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

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Grail 3 New
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    • You are Soft Sweeps, and you are absolutely sure nothing strange or distressing is about to happen to you. So sure, in fact, that you are not even thinking about any such possibility.

    And how could you? After all, you have a very busy day ahead of you. So, like you do almost every day, you turn your thoughts back to the list of tasks you have to get done today.

    The morning sun gently caresses your face as the high winds blow through your mane and tail, your wings outstretched as you every now and then flap them to keep your current altitude. You have just dropped off Silky Stream and Selene at school, and you are on the final leg (or rather, final wing) on your way back, the long road that links the town to the farmlands passing far underneath you in a blur.

    But still, you have already flown over this path so many times that you don't even pay attention to it.

    "Alright then," you mumble to yourself, "today is a Monday, so I gotta… well, cleaning the fillies' rooms will definitely take up most of the morning and…"

    You run over your tasks, trying to figure out how much time you might take in each of them and whatnot. But most importantly, you trying to figure out which of those tasks you should prioritize.

    After all, even though you have a lot less responsibilities when compared to the other maids of the Velvet household, Ponpon (and of course, Mrs. Velvet herself) always make sure to remind you just how important said responsibilities are.

    Highest among your tasks is, obviously, to take care of the fillies. And that by itself takes up most of your time. You wake up before the fillies do, and (even though nine out of ten times Mrs. Velvet lets you go early) your day only officially ends after the fillies go to bed. Of course, you don't have the slightest complaint about that, even though you did feel out of your depth in the beginning. After all, you have a cutie mark for cleaning, and most of the times nannying requires completely different skills. But all of that was eventually overshadowed by how much you came to care for Silky and Selene.

    However, the fact remains that since most of your days is spent with the fillies, you have very little time to take care of your secondary duties. Consequently, unlike most of the maids who have a fixed timetable of chores to follow, you actually have to do a lot of prioritizing and decision-making for your daily routine.

    After all, the only truly "free" period of time that you have is when the fillies are at school. But that is less than half of a day, for a list of chores that only got larger ever since Selene arrived a few months ago.

    "Not that I need any help, of course. Nope, no second nanny needed," you say to yourself, as you once again banish the idea of anypony but you being assigned to take care of Silky and Selene.

    And you're definitely not being overprotective. No sir. But the fillies trust you. And you care for them. Yes, this is strictly professional zeal! The fact that Silky calls you "big sis" has absolutely nothing to do with your dedication to your job.

    As you think about all of that, the estate finally comes into your view, the farmlands themselves stretching towards the horizon. And with that, you gently bring your wings closer to your body, slowly beginning to glide down towards your destination.

    You push your tentative list of priorities to the side of your head as the mansion grows larger and larger, the previously unidentifiable points of color around the estate turning into discernible ponyservants going about their duties. With that, you give your wings a few final flaps to decrease your speed one last time, and you start angling yourself towards the spot on the garden that is usually kept clear for landings.

    Everything goes about normally from then on. You enter the mansion towards one of the side entrances, making a beeline to where you had left your maid uniform (Mrs. Velvet explicitly told you not to take the fillies to school while wearing that, after all). And then you make your way towards Selene's room, since her room usually only takes you half the time to tidy up when compared to Silky's.

    Everything goes about normally, that is, until somepony knocks on the door just as you finish changing the bedclothes for new ones.

    "Soft Sweeps? Are you in here?"

    An immediately familiar voice reaches your ears, followed a few moments later by the sound of the door being timidly pushed open. You turn around right on time to see an earth pony, wearing the same uniform as you are, looking in through a crack on the door.

    "Ah, there you are. Gosh, I swear I'll never know how Miss Ponpon always knows where everypony is…" the maid says as she pushes the door open a bit more and steps into the room.

    "Oh, hi Tip-top. And yeah, that always creeps me out a little bit. Head maid powers, I suppose," you answer your friend, to which she gives you an honestly agreeing nod.

    After all, even though there is an official hierarchy among the household servants, there is also an unofficial hierarchy that you all know about. One that is more aligned with how competent everypony knows you are, or how well respected you are by your fellow maids or Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Stormchaser. And it is no understatement to say that Ponpon sits on the very top of those two hierarchies, both official and unofficial.

    "But anyhow, fancy seeing you here this early. Is anything the matter? Actually, you mentioned Ponpon, is she asking for me?"

    Tip-top, you know, is usually tasked with cleaning the annexed buildings, and from what you know she helps out in the kitchen every now and then. But the mare also has a very soft hoof, to the point that (as far as the gossips go, at least) Mrs. Velvet has already asked for her by name several times, to take care of some of the more delicate tasks.

    And you know for a fact that those rumors aren't entirely unfounded. For example, to this day Tip-top is the only pony you have ever seen cleaning the central chandelier of the main hall. Cleaning the main hall is usually a duty given to pegasi, since it is a several-storey room and you need three non-fliers with a stair to do what one pegasus can do. But again, to this day Tip-top is the only one who you know is sufficiently trusted to clean the large glass (or is it crystal?) chandelier, even if it takes her a whole day on top of a stair to do so.

    Which, in turn, also puts Tip-top quite far up on the unofficial pecking order of the household maids.

    But gossips and maid-politiking aside, you still have no idea of why Tip-top was looking for you.

    "Not Ponpon, Soft," the earth pony says, shaking her head a bit. "she just told me where you were once I started looking. It's Mrs. Velvet who asked me to call you, when I took her a little something from the kitchen on Mr. Stormchaser's orders."

    "Huh? Wait… Mrs. Velvet is calling for me?" you ask again, your eyes going slightly wider at that. Not because you are nervous or anything, but more because… well… it's Mrs. Velvet that is calling you. Calling you, instead of Ponpon, or her daughters, or anypony else. You're not nervous, but this is definitely not something normal either. "A-are you sure she is calling for me?"

    "That she is, Soft. Now if you excuse me, I'm helping to make today's lunch," she says, giving you a soft bow and leaving the room shortly after.

    Leaving you alone.

    Not nervous-alone. Just alone-alone.

    You are definitely not anxious about this. You are definitely not tense over the fact that you are being called while the fillies are away, which would be the best period of time for you to be thoroughly scolded without the risk of them hearing anything.

    Nope! Not. Nervous. At. All!

    "Oh, who am I kidding," you say, swallowing down something dry.

    You take a deep breath, making sure your uniform is spotless, and then head towards Mrs. Velvet's study room.



    - - -



    It's not that you are afraid of Mrs. Velvet Covers. In fact, you think it would be very unfair of you for you to be afraid of Mrs. Velvet Covers.

    After all, you know she is a very kind mare.

    You know that because of how you see her treat other ponies. You know that because of how much you know she loves her daughters, especially with how she literally adopted an unknown filly despite being a noble. And above all else, you know that because of how kind she was (and still is) to you, personally.

    You do realize that you have your… issues, with nobleponies in general. And there was indeed a time when you were scared of Mrs. Velvet and her husband. And you even remember how you used to lose sleep, over how worried you were of what could go wrong, when you were assigned to take care of their only daughter.

    But that is all in the past. You still respect Mrs. Velvet, of course, but you are no longer afraid of her.


    However.


    ...


    However…


    Mrs. Velvet Covers still makes you… nervous.

    For several reasons. Too many reasons, perhaps.

    And you're not even referring to the odd stories that you hear about Mrs. Velvet, that she is a secret overlord or that she practices some sort of black magic or whatever. You know those stories are false, and practically unavoidable due to the fact that she is a unicorn noble. You've heard plenty of variants of those rumors, back in Canterlot, as well as their other versions when the noble is an earth pony or a pegasus.

    But still, the fact remains that every now and then something happens, or more precisely Mrs. Velvet does something, that makes you feel… *ahem*, that makes you feel things. Confusion, most of the time, but not exclusively.



    Like the time when you put Silky to bed and went to leave the room, but when you turned around to check on her one last time you saw that Mrs. Velvet was somehow right there by the bed.
    (That made you feel spooked out.)
    Or that day when Selene accidentally broke a vase on Mrs. Velvet's study, and was so distraught that you promised her you'd take responsibility for it. But when you went to tell Mrs. Velvet, she didn't even look up towards you, or let you say anything, before telling you to "tell Selene it was alright" because she never really liked the vase.
    (That made you feel very confused.)
    Or the morning when you were preparing the fillies' lunchboxes, and you turned around to see that Mrs. Velvet was standing right there wearing a-



    *SLAP*

    You slap yourself on the face, shaking your head vigorously as you desperately try to turn your thoughts elsewhere.

    "And we promised not to think about that, Soft," you say to yourself, your cheeks heating up as you remember-… as you try not to remember… all of that.

    You take several deep breaths as you walk down the corridor towards Mrs. Velvet's study, dragging your thoughts by the tail back to the more professional side of things.

    Yes. You should definitely not think about that day. Ever again.

    You are a maid. You take care of her daughters. She is a respectable married mare. And you are definitely being called to her because of something you did wrong, or to talk about something serious.

    "That's right. Get a grip of yourself, Soft. This is important," you say, nodding to yourself, as you reach the door to Mrs. Velvet's study room.

    You take another final, deep breath, look over your uniform one last time, and then you give the door a trio of light knocks.

    "Come in," you hear Mrs. Velvet's voice form the other side of the door. You push the door open and step in right after.

    "Excuse me, Mrs. Velvet," you say, out of habit, as you close the door behind yourself.



    ?!?!?!



    And your mind immediately somersaults, to the point that you almost lose your balance for a few moments.

    Wha… what is going on here?!

    A lot of things… way too many things happen at the same time.

    First of all, again, you just felt a… there is something in the air, a sweet smell that is neither perfume nor roses, that you have never felt before in your whole life.

    Secondly, your mind went blank just now. You can still think, and you definitely don't feel bad. But still, you feel like… like there's some sort of fog inside your head?

    Goodness gracious. You know it is totally unbefitting of a maid to do this, but you actually shake your head a few times, hoping that you can blink away this… this numbness that suddenly got over you and-



    "Softy Softy Sweeps, my dear… I am so happy to see you."



    But then, Mrs. Velvet speaks up. She speaks up, and you can almost feel her words caressing against your ears.

    "I… what…? Y-you... you are?" you ask, your voice almost numb for reasons you can't explain.

    However, all of that happened in the few moments that it took you to enter the room and close the door behind you.

    And only after you mumble those words, the sweet aroma on the air still making you feel out of breath, do you finally look up towards Mrs. Velvet.



    !!!!!!



    You were not ready for that.

    Velvet Covers is sitting on her chair, behind her study desk. She is sitting on her, and she is looking at you. Her long mane is flowing down through the side of her body, and she has a hoof under her chin as she watches you with a vaguely pleased smile.

    Velvet Cover is right there, and there is absolutely nothing strange about her.

    There is nothing strange about her, except for everything.

    Your head immediately goes blank as you look at her, and your heart begins to hammer wildly inside your chest. You… you desperately try to think. About something. Anything. But the sweet scent seems to be surrounding you like a vapor, entering your head with every breath you take and somehow clouding your thoughts.

    You can't remember what you are doing here. You can't even remember what you were doing before you entered this room.

    All you can think about is… is how…!



    "Of course, Softy. I am always glad to see you. You are such an… exquisite maid, after all."



    Velvet Covers' words fill your head as if they are the only thing allowed in your thoughts. The sweet fog that is filling your mind somehow making way to allow her words in.

    Your heart, also, starts to beat even faster. After all, she just praised you, and that makes you equals part nervous and happy. However, her smile… the way she is looking at you, somehow tells you that she didn't just call you here to compliment you with a few words.

    Although even if she just wanted to do that, it would be more than enough for you, of course.

    "I, uh… t-than-k you Misses Velvet. I-I am really trying my best!"

    You say that, you try to mumble a pitiful response through your nervous smile, as you watch Velvet Covers look at you as if you were a particularly tasteful snack.

    And by all the clouds in Equestria, you swear you see her lick her lips.



    "Oh… I can see that, Softy. I am always watching you, after all."



    She says that. And before you can even begin to interpret what she means by that, she gets up from her chair and starts walking towards you.

    The sight is… hypnotizing.

    Velvet Covers is walking towards you. She is walking towards you and just by watching her you are feeling something that you have never felt before in your entire life.

    Her movements are beautifully gracious, down to the way she slightly throws her mane to the side of her hair with a gentle shake of her head. The dress she is wearing, somehow, seems to fit her even better than usual, and your cheeks flare up as your mind forcibly reminds you of what she might be wearing underneath that dress of hers. Flashes of images from that early morning, where she caught you alone, that you have been desperately trying not to think about until now.

    Your cheeks flare up at that.

    Your entire body flares up at that.

    And her smile… By Equestria, her smile…

    Her lips…

    Your legs are trembling underneath you, to the point that you are almost losing balance despite the fact that you have four legs. But still, you can't bring yourself to stop shaking. You can't stop your body from heating up like a furnace.

    And the only thing you can really think about is how you have never been in a relationship your entire life. Something you have never really thought about until now.



    Your thoughts almost grind to a halt when Velvet finally stands in front of you.



    "Softy dear, is everything alright…?" she asks. Her voice so sweet that, somehow, you can feel your heart flutter with her every word.

    You nod. You shake your head up and down to answer her, because you are sure you won't be able to form a coherent sentence if you try to speak.

    Your throat is dry. Your mind is numb. Your legs are shaking and your whole body feels warm.

    But for some reason, you can't stop thinking that you just want her to come closer to you.

    "Ah… that makes me glad,"     she says. And then she…

    Slowly…

    Tenderly…

    Reaches to you with a hoof, raising it towards you face.

    You WILL yourself to stay still. You lock every last muscle of your body, because although you have no idea what she is going to do, you are absolutely sure that you will not know how to react to it.

    You stand utterly still. And you can only watch as her hoof, her delicate and smooth hoof, goes towards your face.

    The sensation of her touch against your cheek is electric.

    It only lasts for a moment. She only touches your cheek to take a stray hair of your mane, and tuck it behind your ear. But still…

    Still…

    That touch, all by itself, makes you realize just how close she is to you. Just how close her face is to yours. How close her lips are to yours.

    How pleased her smile is, as she looks at you as if appreciating a fine glass of wine.

    How dry your mouth is, and how simple it would be for her to change that.



    "But anyways. I asked for you to come here for a reason. Can I ask you a question, Softy?"



    You once again nod in response. Your entire body is paralyzed, and you don't think you would be able to move even if you wanted to. Or rather, you wouldn't be able to move unless she wanted you to.

    But still, you nod your head.

    Because although she is all but whispering to you, her words tickling against your body as she speaks, you can still hear her clearly. And if you heard her correctly, it seems that she wants to ask you a question.

    And oh, how you ache to know what her question is. To know what deep secrets she wants you to reveal to her. To know what you could possibly do, for her.



    "Like I said, I can see that you are very… dedicated, Softy."
    She says that, and somehow you can feel her inching even closer to you.
    "Why, sometimes I don't even know what I would do if you weren't there."



    You nod at her, although your movement is now so minute that it is almost imperceptible. After all, her face is so close to yours that you fear your nose will actually brush against hers if you move.

    But still, you know that she notices even that. Her pleased smile tells you as much. Her piercing gaze tells you that you are exactly where she wants you to be. That everything is happening exactly as she desires.



    "So, it would be wrong of me if I didn't try to… give you something in return, wouldn't it?"
    A wave of shock, sudden and unlike anything you have ever felt, rushes through your body. You feel it coming from underneath your chin, and traveling through your body all the way down to the last strand of your tail. And the sensation is so sudden that your hindlegs actually fail you, causing you to suddenly sit on your hinds.
    It takes you a few moments to realize that… that this thing you felt… it is her hoof. She is gently holding a hoof under your chin, almost as if caressing you.
    "What I mean to say is… Softy, is there anything you want?"



    And then, she says those words.



    "Is there any way that I can… reward you?"



    Her words, those words, they are too much.

    The warmth that you feel on your chest and on your cheek, you feel it spread through your body as if some sort of gate had been opened, or as if a dam had been broken. You feel the heat spread through your neck, then your sides, then your wings. You feel it spike and flare up like a flame in certain parts of your body, and then you feel it everywhere else.

    This…

    This is…

    You don't know…

    You've never felt…

    …

    You have no idea what to do. You are breathing so quickly that you feel like you are going to pass out. Her face is so close to yours that you fear you might touch her even if you make the slightest movement. By the sun, she is so close to you that you can feel her breath.

    And her breath is sweet!

    And by all the powers in Equestria, you KNOW the answer to her question. You KNOW what you want. You even know how to answer her without words!

    The answer is right there in front of you. The only thing you want, the only thing you have ever wanted, is to quench the dryness you are feeling in your mouth. And right in front of you is the sweetest, most tantalizing nectar to have ever existed.

    You want to do this.

    You HAVE to do this. Just close the minute, almost nonexistent distance between your lips, and then…

    And then…!



    "I… I am… I d-don't…!"

    But you can't.

    You simply can't.

    "Lady V-Velvet, I d-don't…"

    You are too afraid to do it. You are too much of a coward.

    You have never been in a relationship before. You have never even kissed another pony. What you are thinking of right now, what you want right now… it is beyond you. It is hubris, even.

    "I a-am really grateful. B-but I… d-don't want anything, r-really."

    So, with an almost Rockhoofian effort, you force those words out of your mouth.

    They scrape and scratch painfully against you, as they leave your lips. Those words, they beg you no to be spoken. They beg you that, instead, you turn them into something else. That you ask Mrs. Velvet for that.

    But you say those words, those damned and dry words of denial, all the same.



    "Ah… I see…"



    Mrs. Velvet's look of disappointment, as she distances her face from you, is almost heartbreaking.

    But still, you couldn't have. She… you… Silky Stream considers you her sister. You wouldn't be able to face her or Selene if you… Even if Mrs. Velvet clearly intended to…

    Your mind is still numb and blank, completely uncapable of rational thought. You are honestly operating on instinct. But still, you know that resisting your urges, your deep and ugly and alluring urges, is the right thing to do.

    "I see then. Well, let me know if anything crosses your mind," she says, her slightly disappointed and lonely expression turning a mischievous smile.

    And you nod at that, perhaps too vigorously. But still, you understand what she means by that.

    This is your cue, this is your chance to leave, to escape, and if you don't take it now you will not be able to resist yourself a second time.

    You stand up on your four legs, your hindlegs still trembling perhaps a bit too much. But you stand nonetheless, and give Mrs. Velvet a clumsy bow before turning around and practically lunging for the door handle.

    "You really are a good mare," she says as you leave. And much to your surprise she also-



    *NEIGH!*



    -she also SLAPS your hind, just as you are about to cross the door. And a loud and unsightly sound escapes your lips as the electric sensation crosses through your entire body, the area where she slapped you burning up under your uniform.

    And as soon as the door closes behind you, you literally collapse on the floor, heaving with confusion.

    "W-what… I… what just happened…?" you say to yourself, desperately breathing in the cool air of the corridor. Which makes you realize just how warm and sweet the air was inside Mrs. Velvet's study room.

    Hay, this actually makes you realize just how warm you are. And how… how weird you feel all over.

    Your clothes are clinging against your coat with how much you are sweating. Your wings are… they are stiff behind your back, locked in position as if you were about to take flight.

    A-and you… you can feel… Your maid uniform has a skirt, that covers most of your tail and your hindlegs… You are going to have to change that skirt a-and…!

    You try to stand up, dreading the thought that somepony might walk up into you. Because you have no idea what just happened or what is wrong with you, but you sure as tartarus don't want anypony to see you like this. Y-you have never felt anything like this in your life, but you think you recall Ponpon telling you about… m-maybe you should tell her about this? Maybe she would be able to explain this to you?

    Oh, who you are kidding. You weren't even able to bring up with Ponpon the time when you saw Mrs. Velvet on that morning, in the kitchen. You will never be able to talk to anypony about this just now.

    B-but still, you can't shake a thought from your mind. A mind-numbing, confusing thought that, from your limited and innocent life experience, can be the only explanation to what you are feeling right now.

    "A-am I…?" you say out loud, as you try to stand up on your shaking legs. "Am I in love with Mrs. Velvet?!"

    You are way too young for any of this. You know way too little about being a mare to understand any of this.

    Surely, this is the only thing that you know of that could possibly explain what just happened to you.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You are Velvet Covers.

    And absolutely nothing strange has just happened.

    You watch as Soft Sweeps gives you a short bow, and mumbles an "excuse me" as she turns back towards the door. You have no idea why she is acting so stiff, but you don't really think that's much of a problem.

    You really like the mare, in all honesty. Like a daughter, mind you. But still, you like her nonetheless. She is honest, earnest and dedicated, to the point that you once again think you struck gold when you decided to appoint her as Silky's caretaker.

    To the point where you really meant it when you told Silky, and later Selene, that they should look at Soft Sweeps as an example.

    But lately, you have been fearing that Soft Sweeps might not be satisfied with something. So, you called her to your study room to ask if she wanted a reward. Maybe she would like more time off? Or a raise? Or something else that you can't even think of?

    However, the mare surprised you once again, and said that she didn't want anything. So, you dismissed her, and you are now watching as she walks out of your study room.

    "You really are a good mare," you say as she leaves, and with a flick of magic you close the door behind her.

    And you… you think the door might have touched her hind when you closed it, but you are not sure. You have the impression you heard Soft say something, but she might have just whispered something to herself or let out a sigh.

    So, with that out of the way, you turn around and head towards your study desk, back to the book you were reading.

    However, just as you are about to step away from the door, you hear Soft Sweeps say something.



    "A-am… Am I in love with Mrs. Velvet?!"



    And you immediately freeze.

    Your mind freeze, as you process the words you just heard. Running them over your head to make sure that… that you really heard them, and not something else.

    "What? That doesn't make any sense… why would Soft…?"

    You turn back towards the door once again. You can clearly sense that Soft Sweeps is still right in front of your door, and your Edge-senses tell you she is particularly defenseless for some reason. But still, you resist the urge to open the door and check on her.

    Is… could Soft Sweeps really be…? Well, you know she is rather young. Already an adult, but still desperately innocent in some regards, due to having dedicated herself to work from way too young an age.

    But still, even if she is just a confused young mare, could she be in love with you? But why? It doesn't make any sense, unless...

    Unless…

    "Oh no," you say to yourself, as realization dawns upon you. As you slowly… as you slowly recall what happened just now.

    You play back what just happened on your mind. You play back what just happened between you and Soft Sweeps. The words you used, and the way you acted… Or rather, the words you used, and the way you acted.

    "Oh no… no, no, no no no... Heavens damnit," you say, slapping a hoof to your forehead as you realize what just happened.

    It was so simple, to you. So natural. You honestly didn't even realize you were doing it.

    But now that it is done, you can feel it. Like a string made of words and thoughts and needs tied to poor Soft Sweeps. You undo the binding in an instant, with a flick of a thought, and you can feel the leash coming back to you as if a barrel of wine was being filled once again.

    Goodness gracious, you feel… extremely conflicted.

    Because on one hoof, it is honestly good that you found about this under these conditions. It would be dreadful if some sort of accident occurred somewhere else, or with somepony you don't know or trust.

    But on the other hoof, poor Soft must be so confused right now.

    "Oh dear… I definitely have to make it up for her somehow…" you say to yourself.

    But for now, you know the "damage" is done. And that it is better to let her cool down for a while… You will call Ponpon, and tell her to give Soft a few days… no, the whole week off.

    And then, you will have to sit Soft Sweeps down, and have a very long conversation with her.





    You have reached the third intensity of GRAIL, and had a realization.

    You have acquired a "Leash". You may "Leash" a single pony in your contacts list. That pony will then act towards you as if they were "one step above" on the relationship slide.

    The slide is, as a reminder: Acquaintance -> Friend -> Close Friend -> Confidant -> Minion

    Only a single pony may be "leashed" at any single moment. (And there is no point in trying this on alicorns, or the Master).

    And poor Soft Sweeps couldn't see you eye to eye for a while. But having a long conversation with her about marehood (as embarrassing as it was to her) was a really good training for your own mothering skills. You think you were able to repair your relationship with her without any problems, but the young mare still feels understandably embarrassed every now and then.
     
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    • Heart 3 New
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    • Today, a pony died in the farmlands.

    The day started like any other. You woke up next to your beloved husband, you ate breakfast with your beautiful daughters, and you sat down in your office just as the light of the morning sun began to hit your work desk.

    And you worked undisturbed for exactly two and a half hours, until you heard a commotion coming from somewhere nearby.

    It was the kind of sound that you almost never heard inside your estate. The sound of ponies, grown ponies, talking loudly over each other. Struggling to be heard over a noise of their own making.

    And what made it even more unusual was that the raucous confusion was undoubtedly headed to your office. You could hear it clearly, as the source of the sound worked its way up the stairs and through the corridor, coming towards you. You could hear it even though the door to your office was closed.

    But for some reason, you immediately understood that…

    That this wasn't just some regular old disturbance. This wasn't just a confusion being wound up by an angry pony. This wasn't just some turmoil that happened between a pair of ponyservants, who were storming towards your office in order to demand that you somehow solved whatever issue happened.

    No.

    For some reason, you immediately understood that something very sad had just happened.

    Although you were not exactly sure why you felt that, at first.

    Maybe it was the urgency that you could hear, the way that the stomping hoofs were coming closer almost as if they were instead running away from something else. Or perhaps it was the panic, because as the voices drew closer you could hear that the words being spoken were not as much coherent speech as they were rushed pleas.

    Who knows… maybe it was the pain that you heard in those voices.

    But regardless, there was some particular detail about the approaching chaos that made you realize the situation was especially grave.

    So, you were not surprised when Ponpon opened the door to your office and walked in followed by four farmhoofs.

    You were not surprised when you saw their downcast eyes, and their sorrowful expressions.

    And you were not surprised by the fact that, despite how loud they were as they almost ran to your office, none of them could utter a single word when they were finally face to face with you.

    It was almost as if you already knew what had happened.

    So, you wordlessly got up from your chair, and nodded at them to take you to where it happened.



    You walked by the maids, who were eerily silent, as you made your way to the entrance hall.

    You walked by the servants, who looked openly mournful, as you passed through the garden and the adjoining buildings.

    You walked by the heartbroken farmhoofs, as you made your way to the fields. And you saw as they joined your group, walking behind you almost as if you were leading a procession.

    But still, nopony uttered a single word.

    Until you all reached the place where old Hill Grazer had died.



    He was lying on the ground when you reached him. You even dared to think he had a smile on his face.

    In fact if you didn't know any better, and if the silence around you wasn't being broken by a stifled sob every now and then, then you might even have thought the old stallion was just sleeping.

    But still, you knew that he wasn't. You immediately knew what had happened. So, you did what you had to do. You confirmed the matters with your own hoofs, and then you called for the pony who had found him. It was a formality, if nothing else, but still it had to be done.

    It was your duty, as the noble of that estate. These ponies were your subjects, and you owed this to them.

    You recall how warm his body felt, thanks to the morning sun, even though he didn't have a pulse. You remember how the mare who found him was trembling, as she tried to explain to you what had happened.

    "His heart just gave out," she eventually said, her voice heavy with sorrow almost as if she was to blame. "One moment he was alright, pulling the plow and mumbling his merry tune…"

    She almost couldn't finish the phrase, every word she spoke growing heavier with tears and loss.

    "And on the next… he wasn't."



    There wasn't much to do, after that.



    Your first reaction was to attempt to reach his family. However, as you tried talking to the farmhoofs that were in condition to talk, you slowly realized that nopony really knew much about his family.

    When you asked them about what old Hill Grazer was like, the only thing everypony could tell you was how nice he was. About how he was kind, and how he gave good advice, and how he would always mumble a merry tune while plowing the fields, and how he felt so much like a grandfather to so many of them. They told you that he was always one of the firsts to arrive in the morning, and one of the last to leave as evening arrived.

    But still, nopony really knew much about his family. In fact, nopony even knew where he lived, to the point that you had to look for that information in your own files at your office.

    Although, in retrospect, you are thankful for that. You are thankful that nopony knew much about Hill Grazer. Because that meant you were the only one to find out how he lived, when you visited his address.

    Hill Grazer left no family behind. His address was that of a small shack on the outskirts of Ponyville, riddled with very few creature comforts, and with a chest filled with what must have been years of unspent payments.

    You found no pictures, no letters, no documents, nothing that could point you in the direction of what you should do next. Of whom you should warn, or what he would like somepony to do as a last will.

    You didn't learn anything about Hill Grazer, after visiting his empty house, except for the fact that there was nothing to be learned about him.

    And that made you feel sad, at first. It felt lonely, to think that the old stallion had died like that, working away at a farm. That the last years of his life, day in and day out, were spent waking up early in an empty home to go to work and returning late at night to find nopony waiting for you.

    You felt sad, at first, that you didn't even know what you were supposed to do with his body.

    Until…

    Until a few days later, when you started to hear… something, in the farmlands.

    It began slowly, almost timidly. But sure enough, whenever you were close to an open window that looked out at the farmlands, every now and then you could hear a sound being brought by the winds.

    A mumbled tune, coming from the fields. A hummed melody, of sorts.

    And as the days went by, you realized that the farmponies had slowly taken to singing a particular tune, as they worked.

    The same tune, you are almost sure, that everypony said Hill Grazer would mumble as he worked.

    And that was what made you realize it.

    You realize that you shouldn't have felt sad, when you learned how Hill Grazer lived. You shouldn't have thought that he was lonely, with how he lived alone. You shouldn't have thought how tragic it was, that he would always be one of the firsts to come to work, and one of the last to leave, because he probably had nothing left to do after leaving work.

    No. Thinking like that was wrong of you. Because you spent so much time thinking about what you thought was sad about his life, that you forgot to consider what you knew that made him happy while he was living.



    Because old Hill Grazer died as he lived. Working in a farm.



    He was beloved by the younger farmhoofs, he always had time to listen and he always knew what advice to give. Everypony said he felt like a grandfather, even some of the farmhoofs that were older than you, and he had a cutie mark of a wheat field ready for harvest.

    He passed away doing what he loved: working in a farm. The fact that everypony said he was always mumbling a merry tune as he worked only being further proof that he was never really sad, while he was here.

    And you also realized that... that he will never really die. As long as that song continues to be hummed by the ponies, as they work on the farmlands, old Hill Grazer will never truly be gone.

    …

    You had him buried close to the estate, on one of the hills that overlooks the farmlands. And you had the musical notes of his tune engraved on his tombstone, under the carved image of his cutie mark and name.





    You have reached the third intensity of HEART, and had a realization.

    Should your health ever reach zero, you will no longer die. Instead, you will enter a state of "Dancing with Death", and will still have a chance to avoid your demise.

    Written     In Memoriam.
     
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    • Turn 13 - Results, part 4 New
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    • [X] Plan Staying at Home and Writing Letters
    -[X] A sense of urgency: There has never been any need for this, not for this much at least. No more double-checking, no more zeal. There are far more important things to be done. (5 personal actions. Does not cause suspicion. DEFAULT PICK)
    -[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] (Servants) Look for books in Ponyville.
    -[X] (Cult Minions) Assist with summoning Windigos.
    -[X] (Flourishing Risen) Tail not!Twilight
    -[X] (Rarity) Call her, you have a lot of things to tell her… and then a few introductions to make. (Induct her into the cult)
    -[X] (Jade) Search for changeling infiltrators in Ponyville
    -[X] (Selene) Knock.
    -[X] (Attention of the Laws) Grail: Talk with Rarity.
    -[X] (Knock) Find a new location in the Woods.
    -[X] Read books: Grail 3, Heart 2, Heart 3.
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Assist with casting Influences and AotL.
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Write Letter to Father
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Visit Fluttershy
    -[X] Help Windy Flakes run the cult.

    - - -

    The school bell rings, and you watch as the large group of fillies and colts gathered on the school grounds slowly begins to make its way towards the entrance.

    Ponyville is a small town, so even though you do not exactly approve of it, you can somewhat understand why there are so very few adults here. Out of the dozens of foals that you saw, only five or six of them came accompanied by an older sibling or parent figure of sorts. Which means, in turn, that you and Stormchaser are standing out a little bit, as the two of you watch the diminishing crowd of young ponies.

    But still, you watch as your two daughters, surround by their group of friends, make their way towards the school entrance. Silky giving you one last excited wave before disappearing through the open doors.

    You also notice that Selene, rather purposefully, lags behind them, and gives you and your husband a timid wave after all of her friends are out of sight.

    And you reply to her wave with a beaming smile, of course, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading through your chest as you see her blush slightly at your response.

    But after that, the school doors are closed, and you begin to hear the faint noise of Cheerilee bringing her class to order. Signaling the beginning of another day of classes for your daughters.

    "Sweetheart," you husband says, as soon as it becomes clear that the two of you are done bringing your daughters to school, "I really don't mind doing this at all, of course. But could you tell me again why we are doing this?"

    You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the conversation to come. You knew you would have to talk about this at some point.

    Although you are not exactly worried. You know that you and Stormchaser are not about to argue or anything like that. But still, the conversation that you are about to have with him is one that you… well, you just hope to be able to navigate this without any problems.

    "Like I told you during breakfast, dear," you respond to him, a pleasant smile spreading through your lips as if you were talking about something completely normal. "I just thought Soft Sweeps was a bit overworked, so I gave her a small vacation. And besides, since you'll be home for a while, I figured there wouldn't be any problem with us taking over some of her chores."

    You watch very closely as his face turns into an expected shade of doubt. After all, you know there are several holes in your story, and you know your husband can be annoyingly observant at times.

    So, you are trying to predict which hole in your story he is going to take an issue with.

    Because earlier this morning, while you were all having breakfast, you suddenly told everypony that Soft Sweeps wouldn't be coming for the rest of the week, and that you and Stormchaser would be taking the fillies to school for a while.

    And you dearly hope that your husband makes an issue out of the fact that you did that without talking to him first, the whole Soft Sweeps vacation thing, since that involves somepony that works so close to the fillies.

    Or, barring that, you hope he just gets worried over Soft Sweeps and tries to pry out of you why she needed these sudden vacations. Then it will come down to deciding if you should lie to him or not.

    But whatever happens, you just hope he doesn't pick up the fact that-



    "Yes, I know that, and that's fine by me," he says, interrupting your thoughts. "But let me rephrase the question, sweetheart. Why are you doing this? I could have brought the fillies alone just fine, and we both know you shouldn't be walking this far into town while you're still hurt."



    And just like that, Stormchaser brings to attention the one thing you didn't want to talk about. Because how in the heavens are you going to explain to him that you're no longer worried about your wounds because you literally know you won't die that easily?

    Curses be your beloved, and how he always worries about you so much!

    But annoyances aside, you really have to figure out how to explain to him what you two will be doing next, this morning.

    Because if he is already worried over the fact that you came all the way to town on hoof, then you can only imagine how annoyed he will be once you tell him what else you decided to do.



    - - -



    You are trying your best to keep a relaxed smile on your face.

    You are trying your best, and you are failing.

    A small drop of sweat forms somewhere on your forehead, but you pointedly ignore it as you wait for your husband to say something. As you wait for him to say anything.

    Heavens, by now you just want him to say anything at all, even if it is just an objection or a disagreement. Because to be quite honest, his long silence is starting to make you more than just nervous.

    You and Stormchaser are standing in front of the Wildhoof Club, and the conversation that the two of you had while walking here didn't exactly go the way you had planned or hoped.

    Quite the opposite, in fact.


    Because at first you just said that you wanted to "show him a place that you know".
    And then he pried out of you that "actually, okay, you weren't just going there to visit the place".
    Until eventually, you finally admitted that you "promised you would help a friend, who manages the place".
    And when you said that, his expression immediately went from doubtful to openly frowning.


    "So basically," Stormchaser finally says, and your ears immediately perk up at that, "you are here to work."

    He says that, and his tone makes it very clear just how unimpressed he is.

    Your throat immediately goes dry at that.

    "Who? Me? Ahahaha," you try to react as if he had just said a joke, but your laugher comes out extremely awkward. "Come on, Stormy, I'm not here to work. Like I said, I just promised a friend I'd lend a hoof to his business!"

    You watch, and your heart starts to beat slightly faster, as Stormchaser's expression turns from a frown into an unamused stare. And you immediately understand just how easily he is seeing through you.

    You did not plan this out well enough. He knows you too well.

    Your smile cracks a bit more.

    "J-just a little help dear, that's all. He just asked me to look over a few ledgers, a-and… and talk through some business ideas, and…"

    You try to say something, anything, to throw him off-track.

    But much to your horror, Stormchaser… slooooowly raises a single eyebrow, giving you an expression that you have only ever seen him use with Silky, whenever your daughter's own lies became way too convoluted or unbelievable.

    And seeing just how much he is not buying it, you finally admit defeat. Your ears dropping as you give up on trying to mislead your dear husband.

    "Okay. This is totally work," you say, your face heating up as if you were confessing something, "but it's fun work, dear! I promise I'm just here to help a friend! It's not like what I do in the farmlands, slaving away at those mountains of paperwork or anything!"

    Then you brace yourself, as you wait for your husband's frown to turn into what will no doubt be dissatisfaction. After all, there are countless ways that he could make a big deal about this. And to be honest, some of those ways are actually justified. Because to be fair, you are not exactly sure how you would react if the papers were reversed, and if Stormchaser had somehow hurt himself and was refusing to stay at home and rest.

    After all, your husband already doesn't approve of you walking around town under normal circumstances, due to your circumstances. So you can't imagine how he is feeling right now given how his sickly, physically hurt wife just surprised him with a long walk to town, followed by her telling him that she also wants to work.

    However, to your absolute surprise…

    "Pff. Fun kind of work. Sweetheart, you're such a busybody sometimes," he says, rolling his eyes after letting out a small chuckle.

    And while he is still laughing at himself, he calmly begins to walk towards the entrance of the Wildhoof Club, looking at the decoration of the place in wonder since this is being his first visit.

    Leaving you a few steps behind, absolutely confused.

    Relieved, for sure, but confused.

    "Wait, Stormy!" you say, snapping out of your daze and trotting after him, not quite believing what he just said right now. "Aren't… aren't you going to say anything else? I mean, it's not that I want you to say anything else, but…!"

    You catch up to Stormchaser, and you are not sure if he is smiling at you or at himself as he says those next words.

    "Well, of course I'd have preferred it if you had told me about this earlier, sweetheart. Especially with how you said you'll be working. I'd have brought a book if I knew you'd make me wait like this."

    He says that, shaking his head in a way that… that you're not exactly sure how to interpret, but that still makes your heartrate slow down, nonetheless.

    "But well, if you want to stay by somepony's side, then you also have to be willing to keep up with them, right?" he finishes saying, not even looking back at you as the two of you step into the club together.

    And you only realize that a warm smile appeared on your face, after he said those words, much, much later.



    - - -



    "Well, a pleasure to meet you Windy Flakes. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go check out the rest of the premises. I'll be back when it's around time for us to go pick up the fillies, sweetheart."
    "The pleasure was all mine, Lord Stormchaser! My employees are all at your disposal for anything you need."
    "Alright dear, see you soon."



    You and Windy Flakes watch as your husband leaves the unicorn's office, closing the door behind himself and leaving the two of you alone.

    And to be quite honest, you let you a sigh of relief as soon as the door clicks shut.

    That went a lot better than you expected.

    "Goodness gracious... thank you, Windy. I'm not sure how that could have gone any better."

    Or rather, Windy Flakes behaved himself a lot better than you expected.

    "Eh? Why do you say that? Wait, did you honestly think I would ruin my first impression with your husband? Silly Velvet," he says with a mischievous smile, "I'll have you know that I like my furniture not nailed to my ceiling, thank you very much."

    "Oh please. That only happened once! And I said I won't do that again."

    "Ah yes," he says, following up with a mocking imitation of your voice, "you can trust me, Windy. I promise I won't send my monstrous minions to your house at night, as long as you behave."

    "My voice does not sound like that," you immediately reply.

    Although neither you nor Windy can quite suppress the smirks you have on your faces.

    "But anyhow," you continue, shaking your head slightly, taking a deep breath as you try to sound a little more serious. "Sorry it took me this long to come around… so, how are things going?"

    And to that, Windy's smirk also fades. It takes a little longer than yours did. But just like the setting sun, the pleasant Windy Flakes that just introduced himself to your husband slowly disappears.

    And although you can't say that the unicorn that you are talking is a completely different one, you also can't say that he is exactly the same. It feels as if you were looking at a painting of a scenery, but that now you turned around to look at the same painting, this time portraying the scenery at night.



    The two of you have different worries, now. You two have a lot to do, and very little time to do it, so you dispense with the pleasantries.



    "Things are going bad, Velvet. And although I'm not judging you, it certainly didn't help that you made yourself absent for two whole weeks. Especially given what we have to get prepared."

    His words are cold, but they are not exactly wrong. Windy Flakes, you know, is just saying things like they are.

    He is literally just answering you question.

    So, you nod, and you bid him to continue.

    "Excluding you and me, Starry is the only one who comes here frequently. And as energetic as she might be, the mare doesn't really have leadership skills. So, added to the fact that the Master made herself scarce, and that her last orders were for us to prepare to cleanse our town of shapeshifting monsters, and then move to attack their lair…"

    Windy's horn lights up, and you can tell you that he just unlocked something behind his desk. He then clears the top of his desk with a flick of magic, and place a stack of scroll papers over it shortly after.

    "Bottom line is that our ponies are scared, Velvet. Because more than just lessons and teachings, the Master also gave them purpose. She gave them reassurance. It is a lot less scary to study and practice something as frightening as the Lores when you know that the bogeymare in the shadows is looking out for you. None of us would be able to fill in her hoofs under normal circumstances, but it is especially bad right now. I'm only one pony, after all."

    You nod at that, and there really isn't much for you to disagree with. On the last cult meeting, the Master left you and Windy in charge, and you can see that she did that for a reason. Copper is busy establishing a whole new branch in Manehattan, and as much as you like Jade Whistle you have to agree with Windy that she, Starry and Comet aren't exactly adequate when it comes to taking care of the cult. Added to the fact that you were also absent for half the entire month...

    Well, you decide to ask him the next obvious question.

    "Alright. But I'm here now. What can I do?"

    Windy beckons you towards his desk, nodding towards one of the scrolls as if he already knew you would ask that.

    "Being seen coming to the Club already helps. You do have quite the reputations after all," he says, "but as the Master said, we really have to saddle up for the end of the month. We only have two weeks and a few days, and it really doesn't feel like it will be enough."

    "Jade is already checking the town to make a list, for when the time comes. But I figure that most of our troubles are with the expedition itself… what do we know about that?" you ask.

    "That's the thing. We don't know anything. I've already felt frustrated with how the Master works before, but this time it really is out of hoof. We don't know who is going with her, we don't know what day exactly our ponies leave. Tartarus, we don't even know where the monster's lair is," he says, and despite his cold demeanor you can actually feel exasperation in his voice. "I don't even know what kinds of equipment we should buy. Are they going to climb a mountain? Should I buy clothing for cold weather? Should I buy weapons? None of those things are cheap, and more importantly none of those can be bought quickly."

    You nod at that, pursing your lips as you look over the open scrolls on Windy's desk. All of them containing half-formed plans that try to deal with too many variables while using too little resources.

