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

[Sveta08]

Harrumph! Well, regardless!
Have you here my latest musing that changes nothing but the eyes seeing.


In which a Wolf Sings

---

It's beautiful.

Before you is a bowl. A dish. Not perhaps for eating, at least not food in the way most do. Though, it consumes still.
In quiet. In pain. In heat like a wound enflamed.


I name you Evil, the first Son.


A bowl piled high with ash.
Bones and bodies of the dead and damned made no more than embers to a fledgling. Before even your youngest brothers' birth, this was yet born. A great conflagration, the dust and remains of so much and so much more burnt by fire of the sun itself. Ever warmed, ever silenced, ever bleeding.

Is it any wonder you so often see your baby brothers' smile here?
Is it any wonder how often Mother finds herself beside this vessel? Never looking, never seeing, but always knowing. Knowing in the way that every mother does.

Stil, you do not linger.
Beautiful as it is, there is work to do. And if nothing else was inherited from Mother, it was a work ethic.

So you begin your rounds.

---

Heavy paws not felt and not seen near crack the marble.
Pressure like malice follows you. Withering the expression of the guard as you pass by. Every one feeling but the faintest brush of your fur. What cruelty would it be to not offer each and every one a measure, however small, of your attention?

The shiver down their spine. The shift in ill fitting armor. The potential and the threat.

You are not so deft of paw as your younger brother. Paranoia is a master here, where you are merely indulgent. He would know to whisper to their ears and eyes. The heat addling the senses. The whisper of a dragonfly wing taken for so much more. The exhaustion in a close friends eye seen as far worse. The gentle, quiet agony he could bring with mere questions.

You would have to thank him if you see him next.

But it is merely in passing that the staff of Castle feel your presence. For they do not have your eyes or teeth or tongue.

The first is, perhaps, more important.
Such curious things that thought. Maybe more than a sense of work inherited from Mother. But a sense of perspective. Of Scale.

The first stop is deep. Is dark. Is lower than low. The children who brush against the bones of this world.

No sooner than you remember it do you stand before the door. Great and quiet, enscribed with an eclipse of the sun.
To their eyes at least. You always thought it looked like a closed mouth.
Findings for a future...

As you are though, it is with ease that you walk through the door.
No lock, no enchantment, no mastery of magic or ageless insight is enough to bar your passage. And here is no exception.

Children who brush against your brothers both. Wounds still slow in growing mount. Nips from Ash, a living shiver from Paranoia. And of course, a blessing too from you.

For here they find Power. Here, they find Hunger. Here they find
You.



Hours.

Hours you spend. Whispering nothing to their ears. Offering temptations.
How diligently they write them down. How carefully they enscribed and enshrine their fears. Their horrors. And their learning.

Every graze of your teeth draws from these children a shiver of worry. A fretful glance to the others. Wondering if they felt the same. If they could consider such an act... Such a maiming. Such a wound. Wouldn't that help?

Wouldn't that be good?

Doubt in others is Paranoia 's game. But you.... You hunger for a simpler, easier kind of fear.

Corrupted good

---

Alas, Mother approached. And there is still a changing of the guard to take place. Ash is too young and too focused. Paranoia is too broad and too far in his touch. He cannot walk as you do.

Eventually the work is done, and those dark quiet doors are left alone. From sequestered secrets to well known ones.

Earth and stone seem to shift beneath your paw as you climb the many steps. Rising high.
Chasing Mother, if on another way.

She is sweet, and kind, and gentle, and no more do you haunt her visions. How rare do you whisper word to her. And every time she lashes out in anger and frustration. But...

Your steps land on stones warm to even your senses.
For Mother is not in your sights today.



Up
Up
Up to the highest tower.
Up to where the air boils and the world churns.
Here where magic not of your ways or the new is worked.
Here, the only door you have found that can dream of barring your way.

But it only dreams of it.
And dreams are nothing but passages themselves.

And so, you walk through the Seal of the Sun.
Into her chambers.

"Hello my friend."


No words pass by between you and the Monarch of the Sun. She does not know you, even if she feels you.
For here has been your quiet home.
Here has been an Agony savored like the finest wine.

You walk over, gentle and slow. Not circling her as prey, though to be certain, Wolf will devour the Sun. But you walk slowly all the same.

And

You

Rest



Draped around her withers like a neckpiece. Hanging heavy on her back. Paws falling down across her chest not in hunger. But an embrace.

Your muzzle finds her. Teeth so slowly. So gently parting the fur at her belly. Teething the wound so very long kept secret. Resting over her heart.

"... They don't deserve you."


"After all you have done. After all you have given. How many generations?"


"And to hurt your dearest Sister not years, not months, but a smattering of weeks after her return?"


"It hurts, doesn't it?"


She fights. Oh how she fights.
Every fiber. Every strand. Even more of her than there is buckles and breaks and strains against your words. Your words

Of comfort
Of commiseration
Of understanding


It matters not if she bends or if she breaks. It matters not if Mother rescues her from herself.
What pain could be sweeter?


"You remember her voice. Her touch. Her innocent smile."


"They stole that, didn't they?"


"A thousand years of peace. Of gentleness. Of kindness. And you ask for them to simply love her..."


"And they couldn't "

---

The sun is slow in setting these days.
And all who look to it know of something they never once felt before when witnessing it.

An uncertainty.
An... Agony. One without end. One held ever and always at the cusp of boiling over. Just ever so carefully constrained.




The sun burned.
And all held their breath
Save singer of song

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Author's Note: I promise I will catch up to the thread, read the wonderful omakes and fix the pointed-out typons soon. And I hope you are all doing well!

- - -

You are Shining Armor.

And right now, you really don't feel like your namesake. You don't feel like the stallion who can gallop into the fray and save the day. In fact, you can barely stand your ground as it is. You can't even take a single step forward from where you are.

But still, you have nowhere else to be. There is nothing else you can do. And you know, from the bottom of your heart, that being here right now is the single most important thing you should be doing.

So, you will stand your ground. You will wait, and hope.

You will be here, when that door finally opens.

…

The Royal Castle is… hot. There is no other way to describe it. The effect waxes and wanes at random, but not even the thickest horseshoes can hide the fact that the floor itself is unnaturally warm.

Even then, life tries to continue as normal in the Royal Castle. The maids are making a point of keeping the windows open, to let the cool breeze in. The guards are changing their patrol routes to avoid certain corridors. But everypony else is trying their best to pretend nothing is wrong.

And of course, everypony is avoiding the royal apartments.

Everypony except for you.

If the Royal Castle is hot, then the royal apartments can only be described as sweltering. The warmth, the heat that is boiling the Royal Castle from the inside, is coming from here. It is emanating from the royal apartments. And not just from anywhere in the apartments, this heat is coming from right behind that door.

