Ah yes, her!
I hope you all manage to meet her.
And this is great! Thank you for writing it!
Do you have a better title in mind?
uh.
I have no idea what we'd want to do about her.
She's definitely talented, and COULD make for a good confidant... but the way she begins, I doubt she'd be trustworthy.
HEr whole thing was that she wanted to become a princess and was not willing to wait and follow Celestia's "instructions".
On the one hand, we CAN offer her power through our lessons.
On the other, she's very much the kind of pony that WOULD try to get to Glory first once she found out about it. And one of the few who MIGHT actually manage to find and kill an outsider if we taught her enough...
Of course for all we know she already learned the Lores in the Mirror World...
Because what else could it be? How could anypony look at your situation and not feel sorry for you? How could anypony with a sliver of empathy possibly not be commiserating with your anguish?
Never mind you just heard her stifle a laugh just now. She was probably coughing or something.
...yeah, I'm sure she was just coughing
Instead, the reason why you are in so much pain… the true meaning behind the words you exchanged with Cantrip, just now… the very reason why you are wasting away at your balcony, as you look at the quaint party down below, is none other than…
"Look at her… just look at her…"
You say that, as you look at the rare and radiant mare, who is currently idling at one of the corners of the garden.
Because even though she is almost out of view, she still manages to be at the center of your attention. And even though you are so far away, you can still see every last detail of her braided mane, as it flows around her neck. You can still see the mysterious hints of her coat, as the wind blows against her cloak every now and then, revealing the side of a foreleg here, or a glance of her tail there.
You can't help but stare at her fierce, captivating beauty, as she stands apart from everypony else. But still, for some reason, remains at that gathering.
I seriously can't tell if he has the worst taste possible, or the best taste one can possibly have.
On the one hand, he like AXE. On the other, Axe is one of the most powerful and dangerous beings in existence, someone TRULY unique...
But what can you possibly do, other than just gaze at her from a distance? After all, you still remember what your sister told you, just last month. She said it herself, that beautiful Axe is a complicated mare, and that she is more than just a pretty face for you to woo over. But still, what… what should you do, then? What course of action would pose the least amount of risk? And in the other hoof, how could it be that striving for a mare as fair as her would not be risky to begin with?
he has NO IDEA how right he is...
And you can only watch, in growing astonishment, as…
As the little pegasus, your biological niece, just…
Did she just crawl out from under Axe's hood?
You rub your eyes, just to make sure you are not seeing things. But sure enough, for all that fair Axe is still sulking away at the edge of the garden, it seems your niece's head is somehow poking out of her hood as well. As if the little filly is riding on her back, and just poked her head out of Axe's hood to tell her something.
More than just that, you watch in disbelief as the filly produces a pair of cupcakes, that she is holding in her hoof. And then… and then she…!
"She… she is eating out of her hoof… She is literally eating out of my niece's hoof," you say, in utter disbelief.
...that's really cute. And yeah, Silky is kind of the only one that somehow managed to get through Axe's defenses, so to speak.
Should you try to befriend your niece? She is your family, after all. And for all that she is a pegasus, she can still serve a purpose. Maybe you should try to win her over? Have her introduce you to Axe?
Pride, please... don't be like that.
You're better than that! Or at least you could be!
Or maybe this is a sign that you are behind in your own game? Because if Axe had a reputation of intractable just a month ago, maybe the mare is starting to warm up to the residents of the estate? And if that is the case, she will surely start attracting suitors sooner rather than later. So, even though you are the only noble in the region, that doesn't mean you will be completely out of competition.
...Pride, there's so much wrong with that statement that I don't even know where to begin!
You say all of that to elegant Mareinette, who is currently lounging next to you, and who had been patiently listening to your plight this whole time.
THE FUCK?!
She had been using them to look rather intently at the foals as they play in the party down below. But of course, nopony found anything strange in that because Mareinette can do no wrong.
...
...
"[GRAIL]!"
She tells you… she gives you the advice to… nay, she gives you the instruction, the revelation to…!
"Yes… yes, you are right! You are absolutely right," you say, feeling your previous panic fade away as you stand up from your seat with renewed purpose. "Everything you said make sense, and I shall act upon your words immediately!"
You say that, and you immediately make your way downstairs, with Cantrip in tow.
Because how could you have been so foolish? How did you not think about that?!
Yes, you owe your deepest gratitude to Mareinette. Because you definitely must go and…!
...now I'm wondering if this will be good advice or not.
On the one hand, she's Mareinette.
On the other, she's Mareinette.
It could literally go either way.
For all we know she's hoping Pride might lead Axe to commit the Crime of the Sky. Or maybe she's being honest about wanting to enable his
pursuit of passion.
Did she really mean that? You don't think she is lying to you. But still, she is one of the few ponies who still has the ability to do that, so you can't really be sure.
...Who are the other ones? It's not easy to lie to a Lantern 4 pony.
There's Selene, Velvet, and of course the Names and I suppose the other princesses?
Because yes, you would like to do that. Or, if nothing else, you would like to pursue the truth of whether Selene really did ask for you to be here. After all, you always thought she felt uncomfortable around you, given how many times you "examined" her while she was still just a filly.
eh, she understands now. Honestly she's probably grateful in some ways.
if Selene forgave Velvet, surely she'd also forgive and understand Jade? She has an even worse backstory than Velvet, AND in the end she decided NOT to reveal either Velvet or Selene to the Master...
This is not a like a storm of moths that is blowing you away. Instead, it is a mask. A mask that your mind understands it is best to leave untouched, given what lies beneath it.