    And you can't help but agree with him that the Master has been… less than helpful in all this.

    "The only thing we are pretty sure of, is that the culling will happen when she calls on the cult to move out. I assume it will be on the same night, with her having us hunt down the changelings here and then immediately leave Ponyville," he says, and you nod in agreement.

    Although you realize that is not much information at all, and you quietly share in Windy's sentiment of how... maddeningly vague your Master is being during all this.

    But still, you will do what you must. You know as much as Windy Flakes, in regards to how or when things will happen, but there is certainly several things you can get done before the month is over.

    "I take it that nopony has done any… mystical preparations yet?" you ask.

    "No. In fact, despite us having a whole underground dedicated to that, to date nopony has cast any rituals that the Master, or one of us, didn't order to be cast. I frankly thought the ritual circles would see more personal use. But apart from the smallest Attention rituals, nopony really dares to use them. Not even the ones who know a bit more, the ponies that every now and then whisper that they are running an errant for you."

    "Right…" you say, as the available options slowly begin to coalesce inside your head. "Okay, hear me out. I'll put those ponies in particular to work. And although I can't promise to be here to give sermons like the Master does, I think I will be able to help with…"

    And with that, the two of you begin to plan. You make a shortlist of what ponies might be called by the Master, should she decide to call for anypony at all, and how you two can prepare for as many possibilities as possible while actually committing to as few as you can.

    You two continue to talk, Windy's horn flaring up as he furiously writes your mutual decisions on a scroll, until you finally feel your husband approaching.

    "This will have to do, for now…" you say, as the unicorn finishes writing down a few last lines of plans and dates on a scroll. "And the room is actually cold, so I think it's better that I leave and meet my husband on the corridor. I'll be able to come in person more often next week, but I'll try to come by in a few days. For Comet Feet's ritual, if nothing else."

    "I'll let everypony know what we have in mind then," he answers.

    And with that, the two of you-



    "…"

    "…"



    -slooowly let out a deep breath.

    And just like that, you and Windy Flakes feel like normal ponies again, as you look at each other.

    The room also feels a lot colder than it was before, mind you.

    You shake your mane slightly, waving the unicorn a goodbye as you turn around and walk towards the door to meet your husband.

    When you hear Windy mumble something behind you.

    "Huh… we are really doing this, aren't we?"

    You hear that, and there is something in his… tone, that makes you turn around curious.

    You turn back towards him, and you see him looking over the scrolls the two of you had been working on these last few hours. You see him looking over the list of the names of ponies, who the two of you think might be called to face an unknown danger. Of the impersonal lists of equipment that he should try to procure, in a tight schedule and a tighter budget. Of the dates where you would order the cult to summon monsters, nightmarish creatures that you don't even fully understand yet, but that you will have your underlings summon in your stead at their own risk.

    You see Windy looking at all those scrolls, and you can't exactly tell if what you see in his eyes is hesitation... or wonder.

    To be honest, you are not even sure what expression you are wearing yourself, now that you think about it.

    You are not really sure… if you are telling yourself that you are doing this because you don't have a choice, or because you personally want to.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You are Stormchaser, and you are currently wondering if you made the right choice.

    Well, to tell the truth you are actually sitting in a club lounge, wondering if you should start chatting with one of the club employees just to pass the time. But inside your head, in the personal confines of your mind, you are indeed wondering if you made the right choice.

    And the thing is that… you don't know. You're not really sure if a "right choice" even exists to begin with. Most of the times you feel like you are just grasping at straws, to the point that sometimes you even wonder if you can really tell if certain occurrences are good or bad.

    Because sure, your wife has been a lot more… active, these last few months. And because of that, you are sure, she has had some problems. Some extremely worrying problems, at times, but you don't really want to think about those things in particular right now.

    However, that is the underside of the cloud. The dark, lightning filled part of things, that will obviously cast a shadow underneath it.

    But your problem is that... well, if you try to "look at it from the sun-side of the storm", isn't it also true that more good things have been happening than bad things?

    Your wife has… she has been traveling around more, even going to Canterlot of all places more than once just this year. She has been less stressed about her family's work. She has been making friends, for Celestia's sake. And that is especially good considering how not long ago, maybe just a few years back, your wife seemed to be almost afraid of leaving the estate. But now she is visited by Rarity, and that other quiet earth pony, almost every week!

    By Equestria, you even remember how much trouble you had convincing her to let Silky Stream go to school, and you did that mostly because you thought your wife's fears were starting to rub off on your daughter.

    So, while it is true that your Velvet Covers has had some… problems, you also can't help but wonder if the absolute sum of things that are happening isn't turning out to be good.

    Because sure, she might have literally just adopted a filly while taking a trip, but you are not sure how things could have worked out any better with Selene.

    And sure, she might also have done something to stir up a hornet's nest in Canterlot, some problem with Princess Luna herself of all ponies, but she still relied on you to help her as soon as she came back home.

    And on today's particular example, she might have just completely ignored her doctor-appointed rest (after suffering a nearly fatal accident) because she wants to help a friend with… well, with work. And she also tried to sugarcoat it pretty heavily. But hey, at least your wife has friends who depend on her, doesn't she? The reclusive noblemare who lived isolated in the outskirts of Ponyville is, for lack of a better term, all but gone now.

    Which is something you know is good, of course.

    But still, what are YOU supposed to do about this? Because you know you should be doing something, or at least you are worrying that you should. After all, sometimes you feel like she is doing all of this by herself, and that you have barely been keeping up with her. But there are also times you fear that she will just overdo it while you're not looking, and that it be too late to stop something bad from happening to her.

    You… you simply don't know.

    "That mare will be the end of me…" you mumble to yourself.

    So, as usual, you tell yourself that you will continue what you have been doing, going by the days one at a time.

    "Although who knows," you say, clipping a hoof against the side of the lounge chair you are sitting on, "maybe I'm the one who should do something completely unpredictable for a change…"

    You chuckle at that. Yes, it would certainly be nice for you to do something completely off the books for once.

    Maybe this is your marital dynamic now? Maybe you should be the one who comes back from work one day with a foal and say that you have a new member in the family? After all, you always wanted a colt, and Silky could certainly learn a lot from having a little brother…

    You sit back, letting yourself float towards those sillier, less worrying thoughts-



    -when you suddenly feel that something very important is about to happen-​



    -and you almost jump out of the cushioned chair in surprise.

    This sensation, the sensation, is a familiar one. It feels as if something has just clicked inside your head. Like somepony just took a picture of you, and the powder-flash of the camera left you slightly blinded for a fraction of a moment.

    It is the strangely, intimate sensation that you have to do something. A sensation that you don't have too often, but that you somehow always know that you will regret it if you don't listen to.

    Although for some reason, right now it also felt as if you had just received a kick to your guts.

    But still, you get off from your chair, shaking your head slightly at the ghostly vertigo you felt just now, and you look around you in search of… well, of something. You have no idea what you are looking for.

    It usually happens that you know it when you see it.



    And it doesn't take you much searching to find what, or rather who, is making you feel like this.



    At the far end of the lounge, by a counter that you think is a small bar of sorts, you see a pegasus who is…

    By the sun. Nope, scrap that. You don't see a pegasus. You see a very large pegasus on the other side of the lounge, quietly talking to a Club employee who is sitting behind the counter.

    And even from this far away, you can immediately tell that the pegasus is in a bad mood. You can tell that, and the mare dressed in a Club uniform seems to agree with you given nervous she seems to be, as she anxiously talks to the pegasus.

    You can faintly hear the pegasus asking something about a "list", to which the mare answers by quickly by shaking her head. The pegasus doesn't seem all that pleased with her answer, giving the mare a scowl that almost freezes her on the spot.

    But as soon as the pegasus is done asking… whatever he came here to ask, he turns around and heads towards the exit.

    And much to your distress, your "sense" clearly follows after him. To the point that your flank almost begins to itch as the pegasus gets farther and farther away from you.

    "Oh, come on, don't do this to me…" you whisper to yourself. Or rather, you whisper to your cutie mark, like you usually do when this sort of thing happens. "Don't tell me I'm supposed to talk to… to that."

    Your cutie mark doesn't answer you, of course. Or maybe it does, by giving you the chilling sensation that you're going to miss your opportunity if you don't start moving right now.

    So, despite how hesitant you are, you follow after the stallion.

    It isn't exactly hard to follow him, given how large he is, and how everypony seems to make a point of getting out of his way as he walks towards the entrance of the club. In fact, it seems that everypony seems to be intent in not even looking at him, whenever he passes by them. All of the club employees seem to become extremely busy or interested in something else whenever the stallion walks by them.

    And you can't really blame them. After all, you have already caught up to him for a while now, but you only muster the courage to call out to him when the two of you are but a few hoofsteps away from the exit.

    "Excuse me," you hesitantly reach out with a hoof, "could I talk to you for a sec-?"

    But he turns around and looks at you before you can even touch his back.

    And you freeze on the spot.

    You have no idea how he turned so quickly, but the pegasus is now looking at you. He is looking down at you, in fact, with the height difference becoming even more obvious now that you are finally face to face with him.

    And his expression alone makes it very clear that he very much does not want to talk to you.

    There really is no other way to describe him. The more you look at him, the more you realize just how menacing… how outright dangerous he looks.

    To the point that, even though he is just scowling at you, your heart is pounding inside your chest.

    You don't even realize that you didn't even finish your question, or that your hoof is still half-raised towards him, your foreleg paralyzed by the primal surge of adrenaline that is running through your body.

    You aren't really able to do anything at all, as the stallion looks at you for a few more moments, clearly unamused.



    "What?"



    And somehow, the single word he utters makes you feel as if you have been physically struck.

    You think you hear somepony drop a plate. And you become acutely aware that, suddenly, all of the ponies who had been very pointedly ignoring the pegasus are now looking at the two of you.

    And how could they not? You are in danger. Everypony in this room is in danger, now that you made the pegasus stallion angry. You are sure of it, some deep instinct of yours telling you that you should not have approached this pony.

    Yes, you can feel it. You can feel your body slowly gearing itself to do a "fight or flight" response. You can feel your heart beating inside your chest, and your wings tensing up as you prepare to fly away as fast as you c-

    "Erm… Comet Feet, sir?"

    But your thoughts are interrupted by somepony else, an earth pony who very hesitantly approached the two of you at some point.

    "That is… this stallion is the Lor-… *ahem*, this is Lady Velvet's husband, sir. The two of them came about earlier this morning, and the Lady is busy talking to Windy Flakes."

    The earth pony says that, and you can immediately tell that even doing that much took all of his courage. To the point that the earth pony visibly cringes when the pegasus looks at him.

    But still, the pegasus looks at him, and then at you, and then he rolls his eyes. His scowl somehow becoming even more annoyed, but for some reason a lot less frightening, as the earth pony scurries away.

    Now, the pegasus merely looks like he is irritated, and not that he… well, you feel a lot less un-safe now, if that even makes sense.

    "What-," he says again, and you take a deep breath as you realize that his words didn't hurt you this time, "-do you want? You have been following me. What is it?"

    He asks that, and you…

    You…

    Crap, you don't know how to answer him!

    You frantically wrack your thoughts inside your brain, trying to figure out why in Equestria your cutie mark wanted you to do this.

    Because you already regret having walked up to him, seeing how the gentlest expression you have seen on his face so far has been "glaring knives". So what the hay are you supposed to do next?!

    You try to think about something, anything, but nothing comes to mind!

    So, in desperation, you do what you usually do.

    Every time something like this happens, every time you get a "feeling" from your cutie mark, things usually work out well when you follow your guts.

    With that in mind, you tell the very large pegasus the first thing that comes to your mind.



    "There is something very important that I need to tell you," you say, the words forming in your mouth before you can even think about them properly. "And that thing is: you are being an idiot, and you know it."



    You say that, and then you immediately freeze, your eyes going wide as you realize too late what you just said.

    Your freeze. Your mind freezes. Everypony around you, who were pretending not to be listening but that were paying very close attention, also freeze.

    You think you hear another plate being dropped to the ground.

    But despite all that, the only thing the pegasus does in response to your words is to take a single step towards you.

    Although, of course, that is more than enough for you to understand just how deeply screwed you are.

    And your body, without a single conscious order from your brain, takes a step back.



    "I-I can exp-plain...!"
    "Start explaining."
    "I-it's just that… well, the t-thing is that I know you have something g-going on and-"
    "So you're saying you know something about me?"
    "N-no! Of course not. I-I know nothing about you, Comet sir. Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing!"



    The pegasus continues to walk towards you, your body continuing to jerkily retreat from his approaching figure. And you feel like it's a small miracle that he hasn't pounced at you yet, although a small part of you somehow knows that he wouldn't even need to that much if he really wanted to hurt you.

    But still, your panicked mind somehow also understands that… well, that you're running out of time to avoid that! You're running out of time, and you're definitely running out of free room for your back to retreat towards!



    "Well then. In that case, your words aren't really making much sense to me. So I think I'm gonna take them at face value."



    Your heart nearly leaps out of your chest at that. You have no idea what to do. You don't even know why you decided to do this on the first place!

    So, even though doing this put you in this mess in the first place, you once again decide to trust your guts.

    And even though pegasi channel their magic through their wings, you almost feel like what you say next is actually caming from your cutie mark.



    "I know how it's like to feel like that!" you say.



    And somehow, impossibly, that gives the pegasus pause.

    Only for a moment. But still, he pauses.

    And you dash towards that pause like a weather grunt would dash to a stable cloud during a storm.

    "I know how that indecision feels like," you continue.

    You know that you are grasping at straws. You know that you have no idea why you are saying this.

    But you keep on regardless.

    "I know how it feels, to think that you might screw it up if you try to do something, while somehow also being sure that it will end badly if you do nothing. I've been there."

    You desperately stare at the looming pegasus' face. Looking for something, anything, that might give you a hint of what to say next. That might give you a hint of whether if you are making any sense to him, or if you are just about to get a hoof on your face for your troubles and your incoherent rambling.

    "Hay, to tell the truth I think I might still be there, even though my own thing has been going on for a while now."

    You say that, and you feel a chill run down your spine as the pegasus' eyes narrow, his lips turning into an angry curl that you almost thing might become a snarl.

    However… for some reason that you absolutely cannot explain….

    You somehow know that his anger isn't being directed at you.

    Or rather, you instinctively understand that you would be able to feel it, if his anger was being pointed at you.

    So, you press on.

    "And I know… I know you can already tell, even this early, that this is going to suck. But you have to understand that…" you swallow something dry, realizing what you are about to say again, "that you will be an idiot if you do what you're planning to do."

    You close your eyes for a few moments, expecting something very hard and hoof-shaped to hit your face because of what you just said.

    But the hoof never comes, and you hesitantly open your eyes to see that the pegasus is…

    Yes, he is larger than you. He is larger, and stronger, and outright menacing, and every last bone in your body tells you that he is dangerous.

    But despite all that, you can see that… you can see that he is actually looking down at the ground. You can see, behind his pursed and angry lips, that he is frowning.

    Hay, now that you think about it, he is actually wearing an expression that you know very well. Even if it is an angrier version of that expression.

    So, you take a deep breath, and you don't even realize how much your cutie mark is burning up on your flank as you say those next words.



    "But you are absolutely going to regret it, if you walk away…" you hesitate for a moment, steeling yourself as you prepare to take that final risk, "if you walk away from her."



    This, you know, is the very definition of a guess. This is you following a hunch of a hunch, drawing both from your own personal experience and from the several times you had to deal with younger pegasi throughout your life.

    However…

    "Hmpf!" the stallion says, turning around and heading towards the exit, completely ignoring your cowered form.

    However… you can tell…

    You can tell that those last two words struck a notch inside of him. And you realize that you were right.

    Because despite all of that menace, that seemed to surround the pegasus like the fur of his coat... you could still tell that his expression was of a troubled pony. Or rather, a pony who was living through a particular kind of trouble.

    And not for the last time, you tell yourself that...

    "Mares..." you whisper to yourself, still feeling out of breath. "They'll be the end of us yet..."

    But much more importantly, your body almost deflates in relief as you watch the stallion leave the Club, taking to the air with a powerful flap of his wings.

    And the "feeling" you had, the one that always comes from nowhere and in the most inopportune of situations, recedes back into your cutie mark like a dissipating cloud.

    You take a few more moments to catch your breath, together with everypony in the room to be honest.

    And then you shake your head, making your way towards the office areas of the club to go fetch your wife.

    You definitely had enough excitement for a good while, after this...





    You (Velvet Covers) have caught up to Windy Flakes in regards to Cult matters, and have planned out the required preparations for the coming trials.

    The two of you, if nothing too grave occurs, believe that you will be able to handle the cult appropriately. Also, should Windy be called to join the Master in the assault, you will be able to administer the Club in his absence.

    And on a less fortunate note, your husband didn't tell you anything interesting once you met him. It seems he suffered through quite a few boring hours while waiting for you. But you will make sure to make up for him later!
     
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    • Turn 13 - Results, part 5 New
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    • [X] Plan Staying at Home and Writing Letters
    -[X] A sense of urgency: There has never been any need for this, not for this much at least. No more double-checking, no more zeal. There are far more important things to be done. (5 personal actions. Does not cause suspicion. DEFAULT PICK)
    -[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] (Servants) Look for books in Ponyville.
    -[X] (Cult Minions) Assist with summoning Windigos.
    -[X] (Flourishing Risen) Tail not!Twilight
    -[X] (Rarity) Call her, you have a lot of things to tell her… and then a few introductions to make. (Induct her into the cult)
    -[X] (Jade) Search for changeling infiltrators in Ponyville
    -[X] (Selene) Knock.
    -[X] (Attention of the Laws) Grail: Talk with Rarity.
    -[X] (Knock) Find a new location in the Woods.
    -[X] Read books: Grail 3, Heart 2, Heart 3.
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Assist with casting Influences and AotL.
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Write Letter to Father
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Visit Fluttershy
    -[X] Help Windy Flakes run the cult.

    - - -

    You are Velvet Covers, and you are…

    …

    You are shaken.

    You walk out of the Wildhoof Club, your hoofsteps slow and distracted. But to tell the truth, you barely register your surroundings as you make your way out through the entrance and towards your waiting carriage. And that is because your mind is still stuck at the ritual you just helped perform.

    Your mind is still stuck at what just happened, and not in a pleasant way. Quite on the contrary, you have to force yourself to suppress the shivers that still come to you, every now and then.

    You also have to make a conscious effort to ignore how much your foreleg still hurts, in the place where…



    "Afternoon' missus. Shall we be going to your friend's place now?"



    A familiar voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and you have to look around for a few moments to realize where exactly you are. Sure enough, you are already a few ways away from the Club now, and right before you stands Blunderer, your carriage puller. The earth pony who seems to be the very definition of a "gentle giant".

    You blink a few more times as you wonder for how long you must have been standing there. Long enough for the usually passive earth pony to speak up to you, you suppose.

    Well, no time for that. You shake your head and try to focus back on reality.

    "Yes, Blunderer. We'll be going to that other address I gave you now… and thank you for waiting, I apologize if that took a bit longer than I thought it would," you say as you enter the waiting carriage, although you realize your voice came out a lot more distracted than you hoped it would.

    "No problem at all, missus," he says, thankfully not noticing how out of it you are.

    And moments later, you are inside your carriage, your servant beginning to pull it towards your next destination.

    "It'll be just a few minutes till we get there, missus. The edge of Everfree s' just a bit after Ponyville's limits," you hear him speak up, as the carriage gently begins to accelerate towards trotting speed.

    But you can't even bring yourself to answer him, be it to thank him or anything else.

    To be honest, you are not really sure there is anything you can do to stop your mind from thinking back about…

    "Anything else I can help you with?"

    "No, Windy. We did everything we could when it comes to preparing. Now we can only hope for the best."

    "Alright then. I actually wanted to stay and watch, but both the Club and the Cult are seeing way more activity than normal today. I better go upstairs to make sure everything stays under control."

    "Well, the Master did put you in charge of Wake affairs, so off you go. And good luck!"

    Windy Flakes lets out a small chuckle at your comment, but soon enough he gives you a final nod and turns around to leave, heading towards the staircases that will take him out of the underground section of the club.

    Leaving you alone, in front of the door of the ritual chamber.

    Although it bears mentioning that you shouldn't be alone. And that is because…

    "Comet Feet is late," you say to yourself, as soon as you hear the unicorn close the door behind himself.

    And that is already uncharacteristic of the stallion to begin with. But what makes his lateness even worse is the fact that… well, that he is literally the pony who will be performing today's ritual!

    "Goodness gracious. All this preparation, and the trouble we are going through, and we end up having a problem as basic and tardiness?" you mumble to yourself, as you exert a not-inconsiderable part of your will to resist pacing back and forth in the underground corridor.

    But since you have nothing else better to do, you go over everything one more time. Just to make sure you did everything right so far.

    On the personal side of things, you think everything is accounted for. You came here in a carriage, so your husband knows you at least have a servant accompanying you. You also told him that you would be "helping out" in the Club again, which isn't exactly a lie. And you asked Rarity to pass by the Club around this time, just so you could have an extra alibi. So, you really think you will have the entire afternoon, and maybe a bit of the evening, to do as you please without worrying your husband, or anypony else, at all.

    And on the… professional side of things. Well, you and Windy made sure to get a hold of all of Jade's cadre, even if it was on a short notice. He made sure that the basic ingredients were prepared beforehoof. And you made sure to prepare a reagent just for this situation.

    As you think that, you tap the saddle bag you are carrying one more time, checking with a hoof if the incense you prepared is still there.

    That said, you really think you are gathering every possible advantage you can. Comet Feet is stronger in Edge than even you are, you will be leading Jade's Cadre yourself, and you even prepared a reagent for this… Now all that is left to do is cast the ritual.

    "Ah, and speak of the pegasus," you say to yourself, as you pick up a scent coming from somewhere aboveground. It is, you can tell, the unmistakable presence of an extremely dangerous pony, who for some reason is also…

    Also…

    A shiver runs through your body, starting on your nose and running all the way to the end of your tail.

    Because for some reason, you can already tell that Comet Feet is also angry. Very, very angry.

    …

    You decide to… not make any comments about how late he is.

    In fact, you decide not to talk to him at all, seeing how you can already tell he won't even bother looking at you as soon as he reaches the underground where you are waiting for him.

    "We're here, m'Lady," the voice, Blunderer's voice, comes to you without warning. And it takes you a moment to realize that the carriage has already stopped.

    As a matter of fact, it takes you even longer to realize that the carriage isn't merely stopped. Blunderer has already unsaddled himself and is looking at you as he holds the door open, waiting for you to step out.

    Goodness gracious, you really are beyond distracted right now.

    "But of course," you say, both to yourself and to the stallion. "Thank you, Blunderer. You can wait here, I'm not sure how long this will take."

    You say that as you exit the carriage, the stallion dutifully closing the door behind you (although perhaps with a bit too much strength) as soon as you are out.

    He then gives you a final nod, and moments later you are heading down towards the familiar path.

    Your mind, busy as it is, can only muster a slight bit of relief over the fact that Blunderer did bring you to the right place. After all, it has already happened that the carriage puller had taken you in the wrong direction. But not this time, you think to yourself, as you make your way towards the short stone bridge that runs over the small stream.

    And as soon as you cross the bridge you see your destination. The small, plant-covered wooden cottage that is surrounded by all sorts of burrows, nests and assorted homes for small critters.

    You hesitate, if only for a moment, wondering if you should really do this today. After all, you have been meaning to visit the recluse Fluttershy for a long while now, ever since you last came here with Comet Feet at the beginning of the month. But still, you wonder if right now is the best time for you to do this.

    Because you know that the mare is… quite difficult to talk to. And seeing how much you are not in the best mental state, part of you wonders if rushing to do this right now won't just end with you putting a hoof on your mouth and somehow ruining your tenuous relationship with the mare. Also, considering how the mare somehow became acquaintances with Comet Feet only makes the whole situation even more unusual.

    But eventually, you come to a decision.

    "Well… I'm only going to get busier on the following days so... if I don't do this now, I'm not sure if I ever will," you say to yourself.

    And even though you feel far less confident about this than you wish, you still make your way towards the cottage.

    As you get closer, you feel… almost nothing. Just like last time, it takes you a few moments to realize that the faint, almost inexistent presence on the second floor of the cottage is, presumably, Fluttershy.

    "Fluttershy?" you say, as loudly as you can without actually shouting, as you knock on the door. "It's me, Velvet Covers. I came by in the beginning of the month with Comet Feet, do you remember? Can I talk to you for a bit?"

    You knock on the door a few more times, and a slight change in her scent tells you that she heard you. A few moments later you can tell that she is moving, and soon enough you can sense her coming towards the door.

    Although you remind yourself that the mare has not yet answered you, or given any outward sign that she heard you. So, out of courtesy, you keep pretending that you have no idea if she is at home.

    And considering how her movement towards the door slowly grinds to a halt, and how her presence becomes even fainter, you can tell just how much she is wondering whether if she should answer you at all.

    She makes you wait for a lot longer than you wish she would. And your mind can't help but remember how…

    Comet Feet is angry.

    You could sense it, the moment he landed near the Club.

    You could see it, from the way his eyes were sharp and his jaw was tense, as soon as he came down the stairs and entered your view.

    Everypony in the cadre realized it as well, seeing how they all but jumped out of his way as soon as he entered the ritual room, the pegasus wordlessly making his way to the middle of the engraved circle.

    The ponies of the cadre mutely look at you, many of them with their eyes wide with trepidation or uncertainty. But it doesn't matter if they are looking at you for an explanation or a reassurance, you won't be able to give them either.

    So, instead, you give them instructions. You take your place in the ritual circle, standing on the outer edge of the second configuration, facing Comet Feet.

    And the rest of the Cadre follows suit.

    And slowly, you begin to focus your mind on the task at hoof.

    The ritual you are about to perform is one that will call an Influence, an Edge Influence for Comet Feet. Or rather, Comet Feet will be performing the ritual. You, and the Cadre, will be supporting him as best as you can, but the centerpiece of the ritual will be the pegasus himself.

    And this ritual, also, is divided into four steps. Four different phases that can be gradually performed, each slightly more complicated than the last.

    Of course, it is possible to not complete all of the phases, seeing how each different step is meant to call an incrementally greater Influence. But you went through a lot of effort to prepare for this ritual in the hopes that Comet Feet will be able to see the ritual to the end.

    So now, you wait. You wait for Comet Feet to begin the ritual, where he will speak the opening words in order t-



    !!!



    Suddenly, a gust of wind flows through the room, interrupting your thoughts and lifting manes and hoods all around.

    But before you can say anything, you realize what just happened. And you join the Cadre in looking at Comet Feet with your eyes open wide in trepidation.

    Because the wind that just blew through the room came from a single flap of Comet's wings. It came from a single, hateful expression of his anger.

    But what is more, you can sense that… you can all sense that, with that movement alone, his anger is all the more apparent. Or rather, he is now wearing his anger, like an ethereal robe or a phantasmagoric saddle.

    Your lips turn into a tight line as it dawns upon you that… without the need of words… without the need of words, or instruments, or invocations or anything else…

    Comet Feet has reached the first intensity of the Edge Influence. His anger manifesting around him as a thrilling and sharp layer of air.

    And with that, the stallion finally looks around, as if finally deigning to recognize the presence of you and the Cadre for the first time. His sharp eyes looking at each of you almost as if his glare alone could hurt you.



    "Begin," is all he says.



    And as you fumble through your saddle bag in search of the reagent you prepared, you silently wonder if he even needs any of you there to begin with.

    You silently wonder if it is safe for any of you to be there, to begin with.

    Because every Influence ritual has four steps.

    And Comet Feet doesn't seem to have any interest in going about those steps carefully... or safely.

    The wooden door creaks as you hear a bolt being unlocked, and you take in a sharp breath as you shake your memories away from your head.

    Focus, Velvet. Focus!

    "Good afternoon, Fluttershy," you say, drawing from the flowery perfume you still have bound on your locket and putting on your friendliest smile, "it has been a while, hasn't it?"

    You say that as the mare timidly opens the door. Prying it open so slowly that you think she might stop at any moment, deciding instead to talk through you while hiding behind a half-open door like she did the first time you met her.

    But no. Much to your surprise, the mare fully opens the door.



    And you immediately realize something is wrong.



    "Uhm… yeah… hello…"

    Your eyes go slightly wide as you see… as you try to see what made you think that. Because you know you are right. You know that there is something extremely wrong with the mare in front of you. You just don't know what it is.

    Well, she is not a changeling, for starters. And you can see she is not hurt, or sick, or anything else that would make a red flag be raised inside your head. You are also pretty sure her mane isn't any shorter than what you remember it being, and other small things like that.

    But still, the lack of those glaring signs just makes you more confused about why you think there is something wrong with her.

    Because even if you can't narrow it down to something specific, you can see it in every little detail about the mare.

    You can see how she feels uncomfortable right now, but not in her usual pony-shy way, like the first time you met her. No. She looks like… like she is actually suffering, for some reason.

    You can see in the way she softly fidgets, and how a few feathers on her wings seem to twitch every now and then. The mare is conflicted. More than that, she is… she is…!

    "Would you… would you like to… come in?" she says, almost biting her lips after she finishes saying those words, her eyes aimed so low that you almost think she is talking to your hoofs.

    And that's when it clicks inside your head.

    Fluttershy is…

    She is distraught.

    You don't know why. You don't even know if your impromptu visit might be part of the reason she is like this. But you can see the effects of it.

    You can see how physically painful it was for her to do something as simple as inviting you into her home.

    So, you answer her almost immediately.

    "Of course, Fluttershy. Thank you, and please excuse me," you say, not about to waste either her hospitality or her efforts.

    And as soon as you enter her house, and she closes the door behind you-

    -you realize how strange it is that Fluttershy just invited you into her home to begin with.
    -and you realize you just walked into a trap.

    You have just walked into a trap. And as soon as Fluttershy closes (and locks) the door behind you, her scent immediately changes.

    Her scent changes, and your Edge-senses immediately stiffens your body, your muscles going taut as you are forcibly taken into a state of fight-or-flight.

    !!!

    !!!

    ...

    And you have to will yourself back into calmness, as you strangle the automatic reaction of your body with the cold grip of logic.

    As you almost force your alert body to accept the fact that yes, Fluttershy's scent just changed.

    But the change in Fluttershy's presence was minute.

    You are not in danger.

    She is not about to attack you. The very idea, you instinctively know, is laughable.

    But still, something in Fluttershy changed as soon as she closed the door behind you. And you can tell that right now, as the pegasus mare looks at your back, that she is gathering all her courage to do… something.

    You slowly turn to face Fluttershy. Your mind, even if against your will and spurred by your Edge-senses, trying to understand what exactly the mare intends to do.

    But as you look at her, you see her take a deep breath… and you are not sure if what you see in her eyes is fear or regret, but a few moments later she does speak to you.

    "I… I know that… that you are not a biologist… I know that you… I-I mean, I know Comet Feet lied to me…"

    Your body freezes as the mare slowly, almost tortuously, says those words. Your body freezes because you are not exactly what to do next. What expression you should wear instead of the polite smile you currently have, or what you should say in answer to that.

    But much to your surprise, and with an effort that seems to be almost exhausting, she continues to speak.

    "Comet Feet was here… earlier this morning. And he said some things that… well… h-he…"

    The mare stops, if only for a moment, and you finally understand what exactly is wrong with her.

    You already knew that Fluttershy was, as her name suggests, terribly shy.

    You also understand, then, that her shyness translates to her not having too many social skills. If she has any social skills at all, that is. After all, the mare lives as far away from a town, even if that is a town as small as Ponyville, as it is physically possible without actually living in the woods.

    Maybe she is scared of doing this sort of thing. Maybe she hates doing this sort of thing. But the fact remains that Fluttershy is wholly incapable of being assertive.

    And it seems that… that something happened, earlier this morning, that distressed her so much that she is now willing to confront you. Or rather, that she is willing to do the closest to pressing another pony for answers that she is capable of.

    So whatever happened this morning, you think, must be the reason to why Comet Feet was late to the ritual.

    And if you are right about this… then you think you know what the mare is about to say next.

    You are scared.

    You are afraid.

    You are terrified.

    Your Edge-senses have already given up on trying to explain to you just how dangerous your current situation is. Or rather, how dangerous the stallion in front of you is, right now.

    You want to leave. No. You want to flee, to run away from this room, and the Club, and even this town if your legs manage to. And you can tell that the entire Cadre, as well, shares the same sentiment.

    But none of you can leave. None of you can even muster the courage to move a single hoof.

    Because even more terrifying than staying here, would be… to attract his attention, if you tried to do something as stupid as moving.



    "Again."



    The third step of an Influence ritual, is the step of "celebration".

    The incense you had prepared was lit on the second step, and the thrilling airs that were surrounding Comet Feet were roused into an invisible pyre around his body.

    So, covered in that heightened Influence, he then commanded two ponies of the Cadre to "celebrate" the Lore of Edge, so that he might reach the third intensity.

    And that celebration took place in the form of a ritual combat, of course.



    "Again."



    Each pony of the Cadre, yourself included, had a knife as part of your preparations. So, when the two ponies were picked, they both did their best to partake in a mock combat to celebrate the Lore of conflict. They did so with careful, if precise, movements, grazing each other with their knives as if they were actors in a play.

    But with an angry flap of his wings, Comet Feet wordlessly made it clear he was not satisfied with that.



    "Again."



    At his order, the two ponies tried again. This time faster.

    Until Comet's glare made it clear that if they did not do it correctly, then he would show them how it was meant to be done.

    The third time they tried, their movements actually became violent. Their fear motivating them into more energetic actions.



    "Again."



    On the fourth attempt, they actually drew blood.



    "Again."



    On the seventh attempt, they were already panting. In fear, and exhaustion, and pain.



    "Again."



    On the eleventh attempt, they had already dropped their knives. Hurling themselves at each other, kicking and biting and slamming hoofs against faces. Like ancient ponies might have, before they learned the secrets of bronze and weaponsmithing.



    "Again!"



    You are not exactly sure when they began to shout.

    You are not exactly sure when the desperation settled in.

    You are not exactly sure when it was that everypony, both the two combatants and the onlooking Cadre, realized that if they didn't get it right then one of them, or perhaps both, would die.

    But at some point, Comet Feet orders them to stop. Or rather, he does not order them to do it again.

    One of the ponies collapses, his legs failing and buckling as if he is a puppet who had his strings cut. The other one simply stops, slowly curling up and beginning to sob through his cut lips and bruised face.

    However, as you look up towards Comet Feet, you immediately understand the reason as to why he ordered them to stop.

    A more foolish pony might have thought that he ordered them to stop because they were no longer needed. After all, you can clearly see, with your panic and with your dread and with your survival instincts screaming in danger, that Comet Feet has reached the third intensity of the Edge Influence.

    But no, you know that's not the reason. You know that he didn't order them to stop because he already has what he needs.

    No.

    You can see that Comet Feet ordered the two of them to stop…

    Because they disgusted him.

    You can see it, in the way his veins pulse inside his neck. You can see with how the ground strains as he digs his hoofs into it.

    Because Comet Feet has reached the understanding that everything around him is worthy if hate.

    Or, a more terrifying thought slowly crawls into your mind, it might be that the understanding has reached him. That is, it might be that Comet Feet has just reached, and maybe even crossed, the limit of what powers he is capable of restraining.

    But as he looks up at you, his furious gaze causing your throat to go dry and your hairs stand on their end, you realize that he is not done yet.



    "The fourth step," he says as he walks towards you, "is the step of enactment."



    You already know that. Everypony in this room already knows that. You all know that the highest intensity of an Influence may only be reached by "enacting" a Lore.

    But the way Comet Feet just said that, as if he was reading out a death sentence, makes you all realize that perhaps you didn't quite understand what that means.

    And that he is about to show you.

    Comet Feet walks up towards you. Everything about him, from the way he is moving to the way he is looking at you, making it clear that he could murder you as easily as he is breathing right now.

    He walks up to you, and he stops just as he is about to graze against the tip of your horn. The very air around him so sharp, you can feel it, that it almost hurts you.



    "Scar me," he says.



    And you don't even hesitate. A small part of your mind understands what he is doing. A small part of you remembers a few sermons from your Master, when she taught you about the importance of scars and physical lessons, and how pain might be a teacher in some cases.

    But to be honest, you don't really care about that. You obey Comet Feet's words because his tone brooks no disobedience.

    So, you take up your own knife with your trembling hoof.

    And you slowly…

    Fearfully…

    Bring it to Comet's chest.

    You then touch the sharp tip of your knife against his coat, your heart pounding inside your chest and your whole body going stiff at how terrified you are from being this close to him.

    And you sheepishly… push the tip of the knife towards him.

    Until you see a drop of blood.

    And the drop of blood becomes a small trickle.

    After that, despite much as your hoof is shaking, you begin to work on making a wound that might be somewhat straight. And maybe just deep enough to leave a sca-



    !!!!!



    You yelp, in surprise and in pain. Several ponies in the Cadre jumping back at how suddenly it happens.

    Because one moment you were holding the knife with your hoof, doing your best not to drop it in fear as you tried to cut a shallow scar into Comet Feet's chest.

    And on the next moment Comet Feet's hoof is grabbing your foreleg. His grip on you so terrible that you almost fear he might break your bones.

    You can see that he is glaring at you, his mouth open in a snarl that makes your eyes burn up with terrified tears.

    However, to your growing horror, you also realize that the way he is grabbing onto you also means you wouldn't be able to drop the knife even if you tried.

    And with a strength that you would not be able to resist even if you mustered all your might, he brings your hoof, and the knife you are holding, closer to his chest.

    You can only watch, tears beginning to fall down from your eyes, as the monster that looks like Comet Feet sinks the knife deeper and deeper into his own chest.

    "I told you," it says, its face so close to yours that you can smell its breath, the horrid smell of heat, blood and dust making your nose ache, "to scar me."

    Until you finally can't take it anymore. You close your eyes, and when you realize you can still see through your closed eyelids you turn your face away. Because you can't bear to watch, even as you feel how it sinks the knife into its chest all the way to the hilt. Even as you somehow feel the knife sinking into its heart. Even as you feel it pull away your foreleg, your hoof still holding onto the knife, and somehow the knife emerging from its chest without a drop of blood, and with nothing but a scar where the knife had been moments ago.

    When it lets go of your foreleg, the only thing you can do is hug yourself, your eyes still closed shut as you try to make yourself as small as possible.

    And eventually, the monster that looks like Comet Feet leaves.

    It takes you, and the rest of the Cadre, a long while before you dare to leave the ritual room.

    You look at Fluttershy, as she tries her best to gather whatever little courage she has. You look at Fluttershy, as she braces herself to… to what? To make a stand? To try and pressure somepony else? To make a demand?

    You don't know.

    And apparently neither does Fluttershy.

    It is almost admirable how she tries, then, even if she doesn't know what she is trying to do to begin with.

    "He… he came here earlier and… and he said he will be gone for a while."

    You can tell from her tone that she is conflicted. Almost scared. Even though she is in her own home, and confronting somepony who she knows has lied to her in the past. Even then, she still looks like she is not sure she should be doing this.

    But for some reason, although you can tell just how hesitant she is… no, exactly because she is so hesitant, you can also see that she is forcing herself to do this.

    "But I… I mean… even though he said he would come back, he… it sounded like there was a chance he might not... And I…"

    You see the mare furtively look at a corner of the room, and you can almost picture that corner as being the place where they had part of this… this conversation? This discussion? This fight?

    You don't know either of them well enough to tell.

    But you can tell for sure that both of them act very… uncharacteristically, when close to each other.

    "And I-I… I told him he didn't have to go… whatever it was, I said he didn't need to do it. Because he looked... uhm... he looked upset... But still, he…"

    By the heavens. You actually realize that you have no idea just how hard this is being for her.

    Because she clearly has no social skills. It might be that she doesn't even have any friends, and maybe even her family has strained relationships with her.

    So this situation she is going through right now... for her, it must be...

    Does she even care about other ponies? Has she ever cared about another pony before? Is this the first time she is suffering because she is worried about somepony else? Because as silly as that might sound, you can tell from how distressed she is that this is something very new, and painful, and frightening, for Fluttershy herself.

    "A-and he… I tried asking but… he was so vague…! He d-didn't tell me what, o-or why, or when or h-how… And I… I just…!"

    Her voice is trembling. Her body is trembling. And for some reason, you can tell that her entire life she never really minded being in the company of nothing but animals and critters. But that right now… for the first time in her life, perhaps, she is truly feeling alone.

    As if she had just been taught the meaning of company, pony company that is, only to have it taken away from her.

    Fluttershy says all that, and even though she lacks the words, or the courage to say them, you can clearly understand that she left unsaid how much she "wants to know what is going on".

    And with that, you decide to…



    [] Write in, what you will say and/or do.





    You have successfully aided Comet Feet in summoning an Edge Influence.

    You will also aid the cult in other Influence rituals in preparation for the assault on the changeling hive.

    Regarding your decision on what to say or do to Fluttershy, QM vetoing will apply. But you have a very large latitude on what to do.

    That is to say, I trust you to understand what you can or can't do. And if you make a decision, I understand you will be willing to face the consequences. Even attempting (key word being attempting) to induce Fluttershy into the cult right now is acceptable. The only thing I can immediately say that Velvet Feet wouldn't be willing to do is take Fluttershy to see the monster that looks like Comet Feet.

    And if you want a rule of thumb, consider this a decision similar to what you did with Cadance. I will write the winning vote down, and it will be carried on into the future.

    Other than that, six hours moratorium.
     
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    • Turn 13 - Results, part 6 New
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    • [X] Plan Staying at Home and Writing Letters
    -[X] A sense of urgency: There has never been any need for this, not for this much at least. No more double-checking, no more zeal. There are far more important things to be done. (5 personal actions. Does not cause suspicion. DEFAULT PICK)
    -[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] (Servants) Look for books in Ponyville.
    -[X] (Cult Minions) Assist with summoning Windigos.
    -[X] (Flourishing Risen) Tail not!Twilight
    -[X] (Rarity) Call her, you have a lot of things to tell her… and then a few introductions to make. (Induct her into the cult)
    -[X] (Jade) Search for changeling infiltrators in Ponyville
    -[X] (Selene) Knock.
    -[X] (Attention of the Laws) Grail: Talk with Rarity.
    -[X] (Knock) Find a new location in the Woods.
    -[X] Read books: Grail 3, Heart 2, Heart 3.
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Assist with casting Influences and AotL.
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Write Letter to Father
    -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Visit Fluttershy
    -[X] Help Windy Flakes run the cult.


    - - -

    [x]"Comet Feet... he's strong. Stronger than anyone I know. He has become that strong because he wishes to protect those ponies that can't protect themselves. Ponies like you. When you told him he didn't have to do this... you can guess why he took it badly. It would be like if someone told you you didn't have to take care of your animals. He feels it's his purpose. I'm sorry, but you can't help him with this, and I can't tell you much more without betraying his trust... but you can help him have some peace once he gets back. I'll do my best so he can come back to you once he's done".


    You sit down on one of the cushioned seat on the large balcony connected to your room, and you feel the weight of your exhaustion slowly settle in as you ease your body into a seating position.

    You are tired. Very tired.