You know that because you are here. You are here, right next to the heart of this scalding wave. Even though all the guards have been dismissed, lest the metal of their armors singe and scorch their coats, you are still here. You are standing right in front of the wide double doors that lead to Princess Celestia's personal residence.

And much like a colt that is standing too close to a bonfire during a camping trip, you can practically smell the tips of your fur burning. Even if the process is so slow that it causes your white fur to barely turn grayer over the course of an entire day.

You have been here ever since this whole mess began. Ever since your dear wife, your other half, suddenly rushed to the Princess of the Sun and locked the door behind herself.

At first, you thought this would end quickly. You thought that whatever was happening, it would only last a few hours, and that your job would be to console your exhausted wife after whatever trials she had been forced to face.

You thought that at first. Until the heat started to swell, and the hours stretched to an entire day. Until the heat became so unbearable that the guards on duty were slowly pushed away from their posts. Until you were forced to be elsewhere, even if only for a few hours, so you could make arrangements to cover for your absence, in the Bureau and elsewhere.

And now, your life has turned into the morbid mixture of a statue and a desert-dweller. You stand here, alone, in this final antechamber that leads to Celestia's residence, and you wait. You wait, and you breathe in the hot air, and you try to ignore the puddle of sweat that is constantly evaporating around you. You wait, and you do not begrudge your lack of a horn with which you could have shielded yourself from the heat any more than you are thankful for your strong body that allows you to withstand this. Because you know you would still be doing this even if you had neither.

Every now and then you retreat to the previous room, where you quite literally keep a supply of cooled water and nourishment. And whenever you are too tired to stand, you retreat two rooms further, to the closest place that is cool enough for you to sleep in.

But other than that, you just wait. You wait for Cadance. You wait for the love of your life.

Not because you don't trust her. Not because you think you can even help her. None of that. In fact, you are acutely aware that even Cadance herself is ill-suited for… whatever it is that she is doing, but that somehow she is also the best pony available to do it, in all of Equestria.

Still, you are not here because you think Cadance needs help. Instead…

Well, you just know you have to be here. You know, in your heart of hearts, that you need to be here.

Almost as if something… something, very small and very subtle, is whispering in your ear that…

… that if the worst come to pass, that if something goes horribly wrong, it is your duty… no, it is your purpose to stand between Cadance an-

Click​

Your thoughts grind to a halt as a noise shatters the simmering air. Your exhaustion, the heat, and indeed your very dehydration are forgotten as your mind focuses on a singular thing.

Despite the oppressive hotness, you take a step towards the door, then another, and then another, as it slowly opens inwards.

And even though you know this is only a reprieve, and not the end of it, you allow yourself to feel relief as you finally come face to face with your dear beloved.

Even if her body feels dangerously light as you carry her away from that place.





- - -
- - -
- - -





You are Princess Cadance, and this is a dream.

But this isn't just any dream. This is a dream in the sense that you are not awake, but this is not a place that Princess Luna can intrude upon.

You do not mean this as a slight to her. And this is not a claim that you are better than her. But the same way you cannot force Celestia to fall in love with a pony, you know that this dream is for you alone.

You know this because this is the only place you can speak with her.



So, how did it go?



You know her. You know her more than anypony else. You know her better than you know yourself, and you know her better than she knows herself.

And most importantly, you love her dearly.

"I am not sure," you answer honestly.

You know she is, well, a she. Even though you don't really see a filly, or even a mare, when you look at her.

You know her name, but only in the sense that you know that you know her name. Almost as if you can't quite remember it, or perhaps as if you haven't decided what her name is yet.

You know she isn't real, but only because you have not started working on that.

And yet, despite all that, you can't quite place who this pony is, no matter how hard you try.



At least it wasn't so bad that you think it went badly.

"I guess that is true."



Did she laugh just now? Did she mean that as a joke? Or did she say that in a wise, sagely way?

You don't know. You are not really sure what type of pony she will turn out to be.

Even if you know that getting to know her will be the happiest thing in your life.

However…



"Is everything alright?"



You ask. No, you feel forced to ask.

Not because you are nervous. It is impossible for you to feel nervous in this dream. This is a place that not even fear can reach.

Still, you feel forced to ask that.



Why do you ask?

"Because I… I can't see your face today. I can't see your face right now. Your face is always clear, even if I can never remember it. But right now I…"

Well, I'm still here, aren't I? I still exist.



She says that to put you at ease, even though you are not distressed.

However, the way she said that… the implication of her words… you can't help but think that…



"Have I done something wrong?"

I don't know. Have you?

"If I… if I fail, if something goes terribly wrong, will you stop existing?"



She doesn't answer you. She does not answer, because she loves you too much to lie to you.

And yet, her presence is so faint that you can barely feel it when she places a hoof on your shoulder.



You know there is only one way for me to stop existing.



She says that as she comes so close your horns almost touch. She says that looking so deeply into your eyes that she might as well be looking into your soul. She says that, at the same time, as a warning and a plea and perhaps even a farewell.

And suddenly, her face comes into sharp, painful focus. You can see her now, but there is something wrong with her. Her face is harder, more masculine, marred with exhaustion and topped by a slightly melted horn.

But as you take in a sharp, cool breath, you realize you are not looking at her. That you never did. Instead, you are looking at the face she would be modeled after. The mold from which she would be cast. The one whose eyes she would inherit and for whom her love would eclipse even yours.

You wake up, and you realize you are looking at Shining Armor, the love of your life.

And as your faculties and your memories and the pain you feel all over your body comes back to you all at once…

… you quickly forget the dream you just had.





- - -
- - -
- - -





Evergreen Bloom considered herself to be a lucky mare. Perhaps one of the luckiest mares ever. And that was because, to put it simply, she had the best job in all of Equestria.

It was a lot of work, of course. But it was meaningful. And more than that, she always knew what to do. She always knew that she was doing the right thing.

Because she was none other than Princess Cadance's personal assistant.

Being physically close to a Princess is already a privilege. Everypony knows that. But being personally close to a Princess, by virtue of spending so much time with one, is nothing less than a blessing. And thanks to her job and station, Evergreen Bloom had reached that second threshold, and maybe even more.

Granted, being one of the ponies who turns a Princess' will into reality is not easy. Princess Cadance can (and already has) ask for anything, at any time, and it is Bloom's job to make sure that whatever she wants happens as quickly as possible. Without any margin for error.

But of course, being her does come with certain privileges. After all…

Well, the best way she could explain it was through a parable she was told, back when she was a filly.

The parable went something like this:

Princess Celestia had a beautiful garden, where all kinds of flowers bloomed.

