoner and has a DC of 100 applying lantern knowledge and any lantern influence, so basically 40 (lantern knowledge) + 40 (level 4 lantern influence) equals a DC of 20 with a reroll (from lantern level 4). Requires 4/4 lore first.

Baldomare's Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around translating books. This presumably would make deciphering a lot easier. However one has to consider the current situation. Which is that Velvet is going to be feeding high level book to waifu Teresa along with having ~~minion~~ loyal friend Jade. There's presumably nothing stopping Velvet from having Jade take Baldomare's Sacrament and then putting her on translation duty (something useful that Velvet relies on her to do would be good for her).

The Sacrament cost 1 Baldomare AP and requires leading her 4 follower on a dangerous expedition with risk of them being wounded/destroyed, DoA counts for 3 followers and Mares-in-the-Light counts as 2. Requires 4/4 lore first.

Moth "Open your eyes to the abyss we call change": Velvet is at 3 out of 4 scraps at level 4. She can get the final level 4 scrap from the Moth level 5 book, note it is best to be reading the book with a level 4 lantern influence for greatest efficiency.

Personal Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around lying about herself. This presumably would make easier for her to hide her lores levels from other such as Celestia.

The Sacrament costs 1 AP (unknown if it counts as a social action for the free social) along with a Confident (Good Friend with leash counts). Currently the plan seems to be using Spoiled Milk, estimated to take 2 turns of Mareinette focusing on her to get her to Good Friends level. Requires 4/4 lore first.

~~The Will of the Woods Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around hiding/stealth even from Glory's Light. This presumably would increase Velvet's stealth.~~

THE WOODS ARE ASH

Edge "Only blood staining one's hooves will let you ascend": Velvet is at 4 out of 4 scraps at level 4. No further scraps needed.

For sacraments;

~~Personal~~ Remembrance of Issus Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around general edge. This presumably would grant something like a basic personal combat bonus.

The Sacrament costs killing a "worthy opponent" in battle such as Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Mareinette, Comet Feet. For obvious reasons this is not something Velvet is going to do.

Biedde's Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be the Colonel. This presumably would grant something like Biedde's trait of gaining personal combat bonus's against a single foe upon being wounded by them. However it needs to be considered that the main theme of the Colonel is that HE WILL NOT RELEASE THOSE IN HIS SERVICE, with the hints that the Colonel is still around via Biedde's trait and is likely to be hiding in the worm museum. So complications may follow.

The Sacrament costs fighting Biedde in a single combat match (no ambushing allowed) and dealing to him a wound. Velvet with a level 4 edge influence has a personal combat of 69 with an Aotl she has 90, Biedde has 80. It is likely that even if Velvet succeeds she will be wounded in the process which would make Silky cry.

Wolf's Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be about unmaking one's foe. This has been hinted by the QM to involve things such as an "extra +1 damage on hit" or a "multi-combatant perk" or both given it's also a Winter Sacrament.

The Sacrament costs 1 Mansus action and can be done with the free mansus exploration action oh also a RA. The sacrament has wider consequences as it means Silky Steam doesn't end up crying and further protects the world from the worms.

Winter "This current life must End to save the lives of all": Velvet is at 1 out of 4 scraps at level 4. She can get 1 from studying unknown winter artifact level 4 and 2 from a level 4 winter influence (conscripting Neighnia is pretty important anyways).

For sacraments;

Personal Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be around Velvet no longer being afraid (a mental condition). This presumably would fall under the theme of mental protection, especially regarding dread. Note that gaining a Winter Sacrament unlocks legacy of a Winter Hour.

The Sacrament costs 3 AP and 90 bits, each using winter level. If we don't want it to take more turns and more bits it's best to do this 1 AP a turn to take advantage of the winter reroll. The very disturbing lack of interest in Velvet gaining bits should be taken into account.

Wolf's Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be about unmaking, presumably one's foe. This has been hinted by the QM to involve things such as an "extra +1 damage on hit" or a "multi-combatant perk" which is very combat based but ending lives is a theme of winter, also counts as an Edge sacrament. Note that gaining a Winter Sacrament unlocks legacy of a Winter Hour.

The Sacrament costs 1 Mansus action and can be done with the free mansus exploration action oh also a RA. The sacrament has wider consequences as it means Silky Steam doesn't end up crying and further protects the world from the worms.

Neighnia's Sacrament: Unknown (maybe something to do with gaining memories for her?)

Grail "Blood is the paint of the Mansus": Velvet is at 0 out of 4 scraps at level 4. She can get scraps via lessons from Mareinette, also there's a possibility of gaining a Grail scrap by investigating the Dry Grail advised to have level 5 lantern with personal sacrament and a level 4 lantern influence when doing so.

For sacraments;

Personal Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be very similar to what Cadence pulled with Velvet and Shinning. This presumably would mean our relationships with those we love and commit the sacrament with cannot be broken.

The Sacrament costs having 3 minion (the highest) level relationships on their end. Velvet's idiosyncrasies aside Jade counts, as does Rarity and Fluttershy with leash also counts. Unknown if Cadence or Selene could join in. However this doesn't get us a Name as a friend, so almost certainly not going to be picked. Requires 4/4 lore first.

Mareinette's Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be on the devouring side of Grail. This presumably would fall under the Grail eating themes such as restoring health by consuming foes, buffing by devouring love and eating the lore out of ponies souls. Most importantly this counts as befriending Lady Mareinette. As befriending Names is of upmost importance this is the chosen Sacrament.

The Sacrament costs 1 prisoner, and counts as Mareinette's rebinding option. It is unknown how many Grail scraps is required before performing the Sacrament but presumably 3/4.

Forge "From the paths of Ash seek the Fire": Velvet is at 0 out of 4 scraps at level 4. She might gain 1 scrap from performing Forge's Redemption on herself, Level 4 Forge books grant 1 scrap each, exploring the Malleary will most likely grant 1 forge scrap and a level 4 forge influence (go find the Forge Name) grants 2 scraps.

For sacraments;

Personal Sacrament: The direction and flavor seems to be related to changing the body via alchemic reagents. This presumably would allow for a project to increase Velvet's health by one and other such things within that theme.

The Sacrament costs completing the project by reaching 300 points, applying Magic, Forge Level, Forge influence and Forge Reagents with each AP costing 50 bits. Magic 13 + Forge level 40 = 53, with Forge Reagents of 40 worth along with an available reroll it would be estimated to take 2 AP spread over two turns with a level 4 Forge influence applied on the last turn. So 93 + 133 =226, 300 - 226 = 74, so DC of 74 with 2 rolls with rerolls. For forge reagents they can be made with the free reagent creation action, either 4 level 2 reagents costing 80 bits total over 4 turns or sooner if there's the bits for level 4 reagents costing 80 bits each. Given the very disturbing lack of interest in Velvet gaining bits we're probably going to have to be cheap so a total of 180 bits (2 AP (50 bits each) and 4 level 2 reagents (20 bits each)).

Unknown Name Sacrament: Unknown (but could it really beat getting an extra health level?)

Heart "Begin what will not end": Velvet is at 0 out of 4 scraps at level 3. Level 3 heart books can provide scraps to reach level 4, technically level 4 hearts books, Mareinette lessons and a level 4 heart influence could grant scraps for level 3 but for efficiency sake it's best to use level 3 books for level 3 and use the rest for level 4. Note when having a level 4 heart influence it's best to be at level 4 heart and be attempting the Mansus expedition explore the Ruined Church.

For sacraments;

Personal Sacrament: Unknown.

Mareinette's Sacrament: Unknown.

Moving on I'm going to put down possible paths that can be taken over the following turns to gain Sacraments. Anybody who has their own idea's on possible paths just ping me and I'll put them up. The title "Make Silk Stream cry" will be added to any path that has her cry.