    And yes, you do realize it is only a bit past midday. But you just can't help it. There is too much to do, too many plates to keep spinning, too many little details to be mindful about so you don't accidentally worry your loved ones. And most importantly, there is too little time.

    Way too little time. And you can say that with confidence because your Master finally deigned to give you, Windy and the cult as a whole something that is both a gift and a curse.

    She gave you all a deadline.

    Of course, as it befits your Master, she didn't really give you a deadline per se. She did not give you all a clear message, or a day to work with, or even something as vague as a riddle speaking about moon phases and alignments.

    But she did give you something… very close to it.

    Starry was the first to feel it, and the first to tell you all about it. She came to you and Windy Flakes one day, while you were in the club, looking like a filly in Hearth's Warming. It took you and the stallion several minutes just to get her to say something you could understand, because of how excited she was. And still, all she could say was that "something was coming".

    It took you and Windy a lot longer to get a better explanation out of her.

    But eventually, you understood what Starry meant by that. And two nights later, you confirmed that she was right. You felt it yourself.

    It happened while you were in the Woods, one night. You were in the Woods, studying the Dry Well from afar, when you suddenly had a… a feeling. A sensation of sorts.

    And true to Starry's words, there really wasn't any way to describe it other than that something was coming. Because what you felt was a… a foreboding feeling, of sorts. A dreadful certainty of… of restlessness, that something will happen soon. A rising tension that, you realized, came from somewhere deep in the Woods, like a black wind of sorts. As if the Woods itself was slowly tensing up.

    You felt it, and following your idea that the feeling, whatever it was, came from the deeper parts of the Woods, Jade and Windy also confirmed it in the following nights. And eventually, the restless winds reached far enough towards the edges of the Woods that even the cultists who had only recently passed the Crossroads could feel it.

    Needless to say, that riled up the cult into a frenzy of preparation.

    Because the Master will call upon you all soon, you are certain of it.

    So, you are tired. Because as soon as you and Windy realized what that sign meant, you began working on your final preparations. Or rather, you had one final meeting where the two of you decided what to prioritize, what you could get done on time, and what you would just have to do without. Because none of you knew if that foreboding sense meant you still had a whole week to work with, or just a single day.

    You prepared a last pair of reagents with what little time and resources could be spared. You aided in casting one last Influence of Forge, the most practical and least readied Lore the two of you agreed that should be readied. Windy and his trusted underlings prepared the supplies. And that was it.

    Now, there is nothing to do but wait.

    And that is why you are sitting, exhausted at how nerve-wrackingly tense these last few days were, and waiting.

    Because there really isn't anything you could start preparing now that would be finished on time… or at least that's what that ominous sensation tells you.



    There is nothing left for you to do now, but wonder if what you prepared was enough.



    "Excuse me ma'am," Ponpon's voice suddenly comes from behind you, and you think you would have jumped up in surprise if you weren't so tired. "Jade Whistle is at the door. May I let her in?"

    Wait, she is? You pick up her burned-candle scent a moment later, and you realize that Ponpon is right. You can feel the mare patiently waiting by the front door, at the tail end of the garden.

    The fact that you didn't notice Ponpon approaching, and that you failed to realize Jade had also entered your estate, makes you wonder if you dozed off for a second.

    You probably did. Ponpon usually lets Jade and Rarity in without asking you. So the fact that she came here first must mean Ponpon intended to make sure you were awake.

    It seems that you are more tired than you thought, then… and that's precisely the thing you know Ponpon would have picked up on.

    "Yes, Ponpon, please do that. Thank you," you say, blinking a few times and straightening up on your seat. "Could you also bring us some tea? Oh, and Rarity is on the way. Could you let her in when she arrives?"

    "Of course, ma'am," the mare says, and moments later you hear, and then feel, her make her way back into the house.

    And with that, you prepare yourself to go over everything one last time.



    - - -



    As pleasant as it is, to spend time with your closest friends, the three of you could not waste the opportunity to talk about some really important things...

    -You haven't mentioned your visit to Fluttershy to anypony. And regarding your visit to her, and what you told her, you simply are not sure of how the mare honestly felt about it. Mainly because she didn't say anything at all after you were done talking. She still looked distraught, but no more or less than when you first arrived. She didn't seem to be offended or angry at you, but you can also see how the mare getting angry at anything is nearly impossible… you just don't know. She didn't even thank you. However… she did purse her lips while you said your piece. You think she looked pensive... You can only hope she looked pensive. [Fluttershy will remember what you told her.]

    -Rarity told you about the time she dedicated getting integrated into the cult. She was surprised at how many ponies from Ponyville are already a part of it, to the point that the whole town seems to have a "second layer", a secret part to it that is being shared by more and more ponies, to it that is slowly growing. She is also learning about the internal workings of the cult and might ironically become more knowledgeable about it than you in a short while. To the point, perhaps, that she might be able to be an agent in your favor from within, if the situation requires. [Rarity is now a member of the cult. Rarity has not yet met the Master. Rarity still has, as she had before, very large expectations that Twilight will be rescued.]

    -Jade Whistle showed you the list. The list had twenty seven names, cutie marks and addresses on it. Neither of you know if the list is worryingly long… or worryingly short. She says she is almost sure she didn't find all of them, and you unfortunately know this isn't just her self-depreciation speaking. Still, it is the best you have, and you hope it will be enough to make the changelings incapable of striking back… with their local assets, at least. She also guaranteed you that none of the foals in town are changelings. And you believe her. [Jade Whistle has generated a Lantern 3 list of the changelings in town. She has rolled "well enough" for her level.]

    -Your Flourishing Risen minion has reported to you, about the fake Twilight's movements. The companies that it has been keeping, its habits… It has allowed you and Jade to confirm a few names on her list, and add one more, even if only through circumstantial evidence. But unfortunately, it has not been able to find out how (or if) it communicates with any parties outside of Ponyville, or how (or if) it transports any prisoners, if any, to outside of town. [Flourishing Risen has not unearthed anything useful about the changeling infiltration this turn. Flourishing Risen has given a small bonus to Jade Whistle's efforts. Flourishing Risen's lookout will guarantee the fake Twilight will not be able to escape town during the purge.]

    -And your servants, at your behest, presented you with a shortlist of titles they thought might interest you to purchase. You had nearly forgotten about that. [Servants rolled, with bonus, a total greater than 100. Servant book hunt capped at 100.]
    --Book, Heart Level 4, "A scientific paper that must be decades old, or perhaps centuries, which makes an attempt at collating what is known about a particular tribe of the distant and enigmatic zebras. It goes into great detail about a certain custom the tribe had of… wearing the skin of large animals that they hunted, in order to harness their strength." Costing 60 bits.
    --Book, Forge Level 3, "The book is simply titled 'Chemistry', and your servants reluctantly admitted that was the only word they understood in it. Of course you know they were being dramatic, but that also means that the contents of the book must be way, way beyond what they teach at schools." Costing 30 bits.
    --Book, Secret Histories Level 2, "A hefty book detailing the charter rights of some of the smaller villages that dot Equestria. Not old enough to be terribly outdated, but not recent enough to have any legal or academic value either." Costing 15 bits.
    -Books will be available for purchase at the beginning of the next voting turn.



    - - -



    Rarity catches on to the tension that is running between you and Jade Whistle. She has not yet passed through the Crossroads, although she has already been in enough of the smaller cult meetings (even if she has not yet been introduced to the Master) to begin her attempts. But still, she has not yet reached the edge of the Woods to feel what you and Jade have already felt.

    But still, she shares your apprehension once you explain to her what you know. How something will happen soon, and the Woods itself seems to be reeling in anticipation.

    You are running out of time.





    More to follow.
     
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    • The Nature of a Dream New
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    • You are Selene.

    And you are shivering.

    And cold.

    And you have tears running down your face, even though you are almost not making any noises.

    But most importantly, you are holding on to Mrs. Velvet for dear life. Hugging her chest with so much strength that your forelegs hurt. Your petrified grip showing just how terrified you are right now.



    "Selene, mommy needs you to listen very carefully… and no matter what happened, mommy needs you to be absolutely honest. Do you understand?"



    You nod at her. You nod at her even though you can barely understand what she is saying. Or rather, you do understand what she is saying, but only in a deep and unconscious way. You don't understand Mrs. Velvet's words in the sense that you aren't really thinking about them. In the sense that your mind can't really think about anything at all right now. But still, you nod to her, your eyes closed shut as you try your best to stifle your sobs and focus on the damp softness of her chest fur.

    You nod in a way that only a terrified foal that is being held is capable of.

    You nod to her… because of what you just told her. And because you understand, even if you don't know how, what you just did. And because her tone of voice, as gentle as she is trying to sound, can't really hide just how utterly serious she is right now.



    "O-k… o-oka-y… I p-pr... omise..."



    You nod, and you promise, because you don't know what to do. And because you are scared. And because you might have just done something horribly wrong. And because you don't want any of this anymore. And because you just want Mrs. Velvet to hold you and tell you everything will be alright.

    You want her to do that, even though you know it won't be alright. You want her to lie to you, even though you know just how badly you messed up.

    You want her to tell you that she doesn't hate you, even though you know this is all your fault. Even though you somehow know that it is always your fault, and that everything would be better if you didn't exist and if you weren't around to make everything worse.



    "Alright," she takes a deep breath. And you tense up, terrified at both what just happened, and what she might be about to say next. "That door, the one you just told me that you found, hidden in daddy's dreams. The one that you said had his cutie mark engraved on it... did you leave it open?"



    Your grip on Mrs. Velvet's chest grows even tighter, and a whimper escapes from your mouth as your tears begin to fall even faster.





    - - -
    - - -
    - - -





    You are Selene, and you think you are on to something.

    Several somethings, in fact. Too many somethings, to be honest.

    Lucky you, you have a diary to keep track of all the stuff that has been going on.

    As you look back on these last few months, ever since your memory starts on that train ride with Mrs. Rarity and Mrs. Velvet, you can feel as if something has been happening to you. You are not sure what is giving you this feeling, and you have no idea of where any of this is going (if it's even going anywhere at all), but as you look back you can't help but feel as if… as if something is slowly coming together. Something big.

    You feel as if… as if you were looking at a big jigsaw that is slowly coming together. And, just like how Silver Spoon taught you to start by the edges because the pieces are easier to find, you feel like this great jigsaw is slowly gaining some sort of shape.

    Although it's not a square shape like jigsaws are supposed to be. It's this weird… strange shape, that reminds you of a…

    That looks like a…

    You decide to abandon this metaphor.

    But still, you know that something is going on. And your suspicions turned into certainty less then a month ago, on that awkward night when you tried to sneak up on Mrs. Velvet's dreams. Sure, you have no idea how she woke up and knew you were there. Maybe it's the shampoo that Silky always puts too much of on your mane?

    Anyways, regardless of how Mrs. Velvet woke up, it still happened that that night she literally admitted to you that she doesn't dream. Not like normal ponies do, anyways.

    She also admitted to you that something hurt her. Which was something that you knew, first through this nagging and unexplainable feeling, and later through the nightmares that Silky and Mr. Stormchaser had.

    But most importantly, Mrs. Velvet also confirmed to you, even if indirectly, that…

    That something is going on.

    That something is going on with you.

    And that you are supposed to be doing something about it.

    Or maybe you are wrong about all of this, and you're just going crazy or something. Who knows? Mr. Stormchaser has already promised you that there's nothing wrong with you, but you still don't remember anything from most of your life. That whole "am-knee-zia" that Mrs. Cheerilee explained to you so long ago. So you could just be wrong about all this.

    But since you are not sure about whether if you are right or wrong, you have to keep looking into it.



    And that is why you are here right now, inside Mr. Stormchaser's dream.



    Mrs. Velvet made you a promise. She promised you that she would take care of the monster that hurt her, and you can say with confidence that it was a monster because you saw it, even if only in dreams. She promised you that, but you also made her a promise in return.

    You promised you would keep taking care of Mr. Stormchaser and Silky.

    And the monster is gone, just like she said it would be, which means that Mrs. Velvet kept to her promise just like you knew she would.

    However, that doesn't mean that you have kept to your end of the bargain yet.

    Because something is still haunting Mr. Stormchaser.

    You are not sure what it is. You are not even sure why you think that. But as you kept practicing this weird magic of yours, going into Silky's dreams, and Soft's dreams, and even the dreams of one of your friends on the rare occasions you manage to not touch anypony after school, you slowly and surely began to notice it.

    Everypony else's dreams, they have this… this calm feeling to it. As if they were truly resting while they were asleep, with silly dreams where they have a dream come true, or where they relive their day with a few different details, or where something plain and simply random just happens.

    But not Mr. Stormchaser. Not him.

    No. Ever since you have met him, ever since the first time you went into his dreams, he has always been dreaming about the storm. About those approaching clouds of blackness that surround the house from all directions. Never quite reaching him, but also never stopping to come close and closer either.

    But you only noticed just how wrong that was after a good while. You only realized how… how bad that was, after you realized that nopony else seems to dream like he does.

    And you know this is a problem. You aren't a doctor, and you don't even know if dream-doctors exist, but you somehow know that this is bad for him. Sure, it might not be a scary dream, or a hurtful dream, or anything like that. But you still understand that these dreams are heavy. That Mr. Stormchaser is carrying something heavy, inside of him.

    So, you have to help him. You want to help him.

    After all, you care for him, just like you care for Silky and Mrs. Velvet



    So, again, this is why you are here right now. Inside Mr. Stormchaser's dream.



    You look around you, taking in the now familiar sight of the entrance hall of your home.

    Or rather, at the now familiar sight of the gloomy, dark-covered entrance hall of Mr. Stormchaser's dreams.

    There is a bit of moonlight coming from some of the windows, but the place is large enough that you can't really see well with none of the candles being lit. So, you keep your eyes sharp, and your ears raised, as you walk around in the dark. After all, most of the nights you come here Mr. Stormchaser is in the rooftop, looking at the coming storm, but there have been a few times when you bumped into him on the corridors inside the house. And every time you tried to talk to Mr. Stormchaser in here, be it when you went to the rooftop or when you walked into him… well, those conversations never went anywhere.

    Even when you tried to be straightforward with him, asking him what was wrong or just telling him that you two were inside a dream, he wouldn't tell you anything useful.

    To the point that one time, the last time you tried talking to him, he even shouted at you. And the wave of sadness that you felt from him voice, as he yelled that he was the one who was supposed to be taking care of you, actually made you wake up on the spot.

    And you couldn't feel mad or sad at him, for having acted that way. You just couldn't. Not with how you felt after waking up. Not after realizing how he felt, as he did that.

    So, stopped trying to talk to Mr. Stormchaser directly, while in here.

    And instead, you decided to do something a little more… subtle.

    For the last few weeks, you have just been exploring Mr. Stormchaser's dream. You have been exploring this dream-house that he always dreams about, and slowly figuring out what was the same when compared to your real-life house, and what was different. You have also been keeping your progress written down in your diary, and by now you already have a small list weird things that you have noticed so far.

    Like how the windows seem to be slightly wider in some places.

    Or how Silky's room, and your room, are right next to Mr. Stormchaser's room, instead of being in their normal place on the other end of the corridor.

    And how… how you haven't found a single picture of Mrs. Velvet yet. Well, you have found the pictures, they are in their proper places on the walls and whatnot, but they are all blurred and weird.

    Like you said, a small list of weird things.

    But nothing really useful. Nothing that could help you, even if indirectly, to understand what is wrong with Mr. Stormchaser, and why he can't have a good dream or a peaceful sleep.

    So, you continue your search. Night in and night out, making sure Mr. Stormchaser is the last pony you hug goodnight before you go to sleep, as you keep adding more and more entries and weird facts into your diary.

    Goodness… you really hope nopony ever reads that.



    - - -



    You think you have found it, the thing that you are looking for.

    Well, you didn't really find it so much as you tripped on it. But the fact remains that you are sure, or almost entirely sure, that this is it.

    However, you aren't really focused on what you found, right now. Instead, you are actually thinking about how you found it.

    Because unless you are sorely mistaken, you think you know exactly what it is that you just did. Which, if you are right, also means that you might have found out how all of this works.

    It actually wasn't that hard. No. It was, in fact, very simple.

    You were pacing back and forth in the entrance hall, trying to remember where you should go next. You had already been through the upper floors, and everypony's rooms, several times, and you even looked around the rooftop once, doing your best not to be noticed by Mr. Stormchaser.

    But as you paced, your thoughts started to float elsewhere. You thought back on what you did that day, and then the stuff you talked about with Scootaloo, until you idly remembered something that Mrs. Velvet said. Something that you can't remember in what context that she said it in, but that for some reason you could almost remember word for word.

    "There's always a way, Selene. Always. The problem is finding it, and then opening the door that is blocking it. But there's always a way."

    And as you remembered Mrs. Velvet's words, you immediately tripped on the protruding handle of the trapdoor that was hidden underneath the thick carpet of the entrance hall, falling face first on the ground.



    And here you are right now, wondering what the hay just happened.



    You are on the entrance hall, sitting on the ground, looking at the large lump that is jutting out from underneath the thick carpet that covers the whole hall.

    The large lump, you can tell, is shaped like a mouth-handle. In fact, it is shaped exactly like a handle to a trapdoor. And you know there is a trapdoor underneath the carpet. You tested it, walking and jumping on the area around the lump and hearing the distinct sound of wood the muffled squeaks of rusty hinges.

    In fact, the noises were so loud and characteristic that you wondered how you never noticed them before.

    Which, in turn, made you realize "how" you found that, and "what" exactly just happened.

    Specifically, you realized that the weird trapdoor, somehow hidden under the carpet, simply wasn't there before. In fact, you are pretty sure no such trapdoor exists in real life.

    It just appeared there, while you were thinking about it and…

    No… it wasn't just that… that didn't make sense.

    That didn't make sense because you have been "thinking" about finding something, anything, to help you understand Mr. Stormchaser for a while now. You have been looking around the house, checking everywhere, for almost a whole month now, and this is the first time this happened.

    So no, you didn't find this thing just because you willed about it. There was something else going on…

    Something that you can't really explain.

    But that somehow… somehow you just understand.

    As if… as if you had a fifth leg, or a second tail, that you just managed to move and…

    "And I really might be going mad," you say to yourself, shaking your head at as you realize you are thinking about having more body parts than you really do.

    After all, you are an earth pony! It's not like you have wings or a horn.

    "But still…" you say, as you look down at the carpet lump, dimly lit by a faint ray of moonlight coming from one of the high windows. "Still… something did just happen…"

    And whatever the explanation for that is, you know that a deep part of you somehow understands it.

    And of course, this also means that you now have a way forward!

    However, a problem still remains.

    That problem being the carpet itself.

    Because no matter how much the sudden appearance of a hidden trapdoor might scream that you should explore it, you still have a thick layer of… whatever carpets are made of, between you and it. And for all that you have no idea how carpets work, you think they are nailed to the edges of the walls, or maybe glued to the floor, you know for a fact that you won't be able to bite through it.

    "Hmm…" you mumble to yourself, scratching a hoof under your chin, "I think I get what Mrs. Velvet meant by that… I mean, I might have found the way, but I have no idea how to reach it."

    You say that, and you slowly narrow your eyes as you look at the offending lump/door-handle.

    And an idea slowly forms inside your mind.

    "Okay… so…" you say out loud, not sure if you are talking to yourself, or to the dream, or to this weird deep thing you have inside of you that made the trapdoor appear. "So I did… something, and then you appeared… So if I try doing that same thing, but this time for something that will help me go through the carpet, then…"

    You close your eyes. Because you have no idea how any of this works, but you think it will help.

    You close your eyes, and then you bring your neck down, towards the door.

    And then you open your mouth.

    And you slowly… bite down, grabbing hold of the handle of the instrument that was not on the ground before. Bringing your neck up once again when you have it firmly held with your mouth.

    This time, you felt it. You felt the weird something you have, deep inside of you. You felt it reach out, almost timidly, from the depths of your mind, or your heart, or perhaps of the middle of your forehead or your flank, even though there is nothing in either of those places.

    But still, you felt it, as it coursed through your body and somehow changed the dream around you.

    And then, you open your eyes, looking curiously at the thing you are holding with your mouth.

    "!!!"

    A shock runs through your body, and your mouth opens almost reflexively at the sudden fright.



    Causing the large knife to fall down on the ground, making a loud metallic noise.



    You just stare at it, eyes wide open, feeling your heart hammering inside your chest. Your body frozen solid with the surprise and ingrained fear that you are feeling.

    As you look down towards the ground, staring at the knife you were holding just a moment ago. The knife that wasn't anywhere near you a few seconds before, that didn't exist until now.

    You try your best to calm down your breath, as you realize that the knife is perhaps as large as the largest knife you ever saw in the kitchen, and you feel like you are doing something wrong just by being this close to it.

    Because that is a very large knife. A very dangerous knife.

    And fillies shouldn't play around with knives.

    But there's more to that. You aren't just afraid of the knife itself. Your wide-open eyes aren't locked at the knife just because it is a knife, and because of all the times that Mrs. Cheerilee, and Ponpon, and Mrs. Velvet, and everypony else told you that you shouldn't ever fool around with that sort of thing.

    No. You are like this because of an added detail.

    Your heart is hammering inside your chest, as you look at it, because you also realize that… that you made that knife appear.

    That you made it appear. That you somehow just brought into Mr. Stormchaser's dream something… something dangerous. Something that could hurt somepony else.

    And the worst part is that… well, that this isn't even your dream.

    You just realized that, somehow, you just managed to interfere with Mr. Stormchaser's dream. You just changed something that is inside his head.

    And that feels like all sorts of wrong.

    Does this make you dangerous? Could you actually hurt somepony by doing this?

    Could it be that you could somehow change Mr. Stormchaser's dreams so much that you turned it into a nightmare? Can you even be so sure that you haven't already done that before?

    What if the clouds around his dreams, the ones that he always dreams about, are somehow your fault?

    What if you are the monster? The one that hurt Mrs. Velvet and tried to get into your sister's dreams?!

    You step back from the knife, slowly, as if you were somehow at risk of falling into it and getting hurt by virtue of even standing close to it.

    And then you look around, as a cold splash of thoughts occurred to you and you begin to wonder if you should even be doing this. If you should even be here, inside somepony else's head, peeking into their very dreams while there are asleep and defenseless.

    This feels wrong. All of this feels wrong.

    And yet…

    "But I…"

    And yet, the fact remains that…

    "But I promised that…"

    The fact remains that you have already come this far.

    And what is more, you are doing this, all of this, because you care about Mr. Stormchaser. Because you want to help him. You have to help him.

    You wouldn't be able to say that you are part of his family, and that you love him, and Silky, and Mrs. Velvet, if you aren't ready to do this.

    If you aren't willing to do this.

    Because Mrs. Velvet has already taught you that sometimes it's alright to lie to ponies you love, if it's for the best, hasn't she?

    Well, then that also means that sometimes it's alright to do something slightly wrong, something that the ponies you love might not exactly agree to, if you know it's for the best.

    "Well… at least I think this will be for the best," you say, as you hesitantly walk back towards the large and heavy knife, picking it up between your teeth. "I hope… this will be for the best."

    And with that, you slowly, and very carefully, begin to cut the thick carpet.

    You feel like you are doing something very wrong.

    You feel like you are a very bad filly, for doing something like this.

    You feel like you are doing something much worse than just cutting a carpet. Because the carpet was hiding something, and you know you are inside a dream, where things don't really have to mean what they look like they mean.

    But still, you press on.

    Because you really, really want to help Mr. Stormchaser.



    - - -



    The trapdoor revealed stairs.

    The stair led you down to a corridor.

    The corridor led you down to a hall.

    It was an imitation of your house. A mirrored version of the place Mr. Stormchaser dreams about every night.

    Except that everything was wrong.

    The doors, they didn't take you to the room anymore. They didn't take you to the room, or the kitchen, or the outside. They didn't take you anywhere, not in the sense that it took you to a place.

    Instead, they took you to… to scenes? To other places? To the past?

    They took you to memories. To Mr. Stormchaser's memories.

    And once you realized that, you honestly started to feel wrong about all of that.

    Because you knew that you were so deep inside the dream, so deep inside Mr. Stormchaser's mind, that it was absolutely possible that you would see things he wouldn't want you to see.

    Behind one door, you saw the first time Silky said a word.

    Behind another, a door that lead to him arguing with somepony you didn't know.

    Behind yet another, you Mr. Stormchaser hugging Mrs. Velvet. And for some reason, she was crying.

    And the deeper you went into the house, the whole place seeming to stretch to give room to more and increasingly older-looking doors, the more that scene became common.

    You… stopped opening doors, after a point.

    But for all that you felt bad, for all that you knew you were doing something very wrong, you still couldn't bring yourself to leave.

    Because you somehow knew, you just knew, that you were still looking for something.

    Until you found it.

    In a corner that should lead to nowhere in your real house, at the end of a corridor that didn't exist, you found a door.

    But that door, unlike all the other doors you saw up to that moment, was different. You could feel that it was special. More than that, you could see that it was special.

    Because unlike all the other doors, that one was new and well-kept, polished almost to a shine.

    And it had Mr. Stormchaser's cutie mark on it.

    …

    There was also something… something else, that was different about that door.

    …

    You sensed it, as you approached it.

    …

    You felt it, as your hoofsteps took you closer and closer to the door. A looming impression that… that there was something very wrong with that door.

    …

    You heard it, when you got close enough that you could timidly press your ear against the door. You could hear a faint… a faint sound of wrong, coming from the other side. An echoing, distant, but sickeningly close noise of… of scraping, and licking, and wanting, that for some reason made you nauseous just by listening to it.

    …

    You could almost see it, trying to force its way through the closed door, trying to crawl in through the gaps that weren't there, and through the keyhole that didn't exist.

    …

    You felt all of that, and more, as you stood before the closed door that bore Mr. Stormchaser's cutie mark.

    And yet…

    And yet, your eyes couldn't leave the doorknob.

    Because for all that you were scared. For all that you knew that you were doing something wrong…

    You have already come this far.

    And no matter what, you wanted to help Mr. Stormchaser. You had to help Mr. Stormchaser. Because you cared for him, and he cared for you.

    And since you knew that something was hurting Mr. Stormchaser, and making his dreams be heavy and dark… well, everything pointed to you that this thing was what was behind this door, right?



    Right…?



    Right.

    It had to be that.

    There was no way you could be wrong about this.

    And just like what Mrs. Velvet told you, the fact that you were feeling scared just mean that now was the time to be brave.

    Y-you… you were just putting in practice what she taught you. You were helping her.

    You were doing this to help your family.

    Because you loved them.

    So, with a trembling hoof, you slowly reached to the doorknob.





    - - -
    - - -
    - - -





    You are Lady Velvet Covers, and right now your thoughts are racing inside your head, your heart beating faster than it ever did before in your life.

    It is the middle of the night. And you just woke up because your daughter's scent suddenly and without warning spiked into almost panicked alertness. But since you didn't hear anything, be it a noise or a scream, or feel anything else near her, you merely slipped out of bed without waking your husband.

    And when you found her, she latched onto you with a strength that was almost alarming. Crying into your chest, weeping as she hugged you and apologized and tried to say several other unintelligible things at the same time.

    But for all that you are trying your best to comfort her, you also realize that you can't. You just can't.

    Because Selene, for all that she did it in whimpers and stutters, eventually told you why she is so upset.

    And what she told made you freeze on the spot. Your scent suddenly becoming very worried about also keeping track of your husband, as he noiselessly shifts and moves back on your bed. Your hug on Selene becoming more and more of a protective stance. Your mind slowly tracking how many steps away you are from Silky, and how far away your sleeping husband is from your two daughters.



    "Selene, sweetheart…" you ask again, trying your best to sound as calm as possible. Because if she realizes how scared you are, then she will get even worse. You have to be strong now. Your daughters need you to be strong right now. "Mommy is going to ask you again… the door in daddy's dream, the one with his cutie mark… did you leave it open…?"



    A chill runs down your spine as you feel Selene trying to answer, as you feel her hiccupping breath trying to form words and an answer.

    "I… I d-did…"

    Your blood turns cold.

    You feel your husband get off from your bed.

    "I d-didn-t o-ope…n... i-it…"

    Selene says that, and you feel your body practically sag with the sudden wave of relief.

    "t-the do-oor… W-when I t-touched the-e doork-knob… I-I saw what w-as… w-what was on t-the other s-s-sid… what was behind it, a-and I couldn't…"

    You realize that you are covered in cold sweat, and you feel your body untensing so much that it is almost painful. That is, Selene's hug suddenly became a lot more painful now that your body is no longer stiff.

    "Shh, shh, it's alright Selene, you didn't do anything wrong. Mommy promises."

    With that, you slowly try to calm Selene down, running your hoof through her mane as you hug her back a lot more gently than before.

    "B-but… bu-ut I…!"

    "Velvet? What happened? What's going on?" you hear Stormchaser's drowsy voice coming from the door, your husband slowly fumbling his way towards you in the darkness of Selene's room.

    "Selene had a nightmare," you say, as the stallion reaches the two of you, "nothing you should worry about, love. Go back to bed, I'll go down make her some hot chocolate."

    Your husband agrees with what you said with little resistance, giving Selene a soft kiss to the forehead before telling her everything will be alright. Of course, that has almost no effect on the filly, but the two of you know from experience that these kinds of night take time.

    So, after your husband is gone, you gently move Selene until she is holding onto your back, and you slowly take her downstairs to give her some much needed treats.

    "Don't worry, love, shh, shh… everything will be alright," you promise her as you gently carry her on your back.

    You will wait a long time, a whole week at least, before you tell her not to go near those doors. You are sure she will avoid dreams altogether for even longer, considering how terrified she is right now.

    But for now, you will take care of her.

    In fact, you think as an idea comes to your mind, you think you will tell Silky to invite her friends over for a sleepover. Selene could certainly use the company, and the dreams, of her friends.

    Besides, that way you will also have all her friends here for when… it happens. It will certainly make you feel better, that you will ensure that at least they are safe from anything

    But for now, the only thing you are really worrying about is making sure your Selene is alright.





    Selene has gone deeper into a dream than ever before, and has learned that there are more to them than what the dreamers merely see.

    Selene's KNOCK     is now Level 2.

    Selene has learned about the four Natures, and is reaching closer to her own. Deeper lessons are required now, if she is to reach her true nature.
     
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    • You are Flower Serenade, and right now you are… you are happy.

    Yes. You are happy.

    But not in an excited, all-consuming way. You are not happy as if you were a filly in a harvest celebration, or as if you had just heard a funny joke and were laughing about it.

    No. You are not just happy "right now".

    You are happy in the sense that your life is in a happy place. In the sense that you can look at yourself in the mirror every day and, even if you are not smiling all the time, you can tell yourself that… that everything is fine. That you are fine.

    And that's what makes this happiness so special.

    You have been living in Ponyville for a few months now. But to be honest, you feel like you have done more things during these short few months than all the rest of your life put together.

    After all, you have moved to a town that, even though almost everypony says is "backwater and idyllic" seems to have something going on in it almost every day. And compared to the farming community you came from, those few acres of cultivated land dotted every now and then by a house, Ponyville is large enough for you to not have been everywhere in it yet.

    But much more excitingly, you have been active in a way you never were before! You have made new friends, you have been learning and growing, and you even managed to become useful at something that isn't just related to a single patch of land that you would work in for the rest of your life.

    That's not to say that you don't miss your family. Of course you miss them, and you still love them. But you also… well, you can't really say you miss your old life.

    You also… definitely don't miss the time before Ponyville, after you left your family for…

    … after you left them for-

    You shake your head, realizing you zoned out for a second thinking about… huh, you're not actually sure what it was.

    Probably nothing important, you figure.

    But enough reminiscing about this and that. You have important things to do today, so you better get to it!



    - - -



    Your saddle bag sways gently on your side as you walk down the road.

    You already know this path well, to the point that you don't even have to think about it as you turn at the correct turns and follow the right streets that will eventually take you to the Wildhoof Club. But even though you know this path well, you still walk slowly as you make your way through it.

    Or at least, that's what most of your friends would say, if they were walking with you. But you disagree. You're not the one who walks slowly, it's everypony else that walks too fast! You walk at just the right pace, taking your time to appreciate the tall stone houses everypony has (which still feel slightly strange and novel to you) together with the individual touch that they all seem to carry. You really like how much the scenery around you contrasts with the traditional feeling your family house had. So, just like you always do, you allow yourself to take in that feeling as you calmly stroll towards the Wildhoof Club.

    It might be that one day you will get used to this, and that maybe the hustle of a big town like Ponyville will get into you and you will start walking fast everywhere you go like everypony else. But that day hasn't come yet, and there's nopony here to force you to do anything, so you will keep doing things at your own pace.

    A few minutes later you reach the Wildhoof Club, its double-door entrance wide open as you walk through it.

    And a smile immediately comes to your face.

    The first place you walk into as you enter the building is the Red Bar. Of course, since it's the middle of the morning, the large saloon-like hall doesn't really look like a bar at all. Instead, you can see several ponies dressed in club uniform dutifully setting up tables and chairs to transform the place into a nice and cozy restaurant.

    And your smile grows slightly wider at that. For several reasons. You are smiling because you have already been among those employees before, having worked at the club for a few weeks after you arrived in Ponyville. Which also means that you know everypony around you. In fact, many of the first friends you made here in Ponyville are among them, seeing how they were the first ponies who you saw every day that didn't hurt you you worked with them.

    But you are also smiling because, well, coming to the club also has a second meaning for you. A secret meaning. Because you know that this place is more than just a club. You know that this isn't just a place for ponies to spend their time on leisurely, or just a pleasant place where ponies come to have fun. No, this is much more than that, and you know it. You know about the unused rooms in the back, where meetings take place at specific hours of specific days. You know about the blocked-off corridors upstairs, which can only be accessed by "members" of the club, where they are slowly furbishing a workshop and where they keep the library.

    You even know about the entrance to the underground parts of the club, through the hidden trapdoor on the room that's permanently marked as "under renovations".

    Of course, you do realize that you are not better than anypony else just because of this, and you know that this doesn't make you special or anything because you are not. But still, it makes you feel happy to know that you are also part of this. To know that you are a part of something that is both a secret and way larger than yourself. That you have been taken in by a group of ponies who were genuinely kind to something like you you, even though they had no obligation to help you.

    And, in turn, it also makes you happy that they didn't just take you in and help you, but also made you one of them.

    To put it simply, you really like this place. You really like the Wildhoof Club, and you really like being part of the cult.

    "Hey there Flowey! Diligent as ever I see," a voice comes to you as you walk through the Red Bar, "the way you still come here almost every day makes some of us think you still work with us."

    "Ah, hi there Caramel!" you immediately turn towards the coming mare, right on time to watch Caramel Glow set three different tables with a wave of her glowing horn. "How are you doing? How's the morning been so far?"

    "Eh, same as usual," she says, setting up a few chairs around each table with her magic before heading towards you. "Cleaning up the place after last night's afterhours, making sure everything is ready for the lunch rush. And I actually got picked to do this week's inventory, so I have that drag to look forward to."

    You giggle at little bit at the way her voice sounds slightly whinny, to which she answers by rolling her eyes.

    "But enough about me. You heading up to the library as usual?" she asks, not looking surprised at all when you nod to her, "well, what the hay. I'm pretty sure we're all set up here, and nopony will miss me for just five minutes. I'll walk you there."

    "Oh, no no no. You can't use me as an excuse to skimp on work, Caramel. That's all sorts of wrong!" you say, trying to sound as admonishing as your father used to whenever he thought you or your siblings were slacking on the fields.

    Although, knowing Caramel Glow, you already know just how much that will work.

    "Pff. Try and stop me then," she says, a smirk appearing on her face as she starts walking (ahead of you, even!) towards the corridor that will take you to the stairs up.

    You shake your head at her, even though you can't really get rid of the smile you always get on your face when she acts like that.

    After all, you know that for all that Caramel Glows tries to act as if she is irresponsible, she really does put a lot of effort into her work. She even mentioned it to you why, once, some time ago. You didn't ask for details, since you can understand not wanting to talk about something, but the mare seems to come from a family where… well, she happened to be the only unicorn born in her family, and from what you understood everypony around her thought she "had it easy" just because she could do magic.

    And you completely understood, from her tone and her expression, just how harsh her family must have been to her.

    Also, Caramel Glow was the very first friend you made here in Ponyville! So no matter what she does, you always end up looking the other way or giving her a pass. The mare always swearing, through a dramatic smile, that "that would be the last time" she ever did… whatever it was that you would be trying to persuade her not to do.

    In the end, it really is like that saying you hear around the club: You can't stay mad at those Grailers.

    "Anyways, what are you up to today? Gonna practice your writing again? I think your calligraphy is getting a lot better."

    "Thank you!" you say, genuinely happy at her compliment, "but no. Today I'm going to…"

    You trail off for a few moments, looking around you to make sure there is nopony in earshot.

    "This is actually a secret," you say in a low tone, and Caramel conspiratorially inches closer to you so she can hear your whispers more clearly. "But Mr. Lockpick gave me something, that I brought in my saddle bag. He says it's a test, and I'm going to try doing it today."

    "Ohhhh, is that so? My my, Flowey dear, aren't you a favored little star apprentice," she says, making you blush a little bit.

    "I-I'm not a favored… Mr. Lockpick doesn't favor me or anything! He is just teaching me what he knows and..."

    "Yeah, right… Flowey, honey, old Lockpick is a Chosen. Everypony knows he's the best Knock-user in the Cult, if you're not one of those nutjobs who believes the Loremaster exists. And he not only offered you a job at his locksmith store, but also invited you to live with him. While he teaches you stuff," she says, her whispered words growing more and more amused as she speaks, and her tone of voice making you blush even further. "If that isn't having a higher up favoring you, then I don't know what is."

    "W-well… I just think he's really nice…" you say meekly, feeling the mare's amused stare on you as you speak, "he reminds me of my grampa and…"

    Caramel interrupts you with a giggle, shaking her head as the two of you walk up the stairs to the second floor.

    "By Celestia, Serenade, I have a lot to learn from you… But anyways, what's this test he gave you? How does it work?"

    Silently thanking Caramel for changing the subject, the two of you continue to talk as you make your way towards the Bright Library.



    The two of you go through the two locked doors, walk by Sharp Eye in his usual guard spot, and head to the part of the Club building where the walls were made thicker, and the windows were discreetly blocked up when the place was refurbished.

    Until you finally reach the wooden door itself, with its intricate carving of a large spider, who is catching the rays of the high sun into her webs and spinning them into the shape of a scroll.

    And as usual, in the few minutes it took the two of you to reach that place, you have already changed subjects three times, and are currently in the middle of a heated discussion.



    "I'm telling you, Caramel, I know just as much as you do. Besides, I really think that is something that would be disrespectful to ask. So no, I don't know how a pony gets picked into the Chosen."

    "Booh. You live with one and you don't even try to learn some juicy bits of information?" she says, making a fake expression of shock with her hoof covering her mouth, "but really, though. That's something I've been trying to find out. Because I heard that a pony can become one by doing… something about deciphering riddles in the Woods? Some kind of treasure hunt challenge that, if you manage to finish, will make the Loremaster appear to you."

    You tilt your head slightly at that, mirroring Caramel's doubtful expression at what she just told you. After all, that wouldn't be the first time you heard a weird rumor about how you can "summon" the Loremaster if you do this or that.

    But of course, you know that those rumors are all fake… even though you did try one of them once, the one where you repeat those words in front of a mirror and…

    "But the thing is," Caramel continues, interrupting your thoughts, "I also heard that being a Chosen means a different thing. And that they were picked waaaay back then, before even I entered the Cult… Something about a very important ritual the Master did, and how she shared a secret with the Chosen at the end of it."

    You furrow your brow at that. Your mind unconsciously trying to see if you remember something, some memory of what Mr. Lockpick might have told you once, that could align with what Caramel just told you…

    Until you realize what is happening, and you immediately shake your head.

    "Oh no, I'm not falling for that again Caramel," you say, waving a hoof into the air as if to dismiss a thought bubble that was hanging over your head. "I don't have time to talk about your conspiracy theories. Not today. And besides, you have to get back to work!"

    Caramel Glow looks at you as if you had just insulted her, and you can practically see the words "it's not a conspiracy theory, it's the truth!" forming in her mind.

    But the mare decides to just give you a short neigh, and you breathe a sigh of relief with how quickly she agreed to drop her (favorite, you must add) subject.

    "Well, it seems my best friend isn't willing to learn the secrets I want to share, so have it your way," she says, dramatically waving her mane towards you as she turns to leave, "but don't you come crying once you realize I reached higher than you!"

    You have to take a hoof to your mouth to stifle your laughter, but moments later the mare is back to normal and actually waving you a goodbye.

    "Anyhow, see you later Flowey! Say a prayer at the shrine for me!"

    "Alright, I will. And good luck with the rest of your shift," you say to her retreating back.

    And when the mare turns around a corner and disappears from your sight, you turn to face the large wooden door to the Bright Library.

    Shaking your head one final time, and trying your best to gather your focus, you go through the door.



    - - -



    The short candle you have on the reading desk, the one your mother taught you to make so it would last three hours, flickers and dies. Meaning that your time is up.

    And you let out a muffled sigh of frustration.

    You are inside the Bright Library in one of the more isolated parts near the back.

    Of course, when you say "the back" you refer to the most important part of the library. The part that everypony refers to as "the Loremaster's section". The section being named like that because, even though the whole Bright Library is dedicated to the Loremaster, it has also been separated into three distinct sections. Even if only informally.

    The Bright Library doesn't have an official librarian. Or rather, nopony has dared to step up to the task in fear of offending the Loremaster. So, the first part of the library, the one closest to the door, is somewhat disorganized, filled with books of all kinds of titles and subjects, and is overall rarely used. That unnamed section of the library having been born more due to ponies bringing books of their own here, as the Bright Library was initially used as a community library of sorts when it was first furbished… or so you heard.

    The second part of the library is referred to as "The Discussion". The name coming from how it is filled with short texts and hoof-written scrolls made by several members of the cult. Most of those texts, at first, were written by other cult members, each of them being an informal collection of their own individual views and observations about the Lores. Although according to what you have heard, as time passed, some scrolls began to be written in answer to other scrolls. And as more time passed, the namesake Discussion eventually took shape, turning into the mess of rebuttals and counter-theories that it is today. Covering rows upon rows of bookcases, with texts and arguments that you hear are sometimes outright rude, with some scrolls and papers tucked in between that don't have anything to do with the Lores to begin with.

    You mostly avoid that section, seeing how there isn't anything you know you can trust in there, and you don't think you know nearly enough to participate in The Discussion itself.

    And at the very back of the library, of course, is the Loremaster's section. The place where, without rhyme or reason, a new scroll will appear every now and then. A scroll that is worth its weight in gold, mind you, that shines light upon some new detail or facet of the Lores with an ease that makes a lot of cult members feel like fumbling foals. The scrolls, whenever a new one appears, are copied exhaustively for cult consumption, slowly filling up the bookcases that are expectantly kept empty in waiting, with the originals being kept under the shrine itself.

    So, sitting by one of the more isolated parts near the corner of the Loremaster's section, you let out a frustrated sigh.