So, the two of you can only watch in silence, as the old stallion makes his way towards you.
the mask of the reliable ally/subordinate.
to Jade, Biedde is supposed to be "the employee of her best friend". So, again, it makes no sense to be afraid of him...
"Excuse me. Employer. Miss Whistle. Pardon my interruption," he says with a polite smile, briefly tipping his cap as he does so. And then, he turns to your friend. "But I would like to report that we have collected the pony you wanted to speak to. He is waiting for you, right now, at the appointed place."
...is it going to be Comet?
She says that as she walks away, and you make sure to wave her a small goodbye.
She probably didn't notice you waving her hoof. Which is fine. You like it when she notices you, but there's a part of your head that still think you don't really deserve it.
Although you do feel another wave of happiness, as she looks in your direction and waves back with a smile.
oh, Jade... you'll get through this at some point...
"Maybe…" you say to yourself.
Heart did her a lot of good, really.
and of course there was that strange report from Biedde that he "intercepted" some crazy pink pony who was trying to infiltrate the party.
...
@OurLadyOfWires you're HORRIBLE!
You just DELIGHT in teasing us with Pinkie!
and why did she need to infiltrate?! I thought we invited half the town anyway, and certainly she could have just asked Rarity!
My, my, my, the start of the show herself
well, I suppose star
t is appropriate too
The two of you are standing in the garden, just outside the front door of the mansion. There are ponies here and there, doing this and that. Servants cleaning up the after-party detritus on the floor, guests who are still making their way outside. You can even spot Baldomare, far away and by the entrance gate, talking to Jade, the quiet mare holding what looks like donkey's tail from a blindfold game you saw her participating in earlier today.
you go Jade!
I wonder if Baldomare is bringing up the possibility of Sacrament, Jade IS now at lvl 4...
"But… that can't be right… Mom, they… everypony congratulated me because of…" she tries to say with a meek tone, looking at her cutie mark as she does. "I just feel bad about this. I… I don't mind lying to protect somepony, but I feel like… like today was just a big reward for something that I don't deserve. Something that I didn't work for, or that wasn't really mine to begin with."
I doubt ponies would ever be upset about a reason to
party, even if they later found out the reason was at least partly fake.
Then again, they'd then have to realize they
partied with a Princess. If anything they'd be even HAPPIER if they found out I think.
They all told the tale that Princess Luna, unappreciated by her subject and ignored by her sister, rose in rebellion against the ponies who had shunned her night.
…
However, once you realized that was the only surviving account, you came to a… rather sadder conclusion.
Because you know that story, that Princess Luna grew to hate her sister and her subjects, is a lie. You know that was not the reason of why she did what she did.
But here is the thing about it… who was the only pony who could have created those accounts? Who could have possibly reached that conclusion, that Luna grew spiteful due to neglect… if not Princess Celestia herself?
yeah, we KNOW that the tale is at least partly false because there's a very big
WORM-shaped hole in it
but the fact that's the conclusion Celestia reached... it speaks loudly.
"You deserve this, Selene. I want you to trust me when I tell you this. You deserve everything good that happens to you. And you deserve to be surrounded by ponies who will cheer you on, no matter what you do. Even if all you did was draw a beautiful cutie mark, which for some reason you think is lame."
You say that, and you can tell that… that she doesn't really believe you.
She doesn't believe you, but she is still listening to you.
Which just means you need to keep talking. And you will keep telling her this, all of this, for as long as she keeps listening to you. You will keep telling her about this, until she finally realizes you are speaking the truth.
Luna was affection starved, at least to a point.
It might have been partially Celestia's neglect. Or maybe it was mostly self-inflicted. I think the flashback showed she basically isolated herself in her pursuit of her duties of keeping pony's dreams safe...
"You are a sister who is bending over backwards, and even trying to figure out how to lead a double life, so you can keep living with a filly who loves you. You are a daughter who… who learned about all the horrible things your mother did, and who still forgave her. You forgave me Selene. And I still don't think that I deserve that."
"But… but you do, and…" she says, trailing off again.
it's very reassuring to hear her say that.
from our outsider-point-of-view, I think Velvet deserves forgiveness, but still, anyone who was her victim would usually very much disagree.
and Luna suffered a LOT because of us, even if it was MOSTLY the Master's fault.
"That's exactly my point, dear. That's exactly how me and your father feel, every day," you say affectionately ruffling her mane as you do. "You are the stars in our sky, Selene. And we will always be your biggest fans. And no matter what you do, we will always find a reason to celebrate it."
that's a beautiful phrase...
the stars in our sky...
On a different note, AFTER Celestia has been "purified/saved", I can't imagine her acting against Velvet no matter what, simply because of how much that would hurt Luna.
I imagine she'd feel reassured at finding out that Luna's fall was NOT her fault that first time.
Nor the Second.
Jade Whistle has located an Expedition where "the easiest lvl 6 book we can get for Baldomare" may be found. It will be added to your list of Expeditions shortly.
nice!
shame that, as she says in the text, "nothing else of value is likely to be there with it", but the lvl 6 book is really all we need from the expedition.
"I... I just walked into Axe? She was nailing uncle Pride and-"
"She was WHAT?"
[Velvet Covers has learned the-]

I don't think she means nailing in THAT sense, Velvet!
"... Pride... I..."
"She said yes, Lady Velvet. This... is what progress looks like!"
"I think I'll need Baldomare's help to get you down... just... just wait here..."
...yes to WHAT?!
In what universe does THIS look like progress?!
...since we are on QQ I feel comfortable saying this without any euphemism whatsoever.
That man is going to get pegged.
...well, that WOULD get around the Crime of the Sky...