One day, the Princess decreed that her flowers were so beautiful that "Nopony may pick a flower from the garden." And from that day onward, every pony who picked even a single flower from the garden was arrested.

Sometime later, while strolling through her garden, Princess Celestia herself came upon the most beautiful of roses. So pretty it was that she immediately picked it and plucked it into her mane.

Did the Princess break her own rule? Should she be imprisoned as well?​

The answer to that parable is obvious, and it is often told to young foals for a reason.

Of course, the Princess did not break her own rule. After all, the garden belongs to her, and her rule was there so everypony else knew how they should act in her garden.

And the greater lesson from that parable is that laws also do not apply to Princesses. Because just like the flowers in the garden, ponies also belong to the Princesses in this great garden called Equestria. And the Princesses' laws are there so that ponies know how they should act under the Princesses.

In short, being a Princess' assistant meant that Evergreen Bloom could do anything to fulfill Princess Cadance's wishes. And that she could go about her job with a clean conscience, because anything that Princess Cadance asked her to do was objectively right.

However.

However…

Well, Bloom was not questioning Princess Cadance's will.

But even Bloom had to admit that she wasn't quite sure how this would turn out.

"Here we are, ma'am. Right this way," the stallion guard said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Bloom thanked the Constable guard for taking her there, and then she focused on the task at hoof.

Right in front of her was, of course, the door to the Commissioner's office. And even from behind the door she could hear the sound of ponies speaking. Although Bloom had not dealt with the Commissioner before, so she wasn't sure which of the voices was hers.

Still, she quickly knocked on the door and let herself in, regardless of whatever meeting she was about to interrupt. After all, she was there at the Princess' request, and the thick necklace she wore identifying her as a Princess' emissary was usually more than enough to let her do whatever she needed to do in the Royal Castle.

"Please excuse me. Commissioner Covers? I bring word from Princess Cadance."

She said that, and the room immediately went quiet.

The Commissioner's office was… unimpressive. Or perhaps Bloom should describe it as "practical"? It had none of the pomp or royalty of a Princess' abode. But then again, a pony like the Commissioner was never meant to be treated with pomp or royalty.

After all, the Commissioner was just another pony, just like Bloom herself.

And speaking of the mare, she looked… frail. She looked a little thin, and a little tired, and a little pretty.

So, once again, Bloom couldn't help but feel a little… perplexed, by what she was about to do.

After all, she couldn't help but think that the Commissioner looked a little too much like Princess Cadance herself, who she spoke with just a few minutes ago in the privacy of the guest room she had commandeered to rest in.

"Cadance? Cadance is out?!" the Commissioner says, jumping out of her seat as she does. "Meeting's over everypony, we will continue this later." She finishes, clearly dismissing the three ponies she was speaking to just a moment ago.

And Bloom could tell, from the Commissioner's tone and from her urgent trot, that she was expecting to follow Bloom back to meet the Princess. Evergreen Bloom was well aware of how close the mare was to Cadance, of course, so it only made sense.

But that wasn't… why… Bloom was there.

"I'm afraid the Princess won't be meeting anypony, Commissioner Velvet," she said, raising a hoof, causing the mare to stop on her tracks.

For a moment, or perhaps a fraction of a moment, she thought she saw something in the Commissioner's eyes. Some lightning quick calculation of whether she should heed Bloom's words, or if she should just walk past her.

But thankfully, the Commissioner tarried long enough for Bloom to be able to speak.

"But like I said, I bring word from the Princess. She has a task for you, Commissioner," Bloom said, with the practical politeness that she learned over the years. Gracious, as it befits a message from an alicorn, but firm in its finality.

"A… task you say?" the Commissioner said, almost confused. But she nodded for Bloom to continue.

And once again, despite Bloom's unshakable certainty that her Princess is always right, she still hesitated for a moment.

But only for a moment.

"Yes, Princess Cadance has instructed me to… well, to come to you."

"Come to me for… what exactly?" the Commissioner asked. And even if she didn't know it, Velvet Covers had just mimicked, almost word for word, the same question she had asked Princess Cadance just a few minutes before.

"For everything. Princess Cadance will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, but she just instructed me to come to you for, well, instructions. She ordered me to place her Royal Office under your direction until she calls for us again, and…"

Bloom trailed off, as she came to terms with the only way she could properly word the Princess' will.

"… she asked you to run Equestria, Commissioner Velvet, until she comes back."

The Commissioner's eyes went wide at that.

The three ponies behind her, whose meeting had just been interrupted by Bloom, simply blinked in confusion.

And Evergreen Bloom herself could only think about the parable that she was told, all those years ago.

This is the Princesses' garden, she told herself, and they decide how it is run.

Even if they decide that it will be taken care of by bumbling foals like themselves.





This update is rank with the color of Harmony, even if you cannot see it. But that is alright. It is only natural to focus on the printed words, and ignore the paper upon which they are written.

More to come, soon.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

[X] Plan: A Song of Bright Snow
-[X] (Detectives) Investigate Neighnia
-[X] (Constables) Expedition: The Quarry of Yuxtabai
-[X] (Commissioner) Get your hooves dirty
-[X] (Director) Heart
-[X] (Mareinette) Honored Guest: Mayor Mare
-[X] (Baldomare) Lantern lesson
-[X] (DoA) Consult
-[X] (Smiles-Free) Lead an expedition: Is It Free Real Estate?
-[X] (Cherenkolt) Consult
--[X] Recalibrate: Grail
-[X] (Selene) Soothe the night
-[X] (Jade) Study Moth 3 artifact
-[X] Summon a Mare-in-the-Light
--[X] In a barn on our estate
-[X] Acquire a dead body
-[X] Help Smiles (x2)
-[X] Cover your bases (-5 Follower AP, +2 Velvet AP)

[X] Plan: The Princess of Love's Chosen Has to Make an Effort
--[X] You don't have time for this. (Costs 0 actions. You will only roll ONE healing dice.)
--[X] The medicine taste is worse than its appearance. But it is exactly what you need, if they are to be believed… (Costs 30 bits. One dice will auto-succeed)
-[X] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of [SECRET HISTORIES]
-[X] The delights of subservience (Leash currently targeting: NO TARGET)
--[X] Change Leash to another target. (Spoiled Rich)
-[X] [KNOCK] The Shattered Stairways
--[X] [KNOCK] A labyrinth of stairs. A monument of a gone age. A sprawling ruin. See where the many paths might lead you.
-[X] These are the skills that allow you to climb the Mansus
--[X] Take that terrifying leap, into the abyss we call change
---[X] Don the mask, shear your mane, pick the only pony who will notice it. Snip snip snip (Spoiled Rich)
-[X] Filthy Rich has reached a crossroad in his personal life. His marriage is not where he wants it to be, and he is not sure what he should do. You should nudge him in the right direction. (FREE ACTION) (SAVE)
-[X] The Royal Castle feels, quite literally, like a powder keg, and the temperature is rising. Cadance will come out of that boiler at some point. When she does, she will need your help. (5x)
-[X] [FORGE] It's actually a lot simpler than it sounds, now that you know what you are doing (produce a reagent, write in which Lore/combination of Lores.
--[X] [FORGE] Level 4 reagent (80 bits)
--[X] [FORGE] Purify a level 6 Forge Reagent (110 bits)

You are Velvet Covers.