Path "Make Silky Stream cry"

Turn 21 - DoA lesson, Baldomare SH influence, 3 AP DoA Knock Sacrament, 2 AP personal SH Sacrament, conditional extra AP for sacraments. (4 base AP, 1 AP Constables, 2 AP covering bases, total 7 AP (5 AP for sacraments with 1 conditional))
-also 1 AP Forge's Redemption self, free social on reassure family, free Bureau with Forge Aotl on evidence, followers on books Ponyville, create a prison, Mareinette on Spoiled Milk
-Knock Sacrament and SH Sacrament

Turn 22 - Biedde's Sacrament, Baldomare lantern influence, 1 AP artifact study (focus on lantern artifact), 1 AP book study (focus on moth, if needed then forge after), 1 AP Mansus (study Baldomare's beacon with Aotl lantern, study conditionally flowers at the Garden of Mirrors if no lantern scrap otherwise study the Dry Grail (after lantern sacrament for Grail study)), 1 AP personal lantern sacrament, 1 AP Moth sacrament (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP (5 AP for sacraments, maybe 4 if Moth can count as a free social)
-also Mareinette on Spoiled Milk, getting a prisoner, create a level 2 forge reagent
-Edge Sacrament, Lantern Sacrament and Moth Sacrament

Turn 23 - 1 AP personal winter sacrament, 1 AP read heart books (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 2 AP for sacraments))
-also Mareinette grail lesson, create a level 2 forge reagent, should probably explore the Malleary by turn 25

Turn 24 - 1 AP personal winter sacrament, 1 AP personal forge sacrament (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 2 AP for sacraments))
-also Mareinette grail lesson, create a level 2 forge reagent

Turn 25 - 1 AP personal winter sacrament, 1 AP Mareinette grail sacrament, (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 2 AP for sacraments))
-also Mareinette grail lesson, create a level 2 forge reagent, summon Forge Name, investigate winter legacy
-Winter sacrament and Grail sacrament

Turn 26 - Forge Name forge influence, 1 AP personal forge sacrament (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 1 AP for sacraments))
-also possible Mareinette grail lesson (conditional on results of Dry Grail study)
-Forge sacrament

Path "At least 20 percent cooler path that also doesn't make Silky Stream cry!"

Turn 21 - Wolf sacrament, DoA lesson, Baldomare SH influence, 3 AP DoA Knock Sacrament, 2 AP personal SH Sacrament, conditional extra AP for sacraments. (4 base AP, 1 AP Constables, 2 AP covering bases, total 7 AP (5 AP for sacraments with 1 conditional))
-also 1 AP Forge's Redemption self, free social on reassure family, free Bureau with Forge Aotl on evidence, followers on book Ponyville, create a prison, Mareinette on Spoiled Milk
-Knock Sacrament, SH Sacrament, Winter Sacrament and Edge Sacrament

Turn 22 - Baldomare lantern influence, 1 AP artifact study (focus on lantern artifact), 1 AP book study (focus on moth, if needed then forge after), 1 AP Mansus (study Baldomare's beacon with Aotl lantern, study conditionally flowers at the Garden of Mirrors if no lantern scrap otherwise study the Dry Grail (after lantern sacrament for Grail study)), 1 AP personal lantern sacrament, 1 AP Moth sacrament (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP (5 AP for sacraments, maybe 4 if Moth can count as a free social)
-also Mareinette on Spoiled Milk, getting a prisoner, create a level 2 forge reagent, investigate winter legacy
-Lantern Sacrament and Moth Sacrament

Turn 23 - 1 AP read heart books (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 1 AP for sacraments))
-also Mareinette grail lesson, create a level 2 forge reagent, should probably explore the Malleary by turn 25

Turn 24 - 1 AP personal forge sacrament (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 1 AP for sacraments))
-also Mareinette grail lesson, create a level 2 forge reagent

Turn 25 - 1 AP Mareinette grail sacrament, (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 1 AP for sacraments))
-also Mareinette grail lesson, create a level 2 forge reagent, summon Forge Name,
-Grail sacrament

Turn 26 - Forge Name forge influence, 1 AP personal forge sacrament (4 base AP, 1 AP covering bases, total 5 AP ( 1 AP for sacraments))
-also possible Mareinette grail lesson (conditional on results of Dry Grail study)
-Forge sacrament

OurLadyOfWires · Saturday at 12:12 AM

[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.~~

[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

To Cheerilee, being a teacher is like being a gardener. This might be her earth pony side speaking, but whenever she stops to think about it, she can't help but see the parallels.

Because part of it follows a routine of sorts. Preparing classes, giving classes, answering questions, grading homework. Wake, repeat, sleep. The same daily routine of care and work that she supposes a gardener has to do, except that instead of watering plants every day she is teaching foals.

However, despite the routine, every day seems to bring something new. Every day is unique, and completely different from the last one. Because just like plants, foals never stop growing. So, every single day, she can spot a new, tiny difference when compared to her students of the previous day. Every day her students are a little taller, a little smarter, and they bloom a little bit more.

So, again, she really thinks being a teacher is like being a gardener. And the fact that her cutie mark is a trio of smiling flowers definitely helps.

Every day feels similar to the last, and every day is also completely new and different. There are easy days, there are hard days, there are exciting days, and there are days she is as bored as her students are, even though she is the one doing the lecture.

…

And then there are days when something completely unexpected happens.

"Ma'am, you need to come with me."

The pegasus mare, Drummer Clap, tells her that with a serious expression.

And for a moment, there is nothing Cheerilee can do but look at her with a surprised expression.

Cheerilee knows this mare. Of course she does. This is one of the ponies who can pick up one of her students. So, this mare is lodged in her memory together with other important pieces of information about her charges.

However, looking at that mare right now is triggering an entirely different part of Cheerilee's mind.

Because unlike every other time she saw Drummer Clap, the pegasus mare is now in her uniform. She is wearing the midnight-black uniform of a guard, of an officer of the law, and she has a very intimidating badge hanging from a chain around her neck.

Cheerilee knows she didn't do anything wrong. She probably never committed a single crime in her entire life! However, there is something primal about looking a serious constable in the eyes that just makes you wonder what exactly you are in trouble for.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Cheerilee asks, still partially stunned.

To which the mare responds, much to Cheerilee's concern, by expressing her irritation.

The two mares are currently inside the schoolhouse. Cheerilee had dismissed her class maybe half an hour ago, and she was in the middle of cleaning up the classroom before going back home. So, it was more than just a little surprising for her to see Drummer Clap here.

But again, what is even more surprising is that-

"Like I said, I need you to come with me. Now."

-that the mare is practically ordering her to do something. Drummer Clap wants her to follow the mare? Is she taking her somewhere? Is she going to jail?

Why? How? What did she do wrong?!

"I-I, but I didn't do anything wrong!" she says, suddenly realizing how cold something inside her feels, "d-did I?"

She says that, half-stammering as she tries her best to stay calm. She is failing, of course, and with every passing second her thoughts grow into a hurricane of fears and concerns.

Is she really going to jail? Just like that? But what did she do? And more importantly, who is going to take care of her students?

Or perhaps… is this happening because of one of her students? Did Diamond Tiara's mother do something? No, wait, Drummer is in charge of taking care of Silky, and Cheerilee heard that her mother is important now. Is this because Silky cried a few days ago during class?!

"I don't have time for this," Drummer Clap says, shaking her head in annoyance.

And then, the constable mare moves towards Cheerilee, raising a hoof as she-

"ACK!"

-as she… falls on the ground?

Cheerilee's mind is still spinning, and it takes her several seconds to understand what happened. But sure enough, Drummer Clap just fell to the ground, and she is rubbing the side of her flank as if nursing something painful.

Wait, what?

Cheerilee rubs her eyes as she tries to understand what happened. Her near-panicked mind still reeling from the notion that she was (or still is?) about to be arrested.

But after a few deep breaths, she finally realizes what just happened.

Yes, Drummer Clap is still on the ground, moaning in pain as she slowly gets back up.

And standing right next to her, scolding her, is another mare. Who is also wearing the same uniform as her.

Thankfully, Cheerilee finally regains her composure just as the second constable finishes admonishing Drummer Clap.

"-specifically to not make a scene, Drummer!" the second mare, an earth pony constable, says to Drummer Clap.

And only when she is satisfied that her scolding is done does she turn around to face Cheerilee.

"I am so sorry for that, ma'am. Miss Cheerilee, right?" the earth pony constable says, her kind face entirely at odds with Drummer's own expression. "My name is Battering Ram, I am one of the constables under C-, I mean, under Mrs. Velvet Covers. Do you have a moment to chat?"

Cheerilee is so taken aback that she can't even answer with words. But still, she manages to give her a nod.

"Thank you so much. First of all, I am very sorry that my friend here was so rude," the mare says, throwing yet another quick glare at Drummer Clap as the pegasus finally manages to stand up. Even if she is still nursing a small limp. "But our boss is the mother of one of your students, little Silky Stream, and she wanted us to ask if you could come over to chat with her."

The earth pony constable, Battering Ram, says that. But her tone is so kind that, despite the vagueness of the term "chat", Cheerilee can't help but feel more confident about this whole situation.

"I… I suppose I can? I mean, Silky's father came over for the parent-teacher conference last week. But I don't mind speaking to parents in general?" Cheerilee answers, still slightly hesitant. But making it very obvious that she hopes the mare will give her a little more context of what this is about.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, I wasn't entirely clear. Mrs. Velvet Covers asked us to invite you over just to chat. She… well, I'll just be entirely honest. She just wants to have a friend over. That is, if you are not busy with something else?"