    You have a copy of "Of Snakes and their Ways" in front of you, the text that you have already read so many times, after Mr. Lockpick pointed it to you as being the go-to text on Knock, that you already know several bits and parts of it by heart.

    Although, of course, you realize that knowing a text by heart and understanding it are two different things. Case in point, the second object you have on the desk in front of you, the "test" Mr. Lockpick gave you, still lies unsolved.

    Or rather, it still is locked.

    The test itself is a small cube, about the size of your hoof. A tiny, closed box with a single keyhole on one of its sides. It's a lock, one that Mr. Lockpick created himself, that he gave you a few days ago when you asked how you would know if you had reached the second step of Knock.

    Opening the small box was the test, of course. Something you have been trying to do for a while now, and that you thought you would be able to do after double-checking a part of the text you thought you had misremembered.

    But even after three hours of hard work, it seems that… well… that you really aren't good at anything, you worthless, useless mud-pony who's only good for-

    You shake your head, realizing you had spaced out for a few seconds. These last three hours of effort must have been more tiring than you thought.

    But still, even though you haven't succeeded today, you know that doesn't mean anything! You will keep trying, and you will keep learning, and you are going to open this lock and show Mr. Lockpick how much of a good teacher he is! Just wait and see!

    Nodding to yourself, you start packing up your things into your saddle bag. Picking up the several broken lockpicks that are scattered around the reading desk, the few strands of mane you tried to test as pulling levers, and the several other assorted things you tried (and failed) to use to open the lock. Of course, you also put away the copy of the text, placing it back in the bookcase you got it from, and make sure the candle you used to keep time didn't make a mess anywhere.

    With all of that done, you make your way out of the library. Making sure, as any sensible pony would, to say a small prayer to the shrine, and its intricately carved statue of a spider sitting on top of a scroll, before you leave.

    You do that out of respect, of course, but also because you have already heard more than enough stories about ponies who had misfortune fall upon them, after they benefited from the Loremaster's knowledge without expressing their gratitude for her gifts.

    And, as the saying goes, "just because the Loremaster doesn't exist, that doesn't mean she isn't real".

    So, you say your thanks, and move out to leave. Making your way to the Red Bar, so you can talk to Caramel Glow one last time before you head back to Mr. Lockpick's home.



    - - -



    As usual, you passed by the cake shop on your way back home to pick up some cupcakes, the ones that Mr. Lockpick likes and always says that tastes "Glorious". And right after that, you reach his house.

    Like many in Ponyville, Mr. Lockpick's home is on the second floor of his shop, the place having a large sign with his cutie mark painted on it over the entrance. So, you are not really surprised to see that the door is open, and the shop is already set up for the day.

    However, you are surprised when you don't see Mr. Lockpick behind the counter. Especially given how the old stallion is very particular about not leaving the store unattended.

    And as you walk into the store, looking around curiously, your ears perk up as they start to pick up on a faint sound. Your surprise turning into curiosity as you realize that you hear voices, a muffled conversation it seems, coming from the backroom, from the place that Mr. Lockpick uses as a workshop and a storage.

    Your curiosity turns a lot more intense as you begin to make out the words of the conversation you are hearing.


    "In that case use me, damnit! I'm far better at Knock than her, and you know it!"
    "That might be the case, but we all know she has something that you lack. And that makes all the difference."


    You hear a voice, Mr. Lockpick's voice, together with somepony else's. In fact, you hear several voices. And they seem to be in the middle of an argument of sorts…

    And what is more, Mr. Lockpick sounds… he sounds angry. You have never heard Mr. Lockpick sounding angry before. And from the mention to the Lore of Knock alone you immediately understand that they are talking cult business.

    Pursing your lips, not exactly sure what to do, you look around at the shop. Should you pretend you didn't hear anything and go upstairs? Should you… should you make some noise to let them know you arrived? Like Caramel said, Mr. Lockpick is quite important in the cult, so you're sure that whatever he is talking about, it's not something you should be listening to.

    But still…

    Still…

    All the things Caramel Glow said to you, all that stuff about learning more about the cult and Mr. Lockpick, goes up to your head. Even if only for a moment. And your curiosity gets the better of you. Because you can't keep your nose out of anything, even when it's none of your business.

    And a few moments later you are slowly, and as silently as you can, walking towards the door. Holding your breath, even, so you can better hear the low voices.


    "I don't care about that. And besides, you are not sure about this. None of you are!"
    "The text was clear, Lockpick. You read it, so unless you can think of another-"
    "To Tartarus with that. I forbid you from doing this! I'm also a Chosen, just like you are! I know what's at stake just like any of you, and I have the same authority as any in our numbers. So I don't care what you say, I'm not letting you do this!"
    "The text," another voice speaks up, cutting through the tension in the room as if it was a physical thing, "came from the Hintseekers in our numbers, Lockpick. These orders… came from the Loremaster."
    "What?… But… it can't have…"
    "And yet it did. Do you think any of us could have written that… those instructions? Do you think any pony could have? The Master made herself scarce, the Enforcer has been seen more around town. Even Jade Whistle herself has been working on the list! This is larger than any of us, Lockpick, you would be a fool not to realize it."
    "… but… but even then… you can't be serious about this… I can't just believe that you would be willing t-"


    "Before you say anything else, anything you might regret," yet another voice speaks up. This one much closer to the door, speaking so clearly that you immediately realize it's intentional. "Why don't we ask the mare herself what she thinks about this?"

    You freeze as you hear that. But before you can even think about moving, the door in front of you swings open.

    Revealing Mr. Lockpick, who you can see is both angry and distressed, and four other ponies you do not know by name. But for all that you might not know them by name, you certainly recognize them as cult-goers. Specifically, cult members that are always in the center of a group, or who are always looked at as a reference or for guidance.

    In short, they are all Chosen. You are sure of it. Managers personally trusted by Mr. Windy Flakes. Prominent members of the cult's Cadre, who can perform the more complex parts of rituals.

    And also, if you heard them correctly, ponies who are somehow able to commune with the Loremaster.

    One of the ponies, the stallion who just opened the door, takes a step towards you. Enough to close the distance between the two of you, but not enough to block the view from inside the room.

    "Flower Serenade," he says, and you can immediately tell that he is greater in Grail than Caramel Glow ever was, "the cult has need of you. Will you answer?"

    You look up at the stallion, your eyes wide in surprise. Your emotions clashing inside of you due to how unexpected this whole thing seems to be, and how unbelievable… how thrilling it is, even, to hear that the cult somehow wants your help. To hear that the cult needs you, in fact.

    To hear that it needs you, that for whatever reason there is something that you can do! That a grimy, dumb thing like you can be useful for something!

    You can see Mr. Lockpick's worried, tense expression as he looks at you, as if he is forcing himself to stay quiet about something.

    You can see the faces of the other Chosen as they look at you half-expectantly, waiting for you answer.

    And for all that you know that you should think this over like you should have last time, for all that you know you should at least ask why this worries Mr. Lockpick so much, you decide not to.

    Because you decide that... that you will show them! You will show them, and you will show Mr. Lockpick! You will show HIM that you're better than what he made out of you!

    You will show them that you can do it. That whatever the cult needs, you will be able to help them as much as they have helped you. And you will show Mr. Lockpick that he doesn't need to worry, because he was the best and kindest teacher you could ask for! You will show them all, you will show YOURSELF, that you're no longer just a defenseless farmgirl who can just be locked away and used up by anypony else!

    So, without hesitating, you nod to the stallion.

    And you tell him that you will answer the cult's call.



    - - -



    Within the Wildhoof Club, inside a room that is marked as "under renovations" ever since the club's founding, there is a hidden trapdoor. Behind that trapdoor, there is a stair that goes deep underground. And at the end of those stairs lies a small complex of passages and reinforced doors.

    You know that because you have already been there before.

    You heard that the underground was smaller, in the past. That it was once nothing more than a corridor that would lead to a few claustrophobic areas. But that is not the case anymore. And whether if it was due to the effort of a few ponies with cutie marks of miners, or if it was through means that might be a little more esoteric, the fact remains that the underground of the club is now large.

    Very large, you think. Especially considering that it was dug in secret, and that you have never heard of anypony who saw dirt or soil being carted out of the club.

    At the very bottom of the stairs lies a low hall-like chamber, its walls lined with unlocked doors. Some of those doors lead to storage rooms, filled with materials that may be used freely. Some of them have a single circle carved on its wooden front, signifying that the room beyond it is one of the more heavily used ones, that it is one of the rooms that has a large and complex ritual circle engraved on the ground.

    However, one of those doors is kept locked, the one that is farthest from the stairs. And it is kept sealed by locks forged through unorthodox and unusual methods, their keys trusted only to very few ponies.

    Of course, that door leads to the deeper parts of the club's underground. Or at least, that is what you have heard. You have no idea where it really takes, though, because you have never crossed that door. You have never even seen it unlocked, and neither you nor your friends really knows what is behind it.

    But that is changing today. In fact, it is changing right now.



    You are going deeper into the cult's underground than you have ever before.



    You watch as two of the Chosen who are escorting you take out a different key each, undoing the locks in a specific order that seems almost deliberate.

    You follow them, as you pass by larger and heavier doors, looking around you in wonder as you see a pair of doors that have two concentric circles carved upon them. You immediately understand what is behind those doors, remembering the wondrous tales that Caramel once told you, about the things that can be achieved through the more complex rituals.

    Although the Chosen that you are following pass by those doors with a casual indifference that is almost shocking.

    You go deeper and deeper through the tunnels, ignoring branches in the path that appear to lead to other unknown places, and passing by unfinished tunnels, their support columns built firmly in place but leading towards nothing but unexcavated soil. For now, at least.

    Until finally, you come upon a large double door that is at the very end of the last corridor. And even though the door is closed, you can somehow tell just how thick it is, framed with pieces of iron and with large handles that allows for it to be sealed from the outside with a heavy drop bar that lies nearby.

    Upon that door, you see engrave a simple symbol. Three concentric circles of different sizes, one inside the other like a trio of progressively smaller rings.

    And just by looking at that symbol, you immediately know what is behind that final door.



    "Flower Serenade," one of the Chosen say, your body tensing up just from the tone of his voice, "pay close attention to the instructions we are about to give you."



    They do not tell you much. But what little they tell you is enough for you to understand just how important your task is.

    When they are done talking, they open the doors to the ritual chamber, allowing you to step in.

    And you hear the muffled noise of the drop bar being placed upon the door, after they close it behind you. Sealing you within the ritual chamber.

    Alone.

    You try your best not to feel scared although you should. The cult needs you you are being an idiot again.

    And also, you… you have to prove them that you are able of doing this… that you are able to do something nothing you do will ever be enough.

    You have to prove that to yourself you will only make things worse.

    You always do.



    - - -



    The ritual chamber is large. Larger than the first chamber of the underground, even, to the point that the lit torches that are hanging from the corners can barely illuminate the whole place. And that, you can tell, is because of the circle itself, which dominates almost the entirety of the chamber's floor.

    It is horrifically large, so much that the edges of the outer circle almost touch the walls of the square chamber. In fact, you can clearly see that the chamber itself is spacious out of necessity, and you wonder how much work it took to carve out this room just to fit the circle.

    The configuration written into the circle, also, is maddeningly strange. You can grasp that there are three circles, one inside the other, but only because the style in each of them is vastly different. You see a few things that feel vaguely familiar in the middle circle, seeing the waving lines of the snakepath here, and perhaps the dream spirals there. But you don't see anything that you really recognize, let alone understand, anywhere.

    But none of that really matters right now. What matters is the instructions that the Chosen told you, before you entered the room.

    And true to his words, you see it. At the very center of the innermost circle, you see the materials that you were instructed to use.

    You hesitate for a moment, realizing that the next hoofstep you take will bring you into the outer circle itself, the one that sends a shiver down your spine whenever you look at its symbols, and that reminds you of the cold nights you spent trapped inside that place, watching the raindrops run down at your window-

    You shake your head, realizing you shouldn't really think about small things like that. You have to focus, you think to yourself, as you do your best to ignore how our heartrate is slowly beginning to grow faster.

    You take the step, bringing yourself into the circle. And then you take the next one, and the next, and the next, until you are within the centermost circle.

    And then you look at the materials that have been prepared beforehoof.

    At the very center of the circle lies a large urn. The thing is shaped like a barrel, being so tall that you think you would only be able to look into it if you stood on your hindlegs, and is made of some dark material that looks like clay or some strange kind of worked mud. Its surface riddled with symbols you don't understand.

    And around the urn, forming a small circle around it, there are… several other items.

    You swallow something dry as you look at them. The several objects are on the ground, surrounding the urn and forming a loose circle around it. You have been told that there would be "things" around the urn, but now that you see what they are you are thankful that you have been told you should ignore them.

    And that is because those objects... they are knives. Knives, and wooden bats, and nails, and harvesting scythes, and… and even a large, heavy thing that your father told you, long ago, is a special kind of instrument used to cut meat from livestock. The sort of thing that isn't really used by ponies, and that you once heard is more commonplace amongst species that consume meat, or who have domesticated animals that do so.

    You think that thing is called a cleaver.

    But regardless of what it is called you steer clear from it, the same way you keep your distance from all the other sharp, violent objects, as you make your way around the urn, looking for the one thing you have been told to look for.

    Until you find it, the one object you have been told you would be using. After a short while, you find the small metal censer you are supposed to light, next to a flintlock that is usually used to light lanterns.

    So, as you were instructed, you pick up the censer and open it with a hoof, doing your best to ignore the grim display that is around the urn.

    "I'm honestly glad that I'm only going to have to use you," you mumble to the censer, in an attempt to calm yourself down as you nervously light up the contents within the metal object. "I mean, of all the stuff that's here… well, you certainly are the least dangerous…"



    The small bundle of furs that is inside the censer lights up as you finish using the flintlock, emitting a dark-looking smoke.



    The smoke smells very strange. It has a heavy tang to it that sticks to the fur on your coat. It feels foul, for some reason. Polluted. Even though it doesn't exactly smells bad. And the smell itself reminds you of tar, or maybe of copper, or maybe of the sensation you had on your tongue when you had blood in your mouth.

    You don't like the smell you place the censer back where you picked it up from it smells like wrong once again closing the loose circle of objects around the urn you don't LIKE this smell and then you prepare yourself for the next step of your instructions.

    You turn to the urn, walking over the censer as you make your way towards it.

    Something is wrong with you.

    You begin to feel slightly dizzy, noticing that the censer is letting out a surprising amount of fume, especially given how small the bundle of furs inside of it was.

    Something… something is… you can't THINK straight-

    But still, you force yourself to put up with it, reaching the urn and standing up on your rear legs. Your next instruction was to open the urn, and that the following steps would be written inside of it.

    You-… you don't want this anymore… you HATE this…

    You feel your mind growing fainter, as if something inside of you… as if this muted, wind-like noise inside of your head was growing louder, taking up more and more of the space you have inside your thoughts and not allowing you to think straight.

    STOP being such an idiot. STOP ruining your life with your worthless decisions. STOP. IGNORING. ME.

    You push the lid of the urn, forcing your hoofs against the silver-covered edges, the thing being far heavier than you had anticipated. But eventually your strength wins over its weight, and the lid slides away from the urn and falls to the ground with a heavy thump.

    I FUCKING HATE YOU. I FUCKING HATE THIS. I FUCKING HATE ME. LET! ME! OUT!

    You can barely think straight, your mind struggling with YOURSELF the heavy smell of the smoke as you INSIST ON STAYING IN DENIAL raise your neck over the edge of the large urn too look inside of it.

    "…"

    And your mind goes completely blank at what you see.

    Because inside the urn, you can see-

    …

    There is nothing inside the urn. There is nothing in there, and the inside of the urn is empty.

    There is nopony inside the large, barrel-like urn. You didn't see anypony, tied and gagged inside the urn.

    And even if you did see somepony in there, you surely didn't recognize him.

    Your tears wouldn't let you take a good look at him, at the pegasus that is lying unconscious inside the urn.

    You have never met him.

    You don't know him.

    You just… don't.

    Yes you do.

    No. You. don't.

    Yes. You. Do.

    Y-you… you don't s-see anything. You d-don't even know him and… and…!

    And you just can't take it anymore. You feel something crack.

    You feel your thoughts, the thoughts you usually have, slip into somewhere else. As if the mute wind that was slowly growing inside your mind finally seized the last bit of rationality you had.

    And in turn, you feel… you feel something else     come out in its place, a mixture of deadly calm and boiling rage that you somehow understand has always been inside of you. A dirty thing that you have been trying so desperately to bury away underneath your happiness and your friends and your merry new life.

    Well, you aren't exactly sure of what just happened, the smell of the censer just isn't letting you think straight. But you do know that you don't feel like hiding that part of you. Not anymore.

    Because as you look down into the urn, you realize you have never felt so calm before.

    Because as you look down into the urn, you realize you have never felt so FURIOUS before.

    You think you have tears running down your face. But you don't care.

    You think you hear something breathing heavily, somewhere nearby. But you can't be sure if it is yourself, or the thing that is looking at you from inside the smoke.

    You can only really think about one thing. About doing one thing.

    With a heaving push, you tip the urn over, disgorging the tied-up stallion that is inside of it. And without thinking twice, you walk around the urn, making your way towards him.

    Making your way towards Autumn Cloud, the stallion who you once loved, then feared, and that you now hate.



    - - -



    You stand on top of him, one of your hoofs planted firmly against his chest. Your breathing is ragged, and you can feel the veins on your neck pulsing every time your heart beats.

    You don't know what you are feeling. You can't think over the fog inside your head to understand what this sensation is. This mixture of restlessness and… and pain, that is coursing through every muscle inside your body.

    Like an itch you want to scratch. A maddening, tormenting need to do something very specific.

    But the thing is, you don't know what that "something" is. You don't know what you want to do, what you need to do, in order to satiate this misery. In order to relieve yourself from the pain.

    Or rather, you didn't know what you wanted to do... until Autumn Cloud woke up.



    Now… you know exactly what you have to do.



    "Hello, sweetheart…" you say, your voice coming out of your throat in a rasp tone, "hello, hello, helloooo…"

    Maybe it was the impact that woke him, from when he fell out of the urn. Maybe it was the fumes of the censer, that is slowly filling the room like a heavy fog.

    You don't know, and you don't care. The only thing that really matters to you right now is that he is awake, and that he is looking at you.

    Tears are running down his face, as he slowly begins to realize what situations he is in. As he tries, and fails, to move, and realizes he is tied. And then tries, and fails, to say something, and realizes he is gagged.

    As he struggles helplessly against his bindings, fear becoming more and more apparent on his face as his eyes go wider and wider, darting all around him as he looks around the room, freezing for a few moments every time he looks at you.

    You realize you are smiling. That must be why he gets a little paler every time he glances at you.

    "Sweetheart, it has been so long…" you say, feeling that the stallion is beginning to tremble as you run your hoofs from his chest to the base of his chin.

    The sensation you have inside of you, that feeling of anticipation, and need, and desperation, grows even larger as you use your hoof to restrain his face, forcing him to look at you.

    "But I'm back now, Autumn dear… aren't you happy to see me?" you ask.

    And you almost feel him whimper as he tries to say something through his closed mouth. Something that sounds too close to begging, or to an apology, or to the panic-filled mixture of both.

    Because the question you just asked him was the same question that he asked you. Every. Single. Time. When he got back from work.

    A wave of revulsion runs through you as you remember that.

    "I SAID-"
    -and you bring down your hoof to the side of his face, the hard noise of the blow being accompanied by a muffled shout of pain-
    "-AREN'T YOU HAPPY TO SEE ME?!"

    The stallion nods, a jerky, terror-filled movement from his head that almost looks mechanic. With more noises coming out from his mouth as a bruise appears on his face.

    "Hah… hahahahaha…"

    And you laugh at that. The rage you have inside of you swelling up, from your head to your lungs, and from your lungs to the rest of your body, as you look down at the pitiful tied up thing underneath you.

    "AHAHAHAHAAHAH"

    You hit him on the face again. Once, twice, five times, as he squirms underneath you in a helpless attempt to break free. And with each blow, the scraping feeling you have inside of you gets satiated, just a tiny little bit. With each strike, you feel your mind grow just a bit number, and the thing inside your chest grow just a little heavier.

    And you feel good.

    Is this how he felt? To have you, locked up and defenseless, exactly where he wanted? To be able to do anything he felt like without the slightest fear of having you fight back?

    You stop hitting him when you realize he is bleeding.

    But not out of pity. No, quite far from that.

    You stop hitting him because this is not being enough. The sensation inside your chest has become too heavy for just this. Because the… this agonizing need you have inside of you, it is turning into something larger than what merely hitting him with your hoofs is capable of satisfying.

    No… you need to do more. You NEED to do MORE.



    And you are not nearly done paying back everything that the stallion did to you.



    "Do you have any idea how it was like?" you ask, as you get off from the stallion and circle around him.

    He continues to whimper, making the same sound again and again, which is probably him trying to say something.

    Not a minute ago, that sound made you feel a deep sense of satisfaction, as if you were scratching an itch. But now, hearing that… it only makes the rage inside of you boil hotter and hotter.

    "To be locked inside that place?" you continue talking without breaking stride, completely ignoring the stallion's growing panic. "To watch you come and go from the window thanks to your damned wings?"

    You kick the stallion on his side, hard. The chocking sound he lets out doesn't make you feel anything but anger, anger at how little it takes to hurt him. But still, the kick fulfils its purpose of turning him on his side.

    "To know that no matter how far I ran, you would always be able to catch up because you could fly?"

    You bite down at the ropes that run around his wings, making sure that you only free up one of them. You only need one of them for now, after all.

    "Well," you say, as you immediately stomp down on the wing as soon as you finish untying it, "why don't I show you how it feels to not be able to go anywhere you want?"

    Autumn Cloud's screams, even though they are muffled by the blood-soaked gag, becomes even louder as you bite down on his wing and begin to pull it towards you. Using the leverage of the hoof you have at the base of the bone, and every last ounce of strength you can muster, to bend it towards you.

    His scream turns into a piercing shriek when the bone finally snaps.

    And finally, the growing thing you have inside of you is satisfied once again. But you can already feel it growing once again, and you already know that this will soon not be enough, and the restless need will come to you again.

    You begin untying the pegasus' other wing, the restless numbness of your mind giving way to the thought of what you should do after you are done with that.

    Your eyes go over the gleaming objects that are displayed in a circle, around the urn, and new ideas come to your mind.

    The innermost circle begins to glow.

    The thing watching you from inside the smoke smiles.



    - - -



    You feel like you are scratching an itch. An ugly rash that you have somewhere inside of you.

    And every time you scratch it you feel good, but only for a moment. But because you are scratching it, the rash also becoming larger. Turning into a gash, then a wound, then something wider and larger and bone-deep that you wouldn't be able to satisfy even if you had two heads with mouths filled with canines.

    But you keep trying.

    Because you have to keep trying.

    Because the agony will only turn worse if you don't keep trying.

    You give it back to Autumn Cloud. You give back to him everything he ever did to you. One time. Then two times. Then ten times. Then a hundred times.

    You visit upon him everything he did to you, and then everything he wanted to do to you, and then things that haven't been done in this world ever since the Mansus was forgotten by ponies.



    You do all of that, and it still isn't enough.

    You do things he would never be capable of doing, and it still isn't enough.

    You perform monstrosities that even the Chosen would try to stop you from doing, if they were in this place with you, and it still isn't enough.



    You look down at the mangled form of the stallion, watching as he leaks tears and blood and other things from too many places in his body. The ropes that were binding him lay in ruins around him, cut into pieces when you realized you didn't need to waste time untying him if you were about to use a knife. The other objects that were around the urn, as well, are now all around you, some of them still sticking out of his body in the places you left them.

    You aren't even sure if the stallion is still breathing. But you don't care.

    You know the smoke that fills the room won't let him leave, even if he dies.

    However, you don't know what to do next. You have already done everything you could think of, you have even done things you could have never thought of. But still, all of that only made your own affliction grow.

    You feel it, inside of you, like a heavy and dense cloud of pain that is weighting you down, numbing your body from the tiredness you should be feeling, but not doing anything about the restless trembling that has taken over your whole body.

    You don't want this anymore.

    You hate this feeling.

    You hate Autumn Cloud, for being here and making you feel all of this.

    You hate yourself, for having done all of these things, slowly feeding the painful weight that is inside of you.

    You hate the disgusting thought you had, just now, where you wondered if this was how it felt like to be pregnant.

    You hate how you remember Autumn Cloud saying that he wanted to "start a family", and how you feel like you are carrying something inside of you that the two of you made together. This heavy mass of weight that you are carrying inside of you.

    You hate that the smoke won't let him die. Not until you do one last thing.

    But you start doing it regardless, because not doing anything would be even worse.



    Your movements are agony.



    Your forelegs feel like they are burning, as you pick up the bleeding and unmoving stallion.

    The fur on your coat feels like bristles spiking you, as you shove him into the tipped urn.

    Your body heaves with effort, muscles clenching up like a fit of cramps as you pull the urn back into an upward position.

    And you feel like you are climbing a mountain as you get up on your hindlegs, scaling to the edge of the open urn and looking down at the disfigured thing that is inside of it.

    You don't realize the whole circle is shining. You don't even spare a thought at how the smoke of the censer is swirling around you as you look down into the urn.

    You don't care anymore. You don't want to care anymore. You hate everything about this, about your life, about this miserable world that has caused you nothing but suffering.

    And that hate congeals and coagulates into the thing you are carrying inside of you, scratching your insides as it tries to flee, turning into clouds and smokes and words as they burst out of you.

    "I! HATE! YOU!!!" you yell into the urn, towards the stallion, and yourself, and the whole world around you.



    And the words come out of you in the form of a raging storm.



    It feels like you are throwing up. It feels like your organs are being pulled out. It feels like a hundred hooks are being dragged out of your body through your throat.

    But still, you let it all out. All your hate, and your rage, and your pain, and all the nightmares you had before, during, and after you met Autumn Cloud. You let out nightmares that aren't even yours, thoughts of anger and contempt that have been echoed in older places, and spoken by older beings, for longer than you can understand.

    And once you are done, the lid of the urn glows into life, hitting you and making you fall to the ground as it flies towards the open urn and slams it shut.

    Leaving you lying on the cold ground of the ritual chamber.

    …

    And it…

    And it takes you a few moments to realize…

    You feel as if you have just woken up. It takes you a long time to realize what just happened.

    You look at your hoofs, seeing how they are soaked in blood all the way to your knees.

    You look at your legs, realizing that there are bite marks all over it, the outline of your own teeth clearly visible on your own body.

    Your memories don't come back to you as if you were in a trance. Instead, what is happening is that you are simply thinking back to them with more clarity. But that just makes you realize that you were very much conscious as you did all of that. You realize that you wanted to do all of that.

    A sick feeling comes from the pit of your stomach as you… as you…

    As you realize…

    …

    You are a monster. You can see that clearly as you think back to your actions just now. You can see it clearly because…

    Because of what you just did.

    It doesn't matter what Autumn Cloud did to you in the past, or what he wanted to do to you. Because what you just did to him… it was worse. No matter how you look at it, it was far, far worse than any of that. Physically worse. Mentally worse. Metaphysically worse.

    It doesn't matter how many lines he crossed, or how wrong he was. Because you… you…

    You crossed a worse line. You crossed several worse lines.

    And now… now he is trapped in there. Alive. Alone with something that used your hate only as a conduit, to bring forth a hatred that is older and crueler than anything that ever existed in this world.

    You… you…

    You are not really sure for how long you cried, before the doors were unsealed, and a group of ponies you could barely recognize walked in.

    You barely recognize where you are, when they bring you back to Mr. Lockpick's home.

    You have no idea how you reached your bed, when you realize you are curled up on it, covered by sheets and hugging your pillow so tightly that it almost hurts.

    You don't…

    Your mind doesn't…

    You…

    The only things you can really think about properly are the images on your head, the memories that you keep repeating over and over again.

    And also… no matter what you do… no matter how hard you yell or how much you cover up your ears, you still feel like you hear this… this faint noise, coming from somewhere. And even though you try your best to ignore it, you can't help but notice how much that noise sounds like the muffled screams of a pony, coming from inside a sealed urn hidden deep underground.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    The first sign they had that the ritual would soon end was when the screams stopped. But still, that was not enough for them to unbar the door. Not by a long shot.

    The bone-deep sensation of danger they could still feel, coming from the other side of the door, showed them that the ritual was still in progress. That, or that the ritual had failed, and that the door would need to remain barred for the foreseeable future.

    However, after the noises completely died down, and they began to hear whimpers and sobs coming from the ritual chamber, they knew that it was well and truly over.

    It still did not prepare them for what they saw, after they went back in.



    "This… this was messed up…" said the Grail-one, as he covered the blood-soaked mare with a robe.

    He said that as he looked at her state, realizing how numb and unresponsive she was. He said that as he realized both that some of the blood that covered her was her own, and that most of it wasn't.



    "This was necessary," said the Forge-one, as he inspected the grounds of the ritual chamber itself.

    He said that as he looked at the instruments littered around the place, and how some of them had their edges dulled, while others were missing altogether.



    "Necessary? Are you insane? Can't you see what…. what just happened here? What we have done?"

    "Yes, I can see. And yes, I still think it was necessary. We have two weeks until the end of the month, and we still have to summon three more Windigos with a ritual nopony had ever attempted before. We will learn from this, and the next one will go smoother."

    "Next one? Next one?! Look at this, look at all of this for Equestria's sake! You can't be seriously considering to do another one, let alone three!"

    "You're the one who's not thinking straight here. What exactly do you propose we do then?"

    "Stop it, of course. Take this matter up. Find another solution! We did something wrong. Something wrong in principle, and definitely something wrong in the ritual itself. We have at least to reach to the Loremaster and ask if-"

    "And you think she doesn't know…? Just think for a moment. She didn't just gave us instructions, she gave us instructions and nothing else. This is a test for goodness sake! We were told what to do and left to our own devices exactly so she could see if we could do it! And if we go running back to her, or the Master, or anypony else like scared foals, then I can assure you we will have failed. And if we fail, we will never get another Hint, let alone a chance to get closer to the Glory."

    "…"

    "Is that what you want?! Knowing what's at stake, knowing how low we still are in the House, is that how you aim to achieve things? Knowing… knowing about the Worms, and the shapeshifters, and all the other things we only hear scrapes and whispers about, even though we are called the Chosen… do you really think we will attain more if we are not willing to do what must be done?"

    "I… but we… what… what do you think?"



    The Grail-one asked hesitantly, uncertainty clear in his eyes as he looked at another of their numbers.



    "This was… fascinating…" the Lantern-one said, as she looked at the sealed urn, passing a hoof over its dark surface, tracing the glyphs inscribed upon it.

    She said that as a glint of Lantern ran through her eyes. She said that as she envisioned the next painting she would bring to life, inspired by what she could see… by what she could feel.



    "See? Entry Scene agrees as well… now come, we must study what happened. What worked and what didn't work. What was required and what was not. We must iron the kinks out of this ritual, figure out what the Cadre may do to assist in it, and prepare for the next castings. We have a lot to do, and too little time."

    "I… We… You are right… I'll ask some mares upstairs to clean up Flower. She can't leave the underground drenched in... looking like this..."

    "We'd better not. Entry Scene, could you take care of that? It is best if not a single word of this leaves this place. Not to other ponies lower in the cult. This is Chosen business."

    "You are right… let's get this over with."



    And after that, they went to work.

    It took them a long while to completely clean the ritual chamber. And yet, while they worked, none of them noticed how the smokes that still covered the ceiling, even if only for a fraction of a moment, looked so much like the image of a smiling wolf.

    It took them even longer, several days in fact, to be ready for their second attempt.

    But still, they carried out their orders.

    Because they had to.

    Because they needed to.

    Because they wished to reach ever closer to Glory, as their betters already have.





    The Chosen have successfully summoned a total of four sealed Windigos. In their efforts, they have consumed three stacks of fur.

    "A Bundle of Fur" reagent has been removed from the cult's current possessions.

    Flower Serenade has received a level of Dread.

    "… there are several bridges between the act of causing an ending, and the final end that is brought.
    Several bridges that connects the Lores of Edge and Winter.
    Peace, Extinction, the Subversion of Edge into Winter.
    But for our purposes, the bridge of Agony is to be sought.
    Edge, Knock, Winter. Act, Agony, End. Those are the steps to be taken.
    To trap that agony in the circle of Knock, to bind it into our service.
    However, to bring about agony, malice is required.
    Malice is the intent to harm, and herein are the ways in which it may be properly called upon..."

    -Excerpts of the instructions, given to Hintseeker Foggy Glow in her dreams by the visage of the Loremaster.
     
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    • "Alright, lights out everypony," you say, a doting smile on your face as you look at the small crowd of foals safely tucked in within the confines of the pillow fort, the thing itself dominating most of Silky's room. "Now, I hope everypony sleeps well. You can all ask Silky or Selene if you need to know where anything is."

    "Goodnight Mrs. Velvet!" the answer comes in a chorus, so loud and excited that you can barely make out Silky's slightly different response of 'mommy' from the group.

    Of course, you know none of them are about to sleep. They are too excited, none of them look tired at all, and most importantly they all had way too much sugar just a few hours ago.

    You know it. They know it. And they know you know it. But still, you will make a point of very loudly closing your door as soon as you return to your room, and you told the servants who will be staying the night to only check on them if they hear something breaking. So, you know that for the foals the night is only beginning.

    But frankly, you wouldn't have it any other way. Let them enjoy themselves, you say. Selene needs it, the house could certainly use a bit more of excitement for the weekend, and…

    And this way, you have an excuse both to have them around where you know they will be safe, as well as an excuse to ask Soft Sweeps to stay the night for the next few days.

    Because you know it will happen soon… so very soon. And you have absolutely no idea how things will go out. So, if nothing else, you will at least make sure that the ponies you care for are close at hoof.

    Thank goodness Stormchaser is also home, having taken this last month off after you got hurt.

    "Sweet dreams everypony," you say, giving everypony a last glance (even if your eyes stayed on Selene, shivering as she was, for a bit longer) before you close the door.

    And then, you very loudly stomp your way to your room, closing the door to your bedroom a lot louder than you usually w-



    "PILLOW FIGHT!"



    Goodness gracious, Silky couldn't even wait that long? You let out a small chuckle.

    Well, let them have their fun.

    "Put them to bed, dear?" you hear your husband ask, and as you turn to face him you see him already lying on bed, calmly reading from a book with the light of the lantern from his bedstand.

    "Theoretically, yes," you say, watching him smile as he puts the book down, turning to look at you as well.

    "You think they'll cause too much trouble?" he asks-

    -just in time for the two of you wince, as you hear a loud… dry noise, that very much sounded like a foal crashing against the ground.

    You will wrestle your worry to the ground, doing your best to suppress the need to run back there and make sure none of them are hurt.

    "Well… we taught the fillies not to play with matches, so I think the house will at least be standing when we wake up tomorrow," you say, trying your best to smile through the muffled yelps the two of you can hear in the distance.

    "I think that's the best we can ask for," he says, tapping the bed next to him shortly after, "now come on over, Mrs. Velvet. The bed feels awfully cold without you," he says, a suggestive smile appearing on his face.

    "Oh?" you say, knowing exactly what he means with the expression he is wearing. "Whatever you mean by that, Mr. Stormchaser?"

    You say that, with clearly feinted innocence, but you still walk towards the bed. Towards his side of the bed, mind you, not walking around it to get up on your side as you usually do.

    "Why, nothing at all darling. It's just that the foals are going to be so loud tonight, I'm not sure we will be able to sleep anytime soon… or that anypony will be able to hear anything over the noise they are making, mind you."

    You let out a soft chuckle at that. Your first, second and third reaction being to just tell him to behave.

    That is, until he made that excellent point of argument just now. After all, the foals will be awful loud tonight just like he said, and even though there are so many of them just on the other end of the corridor…

    "Now that you mention it, it does sound awfully unfair that they are the only ones who get to… have fun themselves tonight."

    You float the locket away from your neck, sending it to your bedstand without a second thought. But even that is enough for a sweet aroma to fill your room, the smell of petals flowing through the air as if a sweet breeze had just come from somewhere nearby.

    Stormchaser's smile grows wider as you place a hoof on his side of the bed, and with a soft push of your good hindleg you make a short jump to climb it-



    -BUT BEFORE YOU REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED, STORMCHASER IS GONE.
    YOUR HUSBAND IS GONE. YOUR BED IS GONE. YOUR ROOM IS GONE.
    AND INSTEAD OF FALLING AT THE SOFT EMBRACE OF YOUR BED, YOU ARE NOW FALLING INTO A SEA OF ROOTS AND BRANCHES, BLACK LEAVES CUTTING AGAINST YOUR COAT AS YOU FALL INTO THE WOODS.​



    - - -



    Conscience comes back to you in a starting fit, and you flail your legs wildly as you realize you can't breathe or see anything.

    A few panicked seconds later you can finally tell which way is up, and you realize that the thing that is pressing against your face is in fact the ground. You get on your hoofs moments later, coughing and shaking your head as you try to understand what in the Tartarus just happened, and where you are.

    But the answer comes to you almost instantly. As you realize you are coughing out black dirt. As you feel the faint touch of that oh so distant light against your fur, shining down from the very top of the world. As the impenetrable smell of the first forest of the world reaches your nostrils.

    You look around, more out of habit than a real need to get your bearings. Because you already know where you are, and you already know that "getting your bearings" here is not really something that can, or should, be done.

    Because you are in the Woods.

    Or rather, you have been brought into the Woods. You have been summoned, and by a very powerful summons indeed.

    And what is more…



    The Woods. It is agitated.



    "Goodness gracious," you mumble to yourself, your ears perking up as you realize the things you are hearing aren't just the sounds of the wind or of the tree branches scraping against each other.

    No. You are hearing screams. Screams, and shouts, and unnatural noises that sound too much like the clicking of claws and the howling of beasts mixed into one. The resulting cacophony almost, but not quite, drowning out the constant sound of the howling winds, as it shakes the trees and blows away loose leaves.

    You hear yells. Pony yells. Your body tensing up as you realize those are the sounds of ponies who are panicking.

    The yells, you can tell, are almost always being followed by the sound of something… of something else. Something that sounds like a beast with too many legs giving chase, insect claws scraping against the ground as they stampede after a fleeing pony.

    Your thoughts begin to race as you try to understand what is happening. As you try to understand why this is happening.

    "Talk about a rude awakening. I'm not sure I've ever seen this place so riled up before. Oh, hello there Velvet dear, do you think you will be called as well?"

    Until you hear a familiar voice, coming from somewhere behind you. Saying something that finally makes everything click inside your head.

    "Baldomare?" you say as you turn to face her.

    And as you do that, you feel a slight sense of vertigo.

    Baldomare is standing in front of you. However, she is standing at the very bottom of the dark-blue Mansus-stone stairways, the same stairways that would lead a pony towards the Blank Door.

    You are absolutely sure the stairs were not there before, but you can see that Baldomare is standing there, avoiding the branches of nearby trees just like they avoid her, as if she is making a point of not wanting to step hoof on the black soil of the Woods.

    Which in turn makes you wonder what exactly just happened. You wonder if it was you, or the stairs, that was moved to this place.

    Or maybe, you think, it was the Woods that moved you both.

    "Of course it's me, dear," she says, bringing her hind down and sitting on one of the steps of the stairs as she talks to you. "Well, it is me as much as it's me who is also in the Wake," she mentions idly.

    And you realize that Baldomare is… well she looks as real as you remember her. But that's the thing, she looks as real as you remember her in the Wake, during all the weeks you have seen her.

    But you have a faint feeling that she is not nearly as… as what, as radiant? As shining? Well, she is not nearly as herself as you think she was in the Blank Plains.

    As if the Baldomare sitting on the stairs before you is merely a reflection of her, or… or a mirage.

    "Or a courtesy," she says, nodding to you as if she could read your thoughts. "After all, you were brought here to talk about me, so there's no reason for me not to be present."

    She says that, and you can't help but tilt your head slightly.

    "Wait, what do you mean talk about you?"

    But instead of answering, Baldomare begins to make a slightly annoyed face, as if she was looking at something particularly annoying.

    And you realize that she is not looking at you, but instead slightly over your shoulder.

    You almost, almost, turn around to face what she is looking at. But you immediately hold yourself.

    After all, you know that there will be nothing there if you turned to look.

    And yet… you suddenly feel as if you are being watched by something with many eyes… all of them looking down at you, from way, way up high.

    The howling of the wind, and the sound of distant screams, becomes even louder. To the point that you can't even hear Baldomare sigh, for all that you can clearly see her doing that.



    "Little little Velvet…"



    The voice that you hear, a whisper cutting through the cacophony of the woods, is one that you don't recognize. It is not a pony voice, for all that you might know exactly who is speaking.

    You are not entirely sure how to react, but the voice continues before you even have the chance. A mixture of anticipation and eagerness covering its words like a sickly sweet honey.



    "The time has come, as I promised… but I require something more of you…"



    You purse your lips at that, your thoughts racing as you understand exactly what your Master means.

    She did this. She did all of this. She brought you here, you have no idea how, so it wouldn't surprise you in the slightest if she had also brought every last member of the cult that she wished.

    Which means the probably already knows about all of your preparations. And that she is choosing what she wants. That she is choosing who she wants.



    "But not your body, no… that is too frail, too wounded... Still too hurt from the thing that has stained your soul… Worry not, little Velvet, I do not call for your presence…"



    You can practically feel as the all-too-many eyes shift away from you, snaking their sight through the root-covered dirt until it reaches the stairs to the House.

    Baldomare's expression becomes disgusted as your Master's attention focuses on her.



    "The Name, Velvet… give me the Name… her blinding light is required for the shadowy places I shall take our followers… Give me the reins of her bindings, even if temporarily, and you will be rewarded…"



    [The Master has NOT called for you to join the assault on the Changeling Hive. But wishes for you to pass on Baldomare's bindings to her, so she may take her to the expedition as her own minion.]

    You...

    [] Obey. (Baldomare's contract will be passed on to the Master for the duration of the expedition. You will be rewarded.)

    [] Object. (You will NOT give the Master Baldomare's contracat, but will order her to go to the expedition as your agent.)

    [] Demand. (You will NOT give the Master Baldomare's contract, but will instead demand to be taken to the expedition together with her, and whoever else the Master is calling upon.)

    [] Refuse. (You will deny your Master. WRITE IN whatever you will tell your Master instead, seeing how this is clear disobedience.)


    Regarding the "passage of contract".
    -If you decide to "Obey", Baldomare's contract will be passed to the Master, and WILL be returned to you as soon as she returns from the expedition. So, unless Baldomare dies or is banished, this will not interfere with your ability to control her come next turn.
    -Ordering Baldomare to "go to the expedition, and obey the Master as if she was you" is just empty talk. Baldomare will either go as your minion, or as the Master's minion. The certainty of an eldritch contract of binding is the crucial difference between those two things. (That is the difference between "Obey" and "Object").
    -Baldomare has not expressed her opinion in any of this... with words, that is.