And despite everything that everypony else thinks about you… despite all the hardships you have endured, all the experience you have accumulated, and even the sheer esoteric resilience you are able to call upon…

You are stunned.

You are stunned. Plain and simple.

"Commissioner Velvet? Are you… alright?" the mare standing in front of you asks.

What was her name again? Everbloom? Green something? You have no idea, nor do you care to find out. All you really want to do right now is sit down and-

-and the world spins as soon as you try to move one of your legs-

-to the point that you barely stop yourself from tripping and falling face first on the floor.



"Commissioner?!"

"Get the Secretariat here!"

"W-whats going on?! Princess Cadance was very clear th-!"



And the moment that happens, everypony around you panics.

The Bureau officers you were having a meeting with just a moment ago start shouting. One of them runs out of the room for whatever reason, and another looks like he wants to come help you but doesn't really do anything.

The Everbloom mare, also, looks frozen on the spot. As if the notion of you taking more than three seconds to answer her is an incomprehensible mystery.

All of that while you are still trying to come to terms with the implications of what she just told you.

Because she spoke to Cadance, apparently? So Cadance was reachable, but unavailable to talk to you right now? Is she okay? Is Shining with her? Is the building wave of heat getting taken care of, or is Cadane in desperate need for help while you are here wasting time?!

You don't know. You have no idea. And while you are trying to get your damn hoofs under you-



"Listen here lady, you have to leave. You can wait outside for all I care, but we are-"

"Excuse you?! I am here for the will of Princess Cadance. Do I make myself clear?"

"And unless Princess Luna was standing next to her when she told you that, I don't care. Now either you leave, or I make you leave."

"Wh-! I'd neve- Hey! Watch it you brute!"



And this is typical. Typical. The moment you falter… no, the moment you barely trip everything around you starts falling apart.

Is this really all it takes to make ponies panic? Is this really all it takes for Equestria to fall apart? One worrying message, one slightly shocked figure of authority, and they all just lose their wits?

Can't they do anything without being told? Without having somepony else there to hold their hoof and pull them along?!

Can't they just-

"Everypony SHUT. UP."​

You are not seeing red. You are not even angry. If anything, the room is still spinning around you and you feel like you are looking down at yourself from outside your own body.

But still, you finally have your four hoofs under you once again. Never mind that the floor underneath one of your hoofs is split where you stomped down on it.

And you take this blessed moment of silence to breathe.

You breathe in, and you breathe out.

Breathe in, then out.

In.

Out.

…

Now you are ready to address the… the bumbling foals that you have surrounded yourself with.

"You," you say, addressing the intruding mare that caused all of this. "Just to be clear. Cadance said she wants me to take care of things while she is gone. You mean to say she wants me to cover for her responsibilities, correct?"

You say that as you turn to face the mare, this time taking a proper look at her for the first time.

The pegasus mare, you finally realize she is a pegasus, is surprisingly young. At least for the position she holds. She is sufficiently well-dressed to have her cutie mark covered, but her chest area is entirely uncovered in favor of proudly displaying the thick necklace of her station.

Light-blue coat, green-ish mane, but what catches your attention the most is her eyes.

They are wide-open with fear, as she looks back at your stern gaze.

And quite frankly, you don't much care about soothing her right now.

"Y-ye…" she tries to say, but fails, eventually deciding to answer you with a stuttering nod.

"Is she available to see me?" you ask.

She shakes her head.

"Did she specifically hand over her authority for me to do what I have to?"

The mare nods.

And that is all you need from her right now.

"Now you," you say, turning to your Bureau officers.

Only to notice that their eyes are also wide open. But not out of fear, you think.

There is an eagerness in their eyes, as if they hope you will do something. For a moment, you think they just want you to give them orders. For a moment, you think they are just hoping you will organize this chaos by giving them purpose.

But then, you remember the ruse you helped Selene build up, and you realize what they are truly hoping for.

They are hoping that, in this moment of crisis, you decide that enough is enough. They are hoping, you can tell, that you will confirm the very "poorly kept secret" that you allowed to spread through the Bureau over the last several weeks.

They are hoping that a Princess will dramatically reveal herself and take charge of things.

And a part of you can't help but think that… maybe Ponykind reached the state it's currently in precisely because this hope has been so deeply ingrained into your people.

…

For a moment, you wonder if this is how Celestia feels.

But you don't have time for idle musings like that.

"I have orders for the Bureau. Cut everypony loose. Myself and the Deputy will be unavailable, so every team is to run with their current orders until we return. The investigators already know what I want, so just make sure the constable teams are ready for departure on schedule."

The officers hesitate, but only for a fraction of a second. You think for a moment that you see disappointment in their eyes. But thankfully, their expressions quickly turn into disciplined focus.

"Yes, Director," they reply in unison, the small gaffe in addressing you with the wrong rank making it clear what is in their minds.

You won't bother to correct them. Whatever helps them go about their duties more efficiently.

"I will be scarce. One of you, get me a secretary on your way out. And not a single word about this to anypony else. We don't need a panic spreading because of news that that the throne is empty."

You shoo them away with a wave of your hoof, and they quickly file out of your office shortly after.

Leaving you alone with…

"Now… Evergreen Bloom, was it?" you say, once again addressing the mare who just managed to regain her composure.

She still looks cautious though. And you notice that she is looking at the spot where you split the floor before she turns to face you.

"Y-yes, Commissioner," she says. You can tell that she is mustering the will to say something else, perhaps to explain to you what Cadance's duties are or some other introduction to the temporary relationship you will be having with her."

"Sit," but you interrupt her, taking your own seat and nodding towards one of the chairs in front of your desk. "You just kicked away several of the plates I was spinning. So, let me give you some ground rules before we begin."



- - -



You had plans for this month.

You had plans.

You wanted to supervise the Bureau this month, given how Lore-heavy their activities will be. You wanted to… to summon more creatures, to have more conversations with your guest Names, to be able to prepare for your coming attempts to reach. For. GLORY.

Because you are about to REACH FOR GLORY.

There is so much you still need to do, and so little time.

