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

[spiderhellian]

In Which The Names Have Come to Play.

It's an event Equestria has not seen an at least an era. And even before that, it was a rarity. Perhaps an impossibility -- all the different practitioners so jealously guarded their secrets, and any true cooperation was fraught.

Tonight four Names walk the wake, united behind a single Mare's purpose.

---

Some might find their foe with a detailed stake-out and meticulous research. Others would kidnap a few subordinates, and make them talk, if y'know what's good for ya. But the Name of Secret Histories? She simply walks the streets, and her hooves lead her unerringly to the correct door.

Some might open that well-warded entranceway with a stolen key. Others might subvert someone inside to open up the gates. But the Name of Knock? She picks up her axe, swings it, and both the lock and door surrounding it shatter, and never could this passage again be barred.

Some might lead troops to slaughter those residing inside. Others might toss a few explosives in, and hope the resulting carnage is sufficient. But the Name of Grail? She reminds you that you should never ask a Lady her age, or watch how she eats.

Some might take their foe down with a flurry of blade-strokes, launched in reckless abandon but at least keeping the enemy a few feet away. Others choose, prefer in fact, to get their hands dirty, and take the life in front of them with their own hooves. The Name of Edge? He launches a single dart, which cannot be opposed, by wall or body or eye or brain.

Mercilessly, unstoppably, deliciously, brutally -- one Pony's will is done.

Spoiler: AN

First, you can't really destroy an entire cult in a single attack, that takes place in a single night. Even if you focus on one or two of those points, the other points might scatter and flee. It is disingenuous to expect a perfect and absolute victory.

(Or maybe it is. You are sending quite a few Names, after all. What do I know?)

Click to shrink...

I know this isn't likely to be the case, but, well, a Mare can dream. And Velvet will be spending so much time in bed, and have so much time to dream...

 

[AuthorTransient]

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In Which (S) Collide - Part 5

Velvet: Struggle

Lantern. Forge. Edge. Winter. Heart. Grail. Moth. Knock. And Secret Histories.

Long ago, two lands lived in harmony.

Then, everything changed when the -

...

After Glory-knows how many eons have passed, an estate now serves as a... bridge of sorts, between the two lands.

It is very exclusive and secretive. Very few know of it. Invitation only.

Even fewer know that the estate also has a restaurant.

Or perhaps, it might be said that only one views 'it' as a restaurant.


One night, a starving guest of this estate who had been left out in the cold could no longer stave off her hunger.

Her hostess had been marinating a meal for a while now, and the smell drifting out of the window was making her ravenous.


An Outsider who transformed into a part of this New World, who poured itself into mending the cracks like iridiscent rainbow gold, changing both itself and part of the core of the world.

Who had underwent and survived the Rot of the Worms.

Who had transformed again, and then while in this transformed state mixed and stewed in a broth of Lores, until another state of transformation was reached.

Something never seen before – something never tasted before. Born and reborn and reborn again.


An exotic ingredient thrice alchemized. Lead to gold to crystal mithril.


The smell tunneling into her nostrils ensnares her heart.

And oh, how that causes her to THIRST.


Hence she politely knocked on the door of the owner and, when it opened, asked if she could share the a meal.

She got kicked out.

Like the fillies say nowadays, 'okay'.


She gathered herself together and knocked on the door again. Politely.

This time, the hostess, her meal, and the bellhop all came out to confront her.

So she apologized, gave some compliments to the hostess, and said that she did not mean any offense. She merely -

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

[Multi-combatant fight. Mareinette will only "compete" to wound Luna, but may be wounded by all other combatants]

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30
(Velvet only) ULTIMATE FATE WORKS
Reading the Record: 39 + 26 = 65, 3rd​ Breakpoint Reached

Ally Debuffs:
FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 2 - 20

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 50): 0]

[Current Allies overflow (damage occurs on 100): 84]

Mareinette's Turn. Multiattack.
First Roll: 92 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 20 ('Wire Mother') + 5 ('Blood Meridian') +40 ('An Incandescence')- 5 ('Outnumbered: 1') = 192
Second Roll: 19 + 100 = 119
Third Roll: 14 + 100 = 114
Fourth Roll: 14 + 100 = 114
Fifth Roll: 8 + 100 = 108

Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 92 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 ('Wire Mother') - 20 = 121
Velvet Covers: 48 + 29 + 30 + 30 (Reading the Record) – 20 - 20 = 67
Luna: 37 + 33 (Velvet Support) + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 30 + 10 ('A Sister's Promise) – 20 - 20 = 160

Overflow: Mareinette – 32, Allies - 84

Backend:
Jade Whistle: Dispel FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1: 64 + 21 + 30 - 20 = 95! 1st​ breakpoint reached!
Baldomare: Dispels FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1.

Comet Feet shuts down one head.

The others smash into yours and Selene's hasty shield and you pour your magic and grief and regret into maintaining it -


-- and the shield breaks.


Mareinette's head chomps down and you must have blacked out for a moment, because when your consciousness returns you're with Selene on another part of the battlefield, checking her over with your hooves.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Selene is yelling. "She didn't get me, she didn't get me."

Her coat has been shorn in several places but there's no blood. There's no blood. Your heart seizes in fear and anger regardless.

"Velvet! Focus!"

Comet Feet is circling in the air again, trying to find a weak spot to target, but it's difficult, it's really difficult.


Mareinette doesn't move like a pony made out of flesh and blood. Sometimes she just outright ignores gashes and some of her wounds aren't bleeding anything. Her turns are so sharp that they would break an ordinary pony's spine in half, and when she reaches for something – it's difficult to gauge a 'safe' engagement distance, for she moves without heed to gravity or inertia – sometimes its like the world slopes directly into her jaws and the terrible void behind it, no matter which road you take to avoid it.

As if it's like gravity, or as if she's at the bottom of a cup and everypony is just circling and being attracted to and draining towards the center. For all of you and your allies' skill or experience, there's just not enough time to react to a monster of that size abruptly blinking next to you and lashing out.

Not to mention all of Mareinette's newly grown... add-ons. Tendrils, you mean tendrils. What has been saving Selene has been knowing where your enemy is at all times, your desperate positioning, and your shoring up her gaps – but clearly that's not enough.


Each sweep of Mareinette's hooves sends wild gusts across the battlefield. You blink your sweat and mane out of your eyes -

- the humble guest makes a thoughtful offer about paying for it with her own personal services. Wasn't the hostess satisfied before? With the service provided by her mouth?

The hostess pinks.

The other residents of the currently cramped residence look askance at her.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls

[Multi-combatant fight. Mareinette will only "compete" to wound Luna, but may be wounded by all other combatants]

Ally Buffs:
ILLUMINATION: +30
(Velvet only) ULTIMATE FATE WORKS
Reading the Record: 87 + 26 = 113, 5th​ Breakpoint Reached

Ally Debuffs:
Currently none.

[Current Mareinette overflow (damage occurs on 50): 32]

[Current Allies overflow (damage occurs on 100): 84]

Mareinette's Turn. Multiattack.
First Roll: 94 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 20 ('Wire Mother') + 5 ('Blood Meridian') +40 ('An Incandescence')- 5 ('Outnumbered: 1') = 194
Second Roll: 79 + 100 = 179
Third Roll: 70 + 100 = 170
Fourth Roll: 41 + 100 = 141
Fifth Roll: 32 + 100 = 132

Allies Turn:
Frontend:
Comet Feet: 46 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 30 – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 95
Velvet Covers: 19 + 29 + 30 + 50 (Reading the Record) – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 118
Luna: 8 + 59 (Velvet Support) + 90 (Alicorn Combat: Luna) + 30 + 10 ('A Sister's Promise) – 20 ('Wire Mother') = 177


Overflow: - INTERRUPT!

Despite that, she still refuses. As if she had never sought guidance and help from her! Why, this guest had given enough help to entitle her to at least a bite, surely!

No matter.

Words are her weapon, after all. And with all of them distracted, the guest is now close enough to - !!!


A life given freely – not through an act of death, but through a sacrifice of time – e'er the more powerful.

Now.

Swiftly traversing a thread of the tapestry, a storm unfolding like a bright rose, chasing to place a hoof on that different history -

Maybe in a world that hasn't already been warped – maybe in a history where Mareinette's presence had not already warped the world – this could not happen.


But there are no such things as coincidences.

Spoiler: Combat Rolls Cont.

Alt!Stormchaser: 65 + 10 (Martial) – 20 (Wire) + 30 (lantern) = 85
Luna's Final Combat Roll: 177 + 42 (Supporting Storm) = 219

Overflow: Mareinette – 32, Allies - 109
Mareinette suffers one damage! -100 to Allies' overflow.
FOR THE OLD BLOOD activates x 1!

Backend:
Jade Whistle: Dispel FOR THE OLD BLOOD x 1: 67 + 21 + 30 = 118! Success!
Baldomare: Dispels An Incandescence!

Standing in front of you, as Mareinette charges full-tilt into a hole in the world and is violently expelled into the background somewhere, is Stormchaser. A Stormchaser that is branded.


"Hey, my little horseshoe," he says. "Sorry it took so long."

You give out a strangled wheeze and then immediately hone in on the scent on his breath, "are you drunk?!"

Alt!Stormchaser coughs. "Maybe don't focus on that."


The fucking husband??????????

Then the light turns on behind her.


In the distance, Mareinette is rising again, like a titan in the darkness.

But before she can do anything else, she freezes.

She freezes, because her shadow has been abruptly thrown in front of her by the glare at her rear. By what you had been waiting for, all this time. Like dawn after the night.


"Are you the one who's been hurting my sister out there?" Celestia's voice is a terrible, terrible calm that belies the immense burning fury threatening to explode out of her grasp.

"[MOTH]..."

Spoiler: Contest!

Mareinette: 31+60 = 91

Reroll used! 28 + 60 = 88!

Reroll used! 61 + 60 = 121!

Velvet: 33 + 12 + 20 + 60 ('Beyond All Suspicion') = 125!

"I'm going to fucking kill you now."


The Horse of the Sun has arrived.

Spoiler: THE WIRE MOTHER (Unofficial, as of Part 5)

Health: 25/50 (highballed)

Temporary Health: 0/5

[ONE WHO IS VERY GREAT]: Mareinette is willing to offer you Sacraments in the Lores of Grail and Heart, should you fulfill her requirements.

[OUR LADY OF WIRES]: Mareinette is immune to the effects of "Monstrous Appearance".

[HONORED GUEST]: Mareinette can "step in" on Velvet's horseshoes, and perform social actions in her stead even if only Velvet should have been able to perform them. (HOWEVER, see "Old Intelligence")

[WEIGHT OF PRESENCE]: Mareinette grants a full level up to the Secret Library for her preferred Lores.

[OLD INTELLIGENCE]: If Mareinette is alone while performing a social action, and a vote is offered, she will instead pick the vote based on what she thinks is best. (This will be based on her personal knowledge of you, as well as her loyalty. This trait can be either positive or negative, depending on interpretation.)

[MONSTROUS APPEARANCE]: Cannot be used for Social Actions. (Immune)

[PROUD]: Will refuse to cast any rituals that do not involve Grail or Heart.

[THE SECOND BIRTH]: Mareinette may choose to sacrifice a tremendous amount of health to immediately break her summoner's bindings. (Used.)

[NEVER ASK A LADY HER AGE]: Mareinette may elect to hide some of her characteristics from you. (She certainly is hiding her health, and she may be hiding other negative traits or skills.)

[THE SUBTLE KISS]: Mareinette may hide attacks as completely harmless kisses, pats, smiles, or intimate glances, though they still require combat rolls. Targets may make an intrigue check to realize that damage was done after each successful attack. This compounds with OUR LADY OF WIRES.

[BLOOD MERIDIAN]: Mareinette may spend a combat action to consume the last traces of life and experience from a victim who has been brought to zero hit points to recover 5 hitpoints. This also gives her a temporary bonus of +5 to rolls per life consumed this way until the Turn ends. This action can be interrupted, upon which She loses the action. This action cannot be used while She already has more than Her maximum hit points.