Battering Ram's words take Cheerilee… well, they take her by surprise. Because Silky's mother? Lady Velvet Covers? The mare who recently became a public figure and who, according to the papers, was attacked not long ago? She is calling Cheerilee over?

As a friend?

Well, she did speak to Lady Velvet every now and then, whenever she brought her daughter to school. And she was pretty sure the last time they met was… during her adopted daughter's cute-ceñeara? Yes, that felt about right.

But she always considered their relationship to be more professional than anything else. With herself as Silky's teacher, and Lady Velvet as her student's mother.

So, to think that she is being invited over is more than just a little surprising and…

"To be clear, this is really just an invitation," the constable mare says, taking Cheerilee's silence as a soft answer that she doesn't really want to go. "We can schedule something for another day, or we can just return the message that you aren't available at all."

"Oh, no! I mean, not at all," Cheerilee quickly answers, realizing too late that she almost yelled out in surprise. "I'd love to. Well, I can't go right now. But is it alright if I pass by her house later today?"

She says that, but for some reason calling that mansion a "house" felt slightly strange coming out of her mouth.

"Absolutely! We'll let Mrs. Velvet know," Battering says, with a happy nod of her head.

"And… and just to be sure, I'm not in any trouble, am I?" Cheerilee tentatively asks. Looking first at Battering Ram, then at Drummer Clap who still seems to have a sore flank on the place she was kicked. "And is your friend going to be alright?"

"No need to worry, Miss Cheerilee. You are not in any trouble. As for my friend over here… I may be a professional kicker, but she is a professional punching bag," she says, giving a despondent Drummer Clap one last glare.

And the fact that Drummer Clap whimpers slightly at that, whispering something about the mare not needing to kick so hard, makes Cheerilee think that, somehow, this kind of exchange is habitual to both mares.

"So please, don't worry. And have a great day, Miss Cheerilee!" Battering Ram finishes, before ushering Drummer Clap away as the pegasus mumbles something under her breath.

With that, the three mares go their separate ways.

- - -

- - -

- - -

You are Velvet Covers.

And right now, you are entertaining a guest.

Although, given your current health, it might be better to say you are being entertained by your guest.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else, Lady Velvet? I might not know my way around here, but I can call somepony if you'd like," Cheerilee, your daughter's schoolteacher, says once again. Her expression a mixture of concern and helpfulness.

"No, please. There's no need for that. And like I said, please just call me Velvet," you answer back, trying your best to sound as warm and placating as possible.

However, the fact that you need to take a few breaths, even though you barely spoke two sentences, definitely does not make Cheerilee feel any more comfortable about your situation.

Is this what it feels like to be mothered, you wonder? To have a kind mare like this just care about you, and go out of her way to worry about you, even though you are the one who invited her here?

Well, whatever you might call this, this definitely feels… nice.

"And besides, I called you over so we could just catch up and have a nice chat. You know, to try and take my mind off…" you trail off, before waving a hoof in front of your tired-looking face, "well, to take my mind off all this."

And even though you can tell the mare is still hesitant, you watch as Cheerilee gives you a slow, and perhaps overly careful nod.

You can't shake the feeling that she is looking at you as if you were one of her students. A student who came to class sick, and who she thinks she should just dismiss from class and escort back home.

But still, you think you managed to thread this particular needle well enough for her to push those concerns to the side. At least for now.

"I see… but Lad-, I mean, Mrs. Velvet. When you say you want to catch up, what do you mean exactly?"

Cheerilee asks that, her voice still a bit defensive, as she carefully (and finally, for the first time) picks up her teacup and takes a small sip from it.

The two of you are currently in your garden, sitting around a small table under the shade of a parasol. And you were beginning to fear that, if the mare did not start working on her tea, she would end up with a cold teacup on her saucer.

"Why, I thought it would be obvious, no? It has been such a long time since we last sat down and chatted that I am hard pressed to think about what we couldn't talk about," you say, letting out a short but pitifully tired laugh.

Still, for all that your body keeps failing you, and your energy reserves are terribly low, your mind is still sharp enough to know what to say.

After all, you do realize how this must look like for Cheerilee herself.

The two of you spoke, on and off, every now and then. You exchanged pleasantries whenever you saw each other, and you truly think you two are on amicable terms.

However, every time you saw her, your daughter was present one way or the other. Every time you two met, it was in the "professional" setting of a parent meeting her daughter's teacher. So, the two of you weren't really acting as friends, you two were a pair of grown-up figures in your daughter's life who happened to meet while she was watching.

The last time you spoke to Cheerilee like this, one on one, was… well, several months ago. When Silky was still new at her school, even.

So, it makes sense for Cheerilee to think you were just "testing the waters" with her. Checking with her own eyes if you could really trust your precious filly to this unknown stranger.

It makes perfect sense for Cheerilee to think the first time you two spoke was more of a job interview than anything else. So, for you to invite her to your home after so long, must be more than a little strange.

"I mean, Silky talks about you all the time. And even Selene, quiet as she is, chimes in every now and then," you say, picking your words and your tone very carefully, as you try to sound as nonchalant as possible.

You even make a point of looking down at your teacup, as you speak. Lighting up your horn to mix another spoonful of sugar. Trying your best to make this sound natural, and that the several times you met were a cherished bump-in with a friend, rather than just an exchange of waves with your foals' teacher.

"As does Soft Sweeps. She also always comments on you after she drops the girls off at school." You say that, and then you finally look up at Cheerilee, trying to look as innocent as possible as you do. "But recently, I realized that I was keeping up with you only through them. So I thought, why not just call you over?

You watch, almost holding your breath, as the mare narrows her eyes. And the seconds tick by as the mare slowly, but surely, reinterprets her opinion of you, and the several times you two met, under this new lens you are offering her.

And you can only hope that she finds it in her to agree with you. Or, better yet, to believe what you are telling her.

Eventually, the mare's expression…

[Rolling]

… softens. A small smile appearing on her face as if she had just realized something.

You hold off from letting out a sigh of relief, given how awkward this entire conversation would have been if she had brushed off your words.

But more importantly, Cheerilee's tone is a lot less guarded when she opens her mouth to speak.

In fact, she even leans forward a little bit, with a tone that is almost conspiratorial.

"Speaking of which, if you don't mind me asking… Soft Sweeps, the mare who… well, the maid? The pony who brings your fillies to school. What's up with her?" she asks, with a tone that is as well-meaning as it is curious. "I mean, Silky adores her, and even Selene seems comfortable around her. But every now and then when we speak, I get this impression that she… well, that she isn't just a maid, or a nanny, or anything like that?"

She asks that, and your eyes light up as you realize that she just gave you the opportunity to talk about one of your favorite subjects.

That is, one of your daughters.

"Oh? Quite the sharp eyes you have, Cheerilee," you say, also bringing your voice down to a conspiratorial whisper as you lean towards her. "And you see, at first Softy was just very close to Silky. But as time went on she…"

And with that, the two of you start a proper, and properly friendly, conversation. You tell her about your family. She tells you about her work. And eventually, the two of you share your concerns with each other, with you explaining about your new job, and the attempt against your life, while she tells you about her worries of how quickly the town seems to be growing.

Much later, when the sun is close to the horizon and the mare prepares to leave, she does so with an open invitation that she can return whenever she feels like.

[The gardener of foals, breakpoints 50/80]

[88 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (Battering Ram) -10 (Drummer Clap) = 104]

[Final breakpoint reached]

You are now Close Friends with Cheerilee.

After a few days, when your head is clearer, you look back at your conversation, and realize Cheerilee probably has a lot of affinity for the persistence of Heart, which she applies to her work. And maybe a connection to some aspects of Moth, as she encourages her charges to change and grow.

- - -

A few days later, you find yourself in your tearoom, with a pair of familiar faces.

You are currently with Rarity and Fluttershy, as the three of you share a pleasant afternoon in your home. You would have preferred to be in the garden, with the warm breeze on your mane and the sunlight on your fur, but your health did make a slight turn for the worse earlier this morning. So, you have grudgingly accepted your maids' insistence that you stay within the confines of your house.

However, something far more important is happening than just a mere conversation.

Because while the untrained eye might think you three are just talking, and while a maid would just see a trio of mares drinking tea if they were to enter through the door… something far more interesting is taking place in your tearoom.

It is not that you three are just chatting.

Oh, no. Far from that.

You and Rarity… are watching a spectacle.

"It's just that… when I wake up, and he isn't there, I just feel…"

To everypony's surprise, Fluttershy is the one who is doing most of the talking, this afternoon. To both yours and Rarity's surprise, Fluttershy asked if she could "talk about something" the moment you three settled down in the tearoom.