But Cadance needs your help. And you cannot, will not, leave her hanging. You don't think you would have changed your plans this drastically even if Pride or Steppes were in a life or death situation.

However, Cadance is… well, she trusts you. She trusts you, and you care for her.

And to be honest, given the responsibilities she has to carry as a Princess, you don't know if she has anypony else who can help her.

Still, this will be tricky.

The worst part, you think, is that you don't even have the entire picture to work with. You know that Cadance is absent, and anypony who can touch a wall of the Royal Castle can tell that something is happening related to Princess Celestia. It's not hard to put two and two together to know why Cadance has disappeared.

But you don't know anything else other than that. Nopony does.

Is she just talking to Celestia? Did the two of them fight, either verbally or literally? Was she using some… Love Alicorn… spell… to keep Celestia sedated, like some sort of magical surgery?

Does she need help? Is there anything you can do to even help her?

Perhaps when Cadance makes herself unavailable again Shining Armor will be able to give you more information. But right now, you know the stallion is exactly where he needs to be: with Cadance, helping her however he can.

Which leaves you here, holding the literal fort for her.

The only consolation you have is that, according to Bloom, Cadance herself is asking this of you. So, you can only trust her that this is the best way you can help her.



"First ground rule: we keep this a secret. Nopony, and I mean nopony, can know about this arrangement. I don't care how you do this, lie to the rest of your office if you must. But you will come here to confer with me, and you will tell everypony else that these decisions are coming from Cadance's own mouth."



All of that being said, you get to work.

In the grand scheme of things, you are sure that this situation can give you room for… opportunities.

But you know yourself too well. You know you won't really take advantage of them. Not in a negative way, at least. After all, you forsook every opportunity you had to swindle even your own father. So, you know you won't really have the will to do any chicanery during your… temporary regency? Whatever this is called.

Besides, you are doing this for Cadance. You wouldn't dream of, say, stealing from the treasury while she is gone, using her own authority, when the only reason you are here is because of how much she trusts you.



"Second ground rule: no micromanaging. I won't be holding court, for obvious reasons. But since the only pony I will be talking to is you, this won't work if you bring me every problem in Equestria to solve. I don't care if it takes you claiming that Cadance has is sick and decided to seclude herself, but I will need you to filter the issues you will bring me."



Still, it is… a lot of work.

What you thought would be a quick conversation with Bloom, when you first met her, turned into a full-day briefing of… well, of the current issues that Cadance was dealing with before she left.

Some of the issues are large, and slow-moving, like the worrying increase in crime plaguing all major cities.

Some of the issues are local but complex, like the shortage of supplies required by Cloudsdale to prepare for the next season change.

And some of the issues just popped up, like the several powerful ponies who just had their audiences with Cadance cancelled at the last moment.



"Third ground rule: I will be gone in two weeks. No ifs, no buts. In about two weeks the Bureau will be embarking on an excursion outside of Equestria, and I am going with them. So, you either start praying that Cadance comes back by then, or you start making arrangements to keep things running even while I am away."



It is complicated, it is intimidating, and to be honest it is a bit too much for a single pony to handle.

But you don't really have a choice, do you?

After all if you don't do this, who else will?





Your plans for this month have been ruined. The entirety of your personal time, and then some, will be dedicated to helping Cadance.

You are not… frustrated. You will gladly help her, and you know she would have done the same for you.

Still, you wish you had more time. You wish you had more of everything, really.

Regardless, now is the time for you to make certain decisions.



- - -



As ordered, Cherenkolt reported to you when he arrived in Canterlot. The Daughter-of-Axes, to nopony's surprise, was nowhere to be seen. During your meeting with him, you instructed your faithful not-son to coordinate the Bureau's preparation of its supplies for the coming voyage.

You also presented him with something you prepared, and asked him for instructions on how to further refine it.

His instructions were… humbling. They were precise, of course. Precise, and detailed, and accurate. But also humbling in how absolutely nonsensical they were from your point of view.

His instructions dealt with fine clockwork contraptions, single-use purifiers, and the application of different kinds of forces in the most unexpected ways. And they were humbling because they gave you a glimpse of how varied and deep the practices of Forge were, and that you had not trodden far into even one of those avenues, while Cherenkolt was a master of so many of them.

Still, he laid the way for you to take another step towards your goal.





You have created a Level 4 Forge Reagent. 80 bits have been removed from your inventory.

You are in the process of refining it into a Level 6 Forge Reagent. 110 bits have been removed from your inventory, but the Reagent itself will only be finished AFTER Cadance's roll (and the process is at risk of interruption, without a guaranteed refund of resources).



- - -



At some point, during that strange period that is neither late night nor early morning, you stumbled back into your guest room to flee from your responsibilities.

Only to be surprised by the smell of burnt flesh and death.

You would later piece together that it was the doing of Smiles. It would seem that the horse-sized creature interpreted your orders to "acquire a dead body" a little too literally, and he decided to produce one through his own creative ways.

The dead pony, you learned, was the patriarch of one of the noble families. One that the Name-creature decided was committing the sin of hoarding too much authority. So, in one creative and incendiary swoop, he gave you what you asked him while also furthering his own goals.

Although the fact he presented it to you that way, like a morbid trophy left behind by a well-meaning cat, did not have the positive impact he hoped it would have.

You would have to talk to him later.





You have acquired a dead body.

You have transformed a dead body into a Torn Risen. As planned, its action point was retroactively applied to this turn, and it will decay at the END of Turn 24.



- - -



And of course, eventually you had to make some decisions of your own…



You have neither the time, nor the inclination, to go behind Cadance's back and further your own interests.

However, you still have to decide whether to be creative or careful with the authority you were entrusted.


[] (THRONE) You will be careful.
-You will NOT roll any dice.
-This option is the equivalent of "managing the decline" of Equestria during the Princesses' absence. Hoping that they will return in time to bring it back to good order.
-The affairs of Equestria will be "a little worse" than before Cadance's absence, and she will have to do some cleaning up. But if Cadance succeeds in her roll with Celestia, everything will turn out well.
-This is not a risk.


[] (THRONE) You will try to change things.
-You WILL roll a dice. The DC of this dice, and its thresholds, bonus or Lore usage, will not be explained to you ahead of time.
-This option is the equivalent of "being creative" with your authority, and trying to make certain changes to the system as a whole during your limited time here.
-The thresholds of your success can range from "catastrophic" to "things get much better", and this roll also has a CHANCE to further aid or hinder Cadance in her roll (or to not affect her roll at all).
-This is a risk.



You must also, of course, plan for your coming expeditions.

Spoiler: Notes on expedition voting

Here is a LINK to the Expedition threadmark, for ease of access.

Due to the unusual circumstances of this turn (Cadance's roll) the following rules will apply to these expeditions:
-Both expeditions will depart close to the same time, therefore artifacts and curios can only be taken to ONE of the two expeditions;
-Despite it being a "free action" to participate in Smiles' Short Expedition, Velvet, DoA and Cherenkolt will NOT be able to participate in Smiles' expedition;
-Smiles' expedition will not be affected by Cadance's roll; and
-If you absolutely want Smiles to be able to take more/all artifacts, and for Velvet, DoA and Cherenkolt to join him, you may vote for Smiles' expedition to be delayed, in which case it will take place closer to the end of the turn and after Cadance's roll (and risks interruption).


Your expedition to the Quarry of Yuxtabei will not cost bits, and the non-Bureau characters that will participate on it have already been decided (Velvet, Cherenkolt, DoA). Thus, the only thing to be voted for the Quarry is which items you will take.


The information for Smiles' expedition is as follows:

Spoiler: Smiles' expedition

Expedition: Is It Free Real Estate?

Location: The notes taken from Copper Secateur's headquarters mentioned other locations where they could have installed themselves in, or perhaps places where they could hide resources or ponies. This particular place was singled out. However, unfortunately, the notes that specified what it holds (or held) have long been lost.

Expected duration: SHORT

Base cost: 5 bits (you must have at least 25 bits per creature sent)

Expected dangers: UNKNOWN (expedition not scouted)

-[] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: WRITE IN


-[] (SMILES) Accompanying team: WRITE IN

-[] (SMILES) Artifacts and curios: WRITE IN

-[] (SMILES) Delay this expedition.





This is two separate votes. The "THRONE" vote is independent, and you can vote on it freely. However, you must make a plan vote that includes BOTH the Yuxtabei option and the Smiles option, since taking artifacts and certain characters will be mutually exclusive.

No moratorium, don't think there is a need for it.

I hope you are all doing well.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Plan

[X] Plan: A Song of Bright Snow
-[X] (Detectives) Investigate Neighnia
-[X] (Constables) Expedition: The Quarry of Yuxtabai
-[X] (Commissioner) Get your hooves dirty
-[X] (Director) Heart
-[X] (Mareinette) Honored Guest: Mayor Mare
-[X] (Baldomare) Lantern lesson
-[X] (DoA) Consult
-[X] (Smiles-Free) Lead an expedition: Is It Free Real Estate?
-[X] (Cherenkolt) Consult
--[X] Recalibrate: Grail
-[X] (Selene) Soothe the night
-[X] (Jade) Study Moth 3 artifact
-[X] Summon a Mare-in-the-Light
--[X] In a barn on our estate
-[X] Acquire a dead body
-[X] Help Smiles (x2)
-[X] Cover your bases (-5 Follower AP, +2 Velvet AP)

[X] Plan: The Princess of Love's Chosen Has to Make an Effort
--[X] You don't have time for this. (Costs 0 actions. You will only roll ONE healing dice.)
--[X] The medicine taste is worse than its appearance. But it is exactly what you need, if they are to be believed… (Costs 30 bits. One dice will auto-succeed)
-[X] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of [SECRET HISTORIES]
-[X] The delights of subservience (Leash currently targeting: NO TARGET)
--[X] Change Leash to another target. (Spoiled Rich)
-[X] [KNOCK] The Shattered Stairways
--[X] [KNOCK] A labyrinth of stairs. A monument of a gone age. A sprawling ruin. See where the many paths might lead you.
-[X] These are the skills that allow you to climb the Mansus
--[X] Take that terrifying leap, into the abyss we call change
---[X] Don the mask, shear your mane, pick the only pony who will notice it. Snip snip snip (Spoiled Rich)
-[X] Filthy Rich has reached a crossroad in his personal life. His marriage is not where he wants it to be, and he is not sure what he should do. You should nudge him in the right direction. (FREE ACTION) (SAVE)
-[X] The Royal Castle feels, quite literally, like a powder keg, and the temperature is rising. Cadance will come out of that boiler at some point. When she does, she will need your help. (5x)
-[X] [FORGE] It's actually a lot simpler than it sounds, now that you know what you are doing (produce a reagent, write in which Lore/combination of Lores.
--[X] [FORGE] Level 4 reagent (80 bits)
--[X] [FORGE] Purify a level 6 Forge Reagent (110 bits)

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] (THRONE) You will try to change things.
[X] Plan: All and Two
-[X] (YUXTABEI) Artifacts and curios: Everything
-[X] (SMILES) Artifacts and curios: None
-[X] (SMILES) Accompanying team: Mareinette and Selene

You are Velvet Covers.

And you are so very busy.

You thought you would be able to strike a balance of sorts. You thought, either in ignorance or hubris, that you would be able to find a rhythm to your abridged work schedule. You hoped, or perhaps dreamed, that you would be able to keep your usual level of supervision over the Bureau while also being able to oversee whatever most critical fire is currently raging over Equestria.

But you were… sorely mistaken, to say the least.

For starters, word of Cadance's "unavailability" spread almost immediately. In fact, it spread too quickly, and you can only assume that some of the castle staff went out of their way to spread said news.

Following that, ponies who had been waiting for some time to have an audience with the Princess became understandably upset. After that, ponies who hoped their ongoing issues would be solved in a timely manner were soon to follow. And finally, ponies who thought they were entitled to the Princess' time began causing issues on their own.

And you were left with the very… peculiar chance to see the governmental equivalent of a trainwreck happen in slow motion. One hour at a time, one day after the other.

Of course, you didn't just let it happen. You jumped in to try to fix things almost immediately. You cut the Bureau loose in its current tasks, authorized Cherenkolt to make preparations on your behalf, and basically ignored the periodic reports of the investigators in favor of hoping that somepony would give you a non-written warning if they actually found what they were looking for.

Still, as you tried to use your Princess-given authority to solve ten problems at once, you couldn't help but mull over a much deeper question…

What is the root of all of these issues? How can ponies, yourself included, be able to live in harmony and have such a complex society, and yet not be able to hold on to it when things go wrong?

It was easy to point to the Princesses at first, while you were thinking about it. It was easy to think that one thousand years under Celestia's benevolence is solely to blame. But the more you thought about it, the more you realized that it couldn't be just that.

After all, there are no other pony countries or civilizations other than Equestria. And even though it is known that there are lands and riches beyond Equestria's borders, very few ponies dare to set hoof outside of Ponykind's lands. So, even though being ruled by the Princesses is safe and comfortable, you can't help but think that ponies want to be ruled.

Your kind, your fellow ponies, are able to build, and rebuild. But during a crisis, when things are in the midst of crumbling, ponies simply panic. And the more you thought about it, the more you mulled over that as the days passed you by, the more you realized that…

… that ponies seem to want to be told what to do.

Either by a Princess… or by a mark on their flank.

…

Having those thoughts almost felt wrong. Having those thoughts made you feel dirty, or ungrateful, or perhaps something else you couldn't quite name.

And yet, you couldn't deny the evidence before your very eyes.

Of how everypony seems to be panicking at the mere thought of a Princess being unavailable.

Of how everypony becomes calm and focused once they are told what to do.

Of how… of how you looked into the past, the distant past during your Mansus-dreams, and you saw that ponies were far more independent and resilient, before there were Princesses or cutie marks. Back when power and authority were available for anypony to grab, at the top of the Mansus. Back when a mark upon the flank was something earned and honed rather than gifted and seemingly random.

You do not blame the Princesses for the current state of Ponykind. You do not blame Celestia for nurturing your kind for millennia, you do not blame Cadance for being given the burden of alicornhood, and you are physically incapable of blaming Selene for anything.

You do not blame the Princesses, because the more you think about it, the more it feels like they were introduced into this world as a solution to an existing problem.

Which means the problem, the true root of this problem, must be…

"This world is crooked. It is not as it was, nor as it was meant to be."​

Well, you certainly don't have time to fix something of this magnitude or scale. Not during the short period of time you will be covering for Cadance.

Not in the Wake.

Not until you reach Glory.

But you do think you can make a few changes, here and there, to begin to address all of this.



- - -



It is morning. The sun rose in the distant horizon not long ago, and you are just about to reach your limit.

You are currently in your office at the Lunar Bureau. And your life has basically been a repetition of drinking your medicine, waiting for Evergreen Bloom to come with another crisis for you to handle, and pass out on the makeshift bed on the corner when you can't take this anymore.

How long has it been since this started? You have no idea. At least a week. Probably a bit more. The Secretariat, bless their hearts, has been on duty twenty-four hours a day with a rotation of shifts. And by some miracle, the fact that you have been covertly ruling over Equestria has not leaked to anypony who shouldn't know about it.

But even then, you don't have enough hours in the day to make the problems stop.

Of course, you realize you have been dedicating yourself exclusively to filling Cadance's horseshoes. You do realize that you are taking as much out of this situation as you are giving it. You could be doing less, and you know that everything would still be fine. Equestria wouldn't crumble down in a day if you gave it a break, and you know it.

But you wouldn't be able to look Cadance in the eye if you didn't give this your all. And what is more, you have been dedicating a few hours of your day to… a little project of yours, that will hopefully help in the long term.

However, the fact remains that right now you are purposefully biting more than you can chew. And you have abdicated food, sleep and comfort in favor of putting just a few more hours per day into this.

Although, you can't help but think that this is all…

"Easier said than done," you grumble to yourself, as you try and fail to blink the exhaustion out of your eyes.

Because the problems that Evergreen Bloom brings to you aren't the clear-cut issues brought to you by the Bureau. When you are working as the Commissioner, your officers do bring you problems, but they also bring you options and solutions.

Whether to arrest somepony, whether to give up on a lead, whether to set up a listening post that will either cost horsepower or incur other risks. Those are all variables you can weigh and ultimately decide on.

"But here? Every time I smell Bloom coming closer, I never know if…" you trail off, quite literally talking to yourself in your otherwise empty office. "I never know if she is going to ask me where we should focus for the next weather change, or if she is just going to tell me that the sun stopped moving as if I could somehow fix it."

You say that out loud, feeling what little focus you had slip from your grasp as your body once again protests for sleep. Naturally, that also means you forgot what you were doing just now, and that your eyes are already drifting towards your makeshift bed.

"Maybe I should stop for a few hours," you mumble, already getting up from your chair and making your way towards the chaotic bundle of bedsheets and pillows you have been sleeping on. "Secretariat already knows that locked door means not to disturb me, and with any luck Bloom won't be-"

-but you almost wince as you are interrupted by the familiar presence of the pegasus mare making her way to your office.

You groan. You don't even try to hide it. You let out a long groan, that gets progressively louder, that threatens to turn into a cry of sheer frustration.

And not for the first time, something inside of you gives up. You give up on your dignity, if nothing else, because by the time Evergreen comes into your office you are quite literally tucked into bed.

Whatever the mare has to say, whatever stupid crisis she is going to tell you about, can certainly wait after you slept at least half an hour.

"Commissioner?" she asks, looking around the room in a curiously confused way.

Which makes you realize that you don't have any lights on inside your office, and that you have been working in total darkness for a while now.

But the mare eventually homes in on you and glances in your general direction, after you let out another unsightly grumble.

"What?" is all you ask, already sure that there is nothing the mare can say that will make you leave your bed.

"It's the Princess. Princess Cadance, that is. She wants to talk to you. She asked me to come get you," she says.

And you are done jumping out of your makeshift bed before she even has the chance to finish that sentence.



- - -



True to her word, Evergreen Bloom brought you to Cadance. She didn't take you to the Royal Apartments, of course, given how unbearably hot that section of the castle currently is. Instead, she took you to a secluded guest room, not too far from your own, where Cadance and Shining Armor were resting.

You thought, or perhaps even dreaded, that Cadance would be worse for wear. You feared that she would be exhausted, or crying, or maybe even physically hurt. But instead, when you were let into her room, you found the couple surprisingly well.

In fact, Shining Armor looked worse than Cadance did. The stallion thinner than when you last saw him, and he had that strange exhausted-but-rested look of a pony who was recovering from an illness. It also did not help that his false horn was not attached to his forehead, as his crippled member made him look that much worse.

Still, compared to him, Cadance was more than alright. She looked like she was nursing him back to health, even.

Of course, of course, you are so tired that you didn't even think of the obvious. Cadance had already left Celestia's residence before, when she first sent word for you to take care of her obligations. There was no reason why she couldn't have left Celestia's presence more often, without you being any the wiser.

So, it only makes sense that this time, she called for you because she has been away from Celestia for long enough that she was able to rest. In fact, given how it is morning, you assume that Cadance was able to sleep the entirety of last night.

But of course, all of that means that, compared to Cadance, you look…

"Velvet? Are you alright?! Goodness, what happened to you?" Cadance immediately asks, the moment you enter the room and close the door behind you.

You open your mouth to answer, but before you can say anything the mare is already in front of you.

The quickness of her movement startles you, actually. Because how the hay is she moving so quickly? One moment she is looking at you from the other side of the room, and in the next she is already in front of you. You think she is hugging you, until you realize she is hugging you and carrying you to the large sofa by the side of the guest room.

