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

[ses]

[X] Plan Exact Spending

Much as I'd like to have her spend more time with Cadence in Canterlot and then also do her Sacrament… I can accept this. As much as I'd like to let Beidde leave, I acknowledge the necessity of his Sacrament for the sake of AP.

If there were other, equally AP efficient options, I'd go for them. My biggest concern over using Spoiled for Grail-Sacrament is the simple fact that… we'd lose our best Moth-Sacrament Sacrifice. Who else do we not care about to the point we'd Moth them?

Still, Mareinette is too important to dismiss, and AP demands it's pound of Flesh, as all the most important Powers do.

I just pray we can figure out how to get enough Moth this turn to make it possible. If we're lucky, we'll get the Scraps we need this turn. If not… Oh well. We tried our best.

Click to shrink...

We are guaranteed to get the moth scraps unless we nat1 our way into the book being destroyed.

 

[Greymere]

There's no such thing as deserving it. I'd rather sacrifice her for the sake of a _lot_ of benefit than try and do some psycho Hannibal Lecter act of hunting down a criminal and deciding unilaterally caput gerat lupinum.

Click to shrink...

Yeeeeah if you're advocating for Grailmoth, you're in exactly no position to be critizing something as a "psycho Hannibal Lecter act". It's basically something straight out of a goddamn horror story.

 

[Darkday]

[X] Plan Exact Spending
-[X] (ALL IN) You will NOT attempt the "All In" expedition.
-[X] (BIEDDE) Fund a short monster-hunting expedition (Costs 60 bits)
-[X] (MAREINETTE) You introduced her to Cadance, yes, but you are still very interested in her endeavors.
-[X] (FORGE NAME) You will attempt the "Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging"
-[X] (SACRIFICES) 438 bits, Wrong Key, Forge 2

 

[Flaregamer82253]

Yeeeeah if you're advocating for Grailmoth, you're in exactly no position to be critizing something as a "psycho Hannibal Lecter act". It's basically something straight out of a goddamn horror story.

Click to shrink...

Wait a minute-

"Tags: cultist simulator, horror, my little pony"

(The way I see it is that we're gonna play judge, jury, and executor to somebody at the end of the day. If so, why not Scrappy Rich who is right there when we're under AP hell?)

 

[Greymere]

Wait a minute-

"Tags: cultist simulator, horror, my little pony"

(The way I see it is that we're gonna play judge, jury, and executor to somebody at the end of the day. If so, why not Scrappy Rich who is right there when we're under AP hell?)

Click to shrink...

You can criticize going after someone separate for being less AP efficient all you like. But acting like eating a random gangster or something that Biedde kidnapped off the street is somehow freakier than luring someone that trusts you implicitly to your house, revealing that your relationship was a lie this whole time and that you never even actually met them, and then killing and eating them, is ridiculous.

 

[ses]

At his point i'm wondering if we're REALLY going to eat Spoiled...

...I think I'll vote against it, but I'm somewhat intrigued. This would be the most deliberate act of true evil that Velvet has ever taken. The first act you can't really rationalize as being necessary. Maybe the second, as the first could be said to be the destruction of the Tribal Door, where we DID have an

Remember, that this is Velvet putting the cost of Spoiled life's at... a rebinding for Mareinette (as it would take us some more time to get a proper prisoner and we'd have to pay the cost in the meantime), a Biedde AP (to get a prisoner), and a Selene AP (to scry for that prisoner).

Click to shrink...

Yeeeeah if you're advocating for Grailmoth, you're in exactly no position to be critizing something as a "psycho Hannibal Lecter act". It's basically something straight out of a goddamn horror story.

Click to shrink...

I don't deny that it's fucked up and bad at all, but we need to Befriend her so we need to sacrifice someone (the distinction between strongly encouraged and required is a joke)

I was specifically trying to argue about the whole "valuing Spoiled life" argument above: that's inherently arguing that a criminals life is worthless and that we can do it guiltfree. I'm saying that vigilantism isn't a ticket to a clean conscience so we might as well not. The ap gains of not doing vigilantism aren't the value of Spoileds life, the value is befriended Name, which yes I feel is worth it.