And to your and Rarity's absolute astonishment, Fluttershy has been speaking ever since then.

No, she isn't "just" speaking. The beautiful, innocent and quiet pegasus mare isn't doing something as base as "merely" putting her thoughts into words.

She is bleeding. Fluttershy is suffering. The poor mare is, in her own way, bearing her heart out for the two of you.

"… and every time I think about telling him that, I… something inside my chest just feels strange…"

You and Rarity have already read romantic novels. You have already read romances, and tragedies, and gripping stories about love and all its drama.

But never before have either of you seen something like this, with your own eyes.

In fact, you exchange yet another glance with Rarity, and the mare answers you with the most minute of nods. But still, you two share a silent message, and you both agree.

You both agree that Fluttershy is completely in love, and that she has no idea of how to navigate this. In fact, she has no idea that she's even this deep to begin with.

And oh, you and Rarity are thrilled at the opportunity to guide her through this. In fact, as you look at Rarity, you can see the mare is almost salivating from all the juicy, innocent, maidenly drama that this journey will take you all through.

"… so, uhm… I just don't know…" Fluttershy says, her expression slightly lost, and maybe even downtrodden, in the way that only a lovesick maiden can be.

Yes, Fluttershy is asking you two for help. She is begging for it, even, although she doesn't realize it yet. But she wants, she needs, to know what to do next, in order to advance in this romantic journey she has unwittingly embarked upon.

And of course, you two will only be happy to comply.

"Fluttershy, darling, I think me and Velvet know exactly what you are going through," Rarity says, expertly lacing her words with just the right tone to rope Fluttershy in.

And sure enough, Fluttershy's eyes almost immediately light up at that.

"You… you do?" she asks.

"Why of course, darling. Velvet knows it from personal experience, even. And I, too, have met more than enough ponies who are… similarly situated," your unicorn friend says, giving you a sidelong glance.

And you immediately give her a matronly nod, confirming Rarity's words. To which Fluttershy immediately calms down, with eyes full of hope, as she all but throws herself towards the lifeline you are throwing her.

"Now, darling, the thing you need to understand is that you and Comet Feet…" Rarity continues. "You two are currently in a situation that we would call-"

-but she is suddenly interrupted by a very unwelcome knock coming from the door. And you can almost feel yourself sag as the crescendo of drama that was gathering in the room is so suddenly pierced by the loud noise.

"Pardon me, my Lady," Ponpon says, as she pokes her head into the tearoom, "but you have another visitor. Shall I bring her up?"

You move to wave at Ponpon, to tell her to let in whoever is at the door, when you suddenly freeze.

Because, your tired mind slowly pieces together, why would Ponpon need to declare a new visitor? If it was Jade or somepony else she would know to let them in unannounced. And if it was somepony completely unknown, she would have told you who it is. Or better yet, let Stormchaser decide, since you are not seeing anypony in an official capacity while you are recovering.

But for Ponpon to come here and ask… well, it means it's somepony you know, but also that…

"Oh, that's actually somepony I called, Velvet," Rarity says, looking up towards Ponpon. "If you don't mind, could you please let her in?"

Rarity says that towards Ponpon, but she is really looking at you as she asks that question. Still, you trust Rarity, so you quickly nod your approval to Ponpon. And then you take another sip from the energizing tea, as even that much movement drains a good chunk of the reserves you have in your body.

Less than a minute later, another knock comes to the door, but this time you don't see the familiar face of Ponpon walking into the tearoom.

"Ah am terribly sorry for being late, Rarity, and my deepest condolences fer… oh, Fluttershy's also here?"

You are more than a little surprised as you watch an orange earth pony mare, Apple Bloom's older sister, walk into the tearoom.

However, you are admittedly even more surprised by… well, by what she is wearing?

Applejack, you are pretty sure that's her name, is a strong-looking and healthy mare. Every time you saw her, you felt that she was a dependable and straightforward pony, with the quintessential expression of a pony who is eager to help, and capable of doing so.

But that's the thing, as you look up towards Applejack, you don't see any of that. Instead, the mare is…

"Applejack, what in Equestria are you wearing?" Rarity says, her voice quite literally shocked.

Because Applejack looks like she just left a funeral. Her expression is downtrodden, she is wearing a dark and modest saddle-dress, and her mane is tied back in a very conservative way. It takes you more than a few seconds to realize what is missing, but once you realize you always saw her with a cowboy hat on her head, which is currently absent, her present look becomes even more jarring.

"Ah… well, ah thought you said the Lady here was close to, uh, kicking the can?" Applejack answers.

And her blunt honesty is so shocking that Rarity can only look at her aghast, as if Applejack had just said something she definitely should not have shared.

"I did NOT say anything like that, Applejack," Rarity says, in a tone that makes it abundantly clear that she did say exactly that.

"But you did? Two days ago, when you told me to come over? You told me t-"

"Shu-shu-shu-shush, you apples-for-brains!" Rarity says, as the mare practically rushes over to the earth pony mare and covers her mouth with a hoof. Alternating between looking at you and Applejack with an embarrassed expression. "I said Velvet looked dashing, and that she could use our company."

"But you told me her house looked like a funer-" Applejack tries to say, which only makes Rarity shove another hoof on her mouth.

"I-I did not! T-this is slander, slander I say!" Rarity says, or perhaps pleads. Looking at you as if she was watching a sandcastle that she painstakingly build fall to the ground.

However, as you watch the two mares talk over each other, you can't help but laugh.

"Ah… ahahahahah, oh Rarity… did you really say that?" you say, feeling your ribs ache a little bit as you let out an honest laugher.

And the two mares (but mostly just Rarity) look at you with intrigued expressions.

Because sure enough, Applejack can see with her own two eyes that you are not, in fact, dying. And Rarity, you think, lets out a sigh of relief as she sees you are not offended by any of this.

But how could you be offended? This little exchange of them was hilarious to you!

"Pfff, dear heavens. It was very kind of you to bring her over, Rarity. And please, join us Applejack. Can I interest you in some tea?" you say, as you tiredly wave for the two mares to settle down.

Poor Rarity still looks like she is walking on eggshells, but you do your best to smooth that over. Because really, why would she think you'd be offended by something as small as that? She couldn't possibly deify you that much to the point that she thought you'd get angry if she told somepony you looked sickly… right?

"Now, I won't take a no for answer. I don't know what kind of tea you like, but finding out is half the fun! And also, please, lose the black clothes. They don't look comfortable, and they definitely don't go well with your coat. Don't you think so, Rarity?" you say, trying to steer the conversation towards something they would be more willing to talk about.

Thankfully, Rarity realizes your intention. And a few minutes later, Applejack has a teacup on her hoofs, no black clothes on her body, and is leg-deep in a conversation about what kinds of clothes would suit her best.

Which is to say that Applejack is very much outside of her element.

But still, watching her talk to Rarity and Fluttershy so peacefully does put you in a good mood. You only have enough energy to chime in every now and then, but there is something about Applejack that just makes you feel a little more… motivated? Invigorated? Healthy?

You don't know the exact word, but you do appreciate Rarity for bringing her friend over.

And who knows, this might be an opportunity for you to get to know her better! Well, better than just as "the older sister of your daughter's friend". You definitely wouldn't mind having less ponies forming the link between the two of you.

So, you take another sip of your tea, slowly put it down on the saucer, and look up at the three mares as you…

[Rolling]

… as you… what?

Wait, where did they go?

This isn't the tearoom, what they hay just…?

"W-ha…?" you say, your voice coming out in a droning moan.

Everything around you feels soft, and it takes you several seconds to realize you are lying on your side.

Are you on Stormchaser's bed?

"Oh, I am terribly sorry my Lady," a maid, you can't remember her name, says as she gives you a deep bow. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

You look around you as you try to get your bearings, because…

How did you get here? When did you leave the tearoom? And where in Equestria is Rarity? Or Fluttershy and Applejack?

"Whazzut… happen…?" you try to voice your questions, but the only thing you manage to say is a sorry and slurred mixture of words.

Still, the maid, you think her name is Tip Top, somehow manages to understand what you mean by that.

"You fell asleep, my Lady. Don't you remember? One of your guests called for us, a few hours ago, because you nodded off on your chair. They left shortly after we brought you here. Shall I call your husband?" she helpfully says.

And you… you can only… curse, because…

Hay damnit!

[Friendly fraternization with a fellow farmer, breakpoints 50/80/100]

[Roll: 26 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) = 42]

[Hilarious]

Breakpoints:
50 – "Applejack, can I ask you for a small favor?"
80 – "Applejack, can I ask you for a big favor?"
100 – "Did you hear about Fluttershy's BOYFRIEND?"