"Please tell me this isn't because of Bloom. She mentioned that you have been taking care of things but… hello? Velvet?" the Princess says, as she places you in the all-too-soft sofa. So comfortable that you fear you might fall asleep if you close your eyes.

Ah, now you understand. Cadance isn't the one who is moving quickly. It is you who are so slow, and so tired, that you probably took too long to answer her question. You probably just stood by the door, half-asleep, until the mare came to you.

Which reminds you, it's not that you took too long to answer her question. You haven't answered her question at all.

"Am fine, Caddy…" you say, already curling up on the soft, soft sofa. "Just a bit tired…"

Your eyes are closed, but you can see just fine. Which means you can see the way that Cadance is looking at Shining Armor.

If you still remembered your big mare words, you would say that Cadance looks "distraught," and that Shining looks "resigned," probably because he has worked with you for longer. But you do not remember your big mare words, so you just watch through your closed eyelids as they glance at each other.

"V… Velvet? I… is everything alright? Is there anything you want to tell me o-or… hay, is there anything I can do to help you?" you hear Cadance ask.

And you think your answer to her was something along the lines of staying quiet for a few minutes.

Maybe you really are just too tired to do anything, after working for so long. Or perhaps, your mounting stress was just hit by too strong a wave of relief, after entering this room and seeing that Cadance is okay. Or at least that she is okay enough that she doesn't need to talk to you immediately.

Or, who knows, maybe this sofa just is that comfortable.

Regardless, you feel a lot better after you wake up, two hours later.



- - -



After you wake up, you have the opportunity to speak to Cadance and Shining.

Of course, being summoned by a Princess and immediately falling asleep in her room is embarrassing. However, you much prefer the interpretation that you were paying a social visit to a friend, and that you were so tired (after overworking yourself because you were taking care of their responsibilities) that you graciously accepted their offer to take a nap.

Regardless, you are here now. You are here, in Cadance's commandeered guest room, with the mare herself and her husband. And all the problems of Equestria are currently outside these four walls.

So, as you hungrily have your fill from the breakfast that the maids just brought in, you and the royal couple talk.

Naturally, Cadance does most of the talking. And given Shining's expression, you are sure she already discussed all of this with him before.

"It is hard to describe it," she says, after you ask her the obvious question of what the hay is going on. "Celestia is there and I… most of the time I just keep her company. Or rather, I keep her company while she does… well, whatever she feels like. But that's not what is so strange about it. I mean to say that Celestia is there… but sometimes it feels like she isn't."

Cadance tells you a lot of things that, to be frank, surprise you.

Because she tells you that most of the time she just talks to Celestia. She stays there, in that sweltering residence, as Celestia paces around, and talks to herself, or just sits in absolute silence. She stays there, using her own magic to survive the heat, until she feels like Celestia wants, or needs, to be interacted with.

"Sometimes she almost feels normal. Sometimes she is tired, or apologetic, or she even tries to make light of the situation. That's when the temperature usually goes down, even if only a little. But then, there are times that…"

There are times, she says, that she yells. At Cadance, or at the world, or at herself.

There are times where she gets violent. At anything she can get her hoofs on, although she has thankfully not tried using her horn for that.

And then there are times that she speaks with a… with a purr to her voice, a tone that is at the same time matronly and condescending, that she never heard Celestia speak with before.

"But the strangest part is that…" Cadance trails off, as if picking her words very carefully. She thinks for a moment, and then she looks at Shining. Perhaps for inspiration, or perhaps to reassure herself that she is not going insane. "The strangest part is that I don't know exactly what I am trying to do. Celestia is frustrated, and angry, and so many other things. And the castle is almost melting around her, of course. But even those things feel… I don't know, mundane? It's hard to explain, but I still feel like whatever I am trying to do is not related to any of that. Not exactly."

She pauses for a moment, her eyes looking towards the distance as if she is trying to see something that is hiding from her.

"I just have this… this feeling that I need to go there, to be with her. This is the same feeling that tells me when I can leave, or when I should leave. And also when I should go back. And I know this sounds crazy-"

"It's not crazy, dear. You are a Princess. It's bound to be related to that," Shining Armor says, not quite interrupting her, but not letting her speak ill of herself either.

"-or that, Princess mumbo-jumbo," she says with a tiny smile. "But still, I… well, the thing about this is that I don't even know if it's working. The castle isn't getting any colder, and Celestia isn't getting any calmer. And yet, there is this voice in my head telling me I shouldn't be doing anything else."

She says that, and you don't really know how to answer her.

Cadance said that she already conferred with Selene, in her dreams, but your daughter had no idea of what is compelling Cadance to do this. Nor did she have any suggestions on how to help Celestia any more than they both already are.

After that, Cadance has the nerve to say she is worried about you, and tries to ask you what you have been doing about her responsibilities. And of course you politely, but firmly, push back against her questions.

She asked you to cover for her precisely so she could look after Celestia without any other concerns, so that is exactly what you are going to give her.

Still, you manage to take a few moments of tranquility in the presence of your friends. Until eventually, and suddenly, Cadance's expression focuses, and she excuses herself in a practiced way that makes it clear she feels she must return to Celestia.

And just like that, you are left alone in her guest room.

You steal another hour of sleep from the world, before you go back to your own duties.



- - -



Time continues to pass. Day gives way to night, and work gives way to more work, punctuated by the regular taste of your medicine and sparse hours of sleep.

Eventually, and inevitably, you receive a visitor in your office that is neither Evergreen Bloom nor one of your secretaries.

It is Cherenkolt, stallion-sized and punctual to a fault. With the message you ordered him to deliver you when the time was right.

"Preparations are complete," he says with his voice of brass and cogs. "I will oversee the shipment of supplies and personnel to our staging area at the eastern shore. We will await your arrival there."

He says that and, with your permission, he leaves.

You have prepared for this day, of course. Bloom knows what to do, and the Secretariat has a system of couriers ready for you to keep in touch with the throne.

Still, now is the time for you to depart to Ponyville. Not to see your family, unfortunately, although you are sure you will spare some time to at least give them a hug. Regardless, you must go to Ponyville to… well, to visit a pony who thinks she is your friend, and to visit a pony who will become your friend. And then, of course, you will collect a number of items before departing with the Bureau.

You have done everything you can from here. Now is the time to act.





You will quickly relocate to Ponyville, before joining the Bureau in the coming expedition.

You have LEASHED Spoiled Rich. Not in person, of course, but while passing close to her mansion on your way to your own.

You have collected all your artifacts and curios for the coming expedition. They will be distributed to your expedition-goers when the expedition begins.

But right now, before you leave, you will make your way to a place where you have been invited. The promise of food, drink and good company teased about at length on the carmine letter you received in your dreams.

Dinner awaits.