 

[des-pair-2]

[X] Plan Knife, Name, and Candle

 

[DelightedOne]

This vote is gonna leave a bitter taste in everyone's mouths someway isn't it?

Because based on previous reactions in the thread and the variety inherent to humanity I'm sure there will be at least one person that is voting for Mareinette that will not have the stomach to read raw meat being torn from the body of a prisoner while they still live.

With Mareinette's joyful comments about the dinner and her host to make such an occasion even more... I guess you know where that will go.

But hey, I like that, so I don't know how it would feel for you.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

About that.

The vote feels too close even for me. And other than that, the two other options are exactly the same on the leading plan.

I'm writing the Name summoning right now, and I'll call the vote as soon as I'm done. But, importantly, I'll "accept" the options about Biedde and summoning, and "extend" the Mareinette voting.

I'm not entirely ready to write the follower's phase anyways (those take time, given how many little details I need to get straight). So I'll probably extend the Mareinette vote until tuesday night or something. No rush, no pressure.

 

[ses]

"This vote will educate me as QM"

[Ties vote after pages of argument]

And thus nothing was learned

 

[Witherbrine2671]

And thus nothing was learned

Click to shrink...

Velvet is very conflicted about a lot of things, news at 11

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

"This vote will educate me as QM"

[Ties vote after pages of argument]

And thus nothing was learned

Click to shrink...

Pray tell, what could possibly be more educative than that?

 

[spiderhellian]

This vote is gonna leave a bitter taste in everyone's mouths someway isn't it?

Click to shrink...

For me personally, I don't think it will. The really nice thing about a vote is that it clarifies and settles things in a way nothing else can. And while I'll be disappointed if it comes down on the other side, I'll mostly be happy that it is indeed clarified and settled.

Either way, I do think the agony of the decision for voters will emulate the agony of Velvet's own decision.

 

[Greymere]

Velvet is very conflicted about a lot of things, news at 11

Click to shrink...

Breaking news: the sky is blue and pegasi have wings.

Edit: Unrelated, but I'm really hoping that the Forge Name either comes befriended or has a very easy friendship requirement considering they were at the topmost point of the Mansus, in front of The Final Dungeon Part 2.

 

[DelightedOne]

I don't deny that it's fucked up and bad at all, but we need to Befriend her so we need to sacrifice someone (the distinction between strongly encouraged and required is a joke)

Click to shrink...

Ah, "need", such an interesting word. Something that you can't live without, something that if you could not acquire your very self would waste away and rot, THAT is need... befriending Mareinette isn't a need.

It is a Desire.

No, no, don't try to deny it, you want that skeleton horse as a friend and there is nothing wrong with that. But you have no reason to deny it behind a word like "need" as if you were someone who lacks the knowledge we have been gifted with already.

The reasons don't matter, your goals don't matter, all that matters is WHAT. YOU. WANT. And again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, just please be honest(with yourself and us) and enjoy the Feast.

I was specifically trying to argue about the whole "valuing Spoiled life" argument above: that's inherently arguing that a criminals life is worthless and that we can do it guiltfree. I'm saying that vigilantism isn't a ticket to a clean conscience so we might as well not. The ap gains of not doing vigilantism aren't the value of Spoileds life, the value is befriended Name, which yes I feel is worth it.

Click to shrink...

It is more about it being "less worth" and considering Spoiled has a family that would suffer if she suddenly disappeared I guess it makes sense. That is, of course, based around the idea we would find a criminal so despicable and lonely no one would mourn him(no one mourns the wicked, anyone?), if not feel free to disregard this argument.

And of course you are correct the life of any mortal is worth less than a Name, it is in the metaphysical laws of the World, but some may still feel the price is a bit too salty(and bloody).

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

EDIT: Since you dont have a Forge 2 reagent on hand, I assume you will be using your free reagent-making reaction from Turn 22 as well.

Click to shrink...

That is indeed the assumption.

At his point i'm wondering if we're REALLY going to eat Spoiled...

...I think I'll vote against it, but I'm somewhat intrigued. This would be the most deliberate act of true evil that Velvet has ever taken. The first act you can't really rationalize as being necessary. Maybe the second, as the first could be said to be the destruction of the Tribal Door, where we DID have an alternative... but there some of us believed in ignorance that it wouldn't be THAT bad...

Remember, that this is Velvet putting the cost of Spoiled life's at... a rebinding for Mareinette (as it would take us some more time to get a proper prisoner and we'd have to pay the cost in the meantime), a Biedde AP (to get a prisoner), and a Selene AP (to scry for that prisoner).

This is the price Velvet is putting on the life of the mother of one of her daughter's friends. A bad pony, certainly, but not one that deserves to die. She'll be deciding that, for her convenience, she can't afford to wait one month to make sure that if she has to kill for power, she can at least kill someone who deserves it.

Click to shrink...

Does Velvet even know that Spoiled is a bad pony? She's never had a social action with the mare, so I just thought that all she knows is that the Riches are in a rough patch marriage-wise.

We are guaranteed to get the moth scraps unless we nat1 our way into the book being destroyed.

Click to shrink...

How are we guaranteed said Moth Scraps when the Turn Actions haven't been voted on yet? It's got a -50 to deciphering, after all, you'd need to either dedicate two studies to it or pop an AotL Lantern to guarantee the Scrap.

And now to bring things back to the actual current vote, I will reiterate my desire for Mareinette and Cadence to become friendlier. It doesn't bar people from Mareinette's Sacramento, it doesn't reduce what she can do for Velvet, it's just expanding the network of pals. Share the love, people, share the love.

 

[Sveta08]

I... quite like this vote. Honestly.
It isn't very large, and isn't very loud, but this vote feels fitting.

Velvet wants.... everything.
Safety. Power. Comfort. Protection. Ability. Time. Family. Glory. Unlimited wants, finite time and capabilities, a tale as old as time itself.

Mareinette, Our Lady of Wires, The Name of Grail... now that she knows of someone else interesting, it forces a question.
Do we want Mareinette's attention? Do we want Mareinette to befriend another? Do we want to protect another? Do we wish to inure ourself?
Fitting for the Name of Grail, we want all options they provide.

Velvet, this thread, the discussion about it... very rarely have opportunities had to be given up. At least, the opportunities we consider opportunities.
And everytime we do, we never hear the end of it. The Wolf, Twilight, However many Bits, The Cult, The Master, so on and so forth.

We, and by extension, Velvet... are bad at letting go. At sacrifice. Giving up opportunities we see we could conceivably grasp.
So I like this vote.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Vote closed. Standby for the next post.

Regardless of the winner, the Moods of Mareinette vote is still OPEN. More information soon.

Scheduled vote count started by OurLadyOfWires on Apr 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM, finished with 129 posts and 23 votes.

• ---

  11 people have voted

  [X] Plan Exact Spending
  -[X] (ALL IN) You will NOT attempt the "All In" expedition.
  -[X] (BIEDDE) Fund a short monster-hunting expedition (Costs 60 bits)
  -[X] (MAREINETTE) You introduced her to Cadance, yes, but you are still very interested in her endeavors.
  -[X] (FORGE NAME) You will attempt the "Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging"
  -[X] (SACRIFICES) 438 bits, Wrong Key, Forge 2

  • ses
  • Pittauro
  • Darkday
  • spiderhellian
  • Arrkhon
  • Sveta08
  • Earth-Destroyer
  • Flaregamer82253
  • Witherbrine2671
  • Maer
  • Alan975

  10 people have voted

  [X] Plan Knife, Name, and Candle
  -[X] (ALL IN) You will NOT attempt the "All In" expedition.
  -[X] (BIEDDE) Fund a short monster-hunting expedition (Costs 60 bits)
  -[X] (MAREINETTE) Mareinette is her own mare, and Cadance could use some company. Don't do anything, and see how things turn out.
  -[X] (FORGE NAME) You will attempt the "Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging" (Sacrifice 1 Wrong Key, Forge 2 Reagent, 438 Bits)

  • Talon Tiger Dino
  • Random Anon
  • Greymere
  • Limabot
  • Anjaxis
  • LieutenantSpirit
  • des-pair-2
  • DelightedOne
  • Nevermort
  • Pororurin

  3 people have voted

  [X] Plan Knives and Names
  -[X] (ALL IN) You will NOT attempt the "All In" expedition.
  -[X] (BIEDDE) Fund a short monster-hunting expedition (Costs 60 bits)
  -[X] (MAREINETTE) Mareinette is her own mare, and Cadance could use some company. Don't do anything, and see how things turn out.
  -[X] (FORGE NAME) You will attempt the "Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging" (Sacrifice 1 Wrong Key, 480 Bits)

  • DelightedOne
  • Nevermort
  • Pororurin

  2 people have voted

  [X] Plan Friendship and taking thing seriously
  -[X] (ALL IN) You will NOT attempt the "All In" expedition.
  -[X] (BIEDDE) Pursue religious goals.
  -[X] (MAREINETTE) You introduced her to Cadance, yes, but you are still very interested in her endeavors.
  -[X] (FORGE NAME) You will attempt the "Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging"
  -[X] (SACRIFICES) 450 bits, Wrong Key,

  • Shaper47
  • Alan975

  1 people have voted

  [X] (ALL IN) You WILL attempt the "All In" expedition immediately

  • Uruguayan spider

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

But we aren't sacrificing much of anything with this vote. Perhaps the QM's words these are but the tiniest steps, and in no way binding. You could have Mareinette go have fun with Cadance in the capitol ask for her Sacrament when she comes back, and the Name would still be befriended. In its current form the vote probably has more impact on Cadance than it does Velvet.

 

[spiderhellian]

But we aren't sacrificing much of anything with this vote. Perhaps the QM's words these are but the tiniest steps, and in no way binding. You could have Mareinette go have fun with Cadance in the capitol ask for her Sacrament when she comes back, and the Name would still be befriended. In its current form the vote probably has more impact on Cadance than it does Velvet.

Click to shrink...

Huh. I guess this is technically true. But honestly, it's not how I was taking it.

Maybe it is that I want this settled one way or the other. But I was definitely personally interpreting this as "Okay, if we don't vote for Mareinette here, I'm going to stop arguing for the Grail Sacrament". And assume it's not happening, that we're not interested in her friendship but we'd love her to be friends with Caddy instead. We'll get by with what costs we have to pay, what effects that has, and hey All-In will come soon enough.

I wonder if other people see it that way too, or see it differently?

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Vote announcement

Vote tally

[X] (BIEDDE) Fund a short monster-hunting expedition (Costs 60 bits)
[X] (FORGE NAME) You will attempt the "Rite of Joyous (Re)Forging"
[X] (SACRIFICES) 438 bits, Wrong Key, Forge 2

Please note, the "Moods for Mareinette" vote is STILL OPEN, and it has been RESET so it can become a standalone vote.

Only votes cast AFTER this post will be counted.

You have come to an agreement with old Biedde. 60 bits have been taken from your coffers, and his bindings will be extended until the END of turn 22.

On a rare surge of Noble-like behavior, you have contacted the merchants with a list of excentric demands, with the requisite bits to fund them, much to their delight. Screws, metal plates, and intricate pieces of bespoke clockwork have been delivered to your house, with not a single comment on how strange this was being whispered anywhere. 438 bits have been taken from your coffers.

20 bits have been taken from your coffers, and you have used your free-per-turn Reagent crafting action, to produce a Forge 2 reagent.

A Forge 2 Reagent, recently crafted, has been consumed to aid a ritual.

A Wrong Key has been consumed to aid a ritual.



- - -



You will not say you were obsessed.

But you will not say you were uninterested either.

Your hoofs just moved, as they always did.

Your hoofs moved, and the hammers clanged, and the flames roared into life when change created heat and heat demanded change.

And inevitably, the small pieces came together to form the bigger pieces, until finally everything was fit into its proper place.

And you stared down at your creation.

It was… beautiful. But only in the most clinical and intellectual of senses. It did not evoke the breathlessness of a sunset, or the joy of sunrise. But it was beauty nonetheless.

It was… a clock. A timer, counting down the endless days, tuned precisely to ring at the end of an Era. The ticking of its internal clock acting like a heartbeat of sorts. And for all that it did not resent you or its purpose, it also understood it would stop with the Glorious thrum of its trumpets.

It was… a companion. One that would keep your company, and learn from you what needed to be learned, and teach you the skills you would eventually need, and obediently pass you the tools you asked for as you labored over your next creation.

It was everything you wanted…

But it would never be what you needed.

Still, even in that, it was perfect.

Because as you looked down at your latest creation, that masterfully-crafted web of cogs, and metal, and delicately-wrought pieces of clockwork in the shape of a foal, you saw…

…

One day. One day. When the ticking of its heart stops, and all nights finally come to an end.

That is its purpose. That is exactly why it was created. To keep you company, to count the time, and to be a constant reminder of what is to come.

You are not... frustrated.



You just aren't happy.



…

This is the dream that She gave you, and the only thing in your mind as your hoofs moved and put all of this together.

You are Velvet Covers. And like Her before you, you are now looking down at the foal you made, but not at the foal you wish to give your husband.

It is… intriguing. Like a statue, made out of clockwork and metal. An eccentric piece of art, perhaps, from a pony with a cutie mark related to art and inventions. An inspirational piece of what the future, and future technology, might look like, if the right pony with the right cutie mark comes along.

It is, well, foal-sized. And even as it stands, unmoving, on your workshop desk, it still isn't much taller than your horn. You made it an earth pony, both because you wouldn't know how to integrate a horn into its design, and also because…

Well, this is not the foal you want to give to Stormchaser.

But of course, for now, it is still just a statue. Just an impossibly complex statue, of exposed cogs and metal, with a frozen clock on the center of its chest.

It still needs… life.

So, you do the only thing that is left.

You pick up the delicate key, that you prepared just for this occasion.

You insert its tip at the center of its heart, right between the most important cogs of its internal clock.



And then you twist it.



…..,,,,,;;;;;;!!!!!!IIIII



There are no loud noises. There are no glorious sounds of machinery coming to mind. And there are no plumes of smoke escaping from its joints.

All that happens is that the clock, like a tiny heartbeat of a metronome, begins to tick.

And the cogs around the clock begin to pull their neighbors, and the clockwork around its chest begins to tug at its limbs.

Light shines where there was once dull metal.

And its eyes slowly open.



"Hello, mother," it says, with a voice of metal and copper, but that also sounds innocent and jovial like the song of a bird.



Its movements are… perfect, and perfectly fluid. And once you dress it with a coat of fur, it looks… almost like a living foal. A quiet foal. An obedient and calm foal. A foal that you would never realize is sitting right next to you, unless you were really paying attention. But a living foal nonetheless.

And what is more, you can already tell it is… perfecting itself. Pulling matter from the small hole you punched inside its chest. Shifting and turning its gears under its fur coat, and creating an even better configuration than you could ever hope to assemble by yourself. You would even dare say it is growing up, if you didn't know any better.

Still, by the time you are done talking with it, after maybe one or two hours after it woke up, it was already a full hoof taller. Because at some point, the internal mechanisms of its legs unfolded themselves despite them having no such functionality before.

And by the time you left it to its own devises, even its coat of fur looked real. It did something to itself, working on its fur as if it was grooming itself with a comb, to the point that it is now indistinguishable from a real foal.

…

However, the only thing you could think of, during your entire conversation with it, was that…

It loves you, yes. But only because it was created to do so. The same way a lock is supposed to fasten itself and not yield, and a hammer is supposed to press whatever it strikes. It loves you, and it called you its mother.

But you… do not love it back.

It will never resent you for that, and it knows that perfectly well.

But still…

This is not the foal you wish to give your husband.



[Ritual completed successfully]

[Dice rolls have been omitted]



But of course, as it so often happens when you create a new life, you must now name it.

How shall you name the Name?


[] Ponyocchio
[] Clockwork Colt
[] No name (it will be referred to as "The Name of Forge" or some other derivative)
[] Something else? (WRITE IN)


(You may not name it "Velvet [Something]". Because you do not hate him, but this is not the foal you want to give to your husband.)





Twelve hours moratorium.

Please note, the vote for the Moods of Mareinette is STILL ONGOING. But vote by approval, and not in plans, for both the Moods and the name of the Name.

The Moods of Mareinette vote options have been placed below, for your convenience.

Spoiler: Moods of Mareinette

[] (MAREINETTE) Mareinette is her own mare, and Cadance could use some company. Don't do anything, and see how things turn out.
-You will not take any particular action this turn.
-From what you hear, Mareinette will be more absent from your home than usual. Something about spending more time in Canterlot.
-This is a free action, and will not interfere in Mareinette's ability to serve you.

[] (MAREINETTE) You introduced her to Cadance, yes, but you are still very interested in her endeavors.
-You will signal to Mareinette that you are still interested in your ongoing relationship. She will hold you for that.
-From what you hear, Mareinette will continue to mostly lounge in your estate and wander around Ponyville. To the delight of the farmhoofs that adore her.
-This is a free action, and will not interfere in Mareinette's ability to serve you.

You have succesfully summoned the Name of Forge. Its character sheet has been updated. As is proper, it's initial attribute has been set to that of its summoner's Brand.

 

[DelightedOne]

Does Velvet even know that Spoiled is a bad pony? She's never had a social action with the mare, so I just thought that all she knows is that the Riches are in a rough patch marriage-wise.

Click to shrink...

You are entirely correct, the decision to use Spoiled Rich was based in the thread's anymosity against her, not that she doesn't deserve it, but Velvet herself has no idea about who Spoiled Rich really is besides her public persona and whatever Mareinette told her.

We, and by extension, Velvet... are bad at letting go. At sacrifice. Giving up opportunities we see we could conceivably grasp.

Click to shrink...

Nah, we are just bad at realizing what we should give up and what we should keep. We can let go of anything if we really want to, but we never know if it is the right/best choice.

Oh, we got a new foal just as I was writing this. Shame we don't love him.

Edit: It is a colt! I WAS RIGHT!

 

[ses]

Noooooo Velvet whyyyy

 

[Flaregamer82253]

If I'm to make any sort of argument for the GrailMoth aside from AP conservation, it wouldn't be about ethics, we can run that one down into the otherside of the planet, but I will make a case about NARRATIVE.

@Greymere you are completely right in your assessment:

You can criticize going after someone separate for being less AP efficient all you like. But acting like eating a random gangster or something that Biedde kidnapped off the street is somehow freakier than luring someone that trusts you implicitly to your house, revealing that your relationship was a lie this whole time and that you never even actually met them, and then killing and eating them, is ridiculous.

Click to shrink...

Velvet Covers has barely met Spoiled Rich, but who have we been sending to go and social her in the first place? Our Lady of Wires, Mareinette.

This wasn't a passive choice. Velvet has already committed to not having a real relationship with Spoiled Rich in the first place. Thoughts of using Spoiled for both sacraments have been around for a while, after all. But let us consider how Velvet would see Spoiled Rich as well:

And with that, you watch the four fillies walk away. There is still an air of tension about two of them, as the yellow and pink fillies make a point of standing at the opposite ends of the quartet. But you sigh in relief when you realize both that this was just foals enmity, as well as the fact that the situation practically took care of itself.

However, you still eye the pink filly curiously. On second thought, didn't she mention something about her mother? Could it be that she has… familial problems, of some sort?

You make a mental note to keep a closer eye on your daughter's friends. But something tells you that this situation right now will have a positive effect, as much as it might not have been by your intentional design.

The four fillies practically forget about you as they walk away, not that you mind, so you simple look around you and start searching for your husband.



You have become an acquaintance with Apple Bloom, the youngest member of the Apple Clan in Ponyville. She is your daughter's friend, and you can tell that there is some sort of rivalry between her and Diamond Tiara.

Although, in all honesty, you think you detect something worrying about the pink filly herself. Perhaps you should keep an eye out for that in the future... heaven knows you understand what sorts of problems being at odds with your mother can bring about...

Click to shrink...

Well, nopony ever said that being a mother was always comfortable.

"I did notice that you three were planning something," you hear a voice coming from next to you, "but I didn't think it would be this."

You turn towards Filthy Rich, seeing Diamond Tiara riding on his back as well. The filly still has her eyes turned towards the clouds, and you think that perhaps she was just a little scared at how loudly Selene screamed when your husband took her away, but you can tell from Rich's humored expression that the surprise wasn't really that startling.

"Well, she has a father and a sister who are pegasi," you say with a smile, "so she'd better get used to that sort of thing."

Rich chuckles at that, and the two of you follow the crowd as you all head out of the park. You know it will get colder soon enough since, from what Stormchaser told you, the clouds have a full week's worth of snow that will fall down every night. So everypony knows that they ought to get home sooner rather than later.

"And I have to say," he continues, although you can feel that he is being rather careful with his words, "that it was a very nice thing of you to take in little Selene. She's lucky to have you three."

You nod at that, understanding why he is being rather roundabout when it comes to that sort of thing.

Not because of you or your family, you know, but because of his.

After all, when you dropped by his mansion for them to join in with your family, you did notice that his wife was nowhere to be seen. A part of you even started to think that he was perhaps a widower, until he offered a small remark about how he "asked if his wife wanted to come with, and that she gave him a few choice words about the festival as a whole before refusing", so she wouldn't be coming with that day.

He also mumbled something about him not having told her that your family was going to the festival with him and his daughter, but at that point Silky had tackled Diamond so the subject changed rather abruptly.

You realize, then, that his choice of words and hesitation is because his own family is rather… well, you understand.

"We are the lucky ones, I think, for having her," you answer, before turning to face him as well, "as we are all lucky to be your friends, Rich," you say with a smile, "you too Diamond, thank you for being Silky's friend."

The filly doesn't know how to respond, but you can see Filthy Rich smiling at that. A complicated smile, sure, but one that you can tell that deep down is honestly warm.

It makes you a little worried, truth be told, as you can clearly see that Rich and his daughter seem to have some sort of real problem… Diamond is your daughter's friend, and you honestly think that Rich is a good stallion so you care for him as well, so it surely is something that you might want to take a closer look at.

But… not right now.

Click to shrink...

He is a good father, and a dedicated husband, but something tells you that there might be a waste in some of his efforts. At least, you hope, he will consider asking you for help if he really needs it… although something tells you that by his very nature, he is not the kind of stallion that easily asks for help. You are now Friends with Filthy Rich.

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These were all of the times that Spoiled Rich was realistically around or brought up in Velvet's presence. Her opinion on Spoiled wasn't especially bad compared to some other ponies, but Velvet didn't ever have a positive impression on her in the first place. Furthermore, it involves a topic that is very near and dear to her heart and soul, motherhood.

If nothing else, Velvet isn't the kind of pony that would want to know Spoiled Rich, so why not let someone else do so instead?

But there were two seeds planted a long time ago. Perhaps in a history they may have been planted at the same time.

Mareinette's Invitation: "[Grail]!" (There are bounties and resources available in the bodies of every pony. But first, one must develop the appropriate organs to harvest them. She will teach you.)
-Pick a Prisoner, or a character you have a "Minion-level" relationship with, and perform an action dedicated to "An invitation to dinner".
-"An invitation to dinner" cannot fail, but it will destroy your selected contact/prisoner without leaving a corpse.

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MOTH
Actions of your own: "You have never really liked yourself. That is an ugly truth you have always denied, and that you attempted to bury underneath the love that others feel for you. But perhaps, and only perhaps, it is time to embrace that, and learn to be somepony else."
-Pick a single character with whom you have a "Confidant-level" relationship or higher. That character will be permanently locked as an "acquaintance". For somepony must realize that you have donned a mask, for it to truly exist.
-You must reach 4/4 scraps of Moth before taking this action.

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Still, she says that she understands. And that she will help you, because of course she will.



"[Grail]."



And then, she tells you a story.

A story that is about nopony in particular, but at the same time is also about everypony.

It begins with blood, she tells you, not birth. Because to your surprise, she explains to you that blood is an enticement, and that birth is actually a torment. But it is blood that begets yearning, and then desire, and then greed. It is blood, and not birth, that begets a pony's entrance into the world.

Blood of the parents, blood of the womb. The pulsing blood of those who help, and the spilt blood of those who would hinder. Because that crude word, she says, is more than just the ruby fluid that runs through your veins. After all, if blood was just a liquid, then it would never be accepted as sacrifice, and it would never be used to measure lives.

After all, is the fur of your body not a part of you? Is it not the case that your bones, too, are inside of you? And your eyes, and your tongue, and the crude acids of your stomach? Yes they are, she says, they are as much a part of you as the river that flows out of your veins when they are cut.

And yet, blood has primacy before all others. And it compels you to move more than your muscles ever will, and it drives your thoughts more than your brain will ever be capable of.

With cryptic words and vague allegories, she tells you a story. About a pony whose existence is dreamt, then desired, then needed by her parents. A pony whose first actions in the world is to let out a scream, after being subjected to the torment of birth. And who eventually grows to yearn and want and lust after the things she desired.

No matter how hard you try, you cannot think of a pony who might not be the protagonist of the story she tells you. Given the words she uses to describe things, she could be talking about you, and perhaps she could even be talking about herself.

Still, you understand the lesson she is trying to tell you.

And when she is done speaking, you cannot help but give her a short bow of your head before you leave the cellar.



"[Heart]!"



And you don't really feel disturbed, as you hear her say that she looks forward to your next visit.

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If nothing else, having sent Mareinette to cultivate a relationship with Spoiled Rich can be taken as Velvet asking Mareinette to prepare and season the meal that she would like to share with her, but only after assessing the ingredients before it is finished. Nothing else could give her a greater understanding of what it means to CHANGE or appreciate the meaning of one's blood.

For Velvet Covers, there would be nothing more fitting than consuming a mother that she finds wanting.

I can't imagine something more Moth and Grail than to combine these two.

 

[Witherbrine2671]

Noo, where child statblock I want to see what the newest kid can do! (or I may be blind, also an option)

Also wow, imagine being born knowing that your mother doesn't love you, that is rough.

 

[ses]

Where is the Forge Names sheet?

Also suggesting Aeolipile as a name.

 

[Witherbrine2671]

"An ingot of Blue Gold".

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We are going nuclear baby!

 

[DelightedOne]

Gifting the Name of Forge "An ingot of Blue Gold" will also increase its lesser Lore to Level 4, and will be the equivalent of "befriending" it.

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Huh, expensive, but it is worth it. Guess we are running low on bits for the next few turns, because no one will refuse another Name at All-In.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

As it happens, I too am subject to the linear passage of time. And for all that I try to update all threadmarks at once, inspiration hits when it hits.

Forge Name sheet is updated.

Also

You are entirely correct, the decision to use Spoiled Rich was based in the thread's anymosity against her, not that she doesn't deserve it, but Velvet herself has no idea about who Spoiled Rich realky is besides her public persona and whatever Mareinette told her.

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Velvet Covers has barely met Spoiled Rich, but who have we been sending to go and social her in the first place? Our Lady of Wires, Mareinette.

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Yeah. This was a great quoting post by Flaregamer82253. And yeah, I don't think you ever met Spoiled Rich in person yourself.

Anyways, that's all from me. I hope you are all doing well!

This was a very short introduction to the latest Name. But please bear with me, it wouldn't do for me to give it more screentime before you gave it a name.

Also. "It"? "He"? He is a colt, in my eyes, but I am not sure which to use.

I hope you are all doing well! We will meet again shortly.

EDIT:

Yes, yes, Sacrament, Sacrament. Later.

Cheers!

 

[Flaregamer82253]

Hmm. So very quickly, the path forward with befriending our Forge name seems pretty clear and we can have it done in 2ish AP.

Step 1: Forge Reagent LV4 with 90 bits and our free REAGENT action.
Step 2: Use 110 bits and 1 AP from Velvet to turn the reagent into a LV6 reagent.
Step 3: Use 1 AP from Velvet and 1 AP from Forge Name-to-be-determined to befriend it.
Step 4: Have him or Mareinette perform another Forge's Redemption on us ASAP.

All things considered, we could have this done by Turn 23 if we plan it out correctly. Baldomare expedition may have to wait a while though. We may be entering Bit Hell again...