[GRAIL OVERFLOW]: Mareinette may gain temporary hit points above Her hit point total, up to 5.

[SAPPING FLESH]: Combat rolls targeting Mareinette must reach an overflow of 100 or higher to harm Her.

[PUPPET OF THE RED SANDS]: Mareinette does not suffer from any status of being 'Wounded'.

[WIRE MOTHER]: Mareinette gains +20 in combat against any entity that can be considered to have a mother and they have a -20 malus when targeting her.

[UNQUENCHABLE THIRST]: For every turn in the Wake, Mareinette will seek out a Grail sacrifice and consume it.

[FOR THE OLD BLOOD]: Whenever Mareinette loses hit points, all targets in the vicinity suffer a cumulative -10 to rolls as the blood spilled intoxicates and causes hallucinations.

[ALL-CONSUMING NAME]: When Mareinette consumes a living being, their existence disappears from memories. Characters may figure out something is wrong (strange clothes that they would never wear, an empty room with paraphernalia) but it is more likely that they would simply fill in any discpreancies by themselves.

[Other traits negative, unknown]

Spoiler: Author's Notes

Made a small edit to the Reproach interlude. Will be editing links in later. I hope this update and all of its cheeky little references help.

You are not alone.

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[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

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

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

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

You have gained the mundane trait "Security Detail".

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

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





- - -

- - -

- - -





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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

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

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

"I will do it, mother."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ah, you misunderstood…

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

Instead, she is apologizing for…

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

She says that.



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



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

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

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



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



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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But the moment you meet her gaze once again-



-your veins begin to burn with POISON.



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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Do it," you say.

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



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

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



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

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

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

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

You know that.

So why…

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

It hurts. It really hurts. IT. HURTS.

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

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

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

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

Because how…

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

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

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

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

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



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



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

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

Yes, that was the answer to your question.

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

Power.

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

…

Yes… yes. This will do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In truth, you know that…





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

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

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

And she has no intention of failing you.

More to follow.

 

[Sveta08]

So, this is a thing, or an idea rather, that's been sitting in my brain as I've read back over some of the chapters. And given this is both the start of a turn, so one of the more impactful moments, but after actions can be readily made, it would be a good time for it.

And, given that for the first time, Selene called Velvet Mother, it refused to leave me. Rattling the cage of my mind, demanding it make itself heard. Mom and Mother are not used interchangeably in this quest. So, have this thought, and a realization I've had reading through



In which a teacher thinks of Mothers and Mares

---

In every good teachers' life, there comes a moment. Well, many moments really.

Moments that sift those who are willing to do their duty, and those who go above and beyond. When the student you are working with needs an extra push, or a touch of encouragement. Or when they might need be pulled aside and spoken to privately. Honestly, with how things have been going you are thankful that some of those seem to have passed you by with this class.

Moments too that would tug at your heart. Reaffirm your belief. Seeing the frustration on somepony's brow melt away into understanding. Seeing somepony looking up and realizing they are following you, honestly and earnestly listening to you. Moments of excitement and elation, sharing in on the joy as a little foal finally attains their cutie mark and finds part of their place in the world. And a lucky few who when they look to you and thank you, you see the truth of it in their eyes. In their youthful directness.

Plenty of moments. Good and bad.



You are Cheerilee. And you are doing your best to pretend one of those moments didn't happen.
But, your students are certainly making that difficult for you.

"Snaaaaails! Why'd you have to say that?!"
"... Wha'dja mean?"
"Oh, you know what I mean!"
"... no? I was just thanking Miss Cheerilee."

You are at least thankful your students can't see you roll your eyes when looking at the blackboard. Snips whisper would be more at home on a stage than in the middle of fractions. Though, given his cutie mark, maybe he comes by it honest? Could certainly see about that come this fall's theater production. Miss Rarity has been too busy dealing with her own business to help you out with costuming after all. All the more pity.

Refraining from shaking your head, the next few minutes will be a careful game of a teacher's selective hearing and corralling fillies and colts to pay attention to math. A few more numbers hashed out on the board, a firm tap of your hindhoof when Tiara's giggling grew too loud. Some blissful ignorance as Snips chides his friend. But, to you, it is simply another day.

After all, it's not the first time one of your students has called you Mom. With any hope, when you hand out the worksheets, it will be all forgotten by everyone.
Save you, of course.



It's no wonder, really.
With how many hours they spend with you here. With how young they are, and how rarely they tend to see other adult mares treat them like little ponies. It just slips out before they even realize it. Maybe in Snails's case, if they do at all.

But really, it's a mark of honor you think. A badge you wear, silently, proudly. That your little ponies feel safe here. At home under your guidance. Willing and able and ready to learn and grow from you. That they feel... comforted? No, maybe that's the wrong word.
But that they feel that way, here? With you?
It's a mark that they don't even realize they give. One that says to you, they feel at ease here. That they will listen. Because...
Because that's not always the case. Not just with you.

There are many moments in a teacher's career that stick with them.
Yes, the good to be certain. The looks of realization, the moments of wonder, the questionsns with earnest curiosity, the joy of finding ones' destiny, yes. And you do well to hold onto them. To remember them.
Because those are not the only moments that stick with you.



... You remember the one time Diamond Tiara called you mom. Not only because it was any different than any other. Goodness, how much you wish it could have been during a class teaching history of the far east or during a lesson about the pegasais' role in the cycle of seasons. Maybe during long division, or a lesson on geography and it would have been forgotten. Just another memento of your good stewardship of them, held onto and forgotten over the months to follow.

But you do remember what day it was. The day teachers fear more than the parents involved. And that students of all walks dread.
Parent Teacher Confrence.

If it had been any other time, you are certain Silver Spoon would have giggled. Snips would shoot some sort of joke back. It would fall flat and Tiara would retort. Apple Bloom would try to mend the difference, and life would move on.
You wouldn't have had to see the soft look on Filthy Richs' face as he closed his eyes. Bracing. Or had to see little look in Tiara's eyes as she realized just what she said.
Or had to see the glassy sharp smile Spoiled Rich gave.
You wouldn't have had to continue on like nothing had changed. Wouldn't have had to pretend to miss the tension that ran through all of them.

You can still hear her. Hadn't even closed the door for long enough to let out your breath when she spoke. The words were bad enough, but the tone...
'That mare is not your family. I am. I am your mother.'
More words were shared. And for a blessed mercy, you did not hear them. But Diamond...

Well. It was the one, and only time Diamond Tiara called you mom.



Maybe if you paid attention, you would see how you stopped writting mother on your letters home. If you had reason to, maybe you would look and see the divide between the two words that had spawned because of it. One of comfort and trust. One of responsibility and obligation. Certainly if you put your time into it, you could say why in words that were clear and sharp and clever ways to hide the simple truth of it.

But... you never noticed it. Too busy with the rest of the facts of life.
Lessons needed to be planned. Children needed to be cared for. Rivalries needed to be headed off. Competition needed to be encouraged.
And above all else... even as the rest of Equestria seems beset by monsters and the unknown...

As long as this little schoolhouse is your schoolhouse?
It will be safe for them. Even when nowhere else will be.


Hopefully...
Hopefully.

 

[AuthorTransient]

1 2 3 4 J R 5 S​

In Which (S) Collide - Interlude: Spark

Spoiler: Author's Notes

This one is a bit long, so I've hidden it under a spoiler. Also, I've ran out of buffer. Next update may only come out on December. Also, Pinkie's speech is in FF4DA6.