    Why is this relevant?
    -A pony's contract to a summoned minion is what makes the creature into a "minion". The summoned creature is required (and in many cases forced) to obey the summoner because of those bindings.
    -Baldomare has told you that Names such as herself (and other sapient or higher-intelligence summons) are something of an exception. But the fact remains that her summoned body is still contracted to you, or to whoever else holds the binding.
    -In practical terms, passing the bindings to the Master will mean that (theoretically) the Master will be able to:
    --Order Baldomare to do anything she desires (you do not know how a creature with the Master's powers would empower the binding contract).
    --Banish Baldomare.
    --Be sure that Baldomare will not act against her will during the expedition.
    --Order Baldomare not to tell you what happened during the expedition, once she returns to you (you do not have the knowledge to know if that is possible, would work, or could be circumvented by Baldomare herself. But this is a point of worry Velvet can think of).

    Other points of note.
    -You are currently at ONE health point. (Your healing will only occur at the beginning of the next turn).
    -You have written your father a letter promising not to leave Ponyville.
    -You do not know how long the expedition will last. (This is also valid in the sense that you do not know how long the OTHER ponies called will be away)
    -You have no idea about what other assets or ponies the Master has called upon.

    Beware of consequences.

    Four hours moratorium, further forty-four hours of voting, total forty-eight hours of voting period.
     
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    • The wind howls.

    The night deepens.

    In the sky, the cold moon seems to come to a stop.


    Ponyville is beset by a nightmare.


    They all wake up. They are all dragged by their hindlegs, screaming and kicking, back into the Wake. Being pulled by claws and roots and whispers and a will that is older and larger than any of them.

    Every last pony who ever set hoof on the Woods is summoned.

    They all hear, and they all obey.

    Some of them, most of them, merely cower deeper into their beds, knowing that come next morning they will wake up to a town in which something terrible has happened. Although they dare not go back to sleep, carrying the very real fear that they might be hunted, instead of merely pursued, should they go back to their dreams.

    Others, however, leave their homes in the dead of the night. Some of them inspired by ambition, others by duty, and many by fear. But their motives matter not to the one pulling the strings.

    No. To the puppeteer, it only matters that they fulfill their purpose, by means of the lessons they have been taught.



    [The Changeling Purge]



    [Marking the targets, cd incremental 20]

    [Roll = 60 + 9 (Cult Influence) + 10 (Lantern 2) + 35 (The List) + 10 (A small, quiet town) = 124]



    A small, curious crowd slowly forms in the streets, carrying with them all sorts of curious objects. Some of them carry mirrors, others hold candles in their mouths, or diaries, or the glasses they usually wear on their faces. One of them even carries nothing but a dripping bottle, stumbling through the streets and following the shining mirages that she alone can see.

    But still, a crowd slowly forms, as the ponies unerringly gather as if they are following a bright beacon.

    At the center of the crowd stands a mare. In her hoofs, she holds a list.

    The gathering ponies read from the list. And as silently as the crowd gathered, it disperses back into the night, the instrument-bearing ponies heading to the places on the list, in search of the names written on it.

    By the end of the night, all the names would have been crossed out of the list, and a few more would have been added before also being crossed.

    And for all that the deep shadows of the night cover Ponyville, for some unknowable reason the streets seem strangely bright, as if a harsh light is somehow piercing the darkness.



    [The sound of a dropping pin, cd 20/50/100]

    [Roll = 62 + 9 (Cult Influence) + 5 (Moth 1) + 10 (Knock 2) – 10 (A small, quiet town) = 76]



    Following the dispersing crowd comes a second group.

    Some following through rooftops, and cloudtops, and the small alleys that form between the larger houses. Others follow through the middle of the streets, in plain sight for anypony who bothers to look out through their windows, bathing in the pale moonlight. Regardless of which, none of those ponies really seem to have just woken up. Who knows, it might be that they all heard the summons through other, more peculiar dreams.

    But still, they reach the marked houses, each of them convening with the keen-sighted ones for particular details that seem to be of little importance. The thickness of the walls, the age of the trees that were cut to make the doors, how loudly the target can hear the outside winds while they were dreaming. Strange questions, all of which are answered with honest seriousness regardless of their oddity.

    And with those answers in hoof, they set about their work.

    Their task is to prepare, to open, to make way. And that is exactly what they do. As quietly as possible, or as simply as possible when silence is not an option, paths are opened. Locks are undone, loose rooftops are pried open, ponies slither into houses like thieves to whisper deeper dreams to those family members who are not meant to wake up…

    And in one particularly unfortunate instance, a brick smashes into a window.

    None of them are seen, thankfully, but their work is far from perfect. Trails are left.

    And for all that the town does not wake up in panic, it does not rest easily either. Some wake up. Some realize something is wrong. And come morning, some will have quite a few stories to tell, about the frightening sounds they heard in the dead of night.



    [The application of force]

    [Roll = Irrelevant]



    Four strong pegasi are summoned, by a monster wearing the skin of a pony.

    One presents himself out of duty.

    One presents himself out of fear.

    One presents himself out of an owed debt.

    And one flees into the night, and his name is added to the list.

    But their task is not to kill, or maim, or help, or even to keep watch in the odd case a target escapes. For there is no need for help, and no risk of escape.

    No. Their task is simply to clean up. To grab the unbleeding bodies, their necks neatly snapped, and carry them out of town and into the Everfree Forest, to be dropped in a place where they will never be found.

    The three of them work exhaustively throughout the night.

    And still, the bodies pile up more quickly than they can dispose of them.

    Most of the bodies they are commanded to carry are those of monsters. Their shapes returned to its horrific normalcy as soon as their lives leave them. Some of them take a little longer to detransform, maybe because out of cruelty or experimentation their lives manage to last a little longer even though their bodies have been ruined.

    Some of the bodies do not revert back into normal, not even as their pony corpses are dropped into the hungry maws of the Everfree Forest.

    The three sorely hope that those names had been on the list, that they had been monsters who clung on to life for just a little longer… and not that they had just disposed of collateral damage.

    The monster, whose grim trail they had followed, leaves without a word as soon as its task is done.

    And the three are thankful for that. They are thankful, and they try their best to ignore how the beast flew away in the direction that the fourth among their number had escaped to.

    Because they would hear, in the following morning, that all the names had been struck from the list.



    [The solace of dawn, cd 20/50/100]

    [Roll = 17 + 9 (Cult Influence) + 10 (Grail 2) = 36]

    Come next morning, the town does not wake up in panic.

    Not in immediate panic, at least.

    But like a fire, panic slowly grows and spreads regardless. A grim story slowly being pieced together by word of mouth, punctuated by the panicked cries of ponies looking for their friends, and foals looking for their parents.

    Ponyville wakes up, only to find that the nightmare has not yet ended.

    It has only begun.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    [X] Obey. (Baldomare's contract will be passed on to the Master for the duration of the expedition. You will be rewarded.)

    [You have transferred your contract with Baldomare to the Master. Provided that she survives the expedition, it will be returned to you as soon as the expedition ends.]

    [You have received a reward from your Master: A Memory of the Woods, "It is shaped like a grey fruit, but not one you have ever seen. It exists only in dreams, even though you see it hanging from a tree in your garden every time you look out through the window. You wonder how it tastes like, even though part of you already knows" (MOTH Book, Level 5, does not require an action to be read, does not produce a Manifest for the cult, will give you a special dream if eaten).]



    You wake up to an empty bed, drooling on your pillow.

    Your body is heavy, and you feel as if your mind just woke up to a body that is refusing to let go of its sleeping state.

    But that is not to say you can think clearly. Not by a long shot. You look around in confusion for a moment, first realizing your husband is indeed not sleeping next to you, then realizing the door to your room is locked, and then…

    Muffled voices come from a distance, from somewhere below you. Loud voices. Thin… young voices?

    Your nose, or whatever ethereal snout you have covering it, picks up right after that. Right, the fillies. You can smell the small crowd of ponies gathered around the dining table and… and you think three of them are tackling Soft Sweeps? You are not sure what exactly is happening, but you can sense three foals attacking the poor mare.

    Your husband is also present there, and you are not sure if he is trying to control the situation or if he simply gave up at some point…

    He also probably locked your door so you wouldn't share the same fate, you suppose.

    You'd better get downstairs.



    - - -



    "HI MOM!"

    ""Good morning Mrs. Velvet!""

    The chorus of slightly different greetings, with glaringly different intensities, comes to you as soon as you reach the dining hall. The place is a mess (for your standards, of course, it's not really that bad), but you can't help but think it's a merry mess.

    The cook really gave it his all, you can see, and you think you see enough breakfast to feed twice as many foals as there are currently on the table. And every last foodstuff is either shaped like a pony, has a smiling face drawn with Chantilly, or is especially presentable in some other variance that you could never have thought of.

    "Good morning everypony," you say with a smile, your voice still slightly sleepy, as you light up your horn and float your daughter and her pink friend from the distraught Soft Sweeps they had pinned on the ground.

    You were going to ask if they had behaved during the night, but looking at how dizzy Soft looks you don't really think you will get the answer you want. So, instead, you just walk over to your husband and plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

    "Did I miss anything, dear?" you ask, floating one of the pancakes towards a plate that… well, that isn't currently being used.

    And to your question, Stormchaser gives you a look that seems equal part unamused and teasing.

    "Technically yes," he says, and your 'not in front of the fillies!' stare is deflected by a wry smile of his.

    Neither of you realize Soft Sweeps is looking at you with a… with an expression.

    "But if you are talking about our guests, not really dear," he says, waving a hoof at the dining hall and then at the house itself, "house's still standing and all."

    You nod, beginning to munch on your pancake as you look down at the six foals, picking up on the conversation they are having about what they should do today. Something about exploring the farmlands, or going to see the river that runs through the property.

    Well, your daughters know where they aren't supposed to go, and you are sure Soft Sweeps will keep an eye on them. So you don't really pay much attention to that.

    But still, as you think about all that, you can't help but think you are forgetting about something… something important, which was supposed to happen… tonight?

    You can vaguely remember a dream you had, but for some reason the details are a bit foggy… the last thing you can really remember is just falling asleep on top of your husband as you were climbing the bed.

    You slow down your pancake-eating progress, your sleepy face turning into one of drowsy concentration as you try to wake up more parts of your brain. You are sure that you are missing something, but you can't remember what it is, and-
    -and why is there an unknown pony running into your garden?!

    You sit up in a starting fit, shaking the table as you do. Although only your husband and Soft Sweeps seem to notice, both of them turning towards you slightly alarmed.

    You shake your head, your suddenly-alert mind looking for an excuse even as you track the intruding stranger's progress through your estate, the figure clearly making its way towards your front door.

    "I forgot my necklace," you say as you make your way out of the room, your excuse working on Soft Sweeps, but not so much on your husband who tilts his head in confusion.

    But you don't really have time to worry about that. And before anypony can say anything you are already out of the dining hall, closing the door behind you to slightly muffle the loud conversation the fillies are having.

    You practically trot through the entrance hall, not worrying about the few curious glances you draw from the nearby servants. Your senses entirely focused on the presence that is all but galloping through the garden, making a beeline to the front door you are heading towards.



    The presence passes through a few servants as it runs. You think you can even hear a few questions and alarmed words being thrown after it, coming from the nearby window.

    But none of the servants outside feel threatened? Alarmed, for sure, but you can't tell that any of them feel like they are in danger.

    The presence, also, is definitely running with urgency. But more as if it was prey running from danger, instead of a predator running towards it.



    Not a threat?



    Your previously tense expression turns into one that is merely vigilant as you reach the entrance hall. And not a moment later the intruder reaches the other side of it, a desperate and loud knocking coming to the door right after.

    "Hello? Is anypony in there?! I need to speak with somepony!"

    A few servants gather around you as the unknown voice of a mare reaches you. Under normal circumstances one of them would answer the door, and call for Ponpon if they thought the situation merited your attention. But, most unusually, you are literally standing right by the front door, so they aren't exactly sure of what to do except wait for you to do something.

    Which you don't mind at all, of course. Part of you feels that the mare on the other side of the door is not a threat, but having servants close at hoof can't hurt seeing how desperate that pony is acting.

    The yelling, and the banging at the door, die out as soon as you open the door with your magic.


    "Oh, thank goodness! Listen ma'am, I need to speak with mah, sister. I need to take 'er home and it's urgent! Is she in there? Can I come in?!"


    The mare all but overwhelms you with how quickly she speaks. In fact, she is not even looking at you as she says her words, and you can clearly tell that she is actually looking over you, peeking into your house with an expression that is close to panic. To be honest, for a moment you almost think she is just going to shove you aside and gallop into your home.

    But she doesn't. You can tell from the gardeners that are gathering behind her, their expressions a mixture of alertness and shock, that she had no problems running past them, but she seems to be holding herself by sheer force of will to not do that to you.

    "Hold on, calm down miss," you try to say, raising a placating hoof as the mare literally trots in place, "you said you are one of the fillies is your sister? I'm-"

    "Calm down?! Miss, this ain't the time to be calm! APPLE BLOOM, ARE YOU IN THERE?!" the mare cuts through you, stopping her trot for a moment only to bring a hoof to her mouth as she yells into your house.

    Your ears ring painfully for a few moments at how surprisingly loud the yell is.

    Alright, that does it.



    [Lassoing the prize pony, breakpoints 30/60/90]

    [Roll = 24 + 14 (Diplomacy) + 15 (Grail) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (An Awareness of Appetite) = 68]


    "Just calm down for a moment... and I'm sure we can sort this out," you say, still managing to sound both firm and placating even over the slightly painful ringing in your ears.

    You see the mare take in another breath, and for a dreadful moment you think she will just call for her sister again.

    But something sweet manages to slip into that breath and, together with your words and tone, she calmly exhales a few moments later.

    Well, saying that she did it calmly might be stretching it. But you can see that the mare is a holding herself a lot better than before. Her eyes are still looking over you and into her home, almost in a mixture of pleading an panic, but at least the trotting-in-place has stopped.

    And seeing how the mare is calming down, you decide to go in that direction even further.

    "Now, please, why don't you come in? You said you were Apple Bloom's sister, right? I am Velvet Covers, my daughter was the one who invited your sister over."

    You normally wouldn't let an unknown pony in easily like this. Especially one who claims to be a relative to one of your daughter's friends, while said foal is within the safety of your house. However, being a pony also has its perks, and a quick glance at the orange mare's cutie mark as she steps in through the door tells you that she at least has something to do with apples. You try to rack your brain to see if you remember her, from the Sisterhooves Social event you went with your family, or in any other circumstance you had been at the Apple Clan's farm, but nothing really comes to mind. You can only remember how her matriarch, and her oldest grandson, looked like.

    But still...

    "Ah'm sorry, ma'am... Lady Velvet, is it?" the mare says, taking off her hat and putting it against her chest, the way she looks flustered telling you that she noticed how hard you winced just now. "My name is Applejack, and yes, Apple Bloom is my sister."

    Still... something tells you that you can trust the mare. You are not sure what, but she looks awfully dependable.

    "And ah'm sorry if this is sudden, but I really need to take 'er back home right now," she says, her voice firm.

    Well. You are sure Apple Bloom herself will give you all the confirmation you need if this is indeed her sister. Because for all that you can see the mare is honest, your motherly instincts simply won't let you just take her word for it.

    However, that doesn't mean you can't at least talk to the mare.

    "Well, we were ready to have the fillies over for the whole weekend. But of course, I'll have her brought here right away. Still... did something happen?

    The mare opens her mouth to answer almost immediately, surprise clear in her face as she looks at you as if you had two heads. However, she closes her mouth before she says anything, her surprise turning into confusion, and slowly into understanding as she thinks about something.

    "Hang on... you do live a ways from town and... wait, so you haven't heard about it?!"

    You tilt your head slightly at the mare's reaction, your eyes narrowing as you… as that annoying thought, that you are somehow forgetting about something important, comes back to you now of all times.

    "No, why?" you ask, honestly curious, "is anything the matter?"



    "Oh, hey Applejack. What're you doing here?"



    But a voice, one that you recognize as being from one of your daughter's friends, interrupts the two of you. Bringing up an immediate reaction out of the orange mare.

    "Oh, goondess gracious Apple Bloom, ah'm so glad yer' alright. Go get your things girl, we have to go home right now," the mare says that, her voice a mixture of urgenct and honest relief.

    Although Apple Bloom's only reaction to her words is to stand there, looking at her sister with a confused expression.

    Moments later the other fillies, your daughters included, file out of the dining hall to see what is going on. And with Applejack's panic now under control, she seems to realize what sort of crowd she has around her.

    But still, you can see that she has not forgotten your previous question, and that she has something very dire to say. So, she turns to you and quickly whispers something, before turning back to her sister.

    "Listen ma'am, I don't know what happened. Nopony knows. But the whole of Ponyville is turned upside down because… there were kidnappings," her voice grows even lower, as if she couldn't believe what she was saying, or didn't even want to say those words. "Breaking-ins, robberies, whole families disappeared, just like that."

    Your eyes go wide as the mare says that. But before you can say anything she is already going towards her sister, talking over the filly's protest as she insists that Apple Bloom packs her things and gets ready to leave.

    And at that moment, your remember the dream you had this last night, realization dawning upon you like a bucket of cold water.



    - - -



    Things are looking bad.

    As soon as that orange mare, Applejack you think was her name, said that, everything clicked inside your head.

    The first thing you did was call your husband and Ponpon, to tell the head maid to gather all the servants and control any situation before it appeared. You gave her orders to let the servants go home, offer them a place to stay in the servant's quarter, or to do anything else she would need in order to avoid a panic.

    After that, you grabbed all the fillies, your daughters included since you wouldn't let them out of your sight in the near future, and took them back to Ponyville. Foals were returned to their panicked parents, even if you had to cheat to find Silver Spoon's parents, given how they had left home and were on their way to yours. And soon enough your group was reduced to yourself, your husband, and your own fillies (and Scootaloo, since the orange filly said her parents were out of town).



    And the five of you find yourselves in a Ponyville that is in the middle of an uproar.



    Everywhere you look you see either three or more ponies having a very tense conversation, or a pony that is outright galloping in one direction or another. Yelling for a name, or asking if somepony saw a member of their family, or trying to find a close friend. Definitely, you can immediately tell, the result of this being a place where everypony knows each other even if indirectly. You already know what happened, but you had no idea that Ponyville being a small town would make the impact this much worse.

    And of course, it doesn't take long for you to hear from word of mouth, as you walk around town… well, to be honest, you hear way too many things.


    "It was dozens, maybe hundreds of ponies! All of them gone!"
    "I heard there was a trail of blood in one of the houses…"
    "Why in Equestria isn't the Guard doing anything?"
    "They caught one, right? I heard they did!"
    "The Mayor, I need to speak with the Mayor, it's urgent! Where is she?!"


    You hear way too many things, see way too many panicked ponies, and you can tell that the entirety of Ponyville is teetering on the verge of a full-out chaos. Nopony is doing anything stupid... at least not yet. Nothing is on fire, nopony is acting aggressively, but you can still tell things are bad.

    And you realize this is definitely not a place you want your daughters to stay any longer than absolutely necessary.

    "Stormchaser, take them home," you say, and you see your husband hesitating for only a second, giving you a meaningful glance of worry, before he takes the of with the three fillies.

    You understood what he meant with that stare. He trusts you to not to do anything stupid or dangerous, while also understanding that him taking the fillies away is simply the greater priority. And in return, you could tell that he also understood that you will stay behind only to do what is absolutely necessary, such as figuring out what the hay is happening, before returning home safely.

    And you set out to do just that, making your way to the Wildhoof Club as quickly and furtively as possible.

    Because after you remembered what happened in your dreams, you also immediately understood what has caused this whole mess. So, you go looking for Windy Flakes as quickly as possible.

    But as soon as you find him, before you even get the chance to ask him anything, he immediately turns to you with an expression that is by far the most tense you have ever seen him wearing.

    "Velvet, the detective arrested Starry Dancer."

    With those words alone, you realize how bad things are.



    [You have quickly convened with Windy Flakes, and have learned the following.]

    -The Changeling Purge happened this last night. Apparently, almost everypony in the cult was "visited" by the Master. Windy himself woke from his own sleep with orders to go to the club and coordinate the departure of the expedition from there. He stayed there to distribute the supplies that had been prepared beforehoof, and to help them with any of their needs before they left.

    -From what he knows, Comet Feet, all the ponies you cast an extra Influence on (one Forge Influence and one Winter Influence), as well as the four Windigos and their summoners, were called. They departed with a few carts of supplies in the beginning of the night, with Comet flying after them as soon as he was done with the Changeling Purge.

    -The town's panic comes from the Changeling Purge itself. From what he knows, no changelings really escaped, although there could be more in hiding. But some of the breaking-ins left more traces than just the disappearing ponies. And come this morning, the cultists who were instructed to try to keep the town from panicking, by playing the calm voices in the crowds, were not nearly as effective as it was hoped.

    -Nopony knows when, or why. But the guards that Windy has on a payroll managed to tell him that the detective from the Capital arrested Starry Dancer first thing in the morning. He is not sure if that means there are traitors (pony traitors, that is) in the cult, or if something worse happened. She was not involved in the Changeling Purge as far as he saw, but she might have received orders from the Master to act during the night that he simply did not have any contact with.

    -You have absolutely no idea when the Master and the other ponies who set out will return. The two of you, you understand, remain in charge of the cult.



    Knowing that, you decide to…



    Regarding Starry Dancer:

    [You must pick ONE. These actions will be performed by cult members under Windy's instructions and will not fail.]

    [] Starry might talk. Knowing that a member of the Inner Circle was arrested so easily might make a panicked cultist talk. Tartarus, the detective might even decide to ship her to Canterlot. Better to break her out. (Break Starry Dancer out the usual way, with hooded ponies and muscle. Will calm down the cult. Will tip off Dull Glass that something large is going on. Starry Dancer will be hidden away somewhere safe.)

    [] Knock, Moth, and the bits to make your friends in the Guard look away. Break her out, without leaving a trace. (Break Starry Dancer out without leaving a trace. Will calm down the cult. Will not leave solid evidence for Dull Glass to examine. Starry Dancer will be hidden away somewhere safe.]

    [] Leave her.



    Regarding the uproar that is going on around town, and the efforts that Dull Glass is no doubt making during the panic:

    [Pick TWO. These actions will be performed by yourself, personally]

    [] Tail detective Dull Glass. He is doing something, and knowing where his eyes were during these crucial first hours will be of the utmost importance. (Discover some of the things Dull Glass will do, on the aftermath of the Changeling Purge, without his knowledge).

    [] Approach Dull Glass. He followed protocol by introducing himself to you, as Ponyville's highest ranking noble, when he came to town. So now, in the wake of a disaster, you will offer your time and influence to aid him, your beloved town, and by extension the Crown in these trying times. (Become closer to Dull Glass, with all that will entail. You have no idea what his reaction might be, and you have no idea of what he already knows or suspects).

    [] Clear the trails. Call what few ponies know about Moth and discreetly go to the "crime scenes". You can't unmake a disappearance, but you can downplay the traces that were left behind and clean up before anypony has the chance to properly investigate them. (Decrease the amount of evidence left by the cult).

    [] Starry Dancer was hired by the Mayor after being personally vouched by you. Go talk to the Mayor, and convincingly express your surprise and shock, before this seed has any chance to sprout. (Cut off any suspicions there might be connecting you and Starry Dancer from Mayor Mare's point of view).

    [] Mayor Mare will address Ponyville in a rushed meeting in the Town Hall. Be there. Your presence as Ponyville's only noble will certainly help her show that things are under some level of control. (Help calm down the town at large. Place yourself as more approachable figure of authority in these trying times).

    [] Plenty of ponies will not be able to go to the Town Hall meeting. Plenty of ponies are not in any state to do anything, right now. Plenty of ponies don't even know exactly what just happened. Go around Ponyville, make sure you are seen, and more importantly make sure your story is the one that spreads the quickest by word of mouth. (Help calm down the town at large. Reduce overall suspicion of "what happened" in a way that benefits the cult).

    [] Rein the cult in. The cult is part of the town, and the town is part of the cult. Panic, especially amongst the lower levels, is spreading as quickly through the cult as it is through Ponyville. Join Windy Flakes in making sure nopony does, or says, anything stupid. (Calm the cult down, and lower the chance of suspicion being drawn to the Wildhoof Club, both the cult and the club).

    [] Run late. (Picking this option allows you to pick an EXTRA option from those above. Will worry your family, as you will return home far later than it is sensible).





    You are now acquaintances with Applejack.

    Your contact with Windy Flakes has revealed to you that he is now a Branded.

    Your Flourishing Risen is no longer usable, and soon will permanently take root. You have ordered him away, and he has been removed from your current assets.

    Vote in PLANS. With a single plan having all decisions, both regarding Starry Dancer and what to do in town. Town votes that has more than two actions must have four actions, with the two actions picked, the "run late", and the extra action chosen.

    This will decide what you will do right now, as well as what you will focus your attention on until the expedition returns. The results of these actions, their impacts, and anything that may follow up will carry on and be the subject of the beginning of the next turn.

    Four hour moratorium, further forty-four hours of voting, 48h total.
     
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    • All the Queen's drones New
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    • Author's Note: There are very few reliable Points Of View that could be called into this story. Due to you not being personally present in them, there are certainly details that may not be added.

    You are Flower Serenade, and you are having a nightmare.

    You are having a nightmare. You are certain of it.

    A painful nightmare.

    A tiring nightmare.

    Perhaps the longest, most realistic nightmare you ever had in your entire life.

    But still, you know this is just a nightmare. Because as long as this is just a nightmare, you can still hang on to the hope that you will eventually wake up. Because as long as this is all happening inside your head, then you know that… that any second now, you will wake up… and you will be back in your happy life a-and…

    And ev-verything will be alright a-and…

    …

    You need this to be a nightmare.

    …

    This nightmare, this twisted version of reality you are currently living through, began a few days ago.

    It began in the Woods.

    You haven't been able to sleep well, these last few weeks. To be honest, you haven't been able to sleep at all. Because every time you close your eyes you can see the things that you did. Every time the place you are in becomes too quiet, you can hear that… that noise on the very edge of your hearing, coming from somewhere far away. From deep underground, and from inside a large urn.

    So, you haven't been able to sleep. You also haven't been able to eat, either. Everything you put in your mouth tasting like ash.

    You haven't… you haven't even been able to talk. Every time you try the words die in your throat.

    But luckily, you have found out that… that you could sleep a bit more easily whenever you did the small ritual that would take you to the Woods. You seemed to fall asleep just a little faster, and just a bit less painfully, when you pricked your hoof before laying on your bed.

    So, you did just that. You would go to the Woods almost every night. You went there every night, and you would walk in the Woods until you could no longer think. You would stay there until the next morning came, with its torments and its memories and the crushing weight of the things you have done.

    You went to the Woods almost every night, until a few days ago.



    Until this nightmare began.



    Something came to you, in the Woods. It wasn't the Master. You are sure it wasn't the Master. But still, your exhausted brain insisted that it was her. It insisted that, in this nightmare that you are in, that horrifying thing that spoke to you from the shadows was the Master.

    You remember trying to run away from it. You remember failing.

    And you remember the horrible things that the monster told you, when it caught you. The things it commanded you to do, before it dragged you into the ground and you suffocated in the black dirt of the Woods.

    Then, the nightmare shifted.

    For a moment, you almost thought you had woken up. For a moment, you almost thought it was over, and that you were back inside Mr. Lockpick's home. It certainly looked the part, and the cold sweat that covered your coat felt like it did on every other night. But you soon realized that wasn't the case, that you didn't really wake up for real. Because Mr. Lockpick was nowhere to be found, for starters.

    But more than that. The front door of the house was unlocked and open, the pale moon shining in through it and illuminating the shop with its cold light. And when you left the house, to explore the town in this twisted nightmare…

    The streets Ponyville, also, felt wrong. They were too cold, and too bright, and too filled with whispers, with the silhouettes of ponies appearing on the edge of your sight even though there would be nopony there when you turned to look.

    But still, wanting that nightmare to end, you did what the monster told you to.

    You went to the underground section of the Wildhoof Club, the doors open and unlocked as if inviting you to its dark depths.

    You went to the room where they kept the… where your kept your urn. And although you tried to ignore the fact that there were four of them now, it still made you shiver when you realized you immediately knew which one of those was yours.

    Because your urn spoke to you. It never really stopped speaking to you, ever since you first closed it.

    And then you loaded your urn to the waiting cart, and wordlessly followed the robed ponies away from town.

    You tried not to cry when that… that thing, the twisted and monstrous parody of the pegasus who helped you escape from Manehattan, came down from the night sky and joined your group.

    You tried not to shiver in dread when morning came, as you looked back and realized you could no longer see Ponyville in the horizon, and you still hadn't woken up.

    You tried not to break down in sobs when the strange mare joined your group, the one with the cutting light in her eyes who declared would act as your guide. Because the pitying expression she gave you as soon as she looked at you, told you in an instant that she knew exactly what you were thinking, and that the harsh truth she carried would break you even if she merely touched a consoling hoof on your shoulder. You kept your distance from her, as much as you could, as your group made its way through the countryside.



    It has been two days, now, and you still haven't woken up.



    But still, you cling to hope.

    This has to be a nightmare.

    It simply has to...

    You won't know what you will do if it isn't.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    Life in the Hive never changes, and you are thankful for that.

    You are a changeling husk. One of the oldest and strongest alive, and currently the oldest and strongest left at the Hive, at your Queen's orders, to safeguard it during her absence.

    But of course, that your Queen has physically departed from the Hive does not mean that her presence is not felt within it. Quite on the contrary. By her will, the workers continue to toil, the cocoons continue to be drained of life, and the eggs are hatched into larvae and nursed into useful drones. And what is more, the Queen has left upon her throne a magical device, one that eludes your lowly intellect, but that she still uses to communicate her will unto your inferior selves.

    Something that she is doing right now, as a matter of fact.

    "I do not care about that," she intones dismissively, and you nod in agreement almost out of instinct, chastising yourself for even having brought up such a lowly concern. "Soon we will have enough prey to expand the hive tenfold. In fact, soon enough we will create a new Hive, larger and grander than any before!"

    "Of course, my Queen," you say, bowing to your Queen as she speaks to you through the magical artifact, "your will be done."

    Your Queen, her great visage being manifested upon her throne as if she were a mirage, waves a dismissive hoof at you.

    "Yes, yes, my will be done. Are there any other matters that I should know of?" she asks, her implacable eyes staring down at you, almost as if she could read your thoughts.

    And of course, you hesitate at her question. You hesitate because there is another matter you think you should bring to her attention. However, you have already been reprimanded once for wasting her time with a futile concern, so you think that bringing up yet another small matter will only anger her further.

    So, you hesitate. And she notices that.

    "Speak, husk," she commands, and you feel compelled to obey her in the same way your wings are compelled to move when you wish to fly.

    "It is the younger drones, my Queen," you say, already cringing in regret even though you have been ordered to speak. "They have been seeing things when they sleep. Visions that still cling to them even after they wake up. Ghostly thoughts that cause them fear, to the point that they can speak of little else."

    You can see your Queen's visage turning into a disapproving scowl, and already you regret not having dealt with the matter you are telling her about before this scheduled report.

    And you are about to continue speaking, you are about to open your mouth to assure her that this is but a small matter, something that you will take care of yourself. But before you have the chance to do so-

    "Wait a minute… you mean the drones are dreaming?" she says, her tone… not exactly disapproving, but also not curious either. She almost sounds cautious, her gaze turning thoughtful as she slowly continues to speak. "Tell me, husk, what are these dreams like? You mentioned they are feeling fear, right? What do the drones say, when they wake up after those dreams?"

    The Queen sounds less displeased, now, at least towards you. So, you answer her a little more confidently.

    "They speak of a dark place, my Queen. Their words vary, but most of them inevitably describe a dark forest an-"



    "IMPOSSIBLE!"



    But whatever it is that you said, or whatever it is that the Queen thought about, her expression immediately turns back into a scowl. A terrifying hiss coming from her magically-projected self that makes your body instinctively curl up in fear.

    "You are wrong and the drones are foolish," she says to your cowering form, your head nodding in agreement without need for conscious prompt. Your body almost glued to the ground as you do so. "Drones do not dream!"

    Her mirage-self even slams her hoof against the throne, your body wincing in reflex even though the movement produced no sound at all. You dare not speak up, throughout all of this. You don't even dare to move from your bowing position.

    "Drones do not dream… and I try not to," she says, her tone so low that you almost think she is speaking to herself.

    A few moments later the spell flickers and disappears, your Queen's image fading away without another word and folding back into the glowing green stone that is the magical artifact.

    You maintain your bowing posture for a few more moments, your body still locked in terror from having witnessed your Queen's displeasure. But soon enough you are able to look up, turning your eyes towards the throne and seeing nothing but the magical item that lies upon it.

    And only after confirming that your Queen is indeed no longer here do you manage to calm down.

    You think back to your Queen's words, wondering why exactly she reacted like that to the drones'… "dreams". Because it is true what she said, that lowly changelings such as yourself do not dream.

    And yet, you could see that your Queen also knew something else about that. Something that she did not share with you.

    Well, you think, that's a given. The Queen claims to be the oldest creature in the land, so of course she knows something about this. After all, she knows everything.

    But still, if she did not think it was important to give you an order on how to act upon the drone's behaviors, you understand that she means that you are not supposed to do anything about it.

    So, you return to your other duties.

    After all, you have a Hive to oversee, and plenty of your Queen's orders to obey.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You have walked for three whole days.

    You have been pulling the cart, carrying your urn, for three whole days.

    You have been hearing its whispers for three whole days now.

    Most of the time what you hear is Autumn Cloud's voice. You hear screams of pain, you hear him begging for release, or death, or worse things. The noise is deafening to you, even though you know that in reality it is not any louder than the lowest whisper. The noise is deafening, even though you know only you can hear it, and that it is inside your head.

    You hear Autumn Cloud most of the time. But sometimes, very rarely, the urn whispers with… another voice.

    And every time it does, you think about running away. Even though you know this is just a nightmare, you think about fleeing, about galloping into the night. Because you know that if you do that, then the twisted version of the pegasus will kill you, and that will be a better fate than most.

    However, despite all that, you still hang on to hope. You keep pulling your cart, and following the guide, and doing what the monster that spoke in your Master's voice bid you to do.



    Because you just want to wake up.



    It is night, right now. But the hooded ponies you have been following are no longer walking, and the mare that has been guiding you is sitting on top of a tall rock as if she is waiting for something.

    And that something eventually arrives.

    You didn't see where it came from. You didn't see, and you honestly don't care. You are too tired to care. Too tired, and too cold, and too hungry, and too desperate to just have this all end to care about anything. You keep close to your urn, even as the other ponies cautiously gather around the approaching figure of the Master. You keep close to your urn because your urn is at least something you can predict.

    You have no idea what horrible things are about to happen in your nightmare, but throughout all of it your urn has been a constant. A horrible certainty to which you are able to fall back in face of these new, horrible uncertainties.

    You keep close to your urn, huddling next to it, hiding from the moon's glare in the space that is between the urn and the back of the cart. But still, you can't stop yourself from hearing the conversation that is happening close to the rest of the group.



    "You have made here in good time."

    "Of course I made it in good time! I know better than to just get a map and walk in a straight line. Now tell us how this will go so we can get this done with."

    "Your impatience is showing… but very well. I have been able to enter the hive itself several times. Its interior shifts, and is delightfully confusing, but I have not been able to locate our prize thus far. I believe we will have to take control of the place itself, perhaps to unobscured the chamber in which they keep locked their greatest treasures."

    "Anything I should be worried about?"

    "I do not think so, no. They wield the powers they sit upon like foals. It would be best if you shine bright, thought."

    "I will be the judge to that…"

    "But before that, another matter must be settled. The interior of the hive changes, but its many secret exits do not. Take the Forge-touched one and collapse them, use the monsters to draw attention and invade through the main entrance once you are done. I will be waiting for you at the heart of the hive."

    "I take it you will take the Edge-drunk colt with you since you are planning to go for the heart, while the rest of us create a distraction?"

    "Quite so."



    You kept your eyes closed shut, throughout the whole thing. You didn't want to look at them, as they had that conversation. You didn't even want to listen to it, but the urn seemed to quiet down while they were talking almost as if to mock you. So you had no choice but to listen.

    But still, you have no idea who just appeared, and you don't care if they are already gone.

    At this point, you are really just trying your best not to fall asleep, because you don't want to find out what worse things will happen if you fall asleep during a nightmare.

    You only open your eyes once the mare, the one who has been guiding you, calls you. And even then, you don't get any farther away from your urn than you absolutely have to.

    Because your urn has gone quiet.

    And you know… you simply know that this can't mean something good.

    You only half-heartedly hear the things that the mare is saying, something about instructions of what to do, where to go, how to stay, and other things that your exhausted mind can't really keep up with. What little mental energy you still have being wholly concerned at trying to figure out why your urn is so damn quiet.

    Until the mare says something that makes your eyes go wide in surprise and fear.

    "Alright then, I'll only ask this once," she says, "does anypony has any questions?"

    You raise a shaking hoof at that, your numb mind refusing to believe what you just heard her say.

    "Y-you… did you really just told us… t-that we have to… we h-have to open t-the urns…?" you ask.

    And the regretful expression that the mare answers you with almost makes you think that she is a real-life pony, and that you are not just imagining all of this.

    But now you understand why your urn is so silent.

    Because it is smiling.

    The mare doesn't answer your question. She does not need to.

    Your nightmare is about to get worse.





    [Flower Serenade has gained a second level of Dread.]





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    The Hive is under attack.

    The very thought grates at you, making you equal parts irate and disgusted. No creature dares attack the changeling Hive. No creature that is not a changeling enters this place and lives.

    But you are not being attacked by creatures.

    You bring your wrath under control, if only barely. Your age and size meaning that you are able to think even while the rest of the Hive enters into a defensive frenzy. And of course, being in charge of the Hive during the Queen's absence means that you are able to put that frenzy to good use. You order the hatcheries and the cocoon halls sealed, and cower the younger and less useful drones into hiding while their larger and more powerful siblings move to defend the hive.

    The only problem is that… you do not yet know exactly what you are defending the hive against.


    "It is ponies! I saw the equines making their way into the main entrance!"
    "Magic! Magical beasts! The Hive's wards have been broken!"
    "It is monsters! It can only be monsters from far away lands!"


    Gathered in the throne room together with the other husks, the largest and best liars left behind in the Hive together with you, you listen to the confused and panic-filled reports of the drones that had been close to the Hive's entrance. They came running to you as soon as they saw there was trouble, of course, but so far no two of them have given you the same story, let alone any useful information.

    "Quiet!" you hiss, shutting the small drones up, "I don't care what is attacking the Hive. They will be made into food for their transgression. Drown them! Drown them in our numbers!"

    Your orders, your words, your certainty of your species' superiority over these invaders, whatever they may be, riles up your siblings into a bloodthirsty frenzy. And their reaction spreads out even further, to the changelings that could only hear you, then to the ones who were even farther away from the throne room, and then to every last changeling in the Hive.

    You don't have to say anything else, as the chorus of buzzing wings turns into a cacophony, and a wave of black carapaces begins to fly towards the outer tunnels to meet the coming invaders.



    It does not go well.



    The Hive is a great mountain, hollowed out by the will and magics of your Queen. There are countless exit tunnels on the mountain itself, and several more that were dug out from underground tunnels, leading to hidden exits far from the hive. And thanks to all those exits, and the superior flight abilities of your species, your siblings are usually capable of quickly surrounding any creature that is foolish enough to approach the Hive. To the point that, nowadays, the Hive is surrounded by a lifeless wasteland.

    However, word quickly comes to you that the underground tunnels, those leading to the exits farther away from the hollowed mountain, have been collapsed.

    You do not think that to be a problem, at first.

    But only at first.

    Not long after, a runner comes back from the outer reaches of the Hive, reporting to you in the depths of the throne room. The runner says that the outer exits, the countless holes and cave-entrances that dot the surface of the Hive, have also been blocked. Walls of hard ice have, impossibly, somehow formed on those entrances, and an unnatural storm can be seen outside of the Hive itself.

    And if the runner is to be believed, the storm is making its way into the Hive itself. A burning storm, the runner says. A cruel storm that somehow laughs and neighs and drags in the changelings caught in its limits, no matter what lie or shape they are wearing.

    You strike the runner for spouting such nonsense, irate at how little sense he is making.

    But regardless. The Queen had left behind eight husks, counting yourself. The eight of you, together, are the single most powerful changelings present in the entire Hive.

    You order three of them to go deal with that. This storm, whatever it is, is certainly being caused by a magical beast. A group of husks such as yourself is capable of dealing with manticores, and hydras, and even an Ursa Minor, so the three of them will certainly be able to handle that.

    You send out three of your husks.

    But several minutes later, you realize that nothing else has happened. No runner has returned from the outer parts of the Hive, bringing reports of what is going on. None of the three husks return. Nothing. And given how the only way to communicate within the Hive is through word of mouth, that means you are effectively blind inside the throne room. The throne room itself is a central room, ideal for coordinating and controlling the Hive, but only if you actually have changelings coming and going to act as your emissaries.

    You order two more of your husks to go, but with specific orders to only find out what is happening and then return, regardless of what they see.

    And after what feels like an eternity, a single husk finally returns. Alone. Crawling on the ground with his wings torn off, and his hindlegs frozen.

    "They can see us…! The light can cut through our lies…!"

    That is the only thing he can say, before he simply stops moving.

    You look around at the last other two husks with you, hesitation clear on their faces as they look back at you. And you are about to order them to follow you, deciding to take care of things yourself, when you hear a deep, rasping voice coming from somewhere nearby.



    "The item sitting upon the throne. Do not permit it to break. Apart from that, clear the room for me."



    And you barely have enough time to look upwards, to face the direction from where the voice is coming from, before a blurred mass of sharp feathers takes up your whole vision from the neck down.

    The last thought that runs through your mind is that you don't understand how it is that you are looking at your body from so far away, and why your head is so close to the floor.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    This isn't a nightmare.

    This is reality. You are awake.

    And you hate this.

    All of this.



    Every step is agony.



    The realization that you are awake, and that you are a dirty, disheveled, shivering mess that has not slept in several days, hit you the moment you opened the urn.

    And the monster, that looks like Autumn Cloud the same way that a foal wearing a blanket looks like a ghost, burst out of the urn with an intensity that you almost thought was joy.

    It hates you, and you hate it.

    But unlike you, the monster seems to be smiling about all this.

    And that smile only makes your hate burn all the brighter.


    You hate how its roars echo through the storm that it leaves on its wake, to the point that it seems to be coming from everywhere at once.

    You hate how it only half-freezes its victims. It is intentional, you know. It wants you to be able to hear them, the all-too-pony screams of pain that come from the side-tunnels and the passages you ignore as you head deeper into this place. It wants to see how you will react as your group leaves those screams behind, or when they lower into a shivering whimper and then cease.

    You hate how it sneers at you. How it watches you. How it never really lets you out of its sight, and how it has covered you with its cold and its weight and its hate for this whole cursed world that it is slowly working to Unmake.


    But still, you continue to follow the group. Because even though you hate all of this so very much, the only thing that you really want is for all of this to end.

    You just want this to be over.

    So, you keep walking behind the group.

    And every step you take is agony.

    The four of you, who are leashed to the monsters, are following the silent mare touched by Winter and the wide-eyed stallion heavy with Forge. The four monsters making a wide circle of storm and spite around the group, keeping the bug-ponies away, or freezing and shattering them whenever they try to attack you.

    And guiding the six of you is the… the strange-looking mare. The mare who seems to know exactly where she is going, and who somehow causes the bug-ponies to revert back to their original forms with but a glance.

    Every now and then one of the four monsters, most of the time that being your own, breaks off from the circle, picking one of the side-passages at random and storming into it in a deluge of cold and pain. But you almost always manage to reel it in soon enough, and that never seems to slow down the mare that is guiding you.

    As time passes, less and less of the bug-ponies try to attack you. Less and less sharp pieces of ice, the broken remains of frozen corpses, litter the ground that you are walking through.

    And soon enough, the only sound that you can hear is the hateful neighing of the snowstorm that surrounds you.

    And you reach the center of the cavernous cave complex.

    You know that because the horrif-… because the Master is there, together with the twis-… together with… with Comet Feet. Or rather together with the monster that Comet Feet has become.

    You would have preferred this a lot better if this was just a nightmare.

    The four monsters that have been following you make their way to the cavernous ceiling of the large throne-room you are in, bickering among themselves within a miniaturized storm in a way that feels almost tame.

    And to your great regret, you are able to hear the conversation that follows, between the bright mare and the twisted shape of your Master.



    "Watchpony above… this is… this is Moldywarp's Stone!"

    "Under the shadow of which she would hide the secrets she did not wish to be stolen, yes. That is, until the Stone itself was stolen."

    "No, no, no, this can't be right… Because the Stone was stolen by…"

    "Correct."

    "So that is why these bugs feel so familiar… this queen of theirs you told me about, she is a Granddaughter! And those bugs are her spawn. But that still doesn't explain the Stone being here. The Granddaughters were hunted, by the Dartsponies and the Axe-bearers and whoever else was clinging to a modicum of order during all that mess. But the Stone itself was hunted by the Black-Flax's Names. All of her Names. And I refuse to believe they didn't find it."

    "Which means…"

    "... which means that they did find it… and the Stone was given away willingly. She allowed the thieves to keep it, once she found out that it was being used…"

    "To hide a secret, yes, as it befits its original owner. Because what better secret to hide than the last Granddaughter? Each of her sisters ran to a different History, each of them met a different gruesome end. But not this one."

    "Fitting, I suppose…"

    "Mhmm… but that is beyond the point. Scour this place. Find me my prizes. The magical device that is upon the Stone probably only works in a single direction, or else the defenders of this place would have called upon their queen before we overpowered them. We will wait here until she makes contact. Put that idle time to use."



    You hear all of that, but you don't really pay any attention to it.

    You wouldn't have been able to understand what they were saying even if you had tried.

    The only thing that really reached you, is that your group will now wait.

    You will wait, and wait, and it will only take longer for this to be over.

    You are not really sure how much more of this you can take. You have no idea how you even managed to hold on for this long.

    Every moment is agony.

    And whenever you think of that, whenever you look up at the localized storm at the far ceiling of this hall, you swear you can see the clouds looking back at you.

    You swear they are smiling.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You are Princess Luna.

    That is your secret. That is the big lie. That is the truth everyone believes.

    You are Princess Luna, and as long as the world believes in that, then that is the truth. The final, immutable truth.

    At least as long as eyes, and ears, and minds are concerned.

    You look out at the window as you watch the sun tamely lower itself on the horizon, the skies turning darker as the pale moon appears on the opposite window.

    "Thank you, sister dear," you say in a sweet voice to the… to the bound, thin-looking, half-cocooned and nearly unconscious figure of Princess Celestia that you keep in the middle of your room, right next to your bed.

    And the large pony, her expression one of blissful ignorance thanks to your constant efforts, gives you an exhausted nod. You think she also tries to say something, probably that you are welcome or that she loves you, but you don't really care.

    You take a short sip of her love, for good measure, relishing how sweet it still tastes even after all this time, and you turn around to take care of other matters.

    Because you have several plans, all of them currently in motion. You have several plans, and they all require your constant attention. But oh, how you are already reaping the rewards…

    You have already taken care of your daily affairs. Posing as the white Princess, orchestrating the capture of just a few more key figures in your court, making sure that more and more of your drones are smuggled into the city without any problems, all of that while keeping appearances and making sure no suspicions are raised. And now, you turn to your nightly concerns. Posing as the blue Princess, making sure your prisoners are smuggled out of the city, overseeing your Hive, things like that.



    This has been your routine, almost every single day.

    And you are relishing every moment of it. You are relishing the power of being in charge.



    So, you head to the working desk you have in your room, and you flare your horn to activate the magical artifact you have on it.

    It is a special item, this one. One that allows you to communicate with your Hive even through the influence of your Throne.

    You don't really remember how you acquired it, or how it works. But you don't really care.

    You activate it with a surge of magic and watch as the image of your Throne Room slowly comes into being.

    But your smile disappears from your face as you realize it is not your servant who is looking back at you from the other side of the magical spell.



    - - -



    "Ah, there she is. The last Granddaughter."

    "What… WHAT?! Who are you? HOW did you get there?!"

    "Do not be alarmed, young one. I can assure you tha-"

    "I am NOT a 'young one', and I am NOT playing games here. Answer me at once or I will DESTROY you!"

    "Oh? Very well then. I am, let us say, an interested party. And I got here, and this might interest you more, by massacring your defenses and killing everything that stood between me and your throne room."

    "… you… You did… what…?"

    "But before you lose your temper, allow me to say two things. One, most of your assets were left untouched. Your eggs, your prisoners, and of your spawns that did not attack me, they are still alive… wherever they chose to hide in this vast hive of yours. And two, they are alive as a show of good faith, for I wish to make you a proposition. A deal, if you will."

    "A… a proposition? A proposition?! You just attacked my Hive, killed my children, and you expect me to listen to a deal?!"

    "It is exactly because I have done this, that I have proven that I am able to do this much, that I wish to make a deal. Because you recognize strength, Granddaughter. You have already shown yours, by the guise you wear and the reign you have stolen. And as things currently stand I believe I have shown mine. So, my proposition is based on how we can gain more without making enemies of each other."

    "… proceed. And stop calling me that, whatever that means. I am Queen Chrysalis, and you will address me as such!"

    "Very well."

    "Huh… curious…"

    "I know of your ploys, Queen Chrysalis. I know of your position in Canterlot, and how you have the pony kingdom under your thrall. I know that, and I have no qualms with that. The only reason I really even came here, and unfortunately offended you, was because I believed you had the Moon Princess within your hive. I wished her for myself."

    "Well, I don't have her. So you just made an enemy out of me for nothing."

    "Hopefully not. The opposite, in fact. I would like to propose that we work together. I have means that could be of use to you, and I have no aspirations to be your rival in your dominating schemes. The fact that I am standing here already proves that my means are better than your drones, or at least the ones you left to defend your hive. I offer, then, my services as an ally, in exchange of one single thing…"

    "Huh... that doesn't sound uninteresting… But what would that thing be?"

    "The Sun Princess. That which is in your possession. Now, before you ask, I do not ask you to give her to me. Less than that. I ask that you prove to me that you are also willing to bargain in good faith. If I had stolen the Moon Princess from you, then we would be bargaining from equal positions, but as things currently stand you have an unfair advantage… Kill the Sun Princess, Queen Chrysalis. Do that and our pact will be sealed."

    "What…? What?! WHAT?! You storm into my Hive, kill my subjects, threaten ME and expect me to do… to do that?! I do not need you. I do not need ALLIES! I have already won! And if you think I feel threatened just because you have invaded my Hive then you have something else coming for you!"

    "I will give you fair warning… that if you do not accept our deal, I will be forced to destroy y-"

    "You are a deranged LUNATIC! I do not care what you are, what you think, or from what hole you crawled out of. My Hive was nearly empty of my servants, and I can always spawn MORE. And I will send every last pony, servant and thrall I have after you for this slight against me. I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A SILVER PLATTER BY THE END OF THIS WEEK-!"



    In her anger, Queen Chrysalis undid her spell before she even finished shouting her wrath.



    - - -



    "Well, that just happened."

    "Unfortunate… and she didn't seem to remember her heritage either."

    "Maybe she was too young when she was brought here?"

    "Maybe. Or perhaps the Stone hid some secrets even from her own mind… But it matters not. Do it."

    "Oh? You were serious about it? You actually want me to do it?"

    "A threat is no good if one does not follow through with it."

    "It will destroy it, you know. Subversion is a powerful effect, but it is also destructive by its very essence. And I am sure you will be able to do wonders with the Stone given time."

    "If the Queen makes an enemy out of us, then time is precisely the one thing I do not have. The Moon Princess is not here, so she is certainly dead. Harmony, then, is unachievable. The cult, also, only has a hooffull of Branded. Perhaps their species' eyes have grown dull to the Glory, for they seem uninterested in seeking it. And the Moon… we have no idea of how to reach it. Only one path remains, then."

    "Huh. Regrettable."

    "Yes. The very definition of it."

    "But I am not about to let the chance to destroy something like this pass. Alright then, let me get to work…"



    - - -



    You heave in anger, the crystal horseshoe you are wearing slamming against the ground with a bell-like sound as you stomp your hoof against the ground.

    The nerve… the gall of that… that monster, whatever that thing was, to have talked to you like that.

    He expected you to kill Princess Celestia, to kill your prize, in exchange of a promise? Of an offer to work together?!

    It grates at you that he attacked your Hive. It grates at you that he was sitting on your throne. But still, it matters little. The monster was bluffing, you are sure of it. Because maybe he… or she, or it, whatever it was. Maybe it was able to punch through your defenses, to the point that it could reach your Throne Room. But like you said, your Hive is nearly empty of your drones and husks. And what is more, your Hive is an enormous complex of caves and tunnels. Whatever the monster did, it probably only managed to make a run for your Throne Room to pull off this bluff. At this exact moment, your smaller drones and your workers must be evacuating the Hive in droves, from its countless exits.

    Sure, you might lose a few prisoners and some other treasures. But that matters little.



    Because Equestria is already yours.



    In a few more months, you will have a new Hive. One that encompasses the entirety of the mountain where Canterlot is perched, which will be tunneled and hollowed out at your command. Soon, every last pony city will be a hunting ground, and you will be able to feed enough of your children to darken the skies.

    And right now? Right now you will plot your revenge against that interloper. You will send runners back to the Hive, your trustworthy husks who are experienced in spying, to determine the identity of your newest enemy. And then… then you will bend every last institution the ponies have at their disposal to hunt them down.

    The perfect plan, to bleed both your new enemy and the ponies dry.

    "In fact," you say to yourself, your eyes narrowing as you remember something you have been told… a report from one your husks, from a backwater town, that spoke about… "In fact, there might be a chance that I already know who my enemy is… or at least where he is based from…"

    You think about that, pulling at your memories as you try to remember what exactly that report was about… there are so many things for you to keep an eye on, so many small actors and agents to delicately balance th-



    …



    -when suddenly, your thoughts grind to a halt.

    Something is wrong…

    You don't understand what it is. You don't even understand why you are having this feeling.

    But you can feel that… that something is wrong-



    …..



    -with you.

    Something is VERY WRONG with you.

    "What… what is going on? W-what is this?!" you say out loud, bringing up your forelegs and eyeing your body as panic builds up inside of you.

    But the feeling only grows stronger.



    ….;;;;



    It feels like a sickly light. Like rancid honey, oozing into your room through the edges of the walls.

    You feel as if something is reaching out to you.

    You feel like you will never be able to tell a lie again.

    "What is happening to me?!"



    ;;;;;!!!!!!!



    "My Queen! Something… something is wrong with us!"

    Your personal guards, the husks you have patrolling your area of the castle and who you have standing by your door, storm into your room, panic clear on their faces.

    And you can see it in them, as well. You can see how their bodies… you can see how their lies are slowly being corroded from the inside. How the opinion the world has of them will slowly crumble and fade into nothingness.

    And you immediately understand that… that the monster, that creature you spoke to just now. It is doing this to you. It is doing something to you, and your husks and… and probably every last one of your children.

    All your guises, all your powers, all your lies. They will all fade soon.

    You… you have until the end of the night, at most. YOU have until the end of the night, at least. Your children… you feel like their lies will not last them more than a few hours.

    Your rage burns inside of you as you realize how utterly ruined your plans have been. Because there is no way you will be able to do anything without being able to pose as the Princess. You would still have things under control even if every last one of your children lost their ability to lie. But having that happen to you?

    Your plan is ruined.

    But this is NOT the end of Queen Chrysalis…

    No, you still have a few hours left. And all your pieces are still in place.

    You will just have to take what you can, burn the rest, and run.



    - - -



    "The shadows of the Stone are attached to them, almost like an umbilical cord. It might be a blessing for added protection, it might be a curse of possession and ownership, or perhaps dept. But whatever it is, the light will follow them back through it… It will take me a few hours, to Subvert the Stone. But this being a thing of Moth means that it will shine all the brighter once I Subvert it to Lantern. But this light will reach the Granddaughter, and every last one of her children."

    "Good. See to it."

    "It will also destroy the Stone."

    "I am aware. But given the current circumstances… a lot more things will have to be destroyed, if the Mansus is to survive. Comet Feet, make ready for us to leave. And you four… let go of your leashes. Set your horrors free. They will know what to do from there, until their time in the Wake is over and they disappear. Order them… to douse the lights."

    "... are you absolutely sure you are going to go down that path…?"

    "Neither of us can reach for the Glory, Name. And if none of them will, then I am not going to wait for the Worms to come in."



    [The Windigo summoners have given a terrible order to their summons. Each of them have received a level of Dread.]

    [The Windigos have been let loose within the Changeling Hive.]





    Queen Chrysalis has until the end of the night before she loses the ability to transform. The husks and drones she has with her in the Royal Castle only have a few hours before they suffer the same fate.

    She believes every last changeling, in every last city, is also suffering the same problem.

    Due to her circumstances, Chrysalis will only be able to coordinate her children in Canterlot, which include her most elite husks present in the castle as well as countless drones infiltrated in the city itself. Her wrath demands that she do one last thing before fleeing the city and leaving her plans behind.

    QUEEN CHRYSALIS HAS DECIDED TO:



    [] Kill Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

    "That monster wants a dead alicorn? Well, it will have a dead alicorn. But not the one it was hoping for. And you wouldn't have it any other way. You have felt a deep hatred for the pink alicorn ever since the first time you laid your eyes on her. You had other plans for her, but death will have to do. Although the task will be difficult, and you will have to concentrate all your efforts in it."

    -Princess Mi Amore Cadenza will die.

    -The battle will probably cause great damage to the Royal Castle.



    [] Slaughter the Royal Guard.

    "You have plans. Plans of conquest, plans of power, and now plans of vengeance. But all those plans will work better if you have a weakened foe. Your battle against the monster, whatever it is, will still rage on, but for now your main target is still the waiting banquet that is ponykind. Shatter their shield, topple their walls. Order your changelings to wear the guise of soldiers, and send them out to slay their companions during this last night of freedom you will be afforded."

    -Will cause catastrophic damage to the Royal Guard, and some of Canterlot's infrastructure.

    -Captain Shining Armor will die, being among the casualties.



    [] Unleash your children into Canterlot.

    "You had planned to make the ponies into long term cattle. But the fact that your plans have been ruined doesn't change the fact that ponies are nothing but food! Use your guises to impersonate a Princess, summon the entirety of the Guard into your castle for whatever reason. Have your children FEAST for one violent night. You will recoup your position later, with plenty of prisoners and fat bellies to command."

    -Will cause catastrophic casualties among the population of the city of Canterlot.





    Four hour moratorium, forty-four hours of voting. Forty-eight hours total.

    Vote for as many as you like. Only a single option will win.

    "And all the Queen's drones and all the Queen's men,
    will never sleep soundly, not ever again."
    0ae2156ff400a9f1317881b47178040c9ccde0bc6fb36e1509488932c9842c42_1.jpg
     
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    • [X] Unleash your children into Canterlot.

    - - -

    You walk into your Princess Luna's YOUR room, slamming the door shut with a burst of magic.

    You did it. You managed to pull it off. Keeping up the lie is getting harder by the second, but you still did it.

    Your children barely managed to keep up the lie for long enough. But still, you were able to summon them. The Royal Guard, the capital's Guard, every last pony who was awake and on duty, and who looked like they could fight back. It wasn't an organized summons, and you are sure they will realize something is wrong before the night ends, but all that you really care is that they are currently inside the castle waiting for an "urgent pronouncement" from you the Princess. All that you care is that they are not in place to defend the citizens of this damned pony city.

    Your husks, the "trusted guards" you had take up their posts in a temporary fashion, have probably already abandoned their stations to begin their move on the city itself. They will spread out the word to the other drones throughout the city, or so you instructed them, so that your orders spread together with the chaos, and every last hidden changeling joins in on the hunt.

    And hopefully, Canterlot will be burning before you finish your own preparations to leave.

    But you have to be quick…

    Because this light.

    This damned light.

    It's growing much, much faster than you thought it would. Exponentially, almost. You can tell at a glance that this effect is being much stronger on you than it is being on your children, to the point that you now think your lies will crumble even before theirs.

    You have no idea how much time you still have. But know that it might only be minutes, instead of the hours you thought you would have. Which means that you have to leave this place right now.



    So, you set out to work. As the light cuts through your lies and your body and your mind. Gathering the things you absolutely cannot leave behind and destroying the rest.



    You upend the chest where you had slowly been gathering plans for the future. Plans relating to defenses of the pony cities, blackmail material that was slowly being collected, information about magical beasts from more distant lands. You collect what is most important and set the rest into flames.

    The light grows stronger, more quickly than ever before.

    Your horn flickers to life as you bring out all the valuables you had stolen. Priceless magical artifacts you had pilfered with your "royal authority", magical scrolls that you did not even have time to read yet, and jewelry that had been produced by the perfectionist hoof of pony savants. You collect the artifacts and nothing else, they at least will be useful in the coming war you will fight.

    The light CUTS through your brain, dissolving Princess Luna's form into nothingness, spreading through your body as if you were dry timber to the light's fire.

    You stumble, falling to the ground as your body refuses to keep up the lie, breathing in gasps as the very world pulls your body back into its original shape. You can barely think straight for a few seconds as the light fills your head.

    But you force yourself back on your legs, your eyes moving desperately towards the still-cocooned form of Celestia in the middle of the room.

    You drag yourself to her, your thoughts warring with the growing light as you try to rein your concentration into the necessary spells. Y-you… you have to undo the cocoon, a-and your have to blast her with another dose of mind-numbness for the trip… a-and you…

    ... and you have to…

    You don't have enough time.

    The last thought that runs through your head is that you should just run and leave everything behind. To Tartarus with the Princess. Damn your children. Nothing will really matter if you are still here when the light-…

    …..

    …

    .

    "Ah…"

    You let out a soft gasp, the golden light that has filled your brain leaking out through your wide-open eyes.

    …

    You remember everything.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You are Princess Celestia, and you are fine.

    You have found your sister.

    You have been spending every day with your Luna.

    You are happy.

    Everything is fine.

    That is the truth you are currently living in.



    "Sister dear, could you help me lower the moon again?"

    Your sister asks you, her soft voice as soothing as a night breeze.

    "Of course, Lu," you answer, the horn on your head shining a bright golden light as you move the heavens.

    And being able to look at her smile makes it worth it. It always makes it worth it.

    Knowing that you two are finally back together makes everything worth it.

    …



    "Sister dear, could you help me raise the moon again?"

    Your sister asks you, her soft voice as clear as the first star of the night sky.

    "Of course, Lu," you answer, the horn on your head shining a faint golden light as you move the heavens.

    And you watch your dear sister's content smile, the two of you sharing a moment together as you work your magic.

    You are happy. You feel like you are about to fall asleep, but you are happy. Because you are helping your sister. Because she is here with you.

    And you understand why she is asking you to do this, you understand why you haven't seen her try to move the moon yet. She is just shy. She is just a bit nervous. After all, she has been away for so long. The two of you have been separated for so long.

    But she is here now. She is here, and you two are together.

    And you will continue moving the heavens for her, for as long as she needs.

    Because you two now have all the time in the world.

    Finally…

    …



    "Sister dear, could you help my make the starts tonight?"

    Your sister asks you, her sweet voice as caring as you always remembered it to be.

    "of… course… lu…" you say, every breath coming out in an exhausted whisper, your horn flickering with a tired golden light as you move the stars for your beloved sister.

    But still, you have a smile on your face.

    It doesn't matter that you haven't slept in… you are not sure how long. It doesn't matter, because your Luna is here with you. And she promises you that you will be able to sleep soon.

    And you are so very tired…

    You are tired from the thousand years you spent without her. From the thousand winters spent alone, from the thousand springs that passed you by while you felt incomplete. From the endless time that passed in a crawl while you felt that aching emptiness inside of you.

    You tried to be strong. You were as strong as you could, while the two of you were away. But Luna had always been the strongest one. The strongest, and bravest, and the one who would push you into action whenever you hit a roadblock. But still, you tried your best to be strong, even though being strong was tiring.

    Even though you had to be strong for such a long time, all by yourself...

    But not anymore.

    Because she is here.

    You may be tired. You may be hurt. You may still be feeling cold from the long months you spent looking for her all over Equestria. But even that was much better than those thousand years. Compared to them, that little time passed in a flash. All of that pain feels like a distant past, now.

    Because now. She. Is. Here.

    And you can feel her. Even when she is not in the room with you, you can still feel her. You can still feel it, that soft link that connects you. That soothing melody that… that your hearts, your spirits, your souls sing to each other.

    So yes, you are tired. You are tired, and your body aches, and a tiny part of you realizes that… that you can't really remember something… something that feels important.

    But still, all of that is worth it.

    You can be as tired as you want now.

    Because for the first time after a thousand years, you have finally regained the ability to rest.

    And even though you have not gone to sleep yet, Luna has promised that you will… soon…

    So, you wait. And you raise the sun, and you raise the moon, and you dot the sky with stars every time she asks.

    Because your dear sister is back. And that is all you have ever really wanted.

    …



    …



    …



    "I… w-h-h-at-t… I a-am… a… monster…!"



    A voice, a rasping, hollow, sickening voice rings out through the night.

    You open your eyes.

    And for a moment, you almost think you are in a nightmare.

    "N-no…! We… were… beautiful…! Th-his ish… unf-fhair…"

    You are inside Luna's room, that is the first thing that comes to mind.

    You are inside your sister's room. It is night. Luna is nowhere to be seen.

    And there is a monster on the floor, right next to you. Thrashing, and writhing, and saying something in pained whispers as it claws at its own face while fumbling on the ground.

    "We… not this…! … blameless…!"

    You try to move. A leg, a hoof, your neck, anything. But you realize that you can't.

    Because you are exhausted. Your body is exhausted. You can feel how much your body is struggling to do as little as keep your eyes open. To do as little as keep your heart beating. Every last muscle of your body is in pain, moving your wings is unthinkable, and for all that your body is begging for oxygen your lungs can't handle anything more than pained and wheezing gasps.


    And Luna is nowhere to be seen.


    "I… I can't… I won't…!"

    The monster gets on its hoofs, moving as if it wasn't accustomed to its own body. It looks at you, and you can see it is crying.

    You recognize it. You recognize her. The leader of the shapeshifters, the monster you exiled from Equestria all those centuries ago.

    You look down, finally realizing the second reason why you can't move. You realize you are surrounded by a cocoon, a sickly green hardened mucus, with only your neck and head out of it.

    You immediately understand what just happened… what has been happening all along.


    And Luna is nowhere to be seen.


    "No… No…! I-I will not b-be punished… f-for the crime of e-x-xisting…!"

    The monstrous mare says something, something that you can't understand, before flying out through the window on trembling wings.

    But you don't really care about that.


    Because. Luna. Is. Nowhere. To. Be. Seen.


    The monster… she tricked you.

    A-and you… part of you doesn't really care. To be honest, you don't even know what you are feeling right now. If you are even feeling anything at all.

    Because you don't mind being tricked. You don't mind suffering. You don't mind waiting, or holding your tears, or forcing yourself to be brave, or spending a thousand years alone because you weren't a good sister.

    Right now, you don't care that the monster tricked you… You have already been slighted, and offended, and tricked in a hundred ways throughout a thousand years. You don't really mind suffering that much anymore.

    But you do care… you do care how she tricked you. You do care what she tricked you about.

    Because… because if Luna was here, if it turned out that the two of you were being tricked, and used, and manipulated… then it would be fine. Because then you would still be back with your sister. Then the two of you would still be together.

    But…

    B-but…

    But if the Luna you found… was the monster… then it means… then it means that you still haven't…


    That you still aren't...!


    You feel like something inside of you Is very close to breaking.

    You…

    You don't know what you are feeling.

    You need answers.



    [Princess Celestia has taken one wound to mitigate -10 points of exhaustion.]

    [Princess Celestia has taken one wound to mitigate -10 points of exhaustion.]

    [Princess Celestia has taken one wound to mitigate -10 points of exhaustion.]



    Your push into your body.

    Deeper.

    And deeper.

    AND DEEPER.

    Your mind goes numb from the pain you are feeling. You feel the taste of blood on the back of your mouth, as you force the instrument that is your body into moving through sheer force of will. You feel the earth magic inside your legs flare up, the feathers of your wings tremble, and your horn light up as you force your whole body to just go.

    And soon enough, you feel your strength returning to your body. A painful strength, one that feels as if you had burning lumps of iron pushing your limbs from without, instead of your muscles moving your body from within.

    But you don't care. You can't think straight. You can't feel straight. You just need to… you just need to confirm one thing before your mind decides in what direction it wants to fall, and maybe shatter like glass.

    With a heaving effort, you force your legs outwards, the cocoon around you cracking and breaking like a rotten egg.

    You stumble out of it, not even noticing the mixture of droll and blood leaking out of your mouth. You stumble out of the cocoon, your legs almost failing underneath you as you… as you what? You try to look for Luna, but you don't even know where to begin. You don't even know how to begin. Your mind too scattered to think with even the tiniest sliver of logic.

    All you can comprehend right now is that you are in your sister's room, and that a monster was here while your sister is not.

    Not knowing what to do with that information, and even less sure of what to do next, you trip your way to the nearest window. Some dark corner of your brain understanding that you should at least try to look for your sister "somewhere else", and that the expanded vista of a window could perhaps help.

    You nearly trip and fall out of the window, your hindlegs barely keeping you in place as you lose your balance.

    You look out through the window.

    And you see that Canterlot is on fire.



    [Princess Celestia's reaction]

    [Amassed Virtues: "The Princess of the Sun: +1"]

    [Amassed Miseries: "Rude Awakening: -1", "Canterlot Burns: -1"]

    [Total dice modifier: + 1 - 1 - 1 = -1]



    [Roll (1d6): 3 – 1 (total modifier) = 2]

    7 or higher: "The Paragon of Harmony walks upon Equestria. None shall find her wanting."

    6: "The morning sun comes, and the horrors of the night flee from its bright gaze."

    5: "Bowed, but unbroken. Shaken, but still determined. The sun's light was warmer, before, but its light is still there."

    4: "The clouds are too heavy, too numerous. The sun is still there, but we cannot reach it, and it can no longer reach us."

    3: "Will the sun ever rise again? It might have forsaken us. It might just not care anymore."

    2: "The sun blazes with wrath. Her will shall no longer be denied."

    1: "Dawnbreaker has come. If the Moon will not rise, then the Sun will never set."

    0 or lower: "The Sun was divided, and this is its wound."



    - - -



    You feel something crack inside of you.

    You have already been sad before.

    You have already been angry before.

    So, you know that what you are feeling isn't exactly any of that.

    It feels like… a mixture of impotence… and emptiness…



    And HATE.



    Because as you look down at Canterlot, as you look down at your beloved city lit up in flames, you finally understand that…

    That nothing you do will ever be enough.

    That you will never be enough.


    Because you had friends, once. Mentors, apprentices, peers.
    And they all died.


    Because you tried your best to guide ponykind. You suffered, and you labored, and you dedicated every last waking second of your life, for. One. Thousand. Years. Just to guide them, to lead them, to keep them safe from harm.
    And right before your eyes, you can see how well that went. You can see your city on fire. You can see just how much you have failed them.


    Because you have a sister… you had a sister? No, you have a sister. You can still feel her, you still know that she is out there somewhere.
    And yet… she is not here. You failed her one thousand years ago, and you failed her less than one year ago. You have failed her twice now, as an older sister, and as a friend, and as her other half.


    So, this thing you are feeling…

    It is the amalgamation of all of that. All those failures, and all that disappointment, and all that mourning, and all that pain that is solidifying in your guts as you realize that in all this time you have not yet done a single thing right.

    You…

    You can't…

    You don't…

    …

    You're done.

    …



    You are done playing nice.



    You look down at the burning landscape of Canterlot, your tired eyes idly noticing that the scenery before your eyes is getting brighter and brighter.

    You are too exhausted to realize the sun has raised itself. Too tired to see that it has marched towards the top of the sky, positioning itself above you like an impossibly large and distant crown.

    But still, the extra light is welcome.

    Because thanks to it, you can see a dark dot on the far horizon. The distant silhouette of a monster.

    One that committed the impudent transgression of wearing your sister's appearance before you.

    You don't notice how some of your feathers are letting out black plumes of smoke, as you spread your wings.



    You follow after the shapeshifting monstrosity on wings of fire.



    - - -



    Catching up to the monster is hard. Your body protests your every movement, and the creature flees from you like its life depends on it.

    Because it does.

    Catching up to it is hard. But ignoring its pleas, the confusing gibberish it spouts about Crimes and Parents, and her professed innocence, is much a much easier task.

    Why, you almost can't hear or see anything to begin with, over the ringing in your ears and the red in your eyes.

    [Princess Celestia's current health: 4/10]

    [Queen Chrysalis' current health: 6/6]

    [Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Celestia – 0, Chrysalis – 0]



    [Celestia's first roll: 59 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) – 20 (Exhausted) = 119]

    [Chrysalis' first roll: 18 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 88]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 31, Chrysalis - 0]



    [Celestia's second roll: 53 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) – 20 (Exhausted) = 113]

    [Chrysalis' second roll: 37 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 107]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 37, Chrysalis – 0]



    [Rolling Chrysalis escape… attempt failed]

    You slam down on her, flame covered hooves striking against her back as the two of you tumble into a descending spiral. The two of you corkscrewing towards the ground, the winds pushing hard against your face as your try to get a grip on her.

    As you try to crush her with your legs.

    "No! Please! There was no Crime! I remember now, I nev-"

    "QUIET!"

    The fumbling monster disentangles herself from you, her carapace bruised and burned where you tried to grab at her. But still, she escapes from your deadly embrace, her wings fluttering away with urgency as she tries to run, or rather fly, away from you.

    You flap your wings, flames billowing around you for a moment as you arrest your momentum.

    You are back on top of the monster before another thought crosses your head.

    You think the monster is crying as she shouts at you.

    You are probably crying as well.

    [Princess Celestia's current health: 4/10]

    [Queen Chrysalis' current health: 6/6]

    [Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Celestia – 37, Chrysalis – 0]



    [Celestia's first roll: 35 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) – 20 (Exhausted) = 96]

    [Chrysalis' first roll: 37 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 107]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 37, Chrysalis - 11]



    [Celestia's second roll: 29 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) – 20 (Exhausted) = 89]

    [Chrysalis' second roll: 86 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 156]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 37, Chrysalis – 78]

    [Celestia suffers one wound (-50 to Chrysalis' overflow)]



    [Rolling Chrysalis escape… attempt failed]

    "We were not monsters, we were beautiful! I swear! It was the moths who bit away at our skin until they had holes! It was the Axe th-!"

    "I SAID TO BE QUIET!"

    You lunge at the thing, your chests colliding in midair as you once again try to stop her from fleeing, wrapping your legs and wings around her as you try to force the two of you to fall.

    But the monster lunges at you as well, this time. A tortured scream escapes your exhausted body as you feel a sharp pain on one of your wings, the monster's fangs buried deep into it as she tries to escape from you in a maddened frenzy.

    The pain is too great. You let go of her, your anger burning even brighter.

    And then you realize you are holding back. For Equestria's sake, that is, not the monster's.

    But you also realize you don't care anymore.

    [Princess Celestia's current health: 3/10]

    [Queen Chrysalis' current health: 6/6]

    [Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Celestia – 37, Chrysalis – 28]



    [Celestia's first roll: 20 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) + 30 (Alicorn Combat: No holds barred) – 20 (Exhausted) = 110]

    [Chrysalis' first roll: 47 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 117]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 37, Chrysalis - 35]



    [Celestia's second roll: 85 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) + 30 (Alicorn Combat: No holds barred) – 20 (Exhausted) = 175]

    [Chrysalis' second roll: 14 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 84]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 128, Chrysalis – 35]

    [Chrysalis suffers two wounds (-100 to Celestia's overflow)]



    [Rolling Chrysalis escape… attempt failed]

    The landscape around you becomes brighter.

    The sun becomes brighter.

    The monster's eyes go wide open as she looks at your horn, and the sight nearly blinds her.

    You continue to beat your wings, thick droplets of blood flying out of the bite-shaped wound with each flap, the pain almost as unbearable as the red-hot headache you have coming from your horn.

    But still, you will your neck to bend towards the monstrous shapeshifter, angling your horn so it will be aimed at her.

    The incandescent thing that explodes out of your horn evaporates the blood on your wound as it flies towards its target.

    And the sound is so deafening that you can't even hear your scream over it. The light so bright that you don't even notice the dark-green shield the monster raises around her body from her horn.

    You just keep aiming your hatred, your very essence at her, materializing it as an incandescent beam that now links the two of you.

    You just let your anger out.

    [Princess Celestia's current health: 3/10]

    [Queen Chrysalis' current health: 4/6]

    [Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Celestia – 28, Chrysalis – 35]



    [Celestia's first roll: 74 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) + 30 (Alicorn Combat: No holds barred) – 20 (Exhausted) = 164]

    [Chrysalis' first roll: 12 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 82]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 119, Chrysalis - 35]

    [Chrysalis suffers two wounds (-100 to Celestia's overflow)]



    [Celestia's second roll: 77 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) + 30 (Alicorn Combat: No holds barred) – 20 (Exhausted) = 167]

    [Chrysalis' second roll: 39 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 109]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 77, Chrysalis – 35]

    [Chrysalis suffers one wound (-50 to Celestia's overflow)]



    [Rolling Chrysalis escape… attempt failed]

    You keep letting out your anger, the deafening roar of your magic screaming against your ears as the thick line of pure white heat continues extending from you to the monster.

    You can feel the magical shield the mare is projecting, the sickly green bubble she has around her, crack and buckle under the incandescent pressure of your hate.

    You can feel that it is cracking, but you don't feel like that is happening quickly enough.

    With a flap of your wounded wings, you fly higher, still keeping the indescribably destructive spell pouring out towards her. You fly upwards until you are between the monster and the overhead sun.

    You channel the burning orb at your back as if your body is a magnifying lens, and you add it to your hatred.

    And the monster, hidden behind the green shield but now hopelessly outmatched, slams against the ground.

    You keep the creature pinned there, as you pour more and more of the heat down at her.

    You don't care that your wrath is setting the very ground around her on fire.

    You don't care that the air itself around you is burning, that a heat wave centered on you is expanding in all directions.

    You don't care how the dark green shield, your foe desperately curled up behind it, is slowly being pushed down into the ground, an expanding crater of ash forming around it.

    "I JUST WANT YOU DEAD!"

    [Princess Celestia's current health: 3/10]

    [Queen Chrysalis' current health: 1/6]

    [Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Celestia – 27, Chrysalis – 35]



    [Celestia's first roll: 29 + 80 (Alicorn Combat: Celestia) + 30 (Alicorn Combat: No holds barred) – 20 (Exhausted) = 119]

    [Chrysalis' first roll: 4 + 50 (Combat: The Changeling Queen) + 20 (Engorged with Love) = 74]



    [Overflow: Celestia – 72, Chrysalis - 35]

    [Chrysalis suffers one wounds (-50 to Celestia's overflow)]

    [Celestia has slain Queen Chrysalis.]

    And you don't stop until she dies.

    You don't stop until the green shield flickers out, a dark stain appearing within the bright beam of white that is coming out of your horn only for a moment. The stain vaguely resembling the monster's shape.

    But again, only for a moment.

    And still you don't stop.

    Until the crater of ash, the one that had formed around the monster's shield as it was pressed into the ground, turns into one of glass.

    Until every last bit of green on the ground, far, far below you, is turned into cinders.

    Until the blinding white of the heat that is emanating from your horn burns away even the memories that you have of the monster's appearance.

    And only when your tiredness overshadows your anger, and you feel that your horn is about to crack, do you finally stop.



    That is... until you gather enough of your energy to return to Canterlot.



    Because you will clean it. You will cleanse Canterlot of the monsters. And then you will cleanse Canterlot of your failures.

    And then you will find out where your sister is.

    And if anything, or anypony, dares to stand between you and her, you shall do things that will make what you just did to the shapeshifter monster look like a mercy.

    This you swear...





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You are Lady Velvet Covers and, even though it is night, you are wide awake.

    You are not sure you would have been able to sleep, even if you were trying to go to the Mansus.

    You are not sure if there is a single pony asleep in town, to be honest.



    The town was already on the brink of panic, after the disappearances from one week ago. And of course, you have been way too busy in regards to that. You were busy trying to keep order around town, helping where you could or just being there when you could not. You were busy trying to keep the cult from doing anything stupid.

    You worked on it. Heavens, you are still working on it.

    But still, you are not entirely sure what to do now… nopony is. Everypony is holding their breath, to say the least.

    Because three days ago... the whole world was awakened in the middle of the night to the sight of the sun at its zenith.

    And Ponyville in particular, due to its privileged position, was able to see that the faraway Capital that you could always see perched on the mountain was... you, and everypony else in Ponyville, immediately saw that Canterlot was on fire.

    That was three days ago. But still, nopony knows what has happened yet. The trains have stopped. Communication has died out in the blink of an eye. And not a single pegasus who flew to the capital has returned yet, and everypony hopes it is because they stayed there to help... to help with whatever happened there.

    Nopony knows what is going on. Nopony knows what to do.

    So, you are continuing your efforts in trying to keep the order, in trying to keep everypony calm.

    And deep down, you just want to see your family through it.

    However, none of that matters right now. At least, not at this exact moment. You will still be worried about all that when morning comes, of course.



    But right now, you have something else on your mind… because you have just sensed Baldomare entering your estate. So, you have extricated yourself from your husband's embrace, sneaking away from your room at the tip of your hoofs, praying that you don't disturb his already light sleep, and you are making your way downstairs to see her.



    "Baldomare…?" you ask, as you enter the dining room to the sight of the mare struggling to open a bottle of wine. "Baldomare, what happened… what is going on?"

    "What happened?" she says, not looking up from the bottle, "I'll tell you what happened. Having a body sucks, that's what happened! A unicorn would be dropping down in exhaustion right now, but do you have any idea how hard it is to open a wine bottle as an earth pony?"

    "What? No, I mean…"

    "I know what you mean. And the answer is that you don't want to know. And even though I know that won't stop you from trying to find out, I'm not telling you," she says, and you wince slightly at the intensity in her voice.

    Because you are not sure if it is because, like she said, she is just tired. Or if she is just on her usual spiel of not telling you things "you are not ready for". Or if she is… actually angry at you for…

    "I'm not angry, Velvet. I just…" she puts the bottle on the table, an uncharacteristically frustrated sigh escaping her lips after a few moments. "Listen, just…"

    Your horn lights up, and you uncork the wine bottle with a flick of magic. You are not sure if your expression is apologetic, or regretful, or anything else. But still, Baldomare seems to be avoiding looking at you, bringing the bottle to her mouth without even bothering to reach for a glass.

    "Listen, Velvet, just go to the club… You will miss that purple friend of yours if you don't get there soon."

    Your eyes go wide at that, and you immediately run out of the dining hall, galloping towards the exit of your estate as silently as you possibly can.

    Such is your rush, that you don't even listen to what the Name says, what she whispers to herself as soon as you leave the dining hall.



    - - -



    You ran to the Wildhoof Club as fast as your hoofs could take you. Forgoing the stealthier ways, and only sticking to the shadows that were in your path, so you could get there faster.

    But when you entered the club, your heart dropped to your stomach.

    Because the club was closed. It was closed, and much more worryingly it was empty.

    You don't know what you were expecting. You are not really sure if you expected a crowd of survivors, or for your Master to be present and call for a meeting, or… or for there to be any signs that you actually succeeded. You don't know what you expected, but you certainly did not expect to see this…

    You certainly did not expect to see nothing.

    But still, your nose, your Edge-senses, told you that there was a modicum of activity in the club. In the underground part of the club, that is.

    You felt six ponies. Six ponies and a monster, near the White Room.

    Or rather, five ponies and a monster near the White Room.

    The sixth pony was inside that snow-filled place.



    The five ponies were busy putting away items and supplies.



    The monster sensed you, because of course it did. It was standing guard before the White Room itself, after all. But whether if it was because of respect or your rank, the monster permitted you to enter it.

    But not before telling you something with its bone-chilling voice.



    "The Master has decreed that she be taken to Manehattan, since this town is already under suspicion. I shall take her as soon as the others are done with their tasks."



    And when you entered the White Room…

    Well, for starters, you realized you had never entered that place before.

    But when you entered it, you saw her.

    Or rather, you saw the large urn where she was being kept. The binding glyphs around it telling you that the urn had another denizen, at first, before being repurposed to transport… to transport Twilight Sparkle.

    And when you opened the urn and looked inside of it, within the freezing and dark confines of the White Room, you saw…

    You saw that Twilight Sparkle was there, curled up inside the large urn.

    And she was bound.

    And thin.

    And trembling in cold, and fear, and so many other things.

    With a large part of her horn missing, with marks that made you think it had either been snapped off or bit off.



    "H-hello…? I-is anyp-pony t-there…?" was all she could say, weakly flailing as she looked up towards you.

    And you were not sure if it was a blessing or a curse that you could see in the dark, if it meant that you could see the terrified expression she had on her face.

    "P-please… h-help me…"



    You felt like you left a part of you behind, after you left the White Room.





    But while you were in there:


    [] You lit up your horn, and you told Twilight that… (WRITE IN what you will tell Twilight Sparkle. If you light up your horn, she WILL see you, with all that it entails)

    [] You did nothing. You just closed the urn and left. (Twilight Sparkle will NOT see you, and you will NOT tell her anything)


    -Comet Feet will not permit Twilight Sparkle to be released.

    -Comet Feet will not disobey his orders to transport Twilight Sparkle to Manehattan, which he will do not long after you leave the White Room.

    -There is no point in just saying something to Twilight without lighting your horn. She will recognize your voice.

    -The Master has decided to keep Twilight as a prisoner, for the value you have told her that the young unicorn has, and will treat her as such.





    On the following morning, hearing gossip that the Expedition had returned, Rarity looked for you.

    She asked how it went, telling you how everypony was being so tight lipped about it. Nopony knows what happened, nopony managed to get a story about the cultists that returned.

    You told her that you didn't know either, to your dismay.

    But then, she asked you about Twilight, and if you at least know if your friend... if she was rescued. If she is fine.

    She asked you if your plan worked.

    And you told her that...


    [] You lie to Rarity. Twilight Sparkle was not found. You can only hope that she is alive, now… (cd 60. Rarity will believe in you, if you succeed, and think that her friend has perished. She will not pursue that thought any further, but you do not know how she might react if she later learns you have lied.)

    [] You tell Rarity that something has happened. Something terrible. But that you can't tell her what it is because… cult secrets. You ask her to keep trusting you. (cd 100. Rarity will continue trusting you, if you succeed, and temporarily push off her efforts to find and save Twilight.)

    [] You tell Rarity the truth. They have Twilight Sparkle, she is a prisoner of the cult, but there is nothing you can do right now. Your greatest effort will be to make sure that last line sticks on your friend. (cd ???. Rarity will agree with you, if you succeed, that there is no way to save Twilight right now, and will follow any directions you give on how to move forward.)

    [] Leash Rarity. (No CD. Rarity will be Leashed into a minion, and will not question your decision. There may be complications once you decide to un-leash her)


    -Velvet Covers cannot presently think of any way that she can immediately save Twilight.

    -And that is exactly what Rarity will want to do, if she learns of Twilight's fate and you fail to convince her to stay calm. She will try something, she will most likely fail, and the cult will take care of her accordingly.

    -Each option (except for leashing) involves telling Rarity more parts of the truth (less "Lies We Tell"). But each option (except for leashing) is increasingly more difficult to reveal to Rarity, and STILL make sure she doesn't do anything rash. Each option, also, has a worse negative effect if you fail (except for the Leash, which will not fail).

    -Your current bonus includes the unused "Attention of the Laws: Grail", and will be a Grail Diplomacy roll.

    -The main thing to keep in mind is that Velvet wants to help Twilight very much. But there is no way to do that right now. And since Rarity was expecting news about Twilight after the expedition, you must tell her something right now, knowing that the truth will make Rarity attempt to act "heroically" on the spot.

    -It is impossible to talk to Comet Feet (that will also be true to the coming Turn).





    And regarding yourself, what do you think about all of this?

    [] Whatever happened, you trust the Master. (Your future actions will be geared towards aiding the cult, as it previously was).

    [] You will wait and see. Find out what happened first, then trace your own conclusions. (Your future actions will be geared towards discovering what happened on the expedition, and later determining what to do).

    [] No survivors returned. Twilight is now a cult prisoner. Canterlot is on fire. Something happened, and you can already tell a line you are not willing to cross has been crossed. (Your future actions will be geared towards, eventually, saving Twilight and leaving the cult).


    -As mentioned, Velvet Covers does not know what happened on the expedition.

    -However, you (the readers) do. So, if rebelling is your preferred course, Twilight will be the initial motivation ("casus belli"), and Velvet will sediment that desire as she learns more.

    -The simple, harsh evidence of how Twilight was treated (with a horn snapped to avoid magic or escape) already tells Velvet Covers that the Master has no intentions of releasing or conversing with Twilight Sparkle. She is a prisoner, and you very much doubt you will be able to "petition" the Master to release Twilight, even if it is to place her under your "custody".

    -Since Twilight Sparkle is a GOOD FRIEND, Leashing her will NOT be enough to make her complacent. If Twilight was already a Confidant, and your Leash made her a Minion, that might have been a possible course of action. But as things stand, that is not available to you.



    Vote in plans.

    And I advise to focus on the immediate vote. However, seeing how this relays the last of the Changeling Assault aftermaths, I will be more open to detailing how the coming Turn will look like. To a certain extent, that is. This vote is this vote, and next vote is next vote.
     
  • New
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    • The Brazen Step New
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    • You are Velvet Covers, and you have come to a decision.

    And that decision is... that you will do your best.

    You realize that you are not perfect. You realize that you have made mistakes, throughout your life. You realize that those mistakes affect other ponies.

    However... you also realize that you didn't really care about that as much as you should. Until very recently.

    Until very recently, you were just drifting through your life. Allowing others to make your decisions for you, merely going along with the circumstances of your birth and the events of your life. You know that you were lucky, of course, luckier than most, considering how much of a good life you ended up with even though you didn't really have much of a say in what direction you were going. You ended up with a loving husband, and a precious daughter, yes, but even then you were still just... drifting.

    All of that changed, when this whole mess began.

    You learned things... things that you sometimes wish you hadn't. You did things, or at least you helped do things, that ended up affecting more ponies than you could ever imagine. You have been made to carry burdens, be them guilts, or blames, or responsibilities, or duties, that reached much farther than anything else you have ever done.

    You aided in Princess Luna's search, and you concealed Princess Luna.

    You helped the cult grow, and you empowered the cult.

    You learned from the Master, and then you summoned her.

    Together with... so many other things.

    But, again, you have not been perfect. Maybe because you didn't know enough. Maybe because you didn't think things through. Maybe because you weren't willing to make certain decisions.

    And you know you will not suddenly become perfect. You know you will not suddenly start getting things right, or that you will discover everything that you have to at the drop of a hat.

    However, you will still try to do your best.

    But that is the thing.

    You will do YOUR best.

    And nopony else's.



    There is, or was, a power that relished in the act of rebellion. The echo of its smile, the whisper of its chuckle, has grazed the tip of your ears. The thing that you do is not to be done lightly, and your determination rises to face it.

    Gain one scrap of EDGE Lore.



    - - -



    The cult, the Wildhoof Club, has done something that you cannot agree with. The cult, or rather the Master, has decided to go in a direction you are no longer able to follow.

    Namely, you now believe that the nature of the Master is one that... that will do more harm than good.

    You remember Jade's words, something that she told you so long ago. About how the Master is not a pony like you are. About how the Master doesn't think, doesn't care like a normal pony does.

    After the ritual that went into Princess Luna's mind, you had decided to keep your own judgment on the matter. You had decided to wait and see. Because yes, you realized the Master was something beyond ponykind, but that didn't necessarily meant that you couldn't follow her. The Master still knew a lot, more than you could ever hope to understand, and the Master still had a plan, even if she would explain so little about it.

    But looking around you now... having looked at the faraway mountain, only to see Canterlot in flames...

    Having heard of the expedition's return, without any word about survivors...

    Having looked into that urn, and into the terrified eyes of a friend that trusted you.

    You can't do this. Not anymore.

    You will do your best. You will do what is required of you. You will keep fighting the Worms, and you will leave the thought of whether if you will make an enemy out of the Master for later.

    But the fact remains that you can no longer be her follower.

    You will leave the Wildhoof Club.

    You have no idea of what comes next. You realize you don't have a long term path ready, yet, but you will do things one hoofstep at a time.

    So, right now, you are determined to leave the Wildhoof Club.

    And for that, a plan is required



    - - -



    [LEAVING THE CULT]: To this day, you have never really heard of a pony that left the cult. However, you have seen how the Master treated changelings before, and you see now how she treats her... well, how she is treating Twilight Sparkle. So, you understand that you have to do this very carefully.
    As such, you will try to continue acting as normally and unsuspiciously as possible, to maintain the façade that you are loyal to the cult for as long as you can.


    [TRIGGER EVENT]: However, there will come a moment when you will no longer be able to keep up the façade, and you will have to break from the cult. Miss a meeting, disobey an order, fail to prevent something from happening. Their shapes are varied, but they will be referred to as a "TRIGGER EVENT", and they are the moment where the Master will realize that his little Velvet is starting to flutter her wings.
    If such an event happens and you are unprepared, you can see the cult falling upon you like an executioner's blade. So, you must use subterfuge until you are ready to be discovered as a defector.
    To put it simply, you must accumulate as many preparations as you can before a trigger event. It is also important to note that a trigger event may be caused by external factors. (But more on that later).



    [Velvet's Plans and Thoughts]


    [Core Priorities] (If you fail in any of these, you will most likely spiral into a game over scenario)

    -Velvet must NOT allow harm to come to her direct family. (Stormchaser, Silky Stream and Selene cannot be harmed)
    -Velvet must NOT be permanently neutralized. (You cannot allow yourself to be sent to jail, if a connection between you and the cult is discovered, or killed)


    [Priorities] (Things you think are important, or that you would like to make preparations so you can ensure in the long term)

    -Velvet would like to avoid harm from coming to her friends and dear ones.
    -Velvet would like to avoid harm from coming to ponies in general.


    [Measurable Objectives] (Things you better do before a Trigger Event, ordered by threat level or importance)

    -Find a solution to the constant threat of "The End is Beautiful" ritual.
    -Find a solution to the problem that is Comet Feet.
    -Find a solution to the constant threat of "Path Through Nightmares" ritual.
    -Find a solution to your family's passive safety (Ponyville is a high-cult influence town. Solutions would be to DECREASE said influence in Ponyville, or make preparations to move your family to another city upon a Trigger Event)
    -Commence preparations to save Twilight Sparkle.
    -Find a solution to the "Reflection of the Tapestry" scrying ritual, should it be used against you.


    [Possible opportunities] (Things you can attempt to do before you lose your contact with the cult)
    -Learn more about the Master. Her nature, her identity, anything.
    -Generally decrease the cult's capabilities while you still have access to it.
     
  • New
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    • Turn 14 New
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    • [x] Plan: Pillar of the Community
    -[x] Leave her. (Starry Dancer was left in jail)
    -[x] Mayor Mare will address Ponyville in a rushed meeting in the Town Hall. Be there. Your presence as Ponyville's only noble will certainly help her show that things are under some level of control. (Help calm down the town at large. Place yourself as more approachable figure of authority in these trying times).
    -[X] Plenty of ponies will not be able to go to the Town Hall meeting. Plenty of ponies are not in any state to do anything, right now. Plenty of ponies don't even know exactly what just happened. Go around Ponyville, make sure you are seen, and more importantly make sure your story is the one that spreads the quickest by word of mouth. (Help calm down the town at large. Reduce overall suspicion of "what happened" in a way that benefits the cult).
    -[X] Rein the cult in. The cult is part of the town, and the town is part of the cult. Panic, especially amongst the lower levels, is spreading as quickly through the cult as it is through Ponyville. Join Windy Flakes in making sure nopony does, or says, anything stupid. (Calm the cult down, and lower the chance of suspicion being drawn to the Wildhoof Club, both the cult and the club).
    -[x] Run late. (Picking this option allows you to pick an EXTRA option from those above. Will worry your family, as you will return home far later than it is sensible).
    [X] Unleash your children into Canterlot. (Chrysalis' decision)
    [X] Plan Biting the Bullet V2
    -[X] You lit up your horn, and you told Twilight that… (WRITE IN what you will tell Twilight Sparkle. If you light up your horn, she WILL see you, with all that it entails)
    --[X] "Oh, Twilight. I'm so sorry. I don't have the power to free you yet, but I'll do everything I can. Just hold on. Your friends will come for you. You're not forgotten."
    -[X] Leash Rarity. (No CD. Rarity will be Leashed into a minion, and will not question your decision. There may be complications once you decide to un-leash her)
    -[X] No survivors returned. Twilight is now a cult prisoner. Canterlot is on fire. Something happened, and you can already tell a line you are not willing to cross has been crossed. (Your future actions will be geared towards, eventually, saving Twilight and leaving the cult).

    - - -



    Ponies stick together. That is what is in everypony's mouth.

    You made sure of it.

    Making sure you were there whenever Mayor Mare called for a public meeting. Going around the streets, reassuring ponies, and even asserting pressure in the cult itself which already permeates a not-inconsiderable part of Ponyville. That is the one message you made sure to spread, the one thing you did your best to make sure would stick.

    Ponies stick together, and that is the truth the whole town is trying to live by these last few days.

    Nopony could say that "Ponyville is fine", because it isn't. Dozens of ponies disappeared without explanation, and whole families have been broken. So no, Ponyville is not fine.

    Nopony could say that "everything will be alright", because that is also not certain. Everypony hopes that will be the case, of course. But the grim sight of Canterlot itself burning on its mountain-perch made it so that nopony could really say everything will be alright with true confidence.

    But still, Ponyville endures. You and Mayor Mare made your very best efforts to tackle the growing hopelessness before it became overwhelming. The two of you fought it back, and rallied the community spirit of your small town.

    The two of you rode the hopeless moans that "Ponyville is a small town", and reminded everypony that they are the heirs of settlers. That the very "small town" they live in is the fruit of their own hard labor, and that it will remain theirs as long as they work together.

    And now, a new month begins. Ponyville is determined, even if still tense, and waiting to know what happens next. School is closed, families are huddling close together, but the small businesses and day-to-day life is cautiously continuing, even if not with the usual "excited and thriving" energy it usually has. But still, the fact that Ponyville is a small and self-sufficient town is proving to be a blessing even now.

    So, like that, the days keep going. The sun continues to rise and set, showing you that not all is lost, and the fires in Canterlot had all been put out by the end of the following day. So everypony is waiting, and trying to continue with their lives as best as they can until news come.

    Soft Sweeps disappeared on the night everypony saw Canterlot burn, and you don't have many doubts of where she is right now… Your house is nearly empty, seeing how you have dismissed all the servants and workers during this whole crisis. And you have a temporary guest in the form of small Scootaloo, since you found it absurd that she told you she was fine to returning to her empty house, her parents usually away most of the time.

    And, with large and small changes like that, the days keep going.

    ...

    Well. Time to plan your month. You have the impression this one will pass in the blink of an eye.





    Due to your concerned and focused efforts, Ponyville and the cult are focused and determined, and as calm as they can be given the circumstances. You have completely avoided certain negative consequences related to population instability, and have grown in the public eye.



    - - -



    The following things will happen throughout the month (and you are being told this right now because your decisions would have adapted to them as you learned them anyways).


    [News and information]

    -News will, slowly, trickle back from Canterlot and other pony cities. Almost all cities, including all the large ones, were attacked one way or the other by monsters. The disappearances in Ponyville will be seen as the same, with public understanding being that no monsters were sighted due to the small nature of the town.

    -Princess Celestia will reveal that "Princess Luna" was an impersonator (im…ponysonator?). However (to avoid panic, you think) there will be NO word about the nature of changelings, and their innate shapeshifting powers. The public will understand that the Fake Princess Luna did so through magic, and that the monsters that attacked the cities were "regular" monsters (of the non-shapeshifting kind).

    -However, very little information on anything else will reach you this month. Starry Dancer will remain in prison, and you will know little more about why if you don't look into it yourself.

    -But apart from that, pony civilization as a whole is in chaos, seeing how it just received a simultaneous and apparently orchestrated blow in all of its cities. You have no idea how things really are looking, but you think that (ironically) Ponyville is the least affected, followed by other small communities.


    [Turn-specific rules]

    -The transport infrastructure of Equestria will slowly restart itself. But due to how long it will take to resume operations, you will not be able to plan or do travels throughout this month (leaving Ponyville is impossible).

    -The communication infrastructure of Equestria will slowly restart itself. You will receive news that your family is alright, but due to how long it will take to resume operations you will not be able to ask uncle Steppes for favors this turn, or effectively communicate with ponies outside of Ponyville. (Letter sending or "Uncle Steppes!" is impossible).

    -Due to all your income sources being from outside Ponyville (your own and Rarity's) you will not have any income this turn.

    -You will only have one "How many actions?" options, which will be auto-picked.

    -Baldomare stayed in Ponyville. She is capable of traveling to another city, but you will most likely prefer to have her close by.

    -Interacting with Comet Feet this turn is impossible.

    -The Master is entirely absent.

    -And, this being a Moth cult, the inner circle will understand this as being an instruction to "thrive in the chaos", and be ready for the coming orders at the meeting to take place when this month is over.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    "The Lies We Tell"

    This not an exhaustive list. More of a helpful reminder.

    Stormchaser has explicitly told you not to involve him or Silky Stream in anything occult related.

    You HAVE told Stormchaser about the following:

    -That Selene is Princess Luna, and that due to a great tragedy that befell her she cannot currently bear the weight of her memories

    -That you have been part of a… "group" for several years now, and hid that from him

    -That said group is led by a learned and powerful master, whom you can't exactly fully trust

    -That you have been studying about certain "unusual" magics, to which your recent breakdowns or changes in behavior can be traced back to

    -That the Worms, or some great threat to Equestria, exists



    You have NOT told Stormchaser about the following:

    -The more unsettling details about your Master's nature, or at least what little you have interacted with them (your husband does not know that your Master is... well, he thinks they are a regular pony)

    -The murders you believe your cult has committed

    -The cult's actions about Princess Luna's ritual and eventual disappearance

    -Details about the cult itself, and details about the Lores.

    You HAVE told Rarity about the following:

    -That Selene is Princess Luna, and that you remain certain of that even though "Princess Luna" has returned to Canterlot

    -That you are part of a Cult

    -About the Lores, the Mansus and the Worms. Her depth and understanding of said pieces of information being her current level on the occult



    You have NOT told Rarity about the following:

    -The more unsettling details about your Master's nature, or at least what little you have interacted with them (your husband does not know that your Master is... well, he thinks they are a regular pony);

    -The murders you believe your cult has committed

    -The cult's actions about Princess Luna's ritual and eventual disappearance



    - - -



    Last turn's shopping list

    (These are the items that you had the option to purchase last turn. They must be bought with the resources you had available then, but if bought will be immediately available for use or study at this turn.)

    Last turn's available bits: 113

    -[] Book, Heart Level 4, (60 bits)
    "A scientific paper that must be decades old, or perhaps centuries, which makes an attempt at collating what is known about a particular tribe of the distant and enigmatic zebras. It goes into great detail about a certain custom the tribe had of… wearing the skin of large animals that they hunted, in order to harness their strength."

    -[] Book, Forge Level 3, (30 bits)
    "The book is simply titled 'Chemistry', and your servants reluctantly admitted that was the only word they understood in it. Of course you know they were being dramatic, but that also means that the contents of the book must be way, way beyond what they teach at schools."

    -[] Book, Secret Histories Level 2, (15 bits)
    "A hefty book detailing the charter rights of some of the smaller villages that dot Equestria. Not old enough to be terribly outdated, but not recent enough to have any legal or academic value either."

    (Books not bought will be lost, other items will be available through the following turns, but have a chance of being sold to somepony else every turn)



    - - -



    This turn's available bits: 113 (minus items you decided to buy)

    Monthly revenue: 120 bits/month currently cut

    Rarity's dividends for this turn: none, due to country-wide chaos



    Your wound has been successfully healed (Current health: 2/2)



    [] How much will you dedicate yourself to your family's affairs this month? (You must pick one)

    [X] "By order of Lady Velvet Covers, all farmland activities are suspended until further notice. All workers will be given paid leave. Go be with your families in these trying times." (Notice fixed on the farmland entrances).

    You have EIGHT SEVEN personal actions this turn, ZERO servant actions and ONE cult-minion actions. (Velvet Covers has auto-picked the eight actions option, and WILL commit one action to "stay with her family". The other seven actions, and the cult-minion/confidant actions, are to be picked in plans.)



    [] Do something about your foes
    Inspector Dull Glass

    -The inspector has started imprisoning cult-members. An inner-circle member, of all ponies. And who knows what else he may have discovered recently, during all this chaos.
    -[] (DULL GLASS) Have somepony tail him, see what he has been doing. (This action requires dedicated time, and is best done by a servant or a minion than by a single action from yourself)
    -[] (DULL GLASS) Do something about him. Talk to him, trick him, hurt him. (Write in what)



    [] The delights of subservience (Leash currently targeting: RARITY)
    -[] Change Leash to another target. (Write-in who)
    -[] Un-Leash the current target.



    [] The Moth Fruit option (placed here for your convenience. Don't pick anything if you just want to keep it) (Moth BOOK, level 5)
    -[] Eat it. (FREE ACTION)
    -[] Give it to Baldomare to reset her summoning period at the end of this month. (FREE ACTION)



    Confidants and Summons
    -The ponies and creatures listed below can be given a "focus" for this turn. Not mentioning them will incur in their "default picks" being selected. Be wary, also, to the "expiration date" of summons.
    -The ponies and creatures listed below may be safely taken for a single one-turn (five days) Expedition without hampering their "focus". Taking them for a two-turn (6+ days) or greater Expedition will cause them to not execute their selected "focus".

    Rarity (currently an Initiate, GRAIL Level 1, FORGE Level 0):

    Current Health: 3

    -[X] Focus on her work. She has a contract with high-end merchants and a noble family, after all. (DEFAULT PICK) (She will still work on her designs if this is not picked, but there will be a chance for this month to be a "failure" by her reckoning)
    -[] Accompany you, and lend her hoof. (Pick HALF of your own personal actions, rounded DOWN, and Rarity will accompany you while you perform them, giving narrative advantages or mechanical buffs as needed)
    -[] Act as your emissary. (Pick an EXTRA action from your own pool, Rarity will perform it to the best of her abilities, ALONE, and report to you later)
    -[] The Bright Library has enough knowledge for her to learn on her own. Tell her to focus on her studies, so she may turn into a Disciple. BRIGHT LIBRARY INSUFFICIENTLY LEVELED
    -[] Lead an Expedition. (Select her as the leader of an Expedition in which you will not take part, plan the other details of the expedition accordingly. You will still have to fund the Expedition yourself)
    -[] Other (WRITE IN, in case you have a viable idea that I have not thought about. Certain ideas might even enter this list if they make sense)

    Jade Whistle (currently a Disciple, LANTERN Level 3, HEART Level 1):

    Current Health: 3

    (You are personally worried that Jade might react badly if she fails on an action she attempts)

    -[] As per orders. She will go with the motions, as she usually does, and focus on her assignment given by the Master. (DEFAULT PICK)
    -[] "You do you." Let her do whatever she wants for once. It might do her some good, both mentally and personally. (DEFAULT PICK)
    -[] Accompany you, and lend her hoof. (Pick HALF of your own personal actions, rounded DOWN, and Jade Whistle will accompany you while you perform them, giving narrative advantages or mechanical buffs as needed)
    -[] Act as your emissary. (Pick an EXTRA action from your own pool, Jade Whistle will perform it to the best of her abilities, ALONE, and report to you later)
    -[] The Bright Library has enough knowledge for her to learn on her own. Tell her to focus on her studies, so she may turn into an Seeker. (This will level her up, at the expense of her own focus action instead of an action of your own) BRIGHT LIBRARY INSUFFICIENTLY LEVELED
    -[] Lead an Expedition. (Select her as the leader of an Expedition in which you will not take part, plan the other details of the expedition accordingly. You will still have to fund the Expedition yourself)
    -[] Jade mentioned she has a... feeling, about Selene. She'd like to investigate it, if that's alright. (Require Selene's Knock level 2)
    -[] Other (WRITE IN, in case you have a viable idea that I have not thought about. Certain ideas might even enter this list if they make sense)

    (Baldomare will expire at the end of the current turn)
    Baldomare (LANTERN Level 6, SECRET HISTORIES Level 6):

    Current Health: 2

    -[] Accompany you, and lend her hoof. (Pick HALF of your own personal actions, rounded DOWN, and Baldomare will accompany you while you perform them, giving narrative advantages or mechanical buffs as needed)
    -[] Act as your emissary. (Pick an EXTRA action from your own pool. Baldomare will perform it to the best of her abilities, ALONE, and report to you later)
    -[] Lead an Expedition. (Select her as the leader of an Expedition in which you will not take part, plan the other details of the expedition accordingly. You will still have to fund the Expedition yourself)
    -[] Ask for a Lesson. (Grants you one scrap of Lore of either Lantern or Secret Histories. Write in which.]
    -[] Channel an Influence. (During this turn, instead of the usual two months, she will gift you the highest order of Influence for either Lantern or Secret Histories. Write in which.]
    -[] "Go have fun". (Give an amount of bits to Baldomare, and she will return with something interesting. She won't bother to do it unless you give her at least 100 bits. You may suggest her what you want, but she will most likely not listen to you.)
    -[] Prolong her stay. (Write in an unread book you would like to give her, level 5 or higher, and she will reset her summoning period counting from the end of this turn) (FREE ACTION)
    -[] Other (WRITE IN, in case you have a viable idea that I have not thought about. Certain ideas might even enter this list if they make sense)

    Selene (MOTH 2; WINTER 2; EDGE 2; KNOCK 2):

    As an alicorn, Selene has TWO actions.

    -[X] Go play. (Selene will live a normal and happy life. This option costs one of her actions, it will always be picked, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.)
    -[] Perhaps it is time to confirm it, that curious inkling she always had. (Teach Selene the final lesson of MOTH)
    -[] There is something that she must learn now… for everypony's sake. (Teach Selene the final lesson of WINTER)
    -[] She cannot shy away anymore. Not from this. (Teach Selene the final lesson of EDGE)
    -[] She learned of the key. She learned of the lock. Now, she must learn about turning. (Teach Selene the final lesson of KNOCK)



    [] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of [SPECIFY LORE] (This is a free action to summon "The Attention of the Laws")



    [] Before this month starts, you will write uncle Steppes! [SPECIFY ACTION]
    (Pick an action and ask if he can help. He may not be able to help, depending on the context, but there is no way of knowing beforehand. Do not pick this option if you don't want to ask his help this month.)     (UNAVAILABLE this turn)



    [] No more running, no more hesitation. If you don't do this, somepony else will, and that thought sometimes terrifies you.
    You must pick a single action. You will suffer a malus if there are no new locations to explore (but reaching a Door will give you a "grace" period of a few turns)
    -[] The Woods
    --[] There has to be somewhere in or around the Woods you have not yet seem. Looking for them will help you understand this place better.

    -[] The Blank Plains
    --[] You see other things, other places, in the more distant hills. Almost as if a light came from them. Head that way and see what you might find.

    -[] The Shattered Stairways
    --[] A labyrinth of stairs. A monument of a gone age. A sprawling ruin. See where the many paths might lead you.



    [] A fleeting opportunity (rumor mills spin, opportunities come and go. These actions will never be available again)
    (NOTE: all actions, as ever, are "attempts". Attempts to scout the cult, attempts to sow dissent, so on. Actions that would have "guaranteed" effects were those taken on the night of the changeling purge.)

    -[] Soft Sweeps. Just Soft Sweeps. The mare disappeared the moment she saw Canterlot in flames. And you know you would have done the same, if you were in her situation, even if you did not have her wings. Be there for her when she returns. She will need it.

    -[] You just made a secret decision that will change your life, and your family is the most important part of your life. You have to talk to your husband. The fact that "Princess Luna" was revealed as an impostor… well, it helps. But you really need to have the talk with Stormchaser.

    -[] You didn't strike while the iron is hot, but the iron isn't exactly cold yet either. Talk to Mayor Mare. You spent a reasonable time with her this last week, even if only in a professional manner, but you should try your best to dissociate yourself from Starry Dancer.

    -[] Not having evidence that can point at you, when it comes to cult activity, is paramount. Steal the originals of your manuscripts, in the Bright Library. The thing is chock-full with your hoof-writing, and it is something you would rather not have there. (Due to the amount of copies the cult has of your manuscripts, it is impossible to "remove" them from the cult's knowledge. This is only an evidence-reducing effort).

    -[] "The Loremaster does not exist," they say. Double down on that. Dissociate Lady Velvet Covers from the image of the elusive Loremaster.

    -[] "Just because the Loremaster doesn't exist, it doesn't mean she isn't real." It will be very hard to bring anypony from the cult with you as long as that phrase is repeated in whispers. Increase your influence over the cult, and try to make "Lady Velvet" a figure, a real figure, that can be followed… wherever you want to guide them.

    -[] You still have no idea what truly happened in the expedition, and Comet Feet is not talking. But he wasn't the only one to go. Try to track the other expedition members, and try to discover more information of what happened.

    -[] You are planning to leave the cult, and cults are usually not friendly to that idea. But safety in numbers is a thing. Spread dissent within the cult. Try to get more ponies to leave, when things really get rough, and scout the terrain for cultists that might be interested in following somepony else. (Less effective the less you know about what happened in the expedition, especially with how you managed to calm the cult and the town down).

    -[] The Hintchasers answer to you, even if they don't know it. Try to make them more "amenable" to changes in the cult. Subtly scout them, and see how much they might value having a guide to the detriment of losing a cult.

    -[] Should you… check in of Fluttershy…? You told her something, last month. And for all that you can't take her to Comet Feet right now, there still is a lot going on in town, to the point that you have no idea how the recluse mare is faring. Maybe you should give her a visit. Perhaps even prepare her in case you ask her for… some help, come next month when Comet Feet "returns".

    -[] Windy Flakes. Every other Inner Circle pony is in jail, in another town, drunk on an Influence or is already your friend. Windy, however, remains an unknown quantity. Or rather, an unknown quantity you CAN do something about right now. (WRITE IN your objectives for this conversation. Scout him to check his stance on leaving the cult? Ask about his project? Just try to become a better friend for later talks? Remember this is ONE talk that happens THIS turn.)



    [] On what must be done (You have no set objective at the moment, save for your own)



    [] On the treasures that bits may buy (actions where you search for things to purchase)
    -[] There are books that could be of use. You should start looking for them.
    --[] In Ponyville, and its… great assortments of libraries? (no extra cost) (HEART, FORGE)
    --[] In the great libraries of Canterlot… the ones that are open to public access, that is (20 bits in transportation) (applies "Royal Favor") (LANTERN, GRAIL, SECRET HISTORIES)
    --[] In the many small bookshops that dot the side streets of Manehattan (35 bits in transportation) (MOTH, EDGE, KNOCK)
    (Due to SECRET HISTORIES 3, now you have a better idea of what you are more likely to find in each city)

    -[] The cult now has an appropriate place to meet, but you could still use a discrete location that is all your own. Scout for a suitable place, or other buildings that might be for sale.

    -[] Although you are personally judicious about such habits, you are still a noble. Searching for "peculiar items" to "add to your collection" is certainly not out of place… right?

    -[] You haven't forgotten about it, you just put it on hold until a more convenient time. (Purchases done here will arrive/be completed at the end of this turn.) (Does NOT cost an action)
    --[] NO ARTIFACTS AVAILABLE



    [] On furthering your influence
    -[] In Ponyville
    --[] You now have a better grasp of the merchants in Ponyville, having had several letters of introduction sent around in your name. But what would you like to do next?
    ---[] Meet a few of them, and ingrain them to your cause. (WRITE IN if you will try to win them as personally loyal to you, or if you will point them in the direction of the cult)
    ---[] They are bit handlers, and that means they are a source of income. "Borrow" a few bits from your family and do a few quick investments. Everything will be back to its place by the end of the month, and you will be a little richer for that. (Attempt to gain a few more bits on the side, using your family's fortune as a lever)
    ---[] They know somepony who knows somepony who knows somepony. Use that to your advantage. (Ask them to search for an artifact. Specift LORE and LEVEL, up to Level 3. It will be added to your available list, but will be more expensive than normal)
    ---[] Something else. WRITE IN.

    --[] Ponyville's local guard is, according to Windy Flakes, slowly slipping into the Cult's pockets. Get a hoof in on that process. It wouldn't hurt anypony there to know they should also listen to you as well.
    --[] A pony needs not to be a faithful of your cult in order to be useful, said pony needs only know what to report to whom, and when to keep one's mouth shut. Ponyville has an underworld, small as it might be, and their eyes and ears could be useful. Attempt to contact them.

    --[] There is a house near the outskirts of town. One which very nearly got burned to the ground. You know its sole owner will not step hoof in it for a long while, but you surely can put it to use, right? Highly suspicious (Your first turn there will be spent "cleaning up" the most alarming things of the house. Further cleaning will surely be needed, but after this first once-over its suspicion level will lower)
    -[] In Manehattan (all options cost 35 bits in transportation)
    --[] Copper Secateur has been ordered to expand the cult into Manehattan. This will not be easy, and you could certainly help her. The fact that you will gain more influence in that branch of the cult as you help her is merely coincidental.
    --[] Manehattan has a guard. Local guard, a constabulatory, police center, whatever they call it. Get to know them, that is always the first step.
    --[] Manehattan most certainly has an underworld. Crime is much easier to commit in a place like that, you see. Go there and see what you make of it.
    -[] In Canterlot
    --[] Reach out to your family, at least the ones you go along well with.
    ---[] Reach out to your mother, as much as it might be… complicated. (costs 20 bits in transportation)
    ---[] Attempt to locate your older brother, Velvet Wings, as much as it might be difficult. (attempt to locate him, at first, via correspondence)
    ---[] Go there yourself and try to talk to your younger brother, Velvet Pride, although getting caught will probably be bad. (costs 20 bits in transportation, involves invading your family's own mansion)
    --[] Reach out to other minor nobles of Canterlot.
    --[] Reach out to other higher nobles of Canterlot, although that might be more complicated.



    [] On aiding the cult
    -[] You are the Loremaster! You are supposed to help your Master teach the faithful in the cult all manners of eldritch knowledge. Get to writing a Manifest on a Lore! [SPECIFY LORE] (Will produce a "book" to be added to the Bright Library, said book will be of the same level as your current level on the chosen Lore)

    -[] Help Comet Feet
    --[] Try to spend some time with it, plain and simply. No other way to get to know him.

    -[] Help Starry Dancer
    --[] Now that you know her a bit better, you can always just spend time with her.

    -[] Help Copper Secateur
    --[] She is gone from Ponyville, and is currently working to further the cult's interests in Manehattan. Reach out to her. (Costs 35 bits in transportation. WRITE IN what you would like to do involving her.)

    -[] Help Windy Flakes
    --[] You realize you don't know very much about him at all. Time to remedy that.
    --[] His business is all set up, and now he has to run it. And do you know who is good at running businesses? That's right, you are.

    -[] Actually, you just want to chat with somepony. (Write in who, if it's an Inner Circle member or if you want to get to know more about the Cult in general. Write in if there is a specific subject to talk about. Talking to ponies outside of Ponyville costs transportation.)



    [] On planning an Expedition.
    -[] "Beneath the Royal Castle"
    --[] Scout out the place so you can have a better grasp of what lies ahead of you. (costs 20 bits in transportation) Scouted via ritual
    --[] You know enough, and there is not much time. Gather your followers and head out. (Write in how many actions you will invest on this. An expedition will start at the end of this turn.)



    [] On furthering your knowledge.
    -[] The matters of [SPECIFY LORE] intrigues you, petition your cult's Master for a lesson (currently willing to teach all Lores up until level 5, gives a single scrap of Lore WITHOUT triggering a test) Your Master is unavailable this turn

    -[] A boon? A gift? A trade? Petition your Master for something. (WRITE IN WHAT. She walks the Wake, so talking to her is now less complicated. She may, however, ask for something in return for a boon. She may also react in an entirely unexpected way). Your Master is unavailable this turn

    -[] There is something about this… thing, and you must learn what it is (pick two artifacts to learn from their Lore, and check it for hidden abilities).
    --[] No artifacts available. (Unless if recently bought)

    -[] It doesn't have to be just during a leisure weekend evening, you can fit a few minutes of reading even when walking between rooms if you really get into it! (Pick up to three books to attempt to learn a scrap of Lore. Consumes books).
    --[] BOOK, HEART Level 1. "A small book that covers a particular kind of elegant dancing".
    --[] BOOK, FORGE Level 1. "A small handbook on camping, explaining the basics of how to build a tent and start a small fire".
    --[] BOOK FORGE Level 3. "A real guide to beginner's level blacksmithing. The bookstore owner almost seemed excited in having this reach your hoofs via your servants."
    --[] BOOK, KNOCK Level 2. "A fairly recent, and short, book about dream interpretation. You know it is recent because it was dedicated to Princess Luna's return".
    --[] BOOK EDGE Level 1. "The title is self-explanatory: 'Four self-defense spells every unicorn should know'. You doubt they are anything more than different variations of concentrated telekinesis."
    --[] BOOK LANTERN Level 6. "An ancient, and enormous, hardcover tome written in an unknown language. You are not even sure what its title is, if it even has one, but the symbol laid on its front was enough for you to understand what it is about. On its cover you can clearly see the icon of a Sun, Divided." (DECIPHERED, will grant +one Lantern Lore if studied, small risk of FASCINATION.)
    --[] Some other book (select a book you have bought this turn)

    -[] This thing is ancient, and its secrets were nearly lost. You will have to first understand it before you can begin to learn from it. (Decoding a book requires dedicated research, your progress being based on a study roll. Reaching at least 50% of the total progress will "reveal" the total amount needed.") No untraslated tomes available



    [] On scaling the Mansus (Pick TWO options for every action spent)
    -[] The Woods
    --[] Wander around the Woods, and hear its many whispers.
    --[] Visit the Dry Well, with its many scents.
    --[] There are other places connected to the Woods, but that are not in the Mansus proper. Look for them.

    -[] The Blank Door
    --[] Explore the Blank Plains, the first afterlife of ponykind.
    --[] Visit the Lodge of the Sage Pony. You may not be able to talk to Baldomare, but you surely can listen very well.
    --[] There are other parts connected to the Blank Plains. Look for them.

    -[] The Shattered Stairways
    --[] There are other markings to be followed within this maddening labyrinth of stairs. Follow them.
    --[] Seek audience with the Wolf-Divided (you will be given a useful gift. Gifts will always be increasingly more precious and useful. There is no risk of receiving any maluses or wounds) [This is a Regrettable Action]
    --[] This… this is the way upwards. (You still need to completely explore ONE more within the Shattered Stairways)



    [] On more personal matters
    -[] Of course you love your family very much, but you could always spend a bit more time with them.
    --[] Just another pleasant day that you will spend with them. Perfect for cooling your head off.
    --[] Alright, this might be a BIT on the cult-y side, but… why not start giving your family subtle hints of Lore here and there? You might catch their attention, or perhaps even their interest. (Stormchaser will surely see this as a major breach of trust)
    --[] WRITE IN (other ways to spend time with your family, or anything else)

    -[] Bits are the engine of Equestria! You have been working your hooves off for years now, so it won't be seen as scandalous if you write a letter to your father requesting an increase in your share of the family's grants… right?

    -[] You do know "your place" in the family, but bits are still important. A letter asking for a one-time gift will surely be better received than one asking for a permanent "raise", right?

    -[] You really shouldn't, but needs must. Every single ledger from the farms east of Ponyville pass through you, it would be a simple matter to have some "administrative mistakes" make some bits disappear from the coffers and appear in your pockets.
    --[] Have a servant do it, having an actual scapegoat is ideal if things go wrong.
    --[] Do it yourself, it's better this way.
    --[] Wait, right, the Wildhoof Club. Get in touch with Windy Flakes, and see how serious he was when he mentioned the whole "laundering bits" thing.

    -[] Go into town and try to meet somepony interesting.

    -[] Sit down and work on a letter. Reach out to nobles who do not live in Canterlot. They, much like yourself, might not be deeply entangled on the webs of politics that surround the capital, but that just means they can also act with more freedom, right?

    -[] Much to your own satisfaction, you now have a personal life outside of your maids, immediate family and business related meetings. You could choose to spend some time with… (SPECIFY if it will be "a social call" or "a step forward to converting said pony". SPECIFY if "you are willing to spend bits on this", for that little extra leverage)
    --[] Teach Rarity yourself, and have her turn into an Disciple
    --[] Teach Jade Whistle yourself, and have her turn into a Seeker Insufficient personal levels
    --[] Twilight Sparkle, who leads the bearers of the Elements of Harmony
    --[] Cheerilee, your daughter's schoolteacher
    --[] Mayor Mare, the de-facto ruler of Ponyville
    --[] Filthy Rich, a well-to-do and wealthy bussinespony
    --[] Fluttershy, the recluse mare who lives on the outskirts of Ponyville
    --[] Applejack, daughter of the Apple Clan and older sister to your daughter's friend
    --[] WRITE IN (arrange to take your daughter to meet some of your younger acquaintances, or plan something else entirely)



    [] On invoking the Lores (see RITUALS for more information, as well as CD and cost. SPECIFY if you will offer SACRIFICE)
    The White Room, and the cult's cupboards:
    -3 live changelings stored in the White Room

    Your own reagents, and other possible sacrifices:
    -All of your Artifacts
    -HEART, level 1 reagent

    -[] 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. Cannot produce a reagent with a Lore level superior to your own.) (Producing a single reagent is a FREE ACTION, producing 3 costs 1 action, 5 costs 2 actions, so on.)
    --[] Level 1 reagent (5 bits)
    --[] Level 2 reagent (20 bits)
    --[] Level 3 reagent (45 bits)

    -[] It's grim work, but needs must.
    --[] Acquire a dead body from the local cemetery.
    --[] Acquire a live pony for the White Room.

    -[] "The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order. God help us all." (Perform a Ritual)
    --[] "The Attention of the Laws" (specify Aspect)
    --[] "The Rite of Childhood's End"
    --[] "The Forge's Redemption"
    --[] "The Incision of the Heart"
    --[] "The Path Through Nightmares" (specify target)
    --[] "The End is Beautiful" (specify target)
    --[] "The calling of Influence" (specify Aspect)
    --[] "The Reflection of the Tapestry" (specify subject)
    --[] Invoke a Risen (SPECIFY dead body used as source. ONE Risen is a FREE ACTION)
    --[] Invoke Baldomare

    --[] To be performed at your cult's gathering place, where it is discreet. But the cult will know of your actions.
    --[] To be performed at your own home, where the cult will not know of your actions, but you probably will be discovered or leave traces of it. (Disallows the use of the cult's Cadre and possessions)
    --[] To be performed on another location (you do not yet know or own any such location)



    [] Others WRITE IN (anything, but I will have to consider it, and it might make the voting period a bit longer)





    A cautionary note. Running around screaming rebellion works as the "spark" that starts the flame. It has no effect if you don't first put fuel next to it. Velvet's first attempts at anything will first be the cautious scouting and prodding, so do NOT see these actions as "Pick this to guarantee all Hintchasers are undyingly loyal to you".

    In fact, considering how little contact you have with the cult at large, a lot of these actions will reveal to you WHAT the cult's current stance and thoughts are, so you can better react and decide from there.

    And again. All letter-writing options, and all options that involve leaving Ponyville, are unavailable this turn. The whole of Equestria is in uproar, and there is little you can do but weather the storm.

    This is a preparatory turn. Make the most out of it.

    Remember that write-ins for anything may be suggested. I'll do my best to answer if they are reasonable in a timely manner.

    There will be at least 48 hours of voting. Kindly observe a     TWELVE HOUR MORATORIUM before voting.
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 1 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    You are Velvet Covers and you are… disgusted.

    Yes, you are disgusted.

    It is a mixture of detestation and nausea. An instinctive repulsion coming from somewhere deep inside of you. A mass of negative feelings that you can feel is slowly growing in your chest. Weighting you down. Creeping deeper into your heart almost as if it is corroding you.

    And of course, this disgust that you are feeling, this spiteful sensation that you have, it is aimed squarely and exclusively… at yourself. It is aimed at yourself, and towards the thing that you have done.

    It is borne of the fact that no matter how you look at it, you can't help but feel that you have betrayed one of your best friends.



    "Velvet, darling, I'm sorry that I'm asking this again. But is everything alright?"



    Rarity asks. Her eyes being unable to hide just how worried she is about you.

    And of course she is worried. After all, she cares for you.

    Because you are her friend, aren't you Velvet?



    "Of course, Rarity. I'm just tired," you answer her. You lie to her.

    And she believes in you.

    Because you have stolen from her the option not to believe in you.

    "Well, you and the Mayor have been running yourselves ragged around town this last week, ever since this whole madness started," she says, turning towards Jade Whistle who is sitting next to her. The silent mare nodding in agreement at what the unicorn just said. "See? Even Jade thinks so!"

    You suppress your urge to sigh, knowing that the best thing you can do right now is the exact opposite. You shouldn't sigh, or grimace, or be honest. No. The best thing you can do right now is just smile and reassure her that you are alright.

    "It's not that bad, Rarity," you say, trying your best to sound confident.

    You say that, and you immediately regret it.

    Because you can see that your words reassure Rarity. You can see the minute shift in her expression, as they soften into something a fraction calmer.

    But that's the thing. You can see all of that, but you don't know anymore if she believes in your words because you are being honest… or because you are making her believe.

    And that makes all the difference to you. That makes the weight in your chest grow a little heavier.

    "Well. You can say that, darling, but I still think you could use some more rest," she says.

    And once again Jade nods in agreement, but she doesn't volunteer anything else as Rarity continues to talk.

    "And far from me to want you to leave, Velvet. Or you, Jade. But I really think you two should get going. It's getting dark outside, and the three of us have already agreed on what we'll try to get done… at least while this whole mess is going on, of course."

    Rarity says that, and in a motion that is almost practiced the three of you stand up and begin to file out from her room.

    It has been a whole week, since this whole thing started. It has been a whole week ever since the sun rose in the middle of the night, and everypony looked towards the horizon to see distant Canterlot engulfed in flames.

    No word has returned from the capital yet. The mail agency remains closed, the train station is still empty, and none of the pegasi that flew away have returned. But that doesn't mean Ponyville has been idly waiting, of course. You have spent every day so far in town, trying to keep things under control together with Mayor Mare.

    And consequently, you, Rarity and Jade have been meeting in Rarity's house. To share information, or try to figure out what you three should do, or just to chat and rest from a long day spent in a town that was almost engulfed by panic.

    But, just like every other day so far, this little reunion has also come to an end. And Rarity follows after you and Jade as the three of you go down to her closed-off boutique, the unicorn mare giving you two a friendly wave of the hoof as you walk out through the front door.

    "Same time tomorrow!" Rarity says, her horn glowing as her magic grabs hold of the doorknob.

    But before she actually closes the door…

    "Although…"

    Before Rarity closes the door with her magic…

    You look back at Rarity, as you force your expression of feinted confidence to stay on your face. Or rather, as you do your best to suppress the expression of bitterness and regret that you so desperately want to reveal.

    But still, you look back at Rarity, as her eyes grow slightly unfocused, her horn still glimmering as she keeps the door open.

    You look back at Rarity, as you practically feel her mind tugging at her memories. Trying to reach for something in particular, but falling short from reaching it due to the chain you have around her mind's foreleg.

    You look back at Rarity, and you prepare yourself to repeat the small ritual you two have been going through almost every day, ever since you forced yourself on her.

    "Although…" she says, and you see her pursing her lips as she tries to remember… something. Something that you know very well what is, mind you, but that you absolutely can't help her remember. "Velvet, darling, I feel like I'm forgetting something… say, weren't we supposed to talk about something else today? Didn't we have something important going on, that we…?"

    "You don't have to worry about it, Rarity," you say.

    And just like all the other times you told her that, you feel the pain inside your chest grow a little stronger as Rarity's expression… simply transforms. As it simply changes from confusion and worry into confidence and agreement.



    "You're right," she says, shaking her head and nodding to herself in agreement. "And besides, it's what they say, isn't it? If it was something important, I wouldn't have forgotten about it."



    You can't bring yourself to join in Rarity's laugh, as she chuckles to herself.

    You just stand there, until she gives you an encouraging wink and closes the door.

    You just…

    You just stand there.

    As you look at her closed door.

    As you sense her perfumed scent making its way back to her room, accompanied by the sweet something else that you put around her. Like a leash around her neck, or the trace of alcohol from a particularly strong drink.

    As you wonder to yourself, for the umpteenth time, if this is really the right thing to do.

    Because the thing you did to Rarity… it's not that it requires constant effort to maintain. It's not like it is something particularly troublesome to do. In fact, doing it wasn't hard at all, it was as simple as giving her a hug or offering her a drink.

    But that's the thing. The thing you did to Rarity, you could undo it with a thought. You could undo it right now, and live with the knowledge that you "only" mind-controlled one of your best friends for a mere seven days, instead of… instead of however long you will have to keep doing this.

    You could end this right now. You just need to think about it. You just need to want it. One mental command, and you can do the right thing.

    Just one second's worth of your concentration, and you can stop being a mons-



    "You are not a bad pony, Velvet Covers."



    Your thoughts burst like a bubble, and it takes you several seconds to realize that you heard those words, and that they weren't a stray thought that somehow appeared inside your head.

    You shake your head. That was Jade's voice you just heard.

    You mentally curse at yourself, for not having realized that Jade is still here. Or rather, for not having realized that she never really left.

    "Beg your pardon, Jade?" you say, turning towards Jade Whistle, doing your best to keep your confident smile on your face.

    Because you are already feeling enough self-loathing over what you are doing to Rarity, so you definitely don't need to add more on that plate by making Jade worry as well.

    With that in mind, you turn to face Jade.

    "I said you are not a bad pony, Velvet Covers," she repeats herself.

    "Whatever you mean by that, Jade?" you say, trying to sound as normal as possible.

    However, that only causes Jade to look at you more and more intently, her usually neutral expression slowly becoming… troubled.

    The knot you have inside your chest grows tighter. You know it's already rare enough for Jade to wear any expression at all. Heavens, making her feel flustered or dragging a laughter out of her is already hard enough. So the fact that you can tell she is troubled is enough to show you that…

    "Velvet Covers… please don't lie to me…" she says, an almost imperceptible tinge of… of hurt coating her words.

    And you immediately understand that she can see right through your fake smile.

    "You… I mean…" you try to say something, anything, but nothing really feels adequate right now.

    You don't feel adequate right now.

    "I'm sorry, Jade…"

    So, in the end, the only thing you manage to say is a pitiful apology, your gaze slowly going downwards as you realize you can't even bear to face her anymore.

    "No, no no no… damnit," the mare says, and you don't even have time to realize that Jade… just had a small (tiny) frustrated outburst? Well, you don't even have time to understand what she just did, before the mare puts her hoofs on your cheeks, and all but forces you to stare at her. "Velvet Covers, please listen to me. I'm not good with words, but… You are not a bad pony, Velvet Covers. You are a good pony."

    She says that, looking deep into your eyes with that rare intense expression of hers, and you…

    You…

    Something inside of you cracks.

    The mask you have been wearing, the wall you have somewhere inside of you, cracks.

    It was the mask you had been wearing all these days, every time you talked to Rarity after you shackled her with your knowledge of Grail. It was the wall you built around your heart, every time you went around Ponyville to help control a disaster you knew would happen all along.

    It was the false bravado you had inside of you, that you would somehow fix everything, that you had been carrying ever since… ever since you saw Twilight, inside that…

    It cracks. The mask, and the wall, and the bravado, they all crack as you look into Jade's eyes.

    And your body practically sags once that happens, as all the exhaustion and confusion and sensation of loss that you have accumulated inside of you comes to the fore all at once. You have the vague impression that your hind has touched the floor, that your hindlegs weakly gave away until you sat down, but you really don't care about that right now.

    "… no I'm not, Jade… I'm not a good pony…" you answer, the words weakly coming out of your mouth without any conscious prompt from you.

    "Yes you are, trust m-"

    "No, I am NOT," you say, not even realizing how forceful you are, or how Jade's eyes go wide at that. "I am NOT a good mare, Jade, no matter what you say. Just look at it! All the decisions I took so far were wrong. No matter what I do or how I do it, things will just keep getting worse!"

    You wave a foreleg in front of your face, pushing away the hoofs that the mare was holding your with.

    "And the worst part is that I don't even know if this would all happen regardless of anything that I did, or if everything is this bad because of me and this is all my fault!"

    You say that, all of that, and you… you don't even know what you are feeling right now.

    You are not angry, but you are not calm either. You feel light-headed, and… and confused. And you feel like you are breathing too quickly, but also that you will faint because you are not breathing quickly enough. You also feel like laughing and crying and pulling at your mane and throughout all of this Jade is looking at you andwhyisn'tsheangryatyouand-!



    "Velvet," she says, taking a few cautious steps towards you.

    Which makes you realize that, at some point, you got back on your hoofs and walked backwards and away from her.

    "I'm really, really sorry," she says, as she once again brings a foreleg towards you.

    Her hoof is hot as it touches your cheek, and for some reason her hoof feels wet. Or is it your cheek that is wet, and she is just drying it with her touch?

    "Because I'm… really bad with words. But you have always been good at understanding, so I hope this evens it out again…" she says, her words feeling strangely familiar, for some reason.

    After she is done with your cheeks, her hoofs go to your shoulders, which makes you realize you are trembling.

    "But I need to tell you that… you are the best mare for the job, Velvet. Nopony else would have been able to do as much as you have. Anypony else who had tried would have done less… and would have committed more mistakes. If it wasn't you, Velvet, it would have been somepony else… maybe me. And things would have been worse."

    You feel yourself trying to inch away from her. You don't want to. You are not trying to. But still, you can feel how your body, your very subconscious, is trying to get away. And it's not that you are trying to get away from this conversation, no. You realize that you just want to get away from all of this. From all the friends you have to lie to, and all the ponies you keep disappointing, and all the horrible things you have to see and do and fail at.

    You feel yourself trying to inch away from her, but you also feel the hoofs Jade has on your shoulders keeping you firmly in place.

    So, since you can't escape from her, you gather your courage to ask the question that slowly built up inside of you as she said all of that.

    "How… how do you know that…?"

    You feel her grip on your shoulder grow tighter. Her face getting so close to yours that your horn would be touching hers if she was a unicorn.

    "I know this… because I trust you. Because I trust you. But not in the sense that you're responsible for me. Not in the sense that… that I want to be another weight for you to carry. I trust you in the sense that I know you want what's best for m-… for everypony. I trust you because I know that if you had to pick between letting me do what I wanted, and making me do what is best for me, you would always pick the latter. I know that because you already did that before."

    You see something flash inside her eyes. And although you don't know if it is a memory, or a glimmer, or a feeling that is going through them, you realize that it is something deeper than anything you have ever seen in Jade Whistle before.

    "You… you saved me, Velvet. And trust me when I say that… that I would always want you to do that again. I would want you to do that again even if I was resisting. Even if you had to use that Grail thing on me as well. A-and… what I mean to say is… what you are doing to Rarity right now is not wrong. You are not using her. You are protecting her from herself. Just like…"

    She purses her lips, not being able to talk any further. Not about that, at least. But you can very easily understand what she left unsaid. You can very easily understand that she means that you are protecting Rarity from herself, just like you did with Jade.

    "So please, trust me when I say that… that everything you have done so far, anything you decide to do going forward, it's the best anypony could have done. It's the best anypony could possibly do. Because you are the one doing it. And nopony else would have gotten this far, if they were in your horseshoes. And… and…"

    Jade Whistle lets go of your shoulders, her own gaze going downwards, as she struggles to say something. Anything. But suddenly realizes how out of her depth she is, and that she has been trying to do something she is absolutely unsuited for.

    She starts to look more and more uncomfortable, as she realizes just how much she is struggling… to do something as simple as trying to cheer you up.

    "You're not a bad mare, Velvet Covers… you are my best friend, and you are just trying your best."

    Not knowing what to say after that, she simply… walks up to you and hugs you.

    And you…

    You…

    You stay like that, for a while.

    Until your face stops feeling so hot, and you stop feeling like you are about to feint, and your chest stops hurting. You stay like that until you remember to put a heavy, slow-moving foreleg around Jade's back. You stay like that until you have the presence of mind to realize that Jade is also trembling, and that in your exasperation you didn't realize just how scared she was during all of that.

    You stay like that, until after the sun sets. And when you let go of her, you feel a little better.

    You don't have the words to thank her, after that. But the smile you give her, and the rare smile she gives you in return, is a more meaningful exchange than anything else you two could possibly share.

    And when you get home, you feel like the weight you have inside of you is lighter than it has ever been in a long, long while. You are not sure if this is just the effect of being able to open up with somepony… or if this is the realization that you don't have to do this all on your own. The realization that you are not on your own, despite how hopeless the situation feels sometimes.

    But whatever it is, you also realize that… that there is a way to make this weight you have inside of you even lighter.

    You will take a few days off from going to Ponyville. There is something you have to take care of in your home, after all.

    There is something you have to talk about with Stormchaser.





    More to follow.
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 2 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    [At the beginning of the turn, you successfully finished healing from ONE wound. Your health is now 2/2]

    [During the last turn, you have bought a FORGE Level 3 book, 30 bits have been deduced from your personal coffers.]

    - - -

    You are Lady Velvet Covers and you are at your home.

    No, that's not right…

    Because sure, you are Lady Velvet Covers. And yes, you are currently at your estate. But that doesn't really convey exactly what you are feeling right now. That doesn't honestly say… what is truly happening, right now.

    No… the situation you are in right now is much more profound than that. In fact, it is much simpler than that, even.

    Because during these last few days, you have seen a lot of things. You have seen a lot of things, and heard a lot of things, and done a lot of things. And thanks to that, you have been reminded about what your current situation really means. About how much your current situation means to you.

    So, you can't just summarize it to that. Not in good conscience. You can't really just say that you are home, right now.

    Not after everything that happened. Not when you know about everything that still might happen.

    So, let's try it again...



    You are Velvet Covers. And right now, you have everything that would ever need with you. All within a hoof's reach.

    Yes... that's better. And you honestly mean it.



    But just to be clear, even though it's obvious. It's not like you aren't normally thankful for your family.

    It's not like you don't know that you love them. Or even that you don't act like you don't love them. Quite on the contrary, you try your best to cherish them every day. You even sometimes dread the day Silky enters her "adolescent" phase, since you know she will slowly put a bit more distance between you and her as she grows up. It's part of life, after all, and you know that.

    But still, even though you know that you love your family… even though you know precisely what really, truly and deeply matters to you…

    It is still a bit harrowing, to be reminded of how easy it would be for you to lose one of those things.

    So, right now, you are deeply thankful for them. Even though you already love them, you are still deeply thankful that you have them. Your husband. Your daughters. All the points of happiness, both big and small, that dot your life, regardless of how much sadness might accompany it.

    You are thankful.

    You are especially thankful for it because... because this whole mess has shown you just how many ponies lost this, their own equivalent of the happiness that you have.



    "I still can't believe it… the news we are getting from Canterlot," your husband says.

    And you nod. You can't really think of any other way to answer him.



    News began to trickle down from Canterlot, these last few days. The news have been arriving through the pegasi that flew to the capital, as they return from helping with the disaster. Even though none of them could tell anypony about the full picture, with bits and pieces of personal accounts and gossips being slowly pieced together from what the pegasi knew... or were willing to talk about.

    But still, the story that the ponies of Ponyville have been able to gather so far is one about the Capital being on fire. About the Capital being in flames, and of Princess Luna having been revealed as an imposter, and of monsters having attacked the city, and of… and of dead ponies.

    So many dead ponies.

    Details are still sparse, and none of the pegasi had anything to say about Princess Celestia, except that she was alive and in charge of things. But still, no news of a royal decree, or of royal news, or of anything from her mouth is forthcoming.

    So, here in Ponyville there is nothing anypony can do but wait. You have already done more than enough, and your efforts to calm the town down were all but solidified when the fragmented news of the pegasi began to arrive. But now everypony understands that there is nothing to do but wait. Wait for news, or wait for change, or wait for a message of where help is needed the most. Everypony understands that, right now, the best thing to do is stay put, and keep close to your loved ones in case any of the monsters return.

    And that is what you and Stormchaser are doing. Sitting on the balcony connected to your room. Looking down at the empty farmlands while huddled up to each other, the two of you drinking wine and just… being here, together.

    "It still seems so surreal…" he says, his hoof holding on to yours just a little tighter, "it's like I don't even know if I believe it yet. Even though we saw the sun rise in the middle of that night… even though we could see Canterlot on fire, all the way from here. Even though the ponies that came back from Canterlot all said that..."

    His voice trails off, and you just nod at what he said. Or at least you nod as much as you can, without taking your cheek away from where it is resting against his shoulder.

    Because he is right. This whole thing really seems… surreal.

    Looking down at the empty farmlands feels surreal. Especially given how the fields are usually full of farmhoofs and being tended all year round.

    Knowing that your estate is completely empty of servants is surreal. Especially given how the whole place is a hive of activity almost every day.

    Realizing how much other ponies lost… from the time you spent in Ponyville, consoling families and calming down the community… from the news you got of the pegasi that went to Canterlot… Realizing how much other ponies lost, and how quickly they lost it…

    Realizing how easily you could lose the ones you love...

    It really is surreal.

    "Yes, Stormy… I agree…" you say, slowly, inching just a little closer to him, burying yourself just a little deeper on the fur of his coat. "To be honest… I'm just glad you weren't away, at work, when this all happened… I really don't know how I would have handled it, if you weren't here…"

    You feel him put one of his wings around you, embracing you in a feathery half-hug. And you feel, rather than hear, how he agrees with you.

    "Yeah… thank Equestria for that," he says, taking another short sip of the glass of wine he is holding on his other hoof. "It feels like the world is going mad, but… well… I'm just glad I'm here with you…"

    The two of you stay like that for a good while, looking down at the farmlands.

    And you slowly work your way through the bottles of wine you have nearby.

    And your eyes follow the distant shapes of your daughters, and their pegasus friend, as they play through the empty fields.

    And with the serene calmness that only a couple that truly love each other has, the two of you slowly talk about several things.



    "So," he says at some point, during that short yet endless afternoon the two of you share, "can you explain me about our Selene? I knew she was special from the moment I saw her. But what really happened, after all?"



    The two of you talk about many things. But the most important thing, that you said to each other without words, is that he will always be there for you, and you will always be there for him.





    [VOTING OPTIONS]

    -Regardless of what you vote for, Stormchaser will understand and accept that Selene is Princess Luna.

    -Regardless of what you vote for, your close family will no longer be "suspicious" of you (the mechanical effects of the initial "Family" malus, which is not tracked on your character sheet, has been nullified).

    -In practical terms, none of your actions will elicit suspicion from Stormchaser. You have told him enough, and he has accepted enough. However, your family's core values remain. So while you no longer need to fear doing suspicious actions, they will still react accordingly if they learn you are engaging in explicitly dangerous/illegal activities. (Such as practicing, or being the victim of, murder).

    -Your "Attention of the Laws: Grail" has been consumed.



    -Due to several factors, you have TWO "Convincing Points" to spend. The options work as follows:

    --You must pick what "TRUTHS" you will reveal to Stormchaser. These truths will alter your current "The Lies We Tell" aimed towards him. The more truths you tell him, the less things you will have to worry about hiding from him in the future. And the less of a guilty conscience Velvet Covers will have.

    --However, if you pick a "TRUTH" you must also vote to what truths you will "CONVINCE" Stormchaser to accept. Telling a truth, but NOT convincing Stormchaser to accept it, will result in the negative effect of that truth into coming to fruition.

    --None of the negative effects are game-ending. And if you choose NOT to reveal something now, Velvet Covers will commit to keeping it a secret, and Stormchaser will react much worse if he eventually finds out about it in the future (keeping a secret from him after this is kind of a low blow, y'know).

    --This is your moment of truth. Act accordingly.



    [TRUTHS]

    (Pick as many as you want)

    -[] (TRUTH-LUNA) You will reveal to Stormchaser that the Cult, thanks to your effort, was the entity that attacked Princess Luna and, ultimately, caused her to disappear.

    -[] (TRUTH-LORES) You will fully explain Stormchaser about the Lores. To the point that he understands what you are currently capable of, and how that is changing you.

    -[] (TRUTH-WORMS) You will fully explain to Stormchaser how much the world is in danger. Telling him about the Lores might allow him to understand the Mansus. But telling him about the Worms will help him understand what is outside the Mansus.

    -[] (TRUTH-CULT) You will tell Stormchaser about everything the Cult has done. About everything else, that didn't involve Princess Luna, that you helped the Cult do.

    -[] (TRUTH-COMPROMISE) You will tell Stormchaser about everything the Cult has done, and you will ALSO explain to him that… even though you will cut yourself off form the Cult, you will still do whatever it takes to protect the world. And that you might end up doing something bad, someday. (You may only pick this if you ALSO pick "TRUTH-CULT")



    [CONVINCEMENT]

    (You may ONLY pick a convincement option if you have picked its equivalent "TRUTH" option. And you only have TWO convincement points).

    (Picking a "TRUTH" option, and not having enough points to pick its equivalent "CONVINCEMENT" option, will cause the "negative effect" to ensue.)



    -[] (CONVINCEMENT-LUNA) You don't need to convince Stormchaser that what you are doing with Selene is with her best interest in mind. You two love her, after all. But you will be able to convince Stormchaser that what you are doing will work.

    (Negative effect: If you tell him the truth about what you helped the Cult do to Luna, but fail to convince him of your innocence, then Stormchaser will not approve of your method of healing Selene.)



    -[] (CONVINCEMENT-LORES) You will also be able to convince Stormchaser that the Lores are not something to be feared. (Stormchaser will lift his embargo of Lore-related activities directed at your family)

    (Negative effect: If you tell him the truth about the Lores, but fail to convince him that they are… technically harmless, then Stormchaser will maintain his embargo towards using the Lores with your family.)



    -[] (CONVINCEMENT-WORMS) You will also be able to convince Stormchaser that… you all better stick together. The world is going mad, and everything can change at the drop of a hat, so you all better stay close to what really matters. (Stormchaser will stop working away from home)

    (Negative effect: If you tell him the truth about the Worms, but fail to properly relay how important it is that you all be within reach of each other, then Stormchaser will continue working away from home, and you will continue to have trouble protecting him when he is not nearby.)



    -[] (CONVINCEMENT-CULT) You will also be able to convince Stormchaser that, even though the Cult is to be avoided, it is best that you deal with all of this your way. (Stormchaser will follow your lead when it comes to dealing with the Cult)

    (Negative effect: If you tell him the truth about what the Cult did, and will do, but fail to convince him to follow your lead, then Stormchaser will reach out to detective Dull Glass, and will tell him as much as he can WITHOUT compromising you.) (Read: TRIGGER EVENT clock will tick much faster, but Stormchaser will NOT say something that will put you in trouble)



    -[] (CONVINCEMENT-COMPROMISE) You will also be able to convince Stormchaser that… well… He will always choose you, over anything else. So you can trust him, even if you need to hide a body. (May only be picked if you also pick "CONVINCEMENT-CULT". In order to pick this, you will effectively have to invest your two convincement points on this course of action)

    (Negative effect: If you tell him the truth about what you are willing to do in the future, but fail to convince him that you will only do so if absolutely necessary, then Stormchaser will retain his personal values, and will openly oppose you if you ever cross a line.)





    Six hours moratorium. Vote in plans.

    If it is not clear enough: Make a single plan, that encompasses both what "TRUTHS" and what "CONVINCEMENTS" you will pick.

    Basically, you can pick two truths, completely convince him about everything you are telling him, and secretly continue to keep secrets.

    Or, you can tell him all the truths, only be able to convince him about two things and completely clear your conscience and erase your "The Lies We Tell" towards him.

    Regardless, this is it.



    "But Bird, what about Twilight?"

    Twilight's situation is its own problem. And it is something you hope to cleanly and quietly resolve on the side. If you choose to tell Stormchaser about "the things the Cult has done", Twilight will be implicitly included in that mess. But you will NOT go out of your way to talk about that in detail, and it is NOT something you should worry about for this vote.
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 3 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    [X] Plan Veritas
    -[X] (TRUTH-LUNA)
    -[X] (TRUTH-LORES)
    -[X] (TRUTH-WORMS)
    -[X] (TRUTH-CULT)
    -[X] (TRUTH-COMPROMISE)
    -[X] (CONVINCEMENT-LORES)
    -[X] (CONVINCEMENT-CULT)

    - - -

    Over the course of several days, you had a very long conversation with Stormchaser.

    To tell the truth… it wasn't easy. And you realized that it wasn't easy because of you.

    Dragging back all of those memories.

    Realizing that you were hiding so much for such a long time.

    Downright admitting how lonely and scared you felt at the beginning of your marriage, to the point that you had to reach out to the Cult to try and find a little more meaning to your life.

    Because you joined the Cult even before the two of you had Silky, and the decision to have a daughter was really the point that the two of you decided that you really knew, and loved, each other. So really, how much of that was possible because you were able to use the Cult as a crutch. How much did the Cult, and your secrets, help you, during that low point of your life?



    "It was nopony's fault, Velvet. You can't blame yourself for how you felt, not after everything you went through. And as much as I wish I could, I can't blame myself either, for being an idiot-"
    "You weren't an idiot, Stormy."
    "-for being a     huge idiot that thought I had to work so much to be somepony. Because really. The only thing I knew was that I had to marry you, and it's not like any of us had a say in that. But apart from that, I was basically a stupid stallion who was heads over heels for you. And you, well… Bottom line is, sweetheart, we can't judge the hearts we had yesterday with the heads we have today. We were too young, back then, for all of that mess…"
    "Yeah… I guess… If anything, the only one we can really blame is father… After all, it was a forced marriage…"
    "Yeah… Although, we might not have met if it wasn't for that. So… rainbows from stormclouds?"
    "Pff, you and your pegasus phrases. That stuff is rubbing off on Silky, you know? But I guess… Rainbows from stormclouds… I'm still sorry I kept all of this hidden for so long, though."
    "And I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide it, sweetheart. But I don't love you any less just because you did."



    But in the end, you think that you and Stormchaser really came out of that conversation better. You two know each other a lot more, now. You two realize that neither of you are perfect.

    And most importantly, both of you still agree that you were made for each other.

    So, if this whole mess that you two call "life" was the price you two had to pay to meet each other, then so be it. And you can confidently say that you would do all of that again, should you wake up tomorrow and find out that you had gone back to being a filly, if it meant that you would eventually find him.



    - - -



    Your relationship with Stormchaser has changed irrevocably.

    But thankfully, you think it changed for the better.



    RELEVANT CHANGES:
    (Refer to this post for a recap of what your options were)



    TRUTH-LUNA

    You have told Stormchaser about the Cult's involvement in how Princess Luna was harmed (as well as your own actions that enabled the cult to do so), as well as your further actions that eventually led you to finding and adopting Selene.

    However, you failed to convince Stormchaser that using a further ritual to "wake Selene up" is the best way forward. To put it simply, he doesn't think it is worth the risk. Or rather, he is not willing to risk Selene. His current stance is that it is not bad to teach her Lores, but that you should wait for her to grow up naturally, if nothing else.

    Results:
    -Stormchaser is determinedly against performing any "Awakening Ritual" on Selene. And you are not sure what it would take to convince him otherwise, if that's even possible. A Lore Ritual is what hurt his daughter on the first time, so he will not allow it to happen a second time.



    TRUTH-LORES
    CONVINCEMENT-LORES

    You have told Stormchaser about your abilities. He is now less worried about your health and safety, even though the things you told him were… a lot to take in.

    But still, in the end, the only thing he ever wanted was for you to be alright. You would never be able to convince him that you are alright because the Lores were safe. Instead, you convinced him that the lores are safe because you are alright.

    Furthermore, you were also able to convince him that teaching the Lores to him might be positive, or maybe even necessary, and that your daughters could gain to learn a thing or two from that. Consequently, he has changed his opinion about using the Lores to/with your family.

    Results:
    -You no longer have to keep the Lores a "secret" from your family.
    -Performing rituals at your home is now acceptable, and no longer suspicious.
    -Affecting your family with the Lores now is acceptable, and no longer suspicious.
    -Having unsubtle Summoned Creatures interact with your family is now acceptable, and no longer suspicious, to a certain degree (showing a Risen to your daughters is still unacceptable. That would give them nightmares!)
    -Stormchaser's Lore affinities revealed to be Major SECRET HISTORIES and Minor KNOCK. He is currently an "Enlightened", with Lore levels 0/NONE.
    -Maid and staff suspicion still applies, but will be much less likely to occur since your family is now in cahoots with you.



    TRUTH-WORMS

    You have told Stormchasers about the Worms. But in the end, what can you do?

    However, you were unfortunately unable to convince him to stop working. Consequently, he will continue to work and, every now and then, he will be physically away from you.

    Results:
    -Since you are about to become an enemy of the cult, Stormchaser's distance to you will now be tracked. He will alternate between being "at home" and "away" each turn.
    -This turn, Stormchaser is AT HOME. Next turn, he will be AWAY. You will be unable to directly protect him while he is "away", unless you order a Summon or Confidante/Minion to follow/bodyguard him.



    TRUTH-CULT
    CONVINCEMENT-CULT

    You have told Stormchaser about everything the Cult did, and what they are able to do. He is now aware about their abilities, and will be able to act accordingly.

    Furthermore, you were able to convince him about how dangerous the Cult is. And even though he believes the Cult took advantage of you over the years, you were able to convince him that you still know better, and that your way to deal with the Cult is the best way.

    Results:
    -Stormchaser will be more cautious about his safety, especially when he is "away". There will be a lesser chance that the Cult will be able to sway or affect him. But being more alert about something doesn't mean he will be less at risk, only that he will be able to recognize dangers more easily.
    -Combination bonus! Since you have chosen "Convincement: Lores" and "Convincement: Cult", Stormchaser will be much more likely to recognize and resist Lore-based attacks, if the Cult ever attempts any against him.



    TRUTH-COMPROMISE

    You told Stormchaser that you think you are willing to cross a line, if you really need to.

    However, you have failed to convince him to side with you, if that ever comes to pass.

    Or rather, he will always side with "you", but he will stand by the Velvet he "knows would never do something like that".

    Results:
    -Stormchaser is aware that you are considering doing dubious things, if needed. But he will still retain his morals, and possibly oppose you, if he ever learns that you will truly try something that is clearly wrong.



    - - -



    From here on, you will be able to "Teach your Family about the Lores".

    An analysis about how teaching the Lores might affect Silky will be done when/if you start teaching your family about it.

    The prerequisite to picking that action will be a certain Lore threshold. However, your Lore levels are high enough that you can easily do it for the first time, and further explanations will be revealed when/if you do it.

    Overall combination bonus! Because you told Stormchasers all possible "truths", you are no longer hiding anything from him. Your previous "The Lies We Tell" have been scrubbed clean, and substituted with "The Truths We Told" to track his new opinions on relevant matters.





    Character sheets to be updated soon.

    The following tracker is no longer in effect:
    Stormchaser has explicitly told you not to involve him or Silky Stream in anything occult related.

    You HAVE told Stormchaser about the following:

    -That Selene is Princess Luna, and that due to a great tragedy that befell her she cannot currently bear the weight of her memories

    -That you have been part of a… "group" for several years now, and hid that from him

    -That said group is led by a learned and powerful master, whom you can't exactly fully trust

    -That you have been studying about certain "unusual" magics, to which your recent breakdowns or changes in behavior can be traced back to

    -That the Worms, or some great threat to Equestria, exists



    You have NOT told Stormchaser about the following:

    -The more unsettling details about your Master's nature, or at least what little you have interacted with them (your husband does not know that your Master is... well, he thinks they are a regular pony)

    -The murders you believe your cult has committed

    -The cult's actions about Princess Luna's ritual and eventual disappearance

    -Details about the cult itself, and details about the Lores.
    And has been substituted by the following:
    There are currently no secrets between you and Stormchaser.

    You have also noted the following things, about what he thinks and where he stands:

    -He is determinedly against performing any "Awakening Ritual" on Selene. And you are not sure what it would take to convince him otherwise, if that's even possible. A Lore Ritual is what hurt his daughter on the first time, so he will not allow it to happen a second time.

    -He no longer minds that you expose himself or your family to the Lores. He trusts you to do it responsibly.

    -He knows about the Cult, and will be wary against its dangers. And the more he learns about the Lores the more he will be able to recognize it and defend himself against any Cult actions against him.

    -He is aware that you are considering doing dubious things, if needed. But he will still retain his morals, and possibly oppose you, if he ever learns that you will truly try something that is clearly wrong.

    Allowing Stormchaser to be hurt is, naturally, still a very quick way to reach a Game Over.
     
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    • Sheep, Coin, Daughter New
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    • You are Soft Sweeps-

    "Good night sis."
    "Sleep tight Silky."

    -and for you, another day has just come to a close.

    You watch as Silky Stream settles on her bed for a few more moments, pulling at the sheets that are covering her here and there as she makes herself more comfortable. But soon enough she closes her eyes, and her tired expression slowly softens into the face of a sleeping filly.

    With that done you look around her room one last time, mostly out of habit, to make sure that everything is in order. You check to see if the windows are properly closed, if all the drawers are shut, and if there isn't anything on the floor that could turn into a tripping hazard should Silky decide to wake up in the middle of the night, for a glass of water or something like that.

    Satisfied that nothing is amiss, you finally nod to yourself as you turn towards her one last time.

    "See you tomorrow," you whisper to her.

    And you have a fond smile on your face, as you say that.

    But still, you realize you should also get going. So, a few moments later, you pick up the lantern you had placed on her bedstand and silently sneak out of her room.

    The door gives a soft click as you close it behind you, and you find yourself on the main corridor of the second floor. All the doors connected to the corridor are closed, which makes sense given it is night, but that still makes the place look darker, and maybe just a little bit claustrophobic. There are no windows in sight for the faint moonlight to shine in, or for a pegasus like you to be able to fly out from, and no light save for the one you are carrying.

    But still, having worked in this house for several years now, you are already used to this sight.

    "Alright, so…" you say to yourself, mumbling through the handle of the lantern you are holding with your mouth. "Silky's asleep, Scootaloo is staying in Selene's room these last few days… they all brushed their teeth and…"

    As always, you try your best to make sure you aren't forgetting anything, trying to tease out of your memory that one little detail you might have overlooked today. The fact that nothing comes to mind doesn't put you at ease, of course, since that only means you will remember it when you return tomorrow morning. Or worse, when somepony else points it out.

    But still, nothing really comes to mind, and you really think you are done for the day as you walk down the central stairways and make your way through the main hall towards the backrooms and the servant's quarters.

    And you only stop worrying when you reach the door to the room where you usually get changed and keep your uniform, as you realize you can see candlelight coming from behind the half-open door.

    "Huh?"

    You tilt your head at that. You are pretty sure you are the only maid here right now, for several reasons, but you also know nopony would be insane to leave a candle unattended. So why the hay is there light in here?

    Your questions are answered, and replaced with new and different ones, as you push the door open and peek into the servant's room.

    "Ah, there you are Soft. And about time you got ready to leave. I was beginning to worry young Silky had convinced you to stay the night, or something like that."

    You are immediately greeted by Ponpon, who is sitting next to an uncovered candle and reading from a book. She is not in her uniform, and you can see the saddle bag she usually carries to and from work is on the ground next to her chair.

    And you, of course, have no idea why she is here. For all that she is acting as if her being here is the most natural thing in the world, you can't help but mutely stare at her for a few more seconds.

    "Soft? Is anything the matter?" she asks, waving a hoof in front of your face after she finished putting away her book.

    "Uhm… I don't think so? But wait, I'm the one who should be asking that," you say, and the only reason you don't shake your head is because you are still holding the lantern. "What are you doing here, Ponpon?"

    "Waiting for you, of course."

    "Waiting for me? Why?" you ask, honestly confused.

    And you swear that you see Ponpon roll her eyes at that.

    "You do realize that there was a reason why Lady Velvet dismissed all the servants three days ago, right? You know, with all the things that's been happening in Ponyville and all?" You can almost feel the head maid's eyes on you as she says that, while you are folding your uniform and putting it in your locker.

    "Well, yeah. Of course I do, Ponpon. But well, I'm not the only maid who has still been coming to work. I mean, you are still coming. And so is the chef, thank Celestia for that, as well as some other ponies an-"

    "And yet," she interrupts you, her tone suddenly admonishing "you are the only one who's lacking the common sense to leave work before evening! Honestly, Soft, a cartload of ponies disappeared just three days ago."

    She says all of that, and you can't help but curl up slightly in shame as you realize that, well, she is right.

    Because just like she said, dozens of ponies did disappear in the dead of night less than a week ago. And nopony knows yet how, or why, or even who or what did it. And also, just like she said, you have indeed been… careless, about this whole thing.

    You feel a little bit embarrassed by the fact that, well… that not thinking about all of this is, apparently, the way you have decided to cope with all these scary uncertainties that have been floating around recently.

    And you feel even more ashamed as you realize that the fact that Ponpon is here means that she was literally waiting for you, so you two could go back home together.

    Which means, in turn, that she is apparently taking better care of you than you are of yourself.

    "I… can see what you mean," you say, rather meekly, as you finish putting away your uniform and close your locker.

    And as you turn around to face Ponpon once again, you can see that her expression is not angry or disappointed. She doesn't even look disapproving. The only thing you can see in her eyes is that she is honestly worried about you. And somehow, that makes you feel even worse.

    "Look, Soft Sweeps. I know you like your job, and I know you care about the fillies, but you still have to take care of yourself. I mean, what would your family do if something happened to you? And I mean your real family. The ones you have back in Canterlot, and that you mail every last bit that lands on your hoofs every payday?"

    Your eyes go down to the floor as she says that. You… you don't really have an answer for that.

    "And I don't ask that just in the financial sense, Soft. Your family loves you. They would still love you even if you hadn't worked coat off ever since you got your cutie mark. They still love you even though you decided to move to another town for a better paying job. And I won't even get into the merits that you went for a better paying job so you could help them more," she says, walking towards you and putting a hoof on your shoulder. "What I mean to say is… you really need to take care of yourself as well. There are lots of ponies out there who worry about you."

    You purse your lips as you realize that Ponpon is clearly saying that she is also worried about you.

    But before you can say anything, the older mare lets out a sigh, and you look up just in time to see her giving you a smile as she turns around to collect her saddle-bag.

    "Now, that's enough downers for one conversation. And by Equestria, we already have enough things to worry about as it is, so no need for us to put any more weight on our backs. So come on, Soft, let's get back to my place. Just promise me you won't be staying late like this until the guards say that things have gone back to normal."

    A small, slightly embarrassed smile makes its way back to your lips, and you nod at the older mare as you follow her out of the servant's quarters.

    And together, the two of you make the long trek back to her home, on the edge of Ponyville.



    - - -



    You don't really remember how this started, exactly. You don't remember what Ponpon did to convince you to stay at her home, after you moved to Ponyville.

    You recall that you had accepted the transfer to the Ponyville Velvet Estate for the pay rise, obviously. And considering how you were told you would have a position as the family's nanny, you had basically planned to live on the estate. Especially given how you would be able to save on rent if you did that, after all. But still… you are pretty sure that you were sleeping at Ponpon's house less than two months after you arrived in Ponyville.

    How did she do that anyway? What did she say to convince you? Did she leverage her position as head maid to convince you through "advices" that living you in the estate would make you look bad for… whatever made up reason? Did she trick you into accompanying her into some "errant" in the town, only to have you stay in her home when it became late? Did she just invite you, and you didn't know how to deny her without worrying that you would sound rude?

    You don't remember.

    However… you did realize, even if it took you a while, the reason of why she did that.

    In hindsight, it really is obvious. You were a young mare, even younger back then, who came alone from the Capital to work in a place she had never been before. And knowing how close Ponpon is to Lady Velvet, she certainly had access to the pieces of information that weren't written on your file. So she certainly knew about your history, and she absolutely knew about your family's situation.

    Which made you realize, eventually, that Ponpon was really… just looking out for you. All this time, throughout all these years, she has been helping you.

    So, the thing she told you last night, that you really should take care of yourself more, really stuck with you.

    Because sure, you love your family, and everything you have been doing all this time has been for them.

    But none of this will have any meaning if something happens to you. None of this would have any meaning… if for some reason you weren't able to see your family ever again.

    So, you promise to pay more attention to that! No more staying late at work while ponies are disappearing, or there are creepy things going bump in the night. You are sure Silky will understand. And for all that you care for her like a little sister, you also have your other brothers and sisters waiting for you back in Canterlot.

    Speaking of which, it has been quite a while since you last visited them. Maybe you should use some of your vacation time and go to Canterlot? The train ticket isn't that expensive, and you d-…



    "…"



    Your thoughts fade like a thin cloud on a sunny day, as you…

    As something…

    As a ray of sunlight shine on your eye?

    You roll on your bed, dazed and confused. You are pretty sure… you are pretty sure you haven't slept yet. You are pretty sure you haven't slept at all.

    "Wha… what…?" you hear your own exhausted mumbling as you open your eyes.

    Only to see that the sun has already risen, making the closed curtains of your window glow a bright yellow on the edges.

    Still, this… this doesn't make any sense. You are tired… you are exhausted, and you swear on Celestia's name that you do not feel like you just slept a full night's sleep.

    But more importantly…!

    "Wait… wait. Wait! I'm late for work!" you say. And your mind, still tired from yesterday as it may be, immediately gears into awareness as you realize that you are tardy.

    Under normal circumstances you are supposed to be on the estate when the sun rises, so you will be there when the fillies wake up. And in fact, most of the days you even get there earlier than that, waking up together with Ponpon and heading to the estate with her.

    But regardless. Still being on your bed? When the sun is already up and shining?! Unacceptable! Lady Velvet might even dock your pay for today. Or she might even fire you!

    With your thoughts at full speed, you stumble your way out of your bed. Trying to think if you should go downstairs to eat something in record time, or if you should just fly out through the window and pray you don't screw up anything even more than you already have.

    "Oh no… no, no, no no no no NO! This is SO bad... Thank Equestria the school is closed for now, but what if I missed breakfast?! Then Mrs. Velvet will certainly realize I wasn't there and-!"

    You continue stammering to yourself, frozen in indecision about what to do as your mind continues to make up worse and worse things that could happen.

    That is, until…

    "Wait… what?"

    Until your eyes go over the small clock that is hanging on the wall.

    And you realize that… Well, you know for a fact that you would be physically incapable of sleeping for that long. So, since you are absolutely sure the clock isn't telling you that it is one in the afternoon…

    Then, right now, it is one in the morning.

    "But…" you look at the clock, confusion clear at your face. Then you look at your bed, as if you could somehow tell how long you had slept by how messy your bedsheets are. "But the light… the sun is up already, and…"

    Then you look towards the window. And sure enough, unless you are hallucinating or having a very real dream, you can see that it is already day. Even though the curtains are closed.

    "Why the hay is the sun already up?" you ask yourself out loud, as you go towards the window and grab one of the curtains with a hoof.

    And you have to squint as you pull the curtains open, the glaring light of the sun shining into your room as you look out to a… perfectly normal Ponyville.



    "Soft… Soft! Soft Sweeps, come here!"



    But you don't even have time to wonder what is going on, as you hear Ponpon's panicked voice coming from her room. Your confused thoughts turning into fear as you realize that this situation isn't just strange, but also wