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

[OurLadyOfWires]

That was the best possible future. Silky Stream knew that.

The world was at peace.

Ponykind, and all of its neighbors, was safe.

The Mansus was still accessible in her dreams.

So yes, that was the best possible future. By every possible metric, and by everypony's standard. And that made her very, very happy.

Even though she was already so old that, very soon, she would no longer be a part of that future.

It felt like yesterday, when she was still a filly. It felt like she just got her cutie mark last week, and that she still had so much to do. Granted, she knew she had already done plenty, and that she taught her foals well enough for them to keep up the good work when they are gone.

Yes, Silky Stream taught her foals, and she watched as they taught her grand-foals. And if she looked really hard, and took some liberties that could be mistaken for arrogance, she thought that she could see the effects of her hard work around her.

"Well, I didn't make nearly as much of an impact as mom did," she mused out loud. "Or Selene, or any of my other sisters. But they work in such a grander scale that…"

She trailed off, letting her mind wander as a smile slowly formed on her lips.

"It's alright. How is it that Cherry always says it? Ah, of course. Our kind is meant to build the canvas, but your kind is meant to paint on it," she said to the empty room. And not for the first time, she couldn't help but come to the same conclusion she always did. "And I'm awful glad that I get to paint on it. Being an immortal sounds so dull, really. I'm glad I just get to do one thing well, and then pass the torch to the next generation."

She thought about that, and then she thought about other things besides, and at some point she just started thinking about nothing at all. Letting the empty room, and the sound of a nearby ticking clock, keep her company.

Until finally, a knock came through the door.

"Mother? Are you awake?" one of her daughters, her daughter, walked into the room, her voice a familiar whisper.

Silky considered pranking her. Pretending to be asleep or dead or something else besides. But she decided against it. Not today, she thought. Not today.

"Yes dear, I'm awake. Is everything ready?" she answered.

"Yes, mother. The Salon is ready and the Visitors are in place. We are ready to begin when you are."

Silky Stream, the elderly mortal matron of the Velvet family, gave her daughter a small nod as she got up from her seat.

Because today, she would add her last brushstroke to the grand painting that is Equestria.



- - -



The preparations for that day were… extensive. In a sense, Silky Stream could say that she had been preparing for that day her whole life.

And of course, that day wouldn't have been possible if she had worked alone. After all, no great work can be done by a single pony.

Her mother, and the other immortals who loved her so, laid out the groundwork. They saved the world from the hate of ice, and the wrath of fire. They negotiated this bright future into existence. They brought about this land where the New is enthroned and the Old is honored.

And most importantly, for Silky's work, her mother brought back the season of Numa. That fog-chocked season, that only lasts an entire day, when the world was the most open for suggestions.

Her daughters, and the other mortals who followed her, set the stage. The work and works they have done is beyond counting, and their achievements were sometimes as small as a hoofshake, or as grand as a new life. But each and every one of them was important. Each and every one of them was another step, oath or bargain that led to that day.

As for Silky herself…

Well, the groundwork and the stage can only be put to use if the main actress is present.

"Everything looks wonderful dear," she said, to her daughter's delight. "Perfect, even! I couldn't have asked a better pony to prepare this feast."

Silky Stream said that as she gazed down at the Salon, the fine dinning hall of the Velvet Castle, all propped up and ready for a grand meal.

The walls were adorned with banners and tapestries, of glories past and future.

The mosaic walls were shining bright, dripping here and there with the cold drops of the outside mists of Numa.

The great dining table was ready, with eight honored chairs (four on each side), eight guest chairs (one for each companion), and one humble chair (at the center, to make a proposal) all laid out where they should be.

And then of course there was the feast itself. Nine dishes and nine drinks from nine cultures, each of them a joy to the senses (and worth a small fortune) prepared by a deft hoof.

The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order.

Velvet, help us all.

"Well then, it is time to begin," Silky said, to which her daughter answered with a respectful bow as she took her leave.

With that, Silky Stream sat alone upon the humble chair, at the edge of the long table, and she looked down upon the seats to her right and her left.

Then, she took the small bell in front of her, which was waiting next to her own plate.

And then-

Ring, ring, ring.​

-she invited the guests.

From eight separate entrances came eight honored guests, each of them with a companion by their side. The expressions on their faces were an array of emotions. Some of them were amused, some of them were disgusted, but none of them were surprised.

None of them were surprised because, in the end, they had all been invited. All of them knew what to expect.

And Silky Stream knew these honored guests very well. She had known them since she was a filly, the eight immortals from the old world.

Of course, Silky Stream also knew their companions well… after all, she quite literally made them. Granted, making them companions had been an effort in itself. But that was not the time to look back at old victories.

No, that was the time to host a feast.

And given the honored guests presents, she was the only one in the whole world who could do it.

"Welcome, everypony," she said, before anypony else could truly react.

And then, she began her magnum opus.

Silky Stream has activated her skill [VIOLENCE IS FORBIDDEN AT THIS TABLE]​

Spoiler: Skill

[VIOLENCE IS FORBIDDEN AT THIS TABLE] (Esoteric Trait): During an Event, you may pick a Trait of a willing Guest. For the duration of the Event, that trait will be nullified (treated as nonexistent). This may be applied even to Traits that are archetypal, Hours-sponsored, or that are otherwise usually considered "untouchable."

Because Silky Stream wasn't just there to host a feast. She was there to make a proposal.

So of course, she had to ensure that…



[IMMATERIAL] has been nullified.

… that her guests were properly present.



[ANTISOCIAL] has been nullified.

[IRRATIONAL] has been nullified.

[SHE IS JUST A PAINTING] has been nullified.

… that her guests were able, and willing, to speak.



[HE WILL NOT RELEASE ME] has been nullified.

[CRIMINAL] has been nullified.

[MARRIED TO A MORTAL] has been nullified.

… that her guests were allowed to choose for themselves.



[OH HATED FOE] has been nullified.

… and of course, that no violence would take place at her table.



She said that, and she watched as the impossible happened.

Because upon her invitation, and with nothing but her words, the eight honored guests sat around her table. Four guests of Order on one side, and four of Change on the other. All of them from the far past, and all of them joined by companions from this future.

And with that, at long last, her work could begin.

"Thank you for coming to this, my last tea party," Silky Stream said, using the one and only privilege she had as a mortal.

After all, her honored guests would not have come if they knew there would be more tea parties, and more invitations. They would not have suffered each other's presence, if she had joined them in eternity.

But she would not have received her cutie mark if she didn't know how to bring ponies to her table. Even if it was, quite literally, the last thing she did.

"Now, the reason I called you all here is very simple, my dear friends," she said to the table at large. "You all belong to the past, and this world is galloping towards the future. However, that does not mean you need to be left behind."

She said that as she poured herself a cup of tea, not needing to look up at their familiar faces to know how they would react to her words. She knew them too well.

"So, I have a proposal," she said.

She said that to her friends, and she said that to her foals, and she said that to the whispering mists coiling outside.

And, impossibly, they all listened to her.

By the end of that day, the past was married to the future, the old was made new, and tomorrow turned just a little brighter.

And the last story that Silky Stream told would echo throughout the world for the rest of time.





Author's note:

Spoiler: A/N

The wrathful cries of a newborn, and the sleepless nights that follow, are not something I would wish upon my worst foe. Even if there is a certain joy attached to it.
Still, as they slowly subside, I finally find the time to come back here.

I hope you are all doing well! Please enjoy a short omake as I reheat my writing engines.

And as for inspiration, it comes from the quote from Narnia: "Violence is forbidden at Aslan's table."
I quite enjoy the parallel of how highly Silky is thought of, in this future, for her to be compared to that other figure.

 

[spiderhellian]

A Prognosis of Hyperthermia

The last two weeks have been eerie for a few reasons.

First, the unseasonable heat in Canterlot, which has you sweating despite your office's locations deep in the recesses of Canterlot mountain. A heat that doesn't ebb at night, and if anything seems to strengthen. No one has died yet, thanks to a few memos you sent instructing the City Guard to check in on elderly ponies and ensure they were getting enough ice-water to stay cool. But it is hot, much too hot, and while that is unpleasant for everyone, you have a better sense of what it means.

Second, there were your dinners with Cadance, where she pointedly did not talk about what she had spent the day doing. You had insisted on these, and ensured she couldn't wall you out. You tried to bring her some light, or some levity, or even just the strength to go on another day. You weren't sure you were all that successful. And all you could think about was the time you spent with her before the wedding -- not all that long ago -- and how these dinners felt absolutely nothing like it.

But most of all, your week has felt eerie because it has felt normal. At a time where nothing is normal, and all of Equestria feels like a dropped glass, mid-fall, about to shatter. You have sent letters to Axe and Cherenkolt, advising them with a few obstacles they encountered (and ensuring your lieutenants worked with them smoothly). You spent a few long days studying the Changeling corpse, during which you could almost -- almost -- forget the problems of the outside world as you picked its mysteries apart. And you studied the reports of snowfall and other strange goings-on assembled by your detectives, bringing an appreciation of what the cold meant even as a part of you craved it amidst the dreadful heat.

That is precisely what you are doing today. The windows are open to try to assuage some of the heat with a breeze, and the shadows will soon start lengthening as the sun makes its forced, stuttering, way down the sky.

Though they're not, are they?

It is past noon, and the sun is still at its apex.

It is past noon. And the sun. Is still. At its Apex.

And it is only growing hotter.

You let out a deep, shuddering, breath. Then you steel your nerves, and run.

---

You can't approach the castle's actual building, not without your mane starting to smoulder and smoke. Thankfully, you don't need to. Instead, your hooves lead you unerringly to where your ally, your Princess, your best friend is.

You find Cadance in a small pond, on the outskirts of the castle's gardens. You can tell the water is helping: cooling her down, putting out embers, hiding her tears. You can tell it's not enough.

You stop by the edge of the pond, and pause. You want to say something. You want to do something. But the fact that Cadance is here -- and the sun is at its apex, and it is still just growing hotter -- means she's out of options.

And out of hope.

You look at your friend. You glance, briefly, to the sky. It's the beginning of the end.

All you can do, or say, is this:

[] Caddy, I can help. Let's give it one more shot, together. (Velvet and Cadance will roll again, together. If you get very lucky, this may defuse Daybreaker's wrath. If you get somewhat lucky, this may delay Daybreaker's eruption until next turn, at which point you may try again to defuse it. But if you fail, you will be in Daybreaker's sights.)
[] Caddy, there's something else we can try. But you'll have to trust me. (Velvet and Cadance will flee Canterlot and leave it to Daybreaker. If you go All In at the end of this turn, Cadance will accompany you on the expedition. This may have other side-effects, both positive and negative.)
[] Caddy, it's too late. We just need to save what we can. (Velvet and Cadance will do their best to ameliorate Daybreaker's wrath. Hyperthermia mechanics will be at HALF effect for THIS turn and NEXT turn.)

Spoiler: AN

I'm a bit confused about what people expect us to do in reaction to Daybreaker. Our post-daybreaker plan is pretty clear: get the people we love to short-term safety, and hurry to All-In. What reaction could we have to Daybreaker that enables that BETTER than befriending Baldomare so she will join us on All-In?

Click to shrink...

Well, you asked. Cadance on All In would qualify, I think.

It's been lovely to have this quest back, and to return to that feeling of "There's something I want to express and the best way to do it is by writing it."

I'm not changing my vote. But I think our agency does matter, and we are giving up quite a bit by going on the expedition.

I am excited to see how this turn goes.

 

[DelightedOne]

In Which the Sun wants to rest

It is night, the moon shines its light in the dark skies of Equestria and none fear it will be gone.

Because none care for the Moon like her. The battle she is waging against herself is proof of that.

A battle she continues in her bed at night. This is the pain the Princess of the Sun feels and it won't be healed until she reunites with her sister.

So, for now, she must suffer.

---

You are Princess Celestia and you are fighting to remain that way.

However...


It burns.


It BURNS.


IT BURNS!


IT BURNS!


Is this what Luna felt? Was her own agony like what happened to her sister?


Is this what she endured before their battle, before Nightmare Moon?


If it is, then maybe she deserves this. Maybe this is fair.


Her little ponies don't deserve to be ruled by a monster, not after the Catastrophe that fell upon Equestria.


But it won't stop burning! Her head feels like it is almost splitting open and the heat that she tried to contain has spread to her surroundings.


At least the temperature is going down, even if it is at the speed of a particularly slow snail.


This could have been so much worse, this should have been much worse.


That is why she came. With Cadance.


Velvet Covers, a minor noble who managed to briefly catch your attention once... When you lost your sister again, when Canterlot burned, when Cadance needed somepony to lean on.


She was there.


Just like today.

---

Earlier in the day

Her mane is sparking, orange lines twisting among her collection of colorful strands, consuming it piece by piece.


Whatever calm she had managed to force through her will is slipping away and she knows that soon her very existence as Celestia will slip away and be superseded by the monster in her mind.


As these things tend to go, it won't be as bad as last time, there is nopony here to see what will become of her soon and the vicinity of her rooms are vacant of any who would suffer the brunt of it.


The damage will limit itself to the castle this time, with no pony coming between her future self and what she may want.


Of course, nopony can be right all of the time and fate once again proves that it is against her when the door starts to open with the feeling of a pony's magic she knows well.


[Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has "Alicorn of Love"
trait]

[No negative reaction triggered]

Maybe to see you one last time, if you know her enough it would fit her personality to not want to lose you. It is a shame she will.



But that's not why she is here. The aura surrounding her horn shows use of powerful magic and her posture does not say that she has accepted defeat and for your eyes to be mistaken would be a feat beyond Cadance's guile to achieve.


Especially since she did not come here alone.


[Velvet Covers has "Above All Suspicion" Trait]


[No negative reaction triggered]


A barrier surrounds the unicorn at your door. Protecting her from the heat emanating from everything that makes up your very self.


Velvet Covers accompanies her, surely she must have been informed of what is happening and has decided to help in whatever way she can.


That would make sense.


[Crisis Intervention]

[Cadence's roll: 69 + 20(Diplomacy) +15 (Alicorn) = 104]

[Velvet's roll: 79 + 13(Diplomacy) = 92/2]

[Final result: 104(Alicorn of Love) + 46(Love's Chosen Assistance) = 150]

Your mind isn't clear enough to recall all that she said, but whatever it was, it is enough.


It is enough to make the flames in your mane stop burning as fiercely as they had before this, that they start to flicker out of existence and go back to being part of your mind.


And most important of all, it is enough to make you remember that you can't give up just yet. If not for yourself or Equestria, then for the only pony that would suffer the same for you, so you could see her again, even if it would be the last time.


Which is more than what you thought possible at this point.

---

Back to the night


With that being the only reason why you're still here.



You pull the blanket covering you closer, the one she pulled above you when you refused to get up from your bed and just laid down again.


The way she so brazenly did that makes you think she would go even farther if someone she cared about needed it, if how she behaves with Cadance is any indication.


You think Luna would have liked her, they seem to have similar personalities, they could even have been friends.


As your eyes close, the last thought in your mind is: Would Velvet Covers helped Luna as well, back then?

---

At the Velvet Estate, in Ponyville

After Selene heard about what her mother did she wondered if her sister, Celestia, would need more of her help.


To be more specific, she remembered how her mother's help manifested when she needed it: lesson about life to a filly, each one with a far deeper meaning, that she only truly understands after her awakening.


And she wondered if… If she could make her sister go through the same thing. To craft a dream to keep her safe and sound while she steers the monster away and her mother strengthens her sister, so she can fight it at her best.


No, she would be even greater, what happened to her is proof of that.


But there's much work to be done before that.

Spoiler: Notes

And at long last, my sacrifice for a new daughter for Velvet is complete.

This was not as easy as I thought it would be, but that might also have been because I was more interested in guessing Aine's mechanics and making the ritual to wake her up.

I would not have completed this as fast if it wasn't for the last omake @spiderhellian wrote, I needed an excuse for Velvet to be there so bad but I had none until this:

[] Caddy, I can help. Let's give it one more shot, together. (Velvet and Cadance will roll again, together. If you get very lucky, this may defuse Daybreaker's wrath. If you get somewhat lucky, this may delay Daybreaker's eruption until next turn, at which point you may try again to defuse it. But if you fail, you will be in Daybreaker's sights.)

Click to shrink...

So thanks for that!