---

Spoiler

Meet​	Fine and Dandy​
"Will you help her?"
	"Yes, I will."
"Just like that?"
	"I would help her in any universe. Because I'm her friend."
In her stories, everything turns out alright in the end. Reality is not as kind. It is messy and complicated. Isn't that right, --- ? A unicorn without a horn opens her eyes to an empty ceiling awash in merciless light. To be so bright already... she had overslept again. Some bits of her felt guilty about that, as if she was dishonoring the memory of Spike. Most of her didn't care. It was difficult to care about anything nowadays. ...the bed was cold. She felt both listless and exhausted. Empty, or perhaps hollow. As if everything that made her 'her' had been emptied and scooped out, and everything that remained was just a hollow shell. The world felt the same, as if all of its colors had been bled out of it. Like another hollow shell. ...words weren't working. She just wanted to sleep and never wake up. Sleeping isn't the problem. The dreams are. In her restless dreams she sees -- Firmly and carefully, she pulls her mind away from that line of thought. Whatever happened, has happened. There's no point thinking about what-ifs. Too many times she had indulged herself and fell into an even worse slump. She is still alive. She has to eat, she has to drink, she has to sleep. Her throat hurts. She'll take care of that later. Let her lie here for a little while more. Just a bit longer. She turns her head to the side instead, but finds only an empty table and empty chairs. A huff of breath escapes her nostrils. Whoever impersonated her didn't do a very good job. Dust was already gathering upon it, but she still couldn't bring herself to get up. Later. Just... maybe later. The rest of her room is, objectively, a mess. The shelves haven't been dusted. Books sit in dusty piles, unused and unmoved. Her floor is filled with dust, and the curtains have been drawn since she can remember. But she still can't bring herself to clean it. She just feels tired, all the time. There's nobody around to clean it up and nobody around to badger her into cleaning it up. Sometimes it feels like she's an island on a sea, and everything was just going on without her. She no longer broke out into song. She just tried hard not to cry. Sleep beckoned out to her again (a world without hurt) but if its this bright already, she shouldn't. She needs to eat something and drink something, at least. Keep her body healthy. Although she didn't really care, Spike would be sad. Princess Celestia would be... Princess Celestia might just not care. But Spike... Her nose sours. Abruptly her temper erupts. Why did Luna have to die? Why did the changelings have to destroy everything? Why did Celestia leave her alone to waste away? Most of all, why is she still so useless?!! She reaches out to smash something, anything, into the floor. But nothing happens. Ah. That's right. Twilight Sparkle doesn't have a horn. What use is a Unicorn without a horn? Can Twilight Sparkle really call herself Twilight Sparkle without her magic? Just as suddenly as it arrived, the anger drains out of her. She gets up instead and then nearly falls off the bed when the ground shudders. The alarm clock jumps and falls at her hooves, coincidentally at an angle for her to read. ...what? For a moment, she can only stare in incomprehension, because the clock states it's in the middle of the night. She looks up to where even the drawn curtains can hardly block out the light. Huh? Did Princess Celestia - ? No, that's impossible. But her current condition - ? For a moment, her brain kicks back into gear. It's familiar how quickly she gets back into the groove, like a river finding its way back into the sea, spilling into familiar canyons. It makes her nauseated. It makes her want to puke. And some of the canyons aren't familiar. Not since - She presses her back against the wall, closing her eyes for a temporary relieve of oblivion, trying to stem the tide of thoughts. But the light. It spills. It spreads. It illuminates. The ground shakes again. If this was one of her adventure books, this would be a call to adventure. But... but she can't. Not anymore. Not without her horn, not without anyone to call upon (can she even call them her friends?), not without... But she will never see or hear Spike again. And no missive from Princess Celestia comes. Yet, the light... it is still so bright. It reminds her of... it reminds her of before everything started to go wrong. When everything started to go wrong. Her mind goes numb. It goes foggy. Isn't it better to stare in silence than think about that again? Better to just not think... to just drift away? To just run away from all of her problems? Do you really want to hurt again? ... But some part of her refuses. Slowly, she pulls herself together and heads for the door. Each movement, each step, feels like an ordeal. At once, part of her wants to break out into a sprint and another part of her wants to go back to bed. But more importantly, most of her wants to open the door. Which she does, coming up face-to-face with Fluttershy, of all ponies, her hoof raised and about to knock. She blinks. "Fluttershy? What's going on?" "You need to come with us, Twilight," Fluttershy says. "There's a monster at the Velvet Estate and I think... I think only Harmony can defeat it." Velvet. Velvet again. She can still remember seeing her face in that dark room, telling her that she was sorry, and that her friends would come for her. But in the end, that didn't happen, did it? It was Velvet again. Always Velvet. But even that thought can't really spark any embers in her chest. She just feels even more wrung out. "I'm not going to help, Fluttershy." In response, Fluttershy simply looks at her. Softly. Gently. Kindly. It feels a bit like burning, but even that can't really overcome the exhaustion she feels. Instead, she tries to communicate her feelings, her doubts, and that relentless exhaustion to Fluttershy without saying a word. Suddenly, it feels like there's a lump in her throat. "I can't." She forces out. "Look at me!" Fluttershy does. "How am I supposed to do anything? How am I supposed to be a bearer of Harmony if I can't even use magic! How am I to - " - to her horror, she can feel her eyes burning - " - to believe in friendship? When I don't even have any friends?!" And Fluttershy... Fluttershy doesn't say anything. Fluttershy doesn't even say anything. She continues, "I don't have Spike, Princess Celestia doesn't care about me, and, and...! And none of you ever come to visit!" She takes a step forward and yells hoarsely, "tell me! How am I supposed to believe in Friendship and Harmony???!!!!!" The silence that follows is deafening. "Whatever is happening, I don't care." She lies. "I'm too sick and tired to deal with anything. Esquestria can rot and burn to death for all I care. Just... leave me alone." She retreats backwards and closes the door. Then, shuddering, she collapses to the floor and cries. Dear Celestia, I'm such a mess, aren't I? But no... even Celestia doesn't care about me anymore. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, if you're out there... Spike... "Oh, Harmony. What am I supposed to do?" As her prayer softly dispersed, a solemn silence settled over her surroundings like a blanket of snow. For a moment that could have been anywhen between a second and forever, she was left with the bliss of being alone, even from her own thoughts. As if punctuating that question, there's a knock on the door. She raises her head to look at it, slowly. Just as she was wondering if she had misheard, there's a second knock. Then a third. Hurriedly, she wipes away her tears and slams open the door. "I told you – " On the other side was Pinkie Pie. "Hiiii!!!!!!!" She waved. "Can we come in? I brought a friend." "You're not here to convince me to go and help?" "No? Why would I do that?" Befuddled, she let them in. "Nice place!" Pinkie remarked, unfolding a large rug on the floor. "We'll just give him some time to set up." "Some time to set up what?" She coughed, trying to clear her throat. "Why, to let you see Spike again, of course!" Her motions slowed, disbelieving, as Pinkie rattled on. "Took me a few favors, and I had to part with some of my shiny things, but..." "Hold on, Pinkie. Let me see if I'm hearing you right," she said, stepping a bit closer. "You're letting me see Spike again? How?" The 'he's dead' sat unspoken like a, well, like a giant purple dragon in the middle of the room. "Why, through the power of friendship, of course! And umm..." Pinkie began, tapping her hoof on her chin. "I don't really get it myself, but I can tell you a story about it!" She side-eyed the other pony in the room, who was doing something to the windows that was somehow preventing the light from coming in. "Please." "Okay! So, imagine that there's a cat in a box." She nodded. "And we put a little bottle of manticore poison in there." "Pinkie, this isn't helping my concerns." "I'm getting there! Ok, so that poison bottle has a fifty-fifty chance of tipping over. Like a coin flip. So..." She drew the question out. "What happens to the cat when you close the box?" "It dies?" "Nope! It's either dead or alive!" The voice that chimes in sounds deeply eccentric, exceptionally so, as if the words zig-zag and zip around in the air. "No, that's wrong again." The other pony comes up alongside them, casting another cursory glance around the house. "It's - " " - both," Twilight Sparkle finished, straightening up a little as her worldview shifted to fit this new enlightenment. "It is both dead and alive until the box is opened. An uncertainty principle, a paradox space, a coin flipping infinitely in a vacuum." "Exactly," said the friend of Pinkie Pie. "And what we, or rather I, have just done, is close every entrance in your house, except for the front door. And when I've done that, your house will be - ?" "A closed box." "That's right. Wow, you got that Wasn't quickly! You have a knack for this. In fact, Pinkie, I think I may like your friend even more than I do you." "WHAT?!" Pinkie gasped in faux outrage. "How dare you! Why, I oughta - " "Why are you doing this?" At her blink of confusion, she clarified, "why are you... helping me, Pinkie?" Pinkie Pie smiled at her. "Why, because I'm your friend, of course!" "Really?" "Really, really. It's alright, Twilight. I just noticed that you haven't really been laughing a lot, lately. Which is kind of sad! So I took it upon myself to fix that!" "I guess you would know." Pinkie Pie reached out and took her hoof and said, softer, "it's going to be fine. I can promise you that." "Promise?" "Cross my heart." "Ok. Thank you... friend." Pinkie Pie smiled and closed the door, which was then sealed. She breathed, then breathed a little more. When she turned around, she saw a pattern of three concentric circles placed on an eye-searingly pink rug in the middle of her living room (or perhaps, it was the pattern itself that was eye-watering). Her furniture and books and shelves had already been moved to one side. "Okay," she breathed again, "so what do I do now?"
"Are you ready?"
	"Ready."
"Okay then, here goes!"
As if in answer, a rose-tinted light washes over the room.	The clock face freezes in motion and begins to glow a golden light until it can't be read.

Then a glimmering circular portal resolves in the middle of the room. Its insides are somewhat blurry, as if being viewed through a foggy translucent mirror. But she doesn't really care for that, does she? "Hey, Twilight." Spike says. "I came to see you." He's larger than she remembers. "Hi," she said, not really knowing how to answer. Instead, she reached out… and felt her hooves press against a blank barrier. Her face fell. "Sorry," Spike apologised. "Neither of us can cross over. We can only talk, and even then, not for a lot of time because the air will run out." What was the point of even doing this, then? Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Spike apologized again. "Don't do that. Don't apologize. This was my fault, from the beginning," she said. "I don't think it is." Spike denied. "It was just… bad luck, that's all. You wanted to believe in Princess Celestia, didn't you?" "Not if the cost was you! Not if the cost was so much. If it was just me that suffered, maybe – but not you! Why did I have to lose you?" To her horror, she can feel tears spilling out over her face, but it feels so very distant, like a puppeteer observing their puppet yet still has to speak around the lump in her throat. "I couldn't save you; I brought you there but I couldn't save you. I really fucked it up this time." She dissolved into messy sobbing. "Sorry, I just – I just. I couldn't save you, Spike! I'm so sorry!" "Hey, hey, it's okay," he said. "I'm sorry too." "I told you to stop apologizing (hic). It's not your fault." "But it's not your fault too, remember? It was an accident. We didn't know what was going to happen. We were all just trying to do the right thing." "But the right thing cost you! And I – " She started sobbing even harder. "And I pushed away all my friends, because it hurt so much, and I - ! I don't know! I just feel like a very bad pony! And a very bad friend to you!" Something in Spike's voice firms. "If you were a bad friend for taking me with you, then I was a bad friend for not stopping you." "What – no, Spike! I brought you there!" "And? I should have stopped you, right?" Sharply, he gestured. "If you bringing me there made you a bad friend, then I also am a bad friend to you, for not stopping you there, for not raising my suspicions about that letter… for not wanting to break your heart." "But Spike, you didn't know!" "And you didn't know either! So we're both bad friends!" She didn't know how to answer that. Finally, Spike said, "but we're still friends. Twilight Sparkle, you're still my friend. I would help you in every universe." "Even after I hurt you?" "Even then. Despite everything that has happened, I'm still your friend." She looked down for a while. Laying on the barrier like this, she could almost imagine his warmth permeating through the cold. "I've missed you." "I miss you too." Outside, a song is starting. Spoiler: Music View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C8QmvcK0RA&pp=ygUbc2lsZW50IHJ1bm5pbmcgYnJlYWtpbmcgb3V0 'Take the children and yourself, and hide out in the cellar.' The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddle closely together, hiding under several blankets. Sweetie Belle closes her eyes and presses her hooves together, praying. 'By now, the fighting will be close at hand.' At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack lifts her hoof, feeling the way the earth shakes, the trees quiver, and her barrels of apples jump. Her eyes narrow. 'Don't believe the church and state, and everything they tell you.' Beyond Reproach is yelling and directing the evacuation, holding his Luna Bureau badge tightly in the air. 'Believe in me! I'm with the high command!' 'Can you hear me?' In a flash of rainbow light, Rainbow Dash alights to meet with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie outside the library. 'Can you hear me running, can you hear my calling you?' 'Can you help me?' And finally, a unicorn without a horn is looking at her friend, even as the ground shudders once more. 'Can you hear me? Can you hear me running! Can you hear me running – can you hear my calling you?' For a moment, silence descended again, so heavy that she could hear her own heart pounding. Spike begins, "the city doesn't know what's coming, she doesn't feel the heat." She raises her head. "The city won't know what hit her, what knocks her out into the streets." Her voice joins in, "the city is thinking that it's over, and she's already fast asleep. So I'm breaking out of here tonight." A wordless yell of defiance. "I have to be ready!" "Can I really do this?" She asks. "Twilight Sparkle, if you put your brilliant mind to it, you can do anything." He offers. "Plus or minus the power of friendship." She begins again, "we're given what we need, only the chance to survive." Spike joins in: "Even then it's a coin toss, a roll of the dice." She yells back, "there's got to be something better! Something that feels more alive." "So you're breaking out of here tonight?" "I'm breaking out of here!" "You've got to feel it girl! Feel the wind pick up!" Spike yells. As if on cue, a gust of wind rustles through the pages. "It feels like something's got to change!" She returns, "there's no use putting wings to a job if all the wills are stuck!" The wind picks up even further in her cottage, as if in howling. "But there's something wrong here!" The song echoes. "Like this whole city wants to scream, but no one makes a sound! You've got to feel it breaking!" Her teeth grits. "So I'm going to find out what it is! And I'm going to tear it down!" A lull. Spike solemnly nods at her, then smiles. "The ending's running heavy, we don't have time for goodbyes." At her step forward, he shakes his head and professes, "you know you can't come with me, though I see that look in your eyes." "..." He smirks. "So just kiss me fast, 'cause we don't have time to lose." "Oh my Sun, Spike - " "If you leave the light on, I'll come back for you." She nods back. "When everything is said and done, I swear I'm going to make it right." "So I'm breaking out of here tonight!" She reaffirms to herself, looking down at her hooves. "So I'm breaking out of here tonight!" The 'echoes' join in, "so I'm breaking out of here tonight!" The door slams open and Twilight Sparkle steps out, singing, "I'm breaking out of here tonight!" "I'm so tired of giving up, I'm so tired of giving in." She says to her friends. "You wake up knowing things should change, not knowing where to begin. This city won't say where she's going and she won't speak of where she's been. So I'm breaking out of here tonight." They chorus: "Break out." And all around them, they can hear the ponies of Ponyville, and maybe even all of the ponies of Esquestria, coming together to chorus: "don't turn your back on the city!" Their voices rising, they sing again, "oooooh - ! Don't turn your back on the city!" Silky Stream and Soft Sweeps, running in the darkness, collide into the light and into the Cutie Crusaders. 'Say a prayer for all the children still sleeping!" Stormchaser ducks under a blow. 'Say a prayer for all the fathers who still remember.' Selene and Velvet Covers and Celestia tag team Her Lady of Wires. 'Say a prayer for all the girls who learned to stand up!' And in an open box, Spike closes his eyes, smiling, as the portal fades away. 'Say a prayer for all the boys who won't surrender!' Now, as the entirety of the Mane 6 run together with Twilight Sparkle at the head, she admits, "sometimes I just want to strive until the streets run out, wanted to burn until there's nothing left to burn and burn." Then, she turns her head to the side, to her friends, and tacks on, "but this city's waiting for a better day. When I get back there'll be hell to pay! BUT IF I'M THE ONLY ONE STANDING, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL!!" "I'm breaking out of here tonight!" They yell together. "I feel a fever coming on – leaving me out of control!" "And I have nothing but this steady – for reals there's been nothing of the city, or the rodeo!" The song thunders on before them and around them as they harmonize. "If you can hear my voice outside these walls!" 'If you can hear me!' "If you can hear me singing out – this message tonight!" 'Wooah!' "Then break the silence, send a signal back!" 'If you can hear me!' "I'm coming, all I need is a little guiding light!" Then, dawn breaks on the horizon, the golden glow of Princess Celestia now unmistakably there with the yellow light. "If you can hear me! Don't turn your back on the city!" And as their voices reach her, she disengages to look back in all of her winged glory. They call out, "break the silence send a signal back!" When she doesn't, they call out again, "don't turn your back on the city! Break the silence, send a signal back!" And this time, Princess Celestia of Esquestria flares. It's like coming home. Twilight Sparkle grins. "I'm coming, all I need is a little guiding light!" "Don't turn your back on the city!" They echo and she yells triumphantly. "Don't turn your back on the city!" She calls out with all her might: "I'm coming! All I need is a little guiding light!" 'If you can hear me! If you can hear me! If you can HEAR ME!" Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic, with her friends and Harmony, exults: "Don't turn your back on the city!" Sometimes, all it takes is a spark to get a fire going.

1 2 3 4 J R 5 S​

 

[Shaper47]

For Harmony and Love! – A Princess Cadance Quest​

Spoiler: Music

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfvyM37hZ9s&list=OLAK5uy_nyGJM9Zngrx_wjS_Qv-rWcfpyEobqS1iM&index=6&ab_channel=Aurelleah-Topic

You are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

The Moonlight shines down through the window reflecting off the crystals to bathe the dark room in a silver glow.

And tonight you are in your room alone.

"Auntie Luna, you told me not to cry"

For Shinning is busy and your dear friend Velvet…

"But it's so hard;"

Your gaze returns to the letter…

"Ev'ry day that passes by"

The letter letting you know that her condition has worsened.

"Tears more at my heart"

Your tears flow down your face glittering with sliver light as they fall

"Velvet Covers, I know you meant your best"

You think of the warmth she gave to you

"When you stood your ground;"

The warmth of love that radiated from her like a burning fire. The warmth of her sweet embrace.

"Without your heartfelt sacrifice"

Yet you can't help but remember how cold she was.

"Your family might no longer stand"

Ashes of a once mighty fire

You turn your face from the letter and trot over to the painting.

The painting you have of her beautiful face.

And as you see the image of her so like your memories something within you lurches.

"But it still hurts, waking up without you here"

She is so worried that it hurts.

"Even spells can't quell the fear;"

That the one she loves might be taken from her like so many others have.

"That I might not get to see your face"

That the image on the painting or her memories might be the only way to see her loves face.

"Or fall asleep held in your embrace, ever again"

That she might not feel the warm hooves of her beloved holding her close. Two heartbeats beating united side by side.

"Or hear you listen to me"

To have her by your side, somepony you love that will listen and give advice without judging you for your weaknesses.

"About my hopes, my fears, my dreams;"

A friend that gives you strength when you find yourself with none of your own.

"But although it's been so long my hope still runs strong"

A love more steady then the ground beneath your hooves.

"So I'll keep going on…"

Because how can you ever truly fall if she is there to catch you.

…

For an instant your mind turns to the duties you have.

The crushing weight of your responsibilities as a Princess.

"My Wings will carry the weight"

That which keeps you from your love.

"No matter how much they ache;"

But no matter how your heart aches you place your trust in Luna.

"And I will never stop waiting for word"

In the flickering candle of hope that burns within you.

"For signs of your return"

Because you can't let it go. Can't let her go.

Because if there's any hope even just a glimmer you'll be holding on.

Because you believe in the two of you together.

You believe in her promise

"And if, the darkness would come"

For if your fears of something taking her away were to be.

"And claim the hope that spurs me on;"

For if she was to leave you.

"How am I to spend all of my days, without you."

What would you do?

"The one who made my life…

Without your love?

"A life worth fighting for."

Without Velvet Covers?




The tears continue to fall down your cheeks.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

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

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

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

You are Selene.

And right now, you are in your little sister's room.

"Promise you will come back?" she asks.

You can tell from her voice that she is still scared. You can tell that, even now, she is still hoping you will change your mind, and that you will just cancel the "trip" you told her you need to go on.

And then, of course, there is her choice of words. Silky Stream herself is probably too young to realize what she said. But the way she asked that question… it doesn't feel like she is asking if you will be back soon. It feels like she is asking if you will be back at all.

But of course, there is only one answer to that question.

"I'll be back before you know it," you say, giving her one last hug.

She doesn't really have her heart on it, as she hugs you back. And that does cause yet another pang of guilt to flare inside your chest. But there is nothing you can do but add it to the pile, as you tell her to sleep well.

And before you let go of her, you light up your horn. Moments later, the weak hug of the filly becomes entirely limp, and she is deep in her sleep as you cover her with her blankets.

"I promise," you whisper to her, before you turn to leave her room.

And by the time you close the door behind you, you are not Selene anymore.



- - -



You are not Selene anymore.

Your name doesn't really matter. If anypony asks, you will call yourself Midnight Breeze, or something along those lines.

But there is no reason for anypony to approach you. There is no reason for anypony to even look at you. After all, you are just a unicorn mare, with a short mane and dull-grey coat the color of cement. You look like a perfectly ordinary and boring pony, and you have a perfectly ordinary and boring cutie mark on your flank.

There is no reason for anypony to talk to you. There is no reason for anypony to look at you for more than a few seconds. You don't have the "formal" training to make other ponies' gazes pass right over you, but you have more than enough skill (and a healthy understanding of how ponies think) to know how to hide in plain sight like this.

However, the most important change, you dare say, is the one that took place inside your mind. More than just the mere illusion you have around your body, you have done something far more impactful to prepare yourself for this. And that thing is…

That you are not Selene anymore.

Is this a true and deep change? Is this just a mask? Could it be that this is just a state of focus and concentration, that you talked yourself into believing is more complicated than it really is? You don't know.

But it doesn't really matter.

All that matters is that, right now, you are not the adopted filly who was taken into a loving home.

And you are not that ancient Princess who fell while defending her ponies.

You are something else. A bit of both, and a bit of neither. Because Selene, the filly, would be too young and innocent to want to do this. And Luna, the Princess, would have the requisite self-control to hold these thoughts back.

But you are neither of those two ponies.

You are mature enough to know… to want to do this, and you have the discipline to see it through.

You are going to answer violence with violence.

And you are going to kill a pony who gained not only your enmity, but also your contempt.



"Ah, quite the curious expression you have on your face."



Those are the first words you hear, the moment you arrive at Ponyville's train station.

The place is nearly empty. And the midnight train that will take you to Canterlot, and then to your final destination, has not yet arrived at the platform. But still, to nopony's surprise, there is somepony waiting for you there.

It is, of course, one of the "guests" of your house.

It is Biedde, the old-looking stallion who, for some mind-boggling reason, looks completely harmless.

"From that expression alone, one would think that you have already done something like this before," he says, tipping his cap to you as you make your way towards him.

And his words finally make you realize that, this whole time, you had a scowl on your face.

Still, the old stallion continues to speak, as if his previous comment had just been an idle thought.

"Well, our train should be arriving shortly. This town is still too small to have a direct line to anywhere other than the capital, but making a detour through a central hub is barely an inconvenience," he says, taking a pair of train tickets and passing one of them to you. "And the other preparations are already complete."

You accept the train ticket with a short nod.

Under normal circumstances, you would have asked him several more questions. After all, his words just now were at best vague, and at worst misleading. Furthermore, you have not heard anything about your other… well, you will call them "companions" for now. So, of course you would like to know where they are, and when they will be joining you.

But for some reason, the old stallion's words are more than enough for you.

Biedde told you the preparations are complete, so they can only be complete. And you will not need to worry about anything until the time comes for you to make a decision.

"Thank you," you say, more out of habit than anything else. Because for all that the old stallion gives you a grateful nod, you know that he…

Well, you thank him anyways.

And minutes later, you hear the whistle of an approaching train coming from the distance.



- - -



[Expedition: Assault an opponent – Copper Secateur]

[Day 1]



It has been a few days since your mother did… something, that gave you authority over the "guests" of your house.

Of course, you know the words. You know what you should really call this. For some reason, the explanation for this mystery comes as naturally to you as breathing. As if the information had been fed to your mind, through whatever actions your mother did.

So, you know what really happened. You know that you were given the "bindings" of these four pony-like creatures. You know that, the same way you learned several other things besides, such as the fact that they are not ponies to begin with.

However, you are still resisting the idea of taking this knowledge as an absolute truth. Or rather, you are being very careful not to fall into the trap of believing these ideas in your mind are everything there is to know about this.

After all, you don't rightly know where this knowledge came from. Which means you don't know if the knowledge you have is complete, or if there are crucial details you were not given.

Still, it has been a few days since you gained these "bindings". You only departed to your mission last night, but you have spent the last few days trying your best to understand your newfound… connection, with these four pony-like creatures.

Because that is what you have with them now. A connection. A link. One that is made of magic, but not the kind of magic that resonates with your horn. A thread that runs through a dream that, maddeningly, you have no access to or authority over.

You can't wait for your mother to finally sit down with you and give you a proper lesson about these things. But you understand that isn't possible right now, and that it won't be for the foreseeable future. So, you only have your observations to go from.

And the things you have learned are… very interesting, to say the least.



"A bit of a waste to climb all the way up this mountain. But given how this is the beating heart of your country, I suppose it is inevitable."



Biedde says that as the train finally leaves the Canterlot central station. The two of you are sharing a cabin, and the old stallion has been voicing some idle remarks every now and then throughout this trip.

However, the two of you did not really have a full conversation this entire time. Ever since you left Ponyville and took the train to Canterlot at midnight, up until now as the sun begins to rise while your train departs to Manehattan, you have not truly spoken to the stallion. And that is because…

… well, there is no other way to say it.

The more time you spend with the old stallion, the more cautious you feel about him.

The "bindings" that you have over Biedde are… well, they are all unique in their own way, but his seem to be the coldest. Or maybe the hardest? The most solid? It is hard to describe that ethereal feeling with words.

But still, the best way you can describe your "grip" over Biedde is to call it a chain. Having him bound to you feels like having a chain tied to one of your legs. It is something that you are acutely aware of, at all times, and it is also something that you feel will make you trip and fall if you are not careful about it.

Because sure, on one hoof you realize that they are bound to you. And that if you pull on the bindings, they will either follow or be forced to leave.

However, despite that, you can't shake the feeling that his relationship with you is different. It is a subtle thing. One that is based more on instinct than anything else. But still, you can't stop thinking that, if you are not very careful, the day might come when this chain tied to your leg will simply stop moving. And you will realize too late that you are now bound to him.

You know he looks old, and mindful, and even harmless. You know he might be willing to play the part of the "employee", as he calls himself.

But the same way nopony can bring themselves to be rude to him… the same way you realize that you won't really be able to force him to obey you, if he refuses to follow one of your orders… you also realize that…

… you also realize that this old stallion is very, very dangerous.

But he isn't dangerous just because he is deadly.

He is dangerous because, despite all this, you don't know what he is hiding. You don't know why he is doing any of this.

Your mother told you, warned you, that he is a very deliberate and methodical stallion. So, the fact that you don't even know what kind of game he is playing means you are already behind.

"Why… are you traveling with me?" you finally ask, not being able to keep your questions inside your head anymore.

You ask that as the train gathers speed, leveraging gravity and the downward spiral of Mount Canterlot to race towards Manehattan.

And in response, the stallion just looks towards you, the faintest smile appearing on his lips as he stares as you.

You can't really see his eyes, given how thick his eyebrows are.

And as the train rushes into one of the tunnels of the mountain, blocking off the sun and plunging your cabin into darkness, you aren't even sure if he is still there.

"For what other reason would I be here?" he asks. His voice piercing through the darkness of the cabin, cutting through the surrounding noise of the moving train with ease. "I am here to keep my employer safe."

He says that.

And you immediately know he is lying.

He did not keep your mother safe. He could have, but he did not.

What he just told you is a lie. You are sure of it.

However, the most worrying part is that…

"You aren't even trying to hide it," you say out loud, towards the darkness of the train cabin.

You say it, because you are sure of it. He is lying. You know he is lying. And he knows that you know he is lying.

This old stallion who lives in the dark probably would have been able to fool you, if he really wanted to. The same way he somehow manages to appear harmless, you know he could have told you a believable lie, if he really wanted to.

But he didn't. More than just that, he chose to answer your question with a blatant, direct lie.

You still don't know what game he is playing, but his latest move was to confirm to you that he is indeed hiding something.

But why?

Why?

The darkness of the cabin is so thick that you almost can't breathe. Because you know for a fact that this darkness is not entirely real, and that the old stallion who was sitting opposite to you a moment ago is not looking at you from the shadows with the kindly eyes of a grandfather. And for a moment, the atmosphere around you is so oppressive that you can't even hear the train moving around you.

However, even that only lasts for a moment. And on the next second, the lights of the cabin flicker into life, and you find yourself sitting in that same cabin, sharing the room with the same old stallion who is looking at you with a small smile.

"It is the thing that you don't know that kills you," he says.

You don't speak to him anymore, until the two of you reach Manehattan.



…



You have never been to Manehattan before. And when your train arrived at the terminal, you were almost shocked by what you saw out through the window.

The large, square towers are almost oppressive in their brutalism. The entire city, even, has all of the intimidating factors of Canterlot's architecture, but with none of its virtues. This is not a city built to celebrate the grandiose things ponies can build, when they put their minds to it. Instead, it is a gigantic jungle of stony trees and artificial shadows.

Of course, you know why this city is like this. Your recent education as a filly has made you well adjusted to the realities of these modern times. However, the clash that your older memories felt when you first looked at this place was so strong that you couldn't help but take notice.

Still, you came to this city for a purpose, not to sightsee.

So, you followed Biedde as he took you to a particularly mundane neighborhood of the city, where he had booked a room in a place where the innkeeper did not bother to look up when you entered.

And when you entered said room, a small crowd was already waiting for you.



"Took ye fuckin' long enoof."



Those were the first words you heard, as soon as you opened the door.

But ironically, that was the only (and consequently, the warmest) greeting you had received that day.

You spent the rest of the day going over all the information you had received, and planning what steps you should take next.



At your mother's behest, Jade Whistle performed a ritual to scry the mare who attacked your family. She reduced the information she learned into writing, in the form of a letter she gave you a few hours before you departed.

Spoiler: Jade Whistle

[Reflection of the Tapestry]


[Secret Histories, CD 60]

[Roll: 43 + 14 (Jade Whistle) + 30 (Artifact) = 87]

[Success]


[Lantern, CD variable]

[Jade Whistle will invoke a re-roll]

[Roll: 94 32 + 14 (Jade Whistle) + 40 (Lantern 3) – 10 (Wards) = 138]


[6 success thresholds reached]


Information acquired:
1 – Copper Secateur's location has been confirmed to be in Manehattan. (Scouting the city for whereabouts of her presence is no longer necessary)
2 – Copper Secateur's precise location has been discovered. (Searching the city for her location is no longer necessary)
3 – The precise location of her moveable assets has been discovered. (Searching her stronghold for said assets, during the assault, is no longer necessary)
4 – The general layout of her defenses has been scouted. (General information acquired)
5 – The finer details of her defenses have been scouted. (Useful information acquired, plus situational bonuses)
6 – The precise location of an important item (Velvet Covers' original Manuscripts) has been discovered. (Additional options available during the assault)
7 onwards – [THRESHOLD NOT REACHED]

[This being an assault, the entirety of the first day has been used for transportation and preliminary planning]

[Rolling enemy detection – results unknown]



- - -



[Day 2]



These four creatures are frighteningly competent.

At first, you thought they were behaving as a normal pony would. However, as the hours went by and you tempered the anger you have in you, you realized that is not the case. You realized you thought they were acting normally because they were cutting to the chase, and not beating around any bushes.

However, now that you think about it, they… well, it wasn't just that.

Yesterday, when you all first gathered in this cramped inn room, you discussed what you should do next.

Your own plan was to spend some time double-checking the report you were given. Because sure, your mother trusts Jade Whistle, but it was still a good idea to ensure the results of the ritual were accurate. After all, if a pony's eyes can be deceived, then a magic ritual ought to be even less reliable. Jade Whistle's report could be a first step, sure, but you were of the mind to build upon that step, rather than blindly trust it.

However, the other four immediately disagreed with you. In their own way. And ultimately, Aunt B… Baldomare, that is, told you "that is not how it works". And that the weakest link in that report would have been Jade's ability, or perhaps her loyalty, to report everything she saw accurately.

Following that, you asked for suggestions, and they… well, they delivered.

They gave their suggestions, and that was the moment you realized they absolutely did not think like normal ponies.

Biedde asked you to confirm what your priorities were. And once you told him that, he very succinctly explained to you how you could all carry out a… an assassination.

Baldomare pointed out what you didn't know, and how the creatures that Copper has under her control are still unaccounted for.

Axe herself, to your surprise, seemed to have focused her foul temper into purpose. And despite her scowl, she still dissected the maps that Jade gave you like a doctor would have dissected a body.

And Mareinette… well, she also chimed in.

Although you rather not think about it.

In the end, you did not say much. Nopony really said much. Their words carried so much authority that there was nothing to be added. And compared to them, you were so out of depth that you could only agree with them.

In the end, they only asked for your approval. And you very quickly gave it to them.

And earlier today, you all set out to fulfill your given objectives.



[Due to the nature and competency of your team, you have decided to "multitask", and attempt several preparatory actions at the same time]



Your relationship with Axe is… well, you don't really know how to describe it.

Back when you were only a filly, things were tense between the two of you for a while. You were wary of her, she was wary of everypony, and her actions had already put your sister and your friends in real danger at least once.

However, you could never really bring yourself to hate her. Maybe it was because you were just a filly, and you don't think you could really hate anypony like that. There is something about being young that just makes you more innocent and forgiving. Or perhaps, it was because Silky warmed up to the mare for some reason, and shockingly (but not surprisingly) managed to make the mare warm up to her in return.

And more recently, the mare even helped you. She helped you back when you were just a filly, and she helped you recently when you were still trying to figure out this new body of yours. Of course, she also confirmed the suspicions you had this whole time. Especially given how you now understand her true nature a little more.

So, again, you are not really sure where the two of you stand.

Which means you are more than a little surprised by how much the two of you have talked, throughout this day.

"Eet's full o' holes," the mare, or rather the snakemare, says. "Full o' ponies as well, aye. Bu' we can get in well enof. No promises on gettin' out tho."

Axe says that as the two of you study the map you received from Jade Whistle. The gloomy mare had given you a rough sketch of where Copper Secateur appears to be staying. A tall building that is still under construction, on one of the corners of the city, where Jade's letter assured you the mare has been spending most of her time.

Which means, naturally, that was the place you, Axe and Biedde spent the entire day studying.



[Cut-off party: Selene, Axe, Biedde]

[Preparatory scouting, breakpoints 50/80/100/120]

[Roll: 77 + 50 (Axe, leader) + 30 (Moth total 6) = 157]

[Final threshold reached]



From what you gathered, the tall building is a "skyscraper". A watered down and less fancy version of a castle, that can be built for a fraction of the cost for public use. However, even that fraction of the cost is still quite expensive, and it seems the construction of this particular building has been on hold for months now.

You cannot say for sure if Copper herself had a hoof on pausing the construction efforts. However, the fact remains that she got herself quite the conveniently placed stronghold.

The building is tall, it is sufficiently built to be entirely walled and mostly habitable, and it is located on a well-developed part of the city. And thanks to its nature as a skyscraper-under-construction, it is not at all out of place in that part of the city, and everypony seems to take its presence as part of the scenery.

Furthermore, nobody suspects a thing when they see groups of ponies coming in and out of the place, dragging carts full of boxes. And why would they? After all, the ponies themselves are dressed like construction workers, and the crates are unassuming enough to look like regular building supplies.

The perfect coverup for a cult. The ideal way to hide in plain sight, and to have a warehouse-slash-headquarters in a place that is far more convenient than the outskirts of the city.

However, and much more importantly, there are several ways to get in without drawing attention.

"The guards seemed to know what they were doing, and they all know each other's faces," you say, "I don't think we should do something fancy like trying to smuggle ourselves in through a crate."

The three of you spent the entire day observing that building. Taking turns as you stealthily counted how many ponies went in and out, what methods they used to identify each other, and basically get used to the surrounding streets of that place.

You saw no signs of Copper Secateur herself. Although you can't be entirely sure, since you only know what her cutie mark looks like. But still, and more importantly, you all confirmed that everypony in that building seemed to know each other's faces. So, you would either have to prepare a very convincing lie, or you would have to enter that place entirely unnoticed.

And as you said, you are leaning towards the second option.

"Aye. Eet's still a bit weird tha' they were moving more stuff out than' in. Bu' ae figure our bes' chacne ees stil tha' place we found."

Axe says that as she pulls in another map. A larger and official map of Manehattan that, much like Jade's sketch, is now completely covered with your own notes and scribbles.

Because earlier this afternoon, while Biedde was keeping an eye on the building, you and Axe left to look for another approach.

And sure enough, the two of you eventually discovered…

"Yeah. The sewers are the farthest thing from a dignified entrance."

You say, as you look at the map of the city. Gazing at the long red line that starts on a sewer hole several blocks away and leads, through twists and turns, all the way to the structure itself.

"And I wasn't able to fit through some of those… pipes," you say, a particularly unpleasant and recent memory coming to your mind. "But you could, and you did confirm you reached the underside of the structure, so…"

You trail off, thinking of what other alternatives you have. Focusing on the maps and sketches that are on the room's sole table while Axe mumbles to herself.

After all, like you told them yesterday, your priorities are very clear. They are so clear that you still feel that same wave of anger inside your chest, whenever you run through them. You are here first and foremost to kill Copper Secateur. So, whether you accomplish that by breaking down the front door, or by sneaking in through the literal guts of the city, makes little difference.

Well, it only makes a difference to the extent that you meet more or less resistance, and leave more or less evidence of your actions. Your mother did ask you to keep that in mind, and you will do your best not to fail her.

But still… if there is another way for you to do this, then you have to consider it and…

"-ye fokken ignorin' me?"

Axe's voice snaps you out of your thoughts, as the snakemare follows her words by banging a hoof on the table.

"Oh, sorry, what?" you ask, looking up to see a particularly angry Axe looking at you.

Damn, did you mess something up? She has been so unusually… well, not amicable, but no-unpleasant today, that you would rather not accidentally set her off.

Although, judging by her expression, you might already have done that.

"Ae asked ye a question," she says, letting out a huff of air through her nose as she does.

And you…

"I… didn't quite catch that," you say. "And I am sorry. But could you repeat that?"

The snakemare rolls her eyes at her words, and she seems to mull over her thoughts for a few more seconds, as if weighting her options.

But eventually, she does speak again.

"Ae asked…" she says, but her next words are so low they are barely a grunted mumble. "Asked how yer sisser is doing an' such…"

She says that and you can't help but feel stunned for a few seconds.

Because now that you think about it, now that you are really looking at the mare, her usual grumpiness actually looks like… frustration?

And the fact she is asking about Silky of all things, also, catches you completely by surprise.

To the point that the words, and the truth, come out of your mouth before you can even think about them.

"She's… not doing well. It has been rough for her," you say, although putting that into words is a bit painful to you as well. "But she will get better. Mom will get better, Silky will get better, and hopefully she won't think about this at all a few weeks from now."

You watch as the mare purses her lips. She is looking down towards the maps, but you can tell from her unfocused eyes that she isn't really paying attention to them. Instead, she seems to be deep in thought.

And what is more, you also feel that…

The bindings, or maybe the link, that you have with Axe are quite curious. They are all unique, in their own way. But while Biedde's bindings make you feel cautious and nervous (to the point you have avoided even speaking to him at all), Axe's bindings feel different.

They feel like snakes coiling around your lungs, or maybe around something else you have inside of you. But not in a threatening way. Instead, it feels like she is holding onto you, as if afraid she might get pulled away at any second.

Which doesn't make any sense. Because Axe, you know, is very old. She is old, and she is large, and she isn't even a pony to begin with. She is a dangerous creature, that could easily take you on in a fight, even though fighting is not her specialty to begin with.

So why is it that, every now and then, she almost looks… afraid? How could she ever be afraid of anything? What could she ever be afraid of?

As you think about all of that, and look at her conflicted expression, you think you finally understand something. You think you finally understand what your sister saw in her, and why she goes to so much effort to be friendly with the snakemare.

And you can't help but try to take a page off Silky's book, as you continue to talk to her.

"If you are worried about her… maybe you should talk to her as well?" you say, trying to sound as conciliatory as possible. "Silky likes you, you know. So why don't you try to cheer her up yours-?"

"Fakoff," but the mare interrupts you almost instantly. And whatever you saw in her expression disappears just as quickly, as if she had pulled a hood over her head.

Her answer leaves you just as confused. And before you can say anything, the mare shakes her head and just storms out of the room, grumbling complaints as she does.

Leaving you alone.

Biedde isn't here. The old stallion, thankfully, agreed to stay behind and continue to observe Copper's building into the evening.

Baldomare and the other one are still out on their own errands.

But Axe? You have actually been thankful for Axe's company today. And you had hoped the mare at least shared the sentiment.

However, as she slams the door behind her as she leaves, you are once again reminded that you have no idea where the two of you stand.



…



Eventually, the five of you reconvene in the cramped inn room.

The sun has already set, and it is late at night. You have eaten a light meal, so you know the weight you feel in your stomach is being caused by something else.

And the four other creatures who are in the room with you… well, you are pretty sure they don't need to eat. Just like how they don't need to sleep, and the single-bed room that Biedde rented has been used exclusively by yourself.

Still, the four other creatures who are in the room with you are currently sharing what they learned, as you all make your final decisions on how to proceed.

Currently, you are all listening to Baldomare as she reports on her own efforts.

"I looked around the city and…"



[They have a Winter Name?, breakpoints 100/150]

[Roll: 21 9 + 50 (Baldomare, leader) + 30 (Secret Histories total 6) = 101]

[First threshold reached]



"… and I can confirm the Winter creature, that we suspect is under our enemy's control, is not in this city."

You consider asking her for more details. Because how can she be so sure? After all, this is a very large city, and you haven't heard anything about this monster that Copper controls other than that she is incredibly dangerous. As dangerous as the four pony-creatures sharing the room with you, at least.

But other than that, you don't really know anything? Your mother told you it visited her in her dreams once, in the form of an old mare who was carrying a painting or something. But still, you have your own concerns.

However, you know better now than to question Baldomare. And the three other creatures, also, take her word as a certainty. So, if Baldomare says the mysterious monster is not in Manehattan, you will believe her.

If nothing else, this is something for you to be thankful for. Even if the unknown location of this monster becomes a concern for the future.

"Other than that," Baldomare continues, "I couldn't find any of her other pet monsters. I am pretty sure she still has at least three windigoes on her hoofs. But I have no idea if they are inside this central building, or if she has them stashed somewhere else."

You feel another pang of concern inside your chest, as she says that.

But more than that, it strikes you how you seem to be the only pony in this room who is feeling any trepidation over these matters.

You suppose it makes sense, given their nature. Especially Baldomare's. After all, the link you have with her feels more like the distant light of a lighthouse, that is vaguely interested in aiming its light at you. But still, you would do well to remember that they are not…

"[Lantern]!"

The large, intimidating, and maddeningly normal mare who is standing on the corner of the room speaks up. And you all listen as…



[Context, breakpoints 50/80/100/120]

[Roll: 56 87 + 60 (Mareinette, leader) + 30 (Grail total 6) = 177]

[Last threshold reached]



… as she explains to you what she learned about Copper's cult.

She tells you all that the cult had been succeeding in entrenching itself in this city, over the last few months. First doing petty crimes, then offering seedy services. Until finally, for some reason, they started working on a few more legitimate avenues. Such as the art gallery they started funding, for some reason, as well as efforts to enter the maintenance industry, mostly for the city itself.

But more importantly, she tells you that the cult is scrambling right now. Tensions have been high for several weeks, following some "burning" incident that you didn't quite understand, given the strange words Mareinette used. And not long ago, right after their attack against your mother failed, Copper herself basically ordered the cult to go to ground. And for several days now they have been packing, moving, and erasing every trace of their existence that they can, in their efforts to vanish into the shadows.

Another month or two, you think, and Copper's cult would have completely disappeared. Together with the mare herself, no doubt. But thankfully, your retribution is coming so early that Mareinette's source didn't even know where they were going, or what their plans were after they vanished.

And, just like always, the link you share with her feels like tongues. And you will not think about that for a second more.



[You have confirmed that the "Name" your mother suspects to be in Copper's service is not in this city. You will alter your plans accordingly.]

[You have discovered more contextual information about the cult's activities. More options will be available to you once you begin your assault.]



You listen to all of that, and ultimately you decide to…

"Every day we spend preparing is another day we risk being discovered. Or worse, it's another day we risk that mare disappearing," you say to the room at large. And after you take one final, deep breath, you declare that "we strike tonight."

And the four pony-creatures, the four Names, nod back at you with varying degrees of amusement.



[You have decided not to make any more preparations, and stage the assault as soon as possible]

[Rolling enemy detection – results unknown]



- - -



[Day 3]



[You have decided to stage your assault]

[Item distribution]

Spoiler: Item distribution

Selene: SH 3, Heart 3, 1 Wrong Key.

Baldomare: Edge 3.

Daughter-of-Axes: Winter 1.

No other items left to be distributed.

The five of you finish what little preparations need to be made. The items your mother gifted you are distributed among everypony, and you all stalk out into the night.

Although the nights in this city are not as quiet and dark as those in Ponyville. Instead, tall poles of metal shine light down on the streets. And a crowd of ponies accustomed to the nightlife, almost completely different of the ones you saw during the day, fill the streets instead.

But you pay them little attention. Instead, you just stick closer to the shadow, you make a point of avoiding anypony's gaze, and you make your way to the building where your enemy lies.



[Infiltrating the outer sanctum, CD --]

[Auto-success, due to thorough scouting]



Or rather, you make your way to a sewer hole a few streets down the building. You and Biedde ensure no prying eyes are upon you as the three other mares file into the hole, before you follow and the old stallion closes it behind himself.

At first, you thought somepony would complain about this path. But Baldomare seems to be entirely untouched by the things, and the smells, that you find down in that place. And Mareinette, somehow, seems to fold into herself, traversing the tight holes and pipes like a spider out of a nightmare.

It is an undignified place, but your anger easily trumps your disgust. And soon enough, you are, according to Baldomare's own certainty, right underneath the building.

Axe asks you to stop using your horn for light, and you comply. And a few moments later, the very air around you seems to LURCH.

It happens without any sound, and you don't rightly understand what she did. But soon enough, you begin to feel a breeze of fresh (if stale) air coming from above you. And when you relight your horn, you see a perfectly circular hole leading up.

You allow yourself to reveal your wings for a few moments, just so you can climb your way up more easily.

And just like that…

… your heart is beating loudly inside your chest…

… your throat is dry…

… and even the farthest corners of your mind finally accept that this really is happening…

… but just like that, you are in.



[Infiltrating the inner sanctum, CD 120]

[Roll: 28 + 50 (Axe, leader) + 30 (Moth total 6) + 20 (Jade's scrying - fifth threshold) = 128]

[Success]

[No alarms will happen on time, no additional guard reinforcements for Copper]



The five of you sneak your way through the many levels of the building. The structure itself is largely finished, and it looks more than just the skeletal husk of a tower under construction. However, most of its rooms and corridors are, and its interior in general, is not yet polished. Walls and floors are made out of exposed concrete, rough on your horseshoes. Windows lie without any glass or shutters on them, allowing the night breeze in.

But still, you find more than enough evidence that this place is constantly being used for unreputable activities. More than just that, you find evidence that some ponies live here.

Jade's ritual, and Baldomare's educated guesses, point to your foe being at the very top of the building. Fitting, you suppose, especially if she has a pegasus to carry her away if she ever gets cornered. So, given how the exterior of the building is guarded and watched, you have no option but to take the long stairways that lead up.

You avoid the large and continuous stairs that snake through the side of the building, the one that is probably meant for an emergency of sorts, because you all agreed that it is either guarded, booby trapped, or both. Instead, you go up on a floor-by-floor basis, sneaking through that level of the building until you find a staircase connecting it to the next level, or making a path when the building blueprints did not order the connection of those floors.

The place is quiet, although not completely so. You do not hear loud noises or music, given the lengths they go to pretend this place is abandoned and still under construction. However, you do hear the voice of ponies every now and then.

More than once you pass by a passage that, uncharacteristically, is blocked by a wooden door. And the briefest investigation would reveal an entirely furnished and finished room behind it, probably serving as a dormitory or the likes for the cult.

More than once you pass by a passage that is blocked by a metal door, bolted to the wall and locked with thick chains. And without fail, Axe would let out a light scoff, muttering something about "amateur adept work", before you walked away.

And precisely once, you pass by something that sounds like a patrol. A trio of ponies, carrying flashlights, who were having a bored conversation as they walked down a corridor. But you were ready for something like that, thanks to Jade's report, and you retreat to a more inconspicuous part of the building until you are all satisfied the patrol had moved on to another floor.

Until finally, you reach the second-to-last floor. You climb up through an Axe-made hole into an empty room, but you immediately realize that the floor is carpeted and the walls are painted. This floor, you realize, was finished to the point that it was pleasant.

This, you know, is your enemy's nest.

The tugs of the bindings inside of you are now a familiar sensation, and they all shake with agreement as you order everypony to their agreed-upon duties.

No going back now.



[Inner sanctum reached]

[As per your previous plan, Mareinette and Baldomare have separated from you, to perform other functions]



Yourself, Axe and Biedde make your way out of the room. Walking through the long corridor, and scanning every door you pass by for something. Be it a sign that your foe is behind it, or the unwelcome face of a surprised guard.

But none of you are worried about being too quiet. You are all still being subtle and silent, but this is no longer the time to be careful.

Because no matter how many guards you avoid, or how silently you creep into a place. Inevitably, there always comes a point when you will have to get your hoofs dirty. The idea of a perfect assault, where you reach your opponent while he is still asleep and defenseless, is one that is almost impossible to achieve. And there will always be at least one guard by the door, or one surprised gasp to raise some sort of alarm.

So, the three of you make your way forward boldly, keeping your hoofsteps quiet enough just to make a listener question what they are hearing for a few more seconds.

After all, at this stage, a few seconds is more than enough to separate life from death.



[Ambush?]

[Attacker's roll: 31 + 50 (Biedde, combat-related leader) + 60 (Edge total 12) = 141]

[Defender's roll: 26 + 12 (Guard, leader) + 10 (Edge total 2) = 48]

[Attackers win, Defenders will receive a slowly-degrading "Surprised!" -10 malus during combat]



You carefully peek in through a half-open door, finding what looks like a kitchen mixed with a dining area. The number of chairs around a table makes you think this is meant for whatever followers your enemy trusts to be in this floor of the building.

A few paces to your side, Axe peeks into the keyhole of a wooden door. A forked tongue flickers out of her closed mouth, as if she is sniffing the air, and she quickly moves on to the next. This entire building, you think, was either going to be an apartment or an office building. But still, the fact remains that these long corridors have rows upon rows of doors for you three to work through. And any one of them could either have the stairs that lead to the final level, or maybe even the entrance to your target's living quarters.

At the far end of the corridor, Biedde is pressing his body against the wall, inching his face towards the corner as he spies what awaits after the curve. And suddenly, with a fluid motion, he sends you and Axe the signal that makes you both freeze for a second.

The old stallion raises his hoof, indicating that he sees somepony, and then he taps his flank a few times.



[Rolling for minimum number of guards: "1d4 – 1"]

[Roll: 3 – 1 = 2]



Two taps. Two ponies. Two guards.

…

A small part of you almost feels bad for what is about to happen next.

Almost.

But then, you remember your nearly-dead mother, your crying sister, your grieving father, and everything else that happened back at your home. And that feeling very quickly disappears.

You and Axe stalk towards Biedde, standing right behind the corner at the end of the corridor.

And then, you nod for the old stallion to proceed.



[Biedde has engaged a guard in combat]

[The Daughter-of-Axes has engaged a guard in combat]

Spoiler: Biedde combat rolls

[Biedde's health: 5/5]

[Guard-1 current health: 4/4]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Biedde – 0, Guard-1 – 0]

[?????: Biedde rolls twice, on the first of every two dice]



[Biedde: 21 64 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 144]

[Guard-1: 73 + 17 (total combat bonus) – 10 (Surprised!) = 80]



[Overflow: Biedde – 64, Guard-1 – 0]

[Guard-1 suffers one wound (-50 to Biedde's overflow)]



[Biedde: 62 + 80 (total combat bonus) = 142]

[Guard-1: 97 + 17 (total combat bonus) – 10 (Surprised!) = 104]



[Overflow: Biedde – 52, Guard-1 – 0]

[Guard-1 suffers one wound (-50 to Biedde's overflow)]



[Guard-1 is unable to attempt to escape due to the suddenness of the attack]

[Combat will continue as normal]

Spoiler: Axe combat rolls

[Axe's health: 5/5]

[Guard-2 current health: 3/3]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Axe – 0, Guard-2 – 0]



[Axe: 19 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 64]

[Guard-2: 11 + 16 (total combat bonus) – 10 (Surprised!) = 17]



[Overflow: Axe – 47, Guard-2 – 0]



[Axe: 27 + 45 (total combat bonus) = 72]

[Guard-1: 67 + 16 (total combat bonus) – 10 (Surprised!) = 73]



[Overflow: Axe – 47, Guard-2 – 1]



[Guard-2 is unable to attempt to escape due to the suddenness of the attack]

[Combat will continue as normal]

The three of you turn around the corner, with you following after the two Name-ponies. And sure enough, down the long and carpeted corridor you spot a pair of ponies sitting in front of a particularly fancy door.

The two ponies, bulky and strong-looking, seem to be entirely focused on a game of cards they are playing.

Or at least, you think they are holding cards on their hoofs. One of them has his back turned to you three, and the other seems to be looking intently at something that is on the ground between the two of them.

But you don't pay attention to any of those little details. In fact, you can't pay attention to anything else.

The only thing you can look at is the white in the eyes of one of the ponies, as he finally realizes the three of you are almost trotting towards them.

The three of you might as well have been ghosts, making your way as quickly and quietly as possible towards the two ponies. Like a violent breeze, or a silent nightmare on the corner of the eye.

However, the moment one of them looks at you, his eyes going wide in surprise-



"What the FU-?!"



-all Tartarus breaks loose.

There are still twenty paces between you and the two ponies. But the moment he realizes this is no longer the time for subtlety, Biedde leaps. The carpet under his hoofs tear wide open, as his hindlegs simply kick him into a horizontal jump.

He is right behind the larger pony, the one who is sitting with his back to you three, before your next heartbeat.

!!!

And with a loud, hammer-like kick of his foreleg, he slams the large stallion towards the wall.

You hear something break, and you don't think it was just the wall of the corridor. Followed by the dry gasp of a stallion who is in pain.

But that all happens so quickly you can barely process what is going on.

Axe, on the other hoof, is five paces behind Biedde. And the moment Biedde's target hits the wall, Axe is charging through the space where the large stallion was sitting.

You hear a hiss, and maybe a cry of fear from the other pony. But before you can blink, Axe has barreled into the second guard. A pile of cards is thrown into the air, and you swear the snakemare is now having her jaws held open by a terrified stallion.

However, you don't stop for neither of them. You don't spare the two ponies, or the two pony-like creatures, another second of your time.

There are two guards, for the three of you. You could help one of them, probably Axe, and this scuffle will be over in less than a minute.

But you are not here for the guards. And you will not reward your enemy for the mistake of placing so few of them by giving her more time.

Oh no, you are here to avenge your family. And you know exactly what that means.

You kick down the door that the two ponies were guarding, just as their surprised cries grow louder, and the sound of panic quickly transforms into the sound of fighting. But still, you kick down the door, and you leave that fight behind.

You fight lies ahead.



[No combatants available to block you. You will proceed to your target.]



[Ambush?]

[Selene's roll: 52 + 20 (Selene) + 15 (Edge total 3) = 87]

[Copper Secateur's roll: 98 + 10 (Martial) + 10 (Edge total 2) = 118]

[Defender wins, Copper Secateur will not receive any malus, or be subjected to any special restrictions]



You have less than a second to process what you are looking at.

A few seconds ago, you had thought that this might have been an important storage room. Because who knows, this is the second-to-last floor of the building, so maybe your target was one floor above you.

If that thought was still in your mind, you would probably be pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Because for a split second, you are greeted by the sight of a fully furbished apartment. You spot a nice, crimson-colored sofa, a few bookshelves with scrolls and books, and nearby table with crystal glasses. All of that lit by faint candles, carrying a pleasant scent.

If that thought was still in your mind, you would probably be happy that, instead, you found the right place.

But that thought is no longer in your mind. In fact, there is nothing in your mind right now.

The only thing you can think about is the adrenaline rushing through your veins.

"I KNEW THAT BITCH WOULD SEND SOMEPONY!"

And the fact that there is an earth pony mare, with nothing but rage in her eyes, rushing towards you.



[Copper Secateur has engaged you in combat]

Spoiler: Combat rolls

[Selene's health: 6/6]

[Copper's current health: 3/3]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Selene – 0, Copper – 0]



[Selene: 78 + 35 (total combat bonus) = 113]

[Copper: 47 + 20 (total combat bonus) = 67]



[Overflow: Selene – 46, Copper – 0]



[Selene: 33 + 35 (total combat bonus) = 68]

[Copper: 82 + 20 (total combat bonus) = 102]



[Overflow: Selene – 46, Copper – 34]



[Copper Secateur attempts to escape]

[Copper's roll: 43 + 10 (Martial) = 53]

[Selene's roll: 17 + 20 {Selene) = 37]

[Success, Copper has successfully disengaged, Selene will give chase]

One moment, your hoofs were kicking down a door. And on the next, there in a mare lunging at you.

But you don't react with shock. Perhaps your mind, or your logical side, freezes. But your body, or your instincts, still take over.

And you lunge back at her.

Because did she just call your mother a bitch?!

You jump at the mare and, inevitably, your bodies slam against each other. There is no finesse, no elegance, and no skill involved in this. Because for a moment, all that happens is that a rage-filled earth pony mare is grappling you with her forelegs, trying to grab hold of you at the same time she tries to kick you away, and you are doing the same.

You manage to land a blow on her chest. She backhoofs you on the face, and for a moment you see stars.

But a fraction of a second later, when you regain your senses, you turn to her and…

… and you realize she is making a break for the door!

"I will not let you-!" you yell after her, kicking your legs under her just as you see her tail disappear from sight.



[Giving chase]

[Copper's roll: 14 + 10 (Martial) = 24]

[Selene's roll: 15 + 20 (Selene) = 35]

[You have re-engaged Copper in combat]

[Biedde's and Axe's combat rolls omitted]



You gallop after her, running so quickly the side of your body clips against the open door. But your body barely registers the pain.

The rush out of the living space, being greeted by the sight of Axe constricting herself around one of the guards, with a knife lodged on the side of her somehow-elongated body. And you hear Biedde calmly saying something as he walks after a trail of blood, which has a large stallion lying at its end.

But you care for neither of those. Your mind is in such a frenzy you can't even register how strongly your heart is beating. And you are so focused that your vision is almost tunneled.

You only care about one thing.

Your eyes lock in on the flank of a fleeing mare, the sign on her side a replica of the one your mother drew to you.

You give chase.

And you think you yell something as you once again barrel towards her, before she ever has the chance to reach the corner of the corridor.

Spoiler: Combat rolls

[Selene's health: 6/6]

[Copper's current health: 3/3]

[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Selene – 46, Copper – 34]



[Selene: 95 + 35 (total combat bonus) = 130]

[Copper: 54 + 20 (total combat bonus) = 74]



[Overflow: Selene – 102, Copper – 34]

[Copper suffers two wounds (-100 to Selene's overflow)]



[Selene: 92 + 35 (total combat bonus) = 127]

[Copper: 13 + 20 (total combat bonus) = 33]



[Overflow: Selene – 96, Copper – 34]

[Copper Secateur has been defeated]

You don't gallop down the corridor as much as you throw yourself towards the mare.

You don't think, you don't stop, you just act.

When you are ten paces from her, you forget almost everything. You don't even remember the sorry state your family is in, just the anger you associated to all of that. To your failure to protect then, and how this is a chance to right that wrong.

When you are five paces from her, your mind is so focused that you don't even register the expression she has on her face is fear.

When your hoofs are a hairs breadth away from touching her coat, you don't even realize that you are seeing red.

If she had been a little quicker, or if she had just been able to dodge you, you might as well have made a hole in the wall.

But you do not hit the wall. Instead, you hit Copper Secateur. You hit Copper Secateur on the chest, with the two hoofs of your forelegs, together with all the momentum you could muster.

You hit Copper Secateur, and she hits the wall. In the fraction of a second, the other side of her chest hits the wall, and the momentum of your body just keeps pushing her. Pitting the strength of her thorax against that of the walls of the building itself.

Needless to say that solid cement is a little harder than a pony's bones.

And her ribs crack, break and crumble like a twig.



"-ack!"



…

And it takes you… several… several seconds… to realize that you are heaving.

Your mind… it actually takes more than just a few moments for you to reorient yourself.

But the first thing you notice is the smell of blood.

"H-ow… w-he-re did she…?"

You shake your head. Once. Twice. You shake your head, and the metallic smell of blood helps you come back to your senses.

You are currently standing over a mare, or the broken corpse of a mare, as she struggles to keep breathing.

There is blood on your hoofs. A lot of blood. And you think you can see the mark of your hoofs on the mare's coat, where the strength of your blows dug into her skin, surrounded by the white-painted-red signs of exposed bones.

You stare down at the ruined form of Copper Secateur, as she looks up to you in horror.

"Wh-ere did she… find a thing l-ike you?!"

She is looking up to you in horror, yes, but you can also see anger in her eyes.

And you… for a split second, you don't know what to do. The rational side of your mind, which had been buried under a river of adrenaline, finally dragged itself out of its stupor. But there are so many things going on right now that you can barely think straight.

Because you finally realized how tired you are. And you are beginning to feel the several little pains that are spread all over your body. And your face hurts where she hit you. And the smell coming from the mare is so bad.

There are so many thoughts in your mind right now, that you… well, you decide to ignore all of them.

Behind you, you can feel Biedde and Axe looking at you. The former with the curious glint of judgment in his eyes, and the latter waiting for something to happen You have no doubt they have already finished their own opponents, and that they are…

"Go take care of any evidence," you say to the two of them.

You say that more out of rote than anything else. Because doing that, covering your traces, was a part of your original plan. And following a plan means you don't have to do something as complicated as making a decision right now.

You say that, and Axe moves to obey. She hesitates for a moment, but a few seconds later she finally gives you a half-nod before going away.

Biedde, on the other hoof… stays.

"S-he is going to use you. She a-lready is," the mare croaks through her broken ribs.

And despite all the pain she is feeling, you can also hear the conviction behind her words.

"Shut up," you say, as you try your best to just think.

Because why are you hesitating? What is the problem with you?!

You won. You won! It is as simple as that. Just do it. Finish the job, and you can go back home.

It doesn't matter that you haven't killed her yet, your hoofs are already covered in blood! The deed is already done! There is no difference between doing it now, and just leaving her to bleed to her death.

This mare attacked your family. This mare almost killed your mother. You didn't come here to talk to her. You didn't receive instructions to capture here. You are here to kill her.

So why… are you… hesitating?!

"Sh-e is going to use y-ou like she use-d me. L-ike she u-sed EVERYPONY. Just look int-o her eye-s and you wi-ll see," she coughs for a few moments, and several lines of blood fall down her mouth. "All that matters to her is the climb. She is blinded by Glory, and the bitch w-"

"I said SHUT UP!" you snap back at her. Something inside of you breaking as she once again insults your mother.

The mare lets out another pained gasp, and it takes you a moment to realize you have a hoof pressing against the broken remains of her chest.

But you don't care. Your anger is winning out once again, and you just don't care.

You feel her struggle under your hoof, trying to form words that she can't really push out of her mouth. But you already know what she is going to say, and you won't have any more of that.

"My mother is not like that," you say, almost hissing the words as you do. "And you will become a lesson to anypony else who tries to hurt my family."

You say that, and then you light up your horn.

And the mare's eyes go wide as she watches the light at the tip of your horn spread through the rest of your body. Copper Secateur's expression twists into something, when she finally realizes that…

… when she finally realizes there is an alicorn, a Princess, stepping down on her ruined body.

However, to your absolute surprise, the thing on her face is not fear. Instead…

"-ah, -ah, -ah…"

… instead, the mare is… laughing?

"… y-ou sai-d mo-ther…?"

Yes, you are sure of it. The mare has an insane smile on her face. This is not an expression that any pony should have on their faces, ever. But Copper Secateur is looking at you with an almost psychotic smile.

As if the final piece of a great puzzle had just clicked.

As if she had just realized the punchline of a joke.

And she is laughing, now. Even if the image on the puzzle is that of her death, and even if she just realized she is the butt of the joke.

She takes one last, pained breath, and her lips begin to move. She tries to say something, about how she knew it all along, or how this all makes sense, or how your mother is somehow manipulating you or some other nonsense.

She tries to do something like that.

But her expression is just so insane, so unnaturally unnerving that-



[Evidence coverup: Selene]

[Roll: 64 + 20 (Selene) + 30 (Selene: no holds barred) + 15 (Selene's Edge, level 3) + 30 (Expedition's Moth total 6) = 159]

[The CD to investigate the aftermath of this assault has been set to "159"]



-you light up your horn.

More.

And more.

And more.

Until the glare of the moon itself is shining out of the center of your forehead.

The last thing Copper Secateur sees is a blinding flash of moonlight.

And the mare herself, the nearby walls, and all the top floors of that building are completely vaporized from the ensuing explosion.



[Main objective completed]

Spoiler: Additional objectives

[Additional objectives: Baldomare]

[As per your plan, Baldomare separated from your main group to locate and destroy critical evidence]



[Finding critical evidence]

[Auto-success due to Jade's scrying - sixth threshold]

[Destroying critical evidence, cd 60]

[Roll: 26 + 30 (Baldomare) + 0 (Forge total 0) = 56]

[Failure]



[Additional objectives: Mareinette]

[As per your plan, Mareinette separated from your main group to find and loot as many items as possible]



[Finding moveable assets]

[Auto-success due to Jade's scrying - third threshold]

[From chaos, opportunities, breakpoints 60/80/100/120/150]

[Roll: 85 75 + 40 (Old and Terrible) + 30 (Grail total 6) + 20 ("Context" final breakpoint) = 175]

[Last breakpoint reached]

Maybe you shouldn't have done that.

Maybe you didn't think straight, or you just didn't think at all.

But if you are ever going to regret doing this, then this regret will have to hit you later, because you certainly can't feel it right now.

Still, you only realize what you have done after the deed is done, and after there is nothing between you and the night sky. The top of the building is gone, although you don't think you damaged any fo the neighboring structures. The top of the building is gone, the mare's corpse is obviously gone, and you hear Biedde letting out a faint chuckle from right behind you.

That is, until you realize it is impossible for Biedde to be right behind you. Because there is no floor under your hoofs, and you are currently flying.

The Name is gone, because of course it is. They are all gone. And as per your plan, you are all supposed to meet back in Ponyville now.

So, you quickly hide on the smoldering ruins of the skyscraper, before anypony realizes there is an alicorn flying above it. And you quietly escape during the ensuing chaos.

There were more than just a few cultists in that building, but none of them realize they don't know you as they all rush to escape.

And you reach the ground floor of the building, and rush into the gathering crowd, before the first firefighter or constable even hears about what just happened.



[You have completed your main objective, and decided to retreat without pursuing any other opportunities]

[Expedition completed]





- - -

- - -

- - -





Much, much later, you would report your success to your tired mother.

You would tell her that you killed a pony with your own bare hoofs, and that your family is safer for it. You hold back the question, of whether you should feel proud or regretful, because you realize you shouldn't burden her with that.

And what is more, the relieved sigh you hear from her is all the answer you need.

You report to her that Baldomare located the manuscripts she talked about, but that they were locked inside a safe. The Name-mare could not crack the safe open before the chaos began, and you had no time to look for it after the building began to crumble. So, for all that you know Copper had them, you have no idea about their current fate.

You also report to her that Mareinette… performed well. You do not like that creature, and you do not want to be thankful for her. But still, according to the monster, she "rallied" the panicked cultists and "organized" them into collecting several of the cult's precious items before fleeing, so they could be "evacuated". The mare-thing then hauled the cart back here herself, and stored it in the cellar she calls her home. You are conflicted about the idea of storing stolen or ill-gained goods, but your mother said she will take stock of that later.

You are sure she will make the right decision, whatever that is.

And finally, you tell her that…



[You had the opportunity to PLANT EVIDENCE, during this expedition, for your investigators to discover]



Note that:
-You cannot predict what evidence your investigators will find out about the cult itself. They might be able to piece together several things about the cult, Lore related or mundane, or nothing at all.
-You CAN guarantee that whatever evidence you "plant" will be discovered by your investigators.
-However, for every evidence you plant, there is the chance your investigators will be able to trace things back to your faction. Or, in the alternative, there is a chance they will realize the evidence was planted to begin with.



What evidence did you plant, before escaping the cult's headquarters?

(You may assume whatever you pick was prepared ahead of time, for the purpose they are intended for)
(You may assume none of these options have any "glaring flaws" that might link back to you, such as hoofwriting or other things. However, there is no guarantee your investigators won't link them to your faction)



[] Nothing. (You did not plant any evidence. Better safe than sorry.)

-[] You planted a cache of false information, meant to throw your investigations off any trails they might pick up. (Attempt to make the investigator's job more difficult, on all fronts)

-[] A "journal" explaining that some members of this cult acted in Ponyville, before moving to Manehattan. (Attempt to point your investigators towards Ponyville, although this might be a bad idea)

-[] A "letter" sent from Windy Flakes. (Attempt to tell your investigators about Windy Flakes as a pony of interest)

-[] A very vague treatise about the Mansus, and the Lores. (This will have no inherent "Lore level", but attempt to point your investigation towards the existence of the Lores)

-[] A detailed treatise about one of the Lores. One, or several of them. (You will leave pre-prepared copies of Lore manuscripts. WRITE IN how many Lore levels, capped at your own Library levels)

-[] WRITE IN

(If writing-in, suggest the "effect" that you want rather than the narrative description behind it. You may suggest anything, pending QM approval, as long as it is something that can be left behind in the form of a letter, a scroll, or a very small item)





Out of nowhere, the bustling city of Manehattan was deafened by a roaring explosion. A sudden, but thankfully "small", disaster rocking the night sky of the metropolis without warning. The midnight-clad investigators of the Lunar Bureau had the entire city block sealed off before midday of the following day. Their swift (and almost providentially quick) response managing to offset the panic that could have spread due to such a gruesome accident.

The newspapers will have quite a lot to write about, for the next few days.

In more important news, you have successfully completed an expedition.

No ponies in your assault team were wounded. No items were lost. The "haul" Mareinette returned with will be revealed and counted later.

For now, decide what Selene left behind for the investigators to find, if she left anything at all. For the sake of interpretation, assume you had instructed her to leave any evidence you vote on before she departed, and that this was part of the expedition plan all along.

Vote in PLANS, in case you want to leave more than one thing. And simply vote for "Nothing" if you don't want to leave anything. Whatever you decide to plant will be found by your investigators, for good or ill.

Twelve hours moratorium.

Copper Secateur, the mare who, in truth, helped you climb out of the rut that was your life several years ago, has been killed. She died, laughing, as she realized the depth of your betrayal to her.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Author's Note

Righty-o! This was a learning experience.

Thank you all for your patience and feedback. Moving forward, I think that whenever we have an "open vote, tell me what you want" vote I will either (1) let a longer moratorium run, or (2) let a short voting period run for us to check what people are interested in.
I say a "short" voting period because, to be very blunt, it is easier to check what people want when we can use a vote tally program. I mean, to be absurdly honest, a lot more people would probably prefer to check a tally than read 300+ messages where vague ideas are discussed. So, seeing preliminary voting where we can verify "huh, a lot of people voted for Windigo-warning" is better to set up a second voting period.

That being said, that is something for us to learn for the future. For now-

Voting is RESETED

No votes cast before this threadmark will be counted​

(Today is still late monday/early tuesday. Voting will close on late thursday, or most likely late friday.)



You had... several ideas. Most of them bad. Well, according to yourself, all of them were bad.

But thankfully, Selene was there with you. And she not only managed to organize your confused thoughts, but she also gave you several good suggestions.

Truly, she is the best adopted-alicorn-daughter you have.


[What evidence did Selene plant on Manehattan?]


[] Nothing. (Absolutely no evidence was planted. Better safe than sorry.) (Counts as "Zero" evidence)


-[] [SABOTAGE] You planted several conflicting, contradictory, and downright false documents. As long as they fall for it, this will cause heads to be scratched. (Attempt to hinder and obfuscate all investigation efforts. Counts as "one" evidence)

-[] You decided to start laundering some Lore-knowledge... (Lores will be picked at Velvet's discretion)
--[] [LORE-ZERO] You only planted some very vague, but educative, information about the Lores. (No specific Lores shared, counts as "one" evidence)
--[] [LORE-ONE] You planted something that, in its own narrow way, has some practical use. (One Lore shared, counts as "two" evidence)
--[] [LORE-THREE] You planted a small trove of useful information. More than enough to hook in the curious and the brave. (Three Lores shared, counts as "three" evidence)
--[] [LORE-FIVE] The Lores have their own internal logic. This should be enough for them to get it... that is, if they believe what they read. (Five Lores shared, counts as "four" evidence)

-[] [FORGE-RITUAL] You planted a set of instructions, on how to perform a miraculous feat. (Share "The Forge's Redemption". Counts as "one" evidence)

-[] [MOTH-ANONYMOUS] You planted a cold gun. It's up to them to connect the dots. (Share "The Path Through Nightmares". Counts as "one" evidence)

-[] [MOTH-ADMITTING] You planted the smoking gun, that was used to strike Princess Luna. (Share "The Path Through NIghtmares", AND a claim it was used against Luna. Counts as "one" evidence)

-[] [WINDIGOS] You made it convincing. You made it look secret. You even simulated a burn mark, to pretend they tried to destroy this "document". But in the end, you warned them about the ticking bombs. (Share knowledge about the sealed Windigo's existence. Counts as "one" evidence)

-[] [WORMS] Of course it sounds like the raving of a madpony. You felt like tearing your mane out just by writing it. Because why is nopony else worried about this?! (Share knowledge about the Worms, as unlikely as it is to be believed. Counts as "one" evidence)

-[] [WRITE-IN] You made up a story... (Consult QM before including a plan with a write-in)




All Lore-evidence include warnings about dangers and whatnot. No need to polish things in that direction.

As it is stated above, Velvet will be the one to decide what Lores to plant. This is both because she has a better grasp of what is easier/quicker/more useful to start with, and because leaking Lore-levels will not translate to the Bureau immediately gaining/applying said Lore level anyways.
However, Velvet Covers does not know about Celestia's doom clock. So, I must warn you that "Lore Three" and "Lore Five" WILL include leaking some degree of Lantern. That may or may not have narrative consequences down the line, if picked.

Let's give ourselves a nice, long twenty-four hours moratorium, just so we can make sure everyone sees this threadmark, and that we can discuss write-in, suggestions, or gaps that I neglected adding as an option.

Voting is CLOSED, moratorium is IN EFFECT. Vote in PLANS if you want to pick several options. Vote only for "nothing", without a plan, if you want "nothing".