You have furthered your friendship with Applejack, after a social visit from her. And you think the two of you are just a chat away from becoming closer. But alas, that chat will have to happen another time. Preferably while you are awake.

- - -

Several days later, just as the month is about to end, one of your maids brings to your attention a rather unusual request.

Under normal circumstances, they would have taken this for your husband to decide. After all, your family has decided, and you quietly conceded, that you were not supposed to do anything "serious" until you were better. And between Stormchaser's insistence, Selene's frown, Softy's concern, and Silky's frightened expression, there was nothing you could do. Meaning that, with the exception of Shining Armor's weekly reports, you weren't entertaining any official or "important" guests.

However, the request that came to you was from nopony other than Mayor Mare herself. And for all that, on one hoof, she is the mayor of Ponyville… she is also somepony who you have met in the past, for more innocent reasons.

So, your maids brought to you a request for her to visit you, you accepted, and here you are now.

"Thank you for seeing me, Lady Velvet. And of course, I hope you are making a speedy recovery following that dreadful incident."

You nod to her, as you light up your horn to close the door behind her.

You have read the newspapers, and you kept tabs on how the Bureau carefully reported your "incident", as Mayor Mare called it. And true to her wording, the whole story was practically downgraded to a burglary gone wrong. Some newspapers barely reported that you got hurt, and instead claimed you reclused yourself to your home out of concern for yourself or your family.

You are sure that ponies who are savvy enough about these deals, be them cutthroats or politicians, will be able to read between the lines, and know what really happened. But as far as Mayor Mare, the leader of a small and peaceful community, is concerned, you "only" had a brush with a terrible crime.

And to be honest, that story suits you just fine. Your youngest daughter was already scared enough about this whole affair, as things stand, so you don't want to fan these flames any more than they already were.

You definitely do not want your family to live in a town gripped by sensationalist panic, and you are more than glad to learn that this entire affair is bleeding to death in a ditch where it belongs.

You take a deep, calming breath as you sit down, forcing yourself to control your anger at this whole affair. Now is not the time to be angry at Copper Secateur. Instead, now is the time to speak to Mayor Mare, and se whatever this is about.

"Not at all, Mayor. And thank you for your well-wishes. So, what can I help you with?" you ask.

It would be delightful if this was just a social call, and you would love for her to tell you that she just wants to touch base. See how you are doing, chat about this and that.

But alas, you know that Mayor Mare is a busy pony. And you can already tell from her expression that, agreeable and pleasant as she might be, she did not come here to exercise her social skills.

Instead, you watch as she purses her lips for a second, before she…

[Rolling]

"I still remember the last time we talked about… well, about Ponyville. And just like you suggested, and a lot of ponies agreed, we have kept our gates open for newcomers," she says that, and you can see a few complicated things flash through her eyes.

You don't see any regret on her face, thankfully. But you can tell that she is giving you a very short summary, of what must have been some very long months, filled with novel and complicated problems.

"I don't have the exact numbers. But I don't think it would be wrong to say that at least one family has moved to Ponyville every day, on average. And we… well, Ponyville is growing, there is no way around that."

You give her a slow, thoughtful nod. Because sure enough, you can tell that there are more ponies around. Every time you made your way to and from the train station, or every time your daughters told you about some new foal in their classroom, you could see the signs that something like that was happening.

However, you also realize you have not been intimately involved with Ponyville as a town. So, you are sure that there is a lot of information you are missing here.

"Of course, on one hoof, they are ponies just like all of us. We won't turn them away, and we definitely won't treat them any different than we would our own. However… well, a few ponies came to me, these last few weeks, and they said we should discuss what direction Ponyville should. That is, before the newcomers begin to outnumber the locals."

She says that very carefully. Trying her best to sound as neutral and cordial as possible.

But ultimately, you understand what she means.

"We will have a big town hall meeting, in a few days. In fact, we renovated the town hall precisely for this. And we will gather as many ponies as we can, so we can have a very open and important discussion," she says. "I would love it if you could be there, of course. But if you can't… well, more than one pony asked me what you think about all this."

Mayor Mare, the de-facto leader of Ponyville, says that.

And then she asks you what direction you think Ponyville should take, as it grows towards the future.

As a reminder, Mayor Mare already asked for your council before, given your high standing with Ponyville due to your actions following the "changeling" kidnapping.

And on that occasion, you told her that:
[X] Earth ponies built Equestria. They invented the farming communities that colonized the land. And then they invented concrete when they decided they needed the proper soil in which they could plant buildings. Ponyville will always be an earth pony town, but it is time for it to embrace its future form. (Ponyville will begin to grow quickly, and many more ponies will benefit from it.)

So, now:

[Let's talk about the future, breakpoints 60/100]

[Roll: 44 +11 (Stewardship) + 10 (Mare Administrator) = 65]

[First breakpoint reached]

Breakpoints:
-60: Your thoughts on Ponyville's future?
-100: "It was delightful to meet you, Velvet! I hope we can speak again."

[What vision will the denizens of Ponyville agree upon, for their future as a community?]

[] Break the ground, plant the foundations, call the merchants. It is time for Ponyville to feel the kiss of commerce.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor for Ponyville to grow into a "large city".
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to rival Manehattan in size, commerce and (inevitably) corruption.

[] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to "revolutionize" Ponyville. Education, progress, science. You know, better than most, that ponykind's innovators have been whipped into a frenzy, and this is where they will gather.
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to become the "brain" of Equestria. The fertile soil from which the genius of Eclipse might pick their successors.

[] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to make Ponyville the "breadbasket" of Equestria.
-Ponyville is uniquely situated in Equestria, occupying the great central plains of the country, while also being a stone throw away from Canterlot. Time to expand the as-of-yet tame farmlands of Ponyville into their full potential.

[] Ponyville has more than its fair share of diamonds, forests, and metals. It is past time ponykind starts to benefit from them.
-Mayor Mare will work hard to reap the bounties of Ponyville for the benefit of ponykind. Cut the forests, dig into the mines, and drink from the rivers.
-Ponyville is uniquely situated in Equestria, occupying the great central plains of the country, while also being a stone throw away from Canterlot. Time to tap these lush resources, even if it costs the land itself dearly.

[] Equestria must grow to satisfy the needs of a growing Equestria, and Ponyville will provide.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to "industrialize" Ponyville. Factories, train tracks, smoke. Ponyville will offer its vast tracts of unspoiled land to anypony who is willing to work for the betterment of ponykind.
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to become the first (and maybe even the larges) industrial pole of Equestria.

You did not reach the second breakpoint, so you were not able to fully advance your relationship with Mayor Mare. But still, you two grew a little closer. Even if that bond is based more on respect than proper pony friendship.

Voting is open. This is something that is so long-term, the planting of seeds and steering of a ship, that you should basically vote for what you want. No mechanical changes will arise from this for a while, if at all. And to be very clear, there is no "right" option, and there is no option that won't bring good and bad things with it. This is a broad stroke on the canvas, not a mane-pulling decision about an ongoing crisis.

From here to the end of the turn is just the several reports from your followers. And those are usually a lot shorter than a proper Velvet point-of-view update.

I intend to reach the end of this turn, and the beginning of the Follower's Phase voting, before the end of the weekend, but it will truly depend on how quickly I can make it.

So, again, no moratorium. Approval voting, so vote for as many options as you want, and the single most picked option will win.

Venerable Ro · Saturday at 12:13 AM

@OurLadyOfWires, we were wondering if you could clarify, or perhaps might be amenable to adjusting, the rules on artifact studies.

Specifically, resolving the paradox between Velvet being the only pony of her faction who can study artifacts, and the self-evident reality of other factions being able to identify and use their own artifacts.

We seem to have level one and two trinkets piling up y'see, they won't give us lore scraps but they could still be useful. It would be nice if Jade or other hypothetical assistants could take care of the trinkets if not the serious buisness.

OurLadyOfWires · Saturday at 12:17 AM

Heyia!

As always, I hope you are all doing well!

But more importantly, this is a temporary threadmarks I will keep here to signal boost a pair of threads. These are two stories from people who participate in this quest of ours that you should definitely take a look at if you have the time!

Earth Bet: House of the Sun (Cultist Simulator/Worm)

You've been recruited into a cult, something small that turned out to be just a little bit more. However you can't just leave, you agree with their points after all. The world is crooked and there are things older than the history that is known. A shame that most people aren't likely to see it...

forums.sufficientvelocity.com

Chthonic Paean

We call upon the Malachite; who is succulent, who encompasseth, who is renewed. Recursive fanfiction of Esquestria: The House of the Sun, with permission from @OurLadyOfWires. Updates Thursday nights.

forum.questionablequesting.com

Thank you for your efforts, and I hope we can have a wonderful time reading your stories!

Cheers.

OurLadyOfWires · Saturday at 12:19 AM

Venerable Ro said:
@OurLadyOfWires, we were wondering if you could clarify, or perhaps might be amenable to adjusting, the rules on artifact studies.

Specifically, resolving the paradox between Velvet being the only pony of her faction who can study artifacts, and the self-evident reality of other factions being able to identify and use their own artifacts.

We seem to have level one and two trinkets piling up y'see, they won't give us lore scraps but they could still be useful. It would be nice if Jade or other hypothetical assistants could take care of the trinkets if not the serious buisness.

Busy. Short answer. It is possible to offload it to another pony, but not right now.

Sorry for the short answer, but I really have to skeddadle right now. But again, it is something we might be able to do later on, but it is also something we won't really address immediately. For reasons.

Laters!

Venerable Ro · Saturday at 12:31 AM

[X] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to "revolutionize" Ponyville. Education, progress, science. You know, better than most, that ponykind's innovators have been whipped into a frenzy, and this is where they will gather.
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to become the "brain" of Equestria. The fertile soil from which the genius of Eclipse might pick their successors.

Considering what we've done to Ponyville's demographics, and may yet do in the future, this might very well bear some very interesting fruit.

Also:

OurLadyOfWires said:
After a few days, when your head is clearer, you look back at your conversation, and realize Cheerilee probably has a lot of affinity for the persistence of Heart, which she applies to her work. And maybe a connection to some aspects of Moth, as she encourages her charges to change and grow.

Sweet vindication! I knew she was a Heartfelt mare.

DelightedOne · Saturday at 12:35 AM

OurLadyOfWires said:
[The gardener of foals, breakpoints 50/80]

[88 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (Battering Ram) -10 (Drummer Clap) = 104]

[Final breakpoint reached]

Ha! Our bullshit luck is back.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[Friendly fraternization with a fellow farmer, breakpoints 50/80/100]

[Roll: 26 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) = 42]

Nevermind.

I can't believe we rolled over a 100 for the fucking teacher and Honesty didn't even get the bare minimum.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[Let's talk about the future, breakpoints 60/100]

[Roll: 44 +11 (Stewardship) + 10 (Mare Administrator) = 65]

[First breakpoint reached]

Meh. At least we had a success here.

Now let's see the options:

OurLadyOfWires said:
[] Break the ground, plant the foundations, call the merchants. It is time for Ponyville to feel the kiss of commerce.

Could be good, but I don't feel it is what we are looking for in the future of Ponyville. The corruption in particular is very worrying considering the Tree of Harmony is right there in the Everfree.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?

Uh, I don't think we should make Eclipse stronger even if it is for the Epilogue. If Glory is the Victory I don't want ponies climbing again... it would be just a repeat of everything if they did.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.

Now that sounds like something that fits Ponyville. Has my vote.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[] Ponyville has more than its fair share of diamonds, forests, and metals. It is past time ponykind starts to benefit from them.

Oh, that is a good one too. Makes me remember the episode where Rarity became a slave then enslaved her "bosses". But the cost seems like the Flim and Flam bad future.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[] Equestria must grow to satisfy the needs of a growing Equestria, and Ponyville will provide.

Okay, this one also has my vote. It just makes sense to me. Also, it's about time ponies have more advancement.

Arrkhon · Saturday at 12:36 AM

[X] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?
[X] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.
Man, I'm starting to think that basing quarters of our bureau in Ponyville would have been the better idea

Rafuki22 · Saturday at 12:36 AM

[X] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?

spiderhellian · Saturday at 12:40 AM

That was pretty lovely. Such a sharp contrast to When the linchpin cracks, which was not long ago.

OurLadyOfWires said:
And… and just to be sure, I'm not in any trouble, am I?" Cheerilee tentatively asks. Looking first at Battering Ram, then at Drummer Clap who still seems to have a sore flank on the place she was kicked. "And is your friend going to be alright?"

"No need to worry, Miss Cheerilee. You are not in any trouble. As for my friend over here… I may be a professional kicker, but she is a professional punching bag," she says, giving a despondent Drummer Clap one last glare.

This scene was great. Curses, Bird, for making Cheerilee so likable! You're ruining my Moth sacrament plans!

OurLadyOfWires said:
[88 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (Battering Ram) -10 (Drummer Clap) = 104]

Hahahaha the modifiers! And wow, a social roll we perform well on? Velvet really must be off her game.

OurLadyOfWires said:
"But you told me her house looked like a funer-" Applejack tries to say, which only makes Rarity shove another hoof on her mouth.

"I-I did not! T-this is slander, slander I say!" Rarity says, or perhaps pleads. Looking at you as if she was watching a sandcastle that she painstakingly build fall to the ground.

I laughed out loud. This was amazing, felt like something out of the show.

OurLadyOfWires said:
feeling your ribs ache a little bit as you let out an honest laugher.

Same Velvet, same.

Pity about the roll, though. I wonder what the favour would have been.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[What vision will the denizens of Ponyville agree upon, for their future as a community?]

Damn, fun vote! Reminds me a little of choosing who would "spy" on pride — there's potentially huge impacts, but it's so long term, the stakes feel pretty low. A nice change of pace!

Tbh I have no clue as to my preference! Maybe science because of how it could interlace with Softy's cult, given Ash, lol.

DelightedOne · Saturday at 12:43 AM

[X] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.

[X] Equestria must grow to satisfy the needs of a growing Equestria, and Ponyville will provide.

jelloloaf · Saturday at 12:46 AM

OurLadyOfWires said:
Seriously, how did you host those images? I'm always afraid of trying it, because I think I'd have to create an imgur account or something.

I had thought I'd need to go through a third-party site as well, but when I copied the text over from the google doc I was using to format it, the embedded images came over just fine without any extra work. Hopefully it can be reproduced.

OurLadyOfWires said:
But seriously, this felt like an actual academic paper. Reading it was an absolute treat!

Thank you! I had a lot of fun writing it.

OurLadyOfWires said:
She couldn't possibly deify you that much to the point that she thought you'd get angry if she told somepony you looked sickly… right?

I'm still fascinated by how Velvet doesn't understand at all the immense impact she's had on so many different ponies. The Hintseekers, the Lunar Bureau, just about everypony that knows about her considers her to be scarily-competent (and just scary in general), but she just doesn't know about it at all. It's great.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[What vision will the denizens of Ponyville agree upon, for their future as a community?]

Not sure where to go with this one. I'll need to think about it some more.

des-pair-2 · Saturday at 12:54 AM

[X] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.

[X] Equestria must grow to satisfy the needs of a growing Equestria, and Ponyville will provide.

I picked the first option because that is something that fits Ponyville. An idyllic town where things are peaceful and where a Tree of Harmony could be.

The second option is the human in me speaking. Industrialize, make consumer goods, then weapons, conquer neighbors, and centralize the world under our leadership as we plan to expand our rule across stars.

What do you mean you don't do that here?

Shaper47 · Saturday at 12:57 AM

[X] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to make Ponyville the "breadbasket" of Equestria.
-Ponyville is uniquely situated in Equestria, occupying the great central plains of the country, while also being a stone throw away from Canterlot. Time to expand the as-of-yet tame farmlands of Ponyville into their full potential.

[X] Equestria must grow to satisfy the needs of a growing Equestria, and Ponyville will provide.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to "industrialize" Ponyville. Factories, train tracks, smoke. Ponyville will offer its vast tracts of unspoiled land to anypony who is willing to work for the betterment of ponykind.
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to become the first (and maybe even the larges) industrial pole of Equestria.

Forge time!!!

OurLadyOfWires said:
She couldn't possibly deify you that much to the point that she thought you'd get angry if she told somepony you looked sickly… right?

Our Saint Rarity is just so sweet.

Limabot · Saturday at 12:58 AM

[X] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?

[X] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.

These options seem like the ones that will be the least damaging to Ponyville's land and/or social fabric. If nothing else, these options seem like the ones that would be the least likely to cost things like Sweet Apple Acres.

spiderhellian · Saturday at 1:04 AM

Man, it's a low stakes vote, but it feels hard!

What do I want to see Ponyville become in the Epilogue?

What kind of city would Velvet want Silky to grow up in?

Not questions I've spent time thinking about!

Shaper47 · Saturday at 1:18 AM

OurLadyOfWires said:
[The gardener of foals, breakpoints 50/80]

[88 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (Battering Ram) -10 (Drummer Clap) = 104]

[Final breakpoint reached]

You are now Close Friends with Cheerilee.

Just apply leash and we have another confident.

Probably should just use her for covering bases with servants normally.

Pittauro · Saturday at 2:02 AM

oh, nice, an update right before going to sleep!

OurLadyOfWires said:
[X] Plan: Balanced Rewards
-[X] What of the merchant, who engaged in bribery?
--[X] Ask for a small "donation" (gain 100 bits)
-[X] What of the public servant, who needed a pony to "disappear"?
--[X] Have him work for his misdeeds (gain FIVE "servant actions", on turn 21 only)
-[X] What of the great noble, who conspired against the Crown?
--[X] Put him behind bars, where he belongs (gain a great deal of respect from the Bureau)

mh... I'm a bit sad we won't get to see what Mareinette would have done, but then again all of those are plenty useful.

the 100 bits will allow us to do an expedition on turn 21 (Tall Tale) or 22 (Tall Tale, Canterlot part 3, or maybe Manehattan) far more easily, or alternatively to try and buy more heart/expedition books if we go and search for them.

the 5 actions, plus 4 from our own, will allow us to get 3 more Velvet APs.

and the Noble... well, I'm sure Bureau respect will come in handy.

Who knows, maybe after Luna finishes her training she'll decide to try and introduce herself to some members of the bureau to recruit them for her plans.

Shaper47 said:
The sacrament has wider consequences as it means Silky Steam doesn't end up crying and further protects the world from the worms.

wolf apologist trying to make the wolf sacraments sound better.

OurLadyOfWires said:
"Like I said, I need you to come with me. Now."

come on girl, is it that difficult to take 10 seconds to reassure her she's NOT in trouble?!

OurLadyOfWires said:
Or perhaps… is this happening because of one of her students? Did Diamond Tiara's mother do something? No, wait, Drummer is in charge of taking care of Silky, and Cheerilee heard that her mother is important now. Is this because Silky cried a few days ago during class?!

...uh. She knows we're important, but NOT the details?

side note, I kinda regret a bit not inviting her to the wedding... just a bit.

then again, all picks were tempting there.

OurLadyOfWires said:
Thankfully, Cheerilee finally regains her composure just as the second constable finishes admonishing Drummer Clap.

"-specifically to not make a scene, Drummer!" the second mare, an earth pony constable, says to Drummer Clap.

And only when she is satisfied that her scolding is done does she turn around to face Cheerilee.

"I am so sorry for that, ma'am. Miss Cheerilee, right?" the earth pony constable says, her kind face entirely at odds with Drummer's own expression. "My name is Battering Ram, I am one of the constables under C-, I mean, under Mrs. Velvet Covers. Do you have a moment to chat?"

See useless Drummer? THAT is how you approach an INNOCENT civilian!

OurLadyOfWires said:
"Oh, no. I'm sorry, I wasn't entirely clear. Mrs. Velvet Covers asked us to invite you over just to chat. She… well, I'll just be entirely honest. She just wants to have a friend over. That is, if you are not busy with something else?"

this makes it WORSE, idiot Drummer!

WHO GOES AND TRIES TO BASICALLY KIDNAP HER BOSS' FRIENDS?!

OurLadyOfWires said:
And the fact that Drummer Clap whimpers slightly at that, whispering something about the mare not needing to kick so hard, makes Cheerilee think that, somehow, this kind of exchange is habitual to both mares.

she deserved a harder kick I think

OurLadyOfWires said:
"Speaking of which, if you don't mind me asking… Soft Sweeps, the mare who… well, the maid? The pony who brings your fillies to school. What's up with her?" she asks, with a tone that is as well-meaning as it is curious. "I mean, Silky adores her, and even Selene seems comfortable around her. But every now and then when we speak, I get this impression that she… well, that she isn't just a maid, or a nanny, or anything like that?"

She asks that, and your eyes light up as you realize that she just gave you the opportunity to talk about one of your favorite subjects.

That is, one of your daughters.

well, this is going perfectly it seems!

OurLadyOfWires said:
[The gardener of foals, breakpoints 50/80]

[88 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (Battering Ram) -10 (Drummer Clap) = 104]

[Final breakpoint reached]

You are now Close Friends with Cheerilee.

After a few days, when your head is clearer, you look back at your conversation, and realize Cheerilee probably has a lot of affinity for the persistence of Heart, which she applies to her work. And maybe a connection to some aspects of Moth, as she encourages her charges to change and grow.

Heart Moth? Interesting.

and hey, we got a really lucky roll there!

I imagine the first threshold was from acquaintance to friend, and the second for Good Friend. nice.

OurLadyOfWires said:
You and Rarity… are watching a spectacle.

"It's just that… when I wake up, and he isn't there, I just feel…"

oh, young love!

OurLadyOfWires said:
"… and every time I think about telling him that, I… something inside my chest just feels strange…"

oh the poor mare in love!

Rarity and Velvet must be having the time of their life there!

OurLadyOfWires said:
-but she is suddenly interrupted by a very unwelcome knock coming from the door. And you can almost feel yourself sag as the crescendo of drama that was gathering in the room is so suddenly pierced by the loud noise.

"Pardon me, my Lady," Ponpon says, as she pokes her head into the tearoom, "but you have another visitor. Shall I bring her up?"

OurLadyOfWires said:
"Ah… well, ah thought you said the Lady here was close to, uh, kicking the can?" Applejack answers.

And her blunt honesty is so shocking that Rarity can only look at her aghast, as if Applejack had just said something she definitely should not have shared.

"I did NOT say anything like that, Applejack," Rarity says, in a tone that makes it abundantly clear that she did say exactly that.

ok, you know what? I forgive both of them from interrupting the gossip!

OurLadyOfWires said:
However, as you watch the two mares talk over each other, you can't help but laugh.

"Ah… ahahahahah, oh Rarity… did you really say that?" you say, feeling your ribs ache a little bit as you let out an honest laugher.

And the two mares (but mostly just Rarity) look at you with intrigued expressions.

Because sure enough, Applejack can see with her own two eyes that you are not, in fact, dying. And Rarity, you think, lets out a sigh of relief as she sees you are not offended by any of this.

But how could you be offended? This little exchange of them was hilarious to you!

I'm glad Velvet agrees with me!

OurLadyOfWires said:
She couldn't possibly deify you that much to the point that she thought you'd get angry if she told somepony you looked sickly… right?

...Velvet, she's a minion in all but name. She'd basically do ANYTHING from you short of, I suppose, something absurdly immoral and out of character like ordering to sacrifice Sweetie Belle.

And she's BASICALLY in love with you. Platonically and not...

OurLadyOfWires said:
But still, watching her talk to Rarity and Fluttershy so peacefully does put you in a good mood. You only have enough energy to chime in every now and then, but there is something about Applejack that just makes you feel a little more… motivated? Invigorated? Healthy?

well, that's also three of the element bearers getting along pretty well.

Now, if only Bird allowed us to meet Dash and ESPECIALLY Pinkie...

(Twilight is currently a work in progress for Cadance, Shining and/or Soft Sweeps to deal with, until further notice).

OurLadyOfWires said:
"You fell asleep, my Lady. Don't you remember? One of your guests called for us, a few hours ago, because you nodded off on your chair. They left shortly after we brought you here. Shall I call your husband?" she helpfully says.

damn it! Such a wasted opportunity!

OurLadyOfWires said:
[Friendly fraternization with a fellow farmer, breakpoints 50/80/100]

[Roll: 26 + 11 (Diplomacy) + 5 (Beautiful) = 42]

[Hilarious]

Breakpoints:
50 – "Applejack, can I ask you for a small favor?"
80 – "Applejack, can I ask you for a big favor?"
100 – "Did you hear about Fluttershy's BOYFRIEND?"

That 100 would have been so FUN!

I'm guessing small favour would have been about having Applebloom distract Silky. Maybe invite her to play more at their farm?

big favor... maybe renovating Jade's house? No idea otherwise.

OurLadyOfWires said:
You have furthered your friendship with Applejack, after a social visit from her. And you think the two of you are just a chat away from becoming closer. But alas, that chat will have to happen another time. Preferably while you are awake.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[Let's talk about the future, breakpoints 60/100]

[Roll: 44 +11 (Stewardship) + 10 (Mare Administrator) = 65]

[First breakpoint reached]

Breakpoints:
-60: Your thoughts on Ponyville's future?
-100: "It was delightful to meet you, Velvet! I hope we can speak again."

eh, I'll take it.

...if we'd had the grail influence here... but I shouldn't talk until we see what Mareinette manages with the Rich couple.

OurLadyOfWires said:
[] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to "revolutionize" Ponyville. Education, progress, science. You know, better than most, that ponykind's innovators have been whipped into a frenzy, and this is where they will gather.
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to become the "brain" of Equestria. The fertile soil from which the genius of Eclipse might pick their successors.

@OurLadyOfWires you later mention that all options come with good and bad consequences, but personally this one feels like the one with the least "bad" aspects.

DelightedOne said:
Ha! Our bullshit luck is back.

Nevermind.

I can't believe we rolled over a 100 for the fucking teacher and Honesty didn't even get the bare minimum.

Meh. At least we had a success here.

with a grail influence we would have had best success with Mayor Mare and second of three tiers with Applejack...

...well, with those same rolls at least. Butterflies and all that, rolls would have been likely different

But more generally speaking, with a +40 those rolls would have been far easier... assuming grail still applied with the Mayor, at least. We are rolling STEWARDSHIP with her after all, not Grail... Then again if Grail influence had been up the discussion would have likely have had a very different tone...

DelightedOne said:
Uh, I don't think we should make Eclipse stronger even if it is for the Epilogue. If Glory is the Victory I don't want ponies climbing again... it would be just a repeat of everything if they did.

If Glory is THE Victory, we likely become a Hour. If we become a Hour, presumably we can change the Mansus some, and have it promote different values and requirements for ascension.

There's at least two doors that have to be replaced after all... Blank and Branding can stay, they're fine. Tribal and Mirror have been shattered though, and the Mansus could use a replacement.

Imagine if in place of the Tribal Door we had a door requiring you to have two confidants of different tribes...

In any case, Cherilee is now a "Close Friend". if we want to we can use the Leash to make her a confidant, either for the free action she could give or for the Moth Sacrament.

Again, using the Leash is in general morally questionable... but it can't be denied it's also pretty convenient.

We still have to see what Mareinette will accomplish though. It's fairly likely Filthy Rich will ALSO become a "Close Friend" (friendship built on a lie), and probably his wife too with a decent roll.

Venerable Ro · Saturday at 2:02 AM

Shaper47 said:
Just apply leash and we have another confident.

Probably should just use her for covering bases with servants normally.

I'm actually thinking that the Leash is probably a suboptimal way of getting a confidante. The confidantes we currently have (Rarity especially) became even more valuable as a direct consequence of the measures we took and the investments we made to get them to that final status. "Skipping" that step with the Leash also skips the "quest rewards" of accomplishing that final goal.

Honestly I'm very curious to see what Bird can wrangle up to make her more than just a basic minion. I think it's safe to say Bird has quite a bit of inspiration going behind Cheerilee's character, so I'm sure there's something remarkable in the wings.

Honestly Heart is pretty remarkable in its own right, all the Lores are of course but there's something uniquely, honest, about Heart. Sometimes you get the feeling that Heart is the only lore that's really having fun purely on its own merits, it's not fixated on a distant goal or achievement, it's not trying to change itself into something it's not or change the world around it, it's not distracted with everything it doesn't have and desires or everything it does have and wishes to shed.

Heart only wishes to dance.

And so it shall. The world turns to the steps of the dance and the heartbeat of the Thunderskin, in the drumbeats one might just find contentment threaded through the passion. Heart does what it loves and loves what it does, what more does anyone, Mortal or Hour, need?

View: https://youtu.be/hnSNfxjrwck?feature=shared

Maer · Saturday at 2:10 AM

[] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to "revolutionize" Ponyville. Education, progress, science. You know, better than most, that ponykind's innovators have been whipped into a frenzy, and this is where they will gather.
-It might take years, but the end goal will be for Ponyville to become the "brain" of Equestria. The fertile soil from which the genius of Eclipse might pick their successors.

A fun choice that would see Ponyville becoming the scientific center of Equestria, and empowering the center of Lore studies for the entirety of Ponykind.

[] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to make Ponyville the "breadbasket" of Equestria.
-Ponyville is uniquely situated in Equestria, occupying the great central plains of the country, while also being a stone throw away from Canterlot. Time to expand the as-of-yet tame farmlands of Ponyville into their full potential.

This feels like the most 'Ponyville' of the options. Leads to a time of plenty with minimal possibility of famines thanks to this. Not sure how far it'll go, or what all it would impact, but still. This should impact the whole of Equestria- so that'll be interesting to see.

Greymere · Saturday at 2:18 AM

Ah well, at least we got one relationship upgrade from our personal actions. Hopefully we can find time to properly follow up with Cheerilee in the next couple of turns when we have our full Grail again and work on turning her into a proper Confidant.

[X] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?

A STEM major voting for the science option, how predictable

Shaper47 · Saturday at 2:30 AM

Pittauro said:
wolf apologist trying to make the wolf sacraments sound better.

I'm not wrong though.

And really considering how we already almost died because we didn't get our Edge Sacrament not to mention how sus Colonel based Sacrament is. Well it's better to make our last RA count, besides it shields the world from the worms threat.

What did you think of the rest of the paths?

Since it seems your a fan of the "Make Silky Steam cry" path.

Venerable Ro said:
Skipping" that step with the Leash also skips the "quest rewards" of accomplishing that final goal.

Leash is temporary though.

We can always stop using it besides I don't see it forbidding social actions on a leashed pony to raise their friendship level. In fact both times we've used the leash we've risen our friendship levels to the point we didn't need it anymore.

Zxzx24 · Saturday at 2:39 AM

Thank you for the update! And lovely to hear from you. I hope you are busy with pleasant things only.

OurLadyOfWires said:
After a few days, when your head is clearer, you look back at your conversation, and realize Cheerilee probably has a lot of affinity for the persistence of Heart, which she applies to her work. And maybe a connection to some aspects of Moth, as she encourages her charges to change and grow.

Ah. The sharp stabbing pain of being reminded of Starry Dancer.

OurLadyOfWires said:
You both agree that Fluttershy is completely in love, and that she has no idea of how to navigate this. In fact, she has no idea that she's even this deep to begin with.

And oh, you and Rarity are thrilled at the opportunity to guide her through this. In fact, as you look at Rarity, you can see the mare is almost salivating from all the juicy, innocent, maidenly drama that this journey will take you all through.

The things we Deny Mareinette. For shame.

OurLadyOfWires said:
Shu-shu-shu-shush, you apples-for-brains!" Rarity says, as the mare practically rushes over to the earth pony mare and covers her mouth with a hoof. Alternating between looking at you and Applejack with an embarrassed expression. "I said Velvet looked dashing, and that she could use our company."

Pffftt oh god this is hilarious.

MisRAR1 · Saturday at 3:04 AM

[X] Equestria is changing. Evolving. Growing, even. Why not make Ponyville the poster foal of this change?

Earth-Destroyer · Saturday at 3:07 AM

[x] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.

Food is always an industry that makes money.

BritBiscuit · Saturday at 3:17 AM

[X] There will always be more ponies. The earth pony city of Ponyville will be the beating heart that will keep Equestria moving.
-Mayor Mare will endeavor to make Ponyville the "breadbasket" of Equestria.
-Ponyville is uniquely situated in Equestria, occupying the great central plains of the country, while also being a stone throw away from Canterlot. Time to expand the as-of-yet tame farmlands of Ponyville into their full potential.

Well in terms of country wide logistics I feel like this makes the most sense, Ponyville is a town that already has multiple farms within it and large plains untouched to turn into fields. It has a workforce that has both experience and a culture around farming and with people who would teach those skills to those moving into the town. It has a direct railway connection to the Capital allowing train loads of grain and other foodstuffs to be brought to the center of commerce in the kingdom which presumably has many railway connections to everywhere else in Equestria.
Really it all boils down to the fact that whilst all options are viable (even if some would damage/pollute the land where our daughters live and also the chopping the forests one seems like itd end with people vanishing into the Everfree) they could all be performed just as ably if not better in other cities with more scholarly/engineering minded citizens, Ponyville is just best suited to becoming a town with farming as its primary industry.

spiderhellian · Saturday at 3:31 AM

Shaper47 said:
The Future of Velvet

I appreciate the effort but I'm not sure what your desired takeaway is… other than the specific plans which feels a little silly to get into so far away from those turns.

We should start doing the Winter personal sacrament? Ditto for making L2 forge reagents for the Forge one? Obligatory Wolf Sacrament mention (admittedly more tempting given it gets us L5 edge, but also never going to happen)? Anything else?

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

Versed in the lewd.

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Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!

Experienced.

Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!

Mystagogue of ever-rippling stories

Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!

Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!

Mystagogue of ever-rippling stories

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Getting out there.

Know what you're doing yet?

Araneae

Not too sore, are you?

jan Sunuli

Exploring the taste of loyalty

Experienced.

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Araneae

Experienced.

Versed in the lewd.

Mystagogue of ever-rippling stories

Getting sticky.

In hell we live, lament

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I trust you know where the happy button is?

Getting some practice in, huh?

Versed in the lewd.

Know what you're doing yet?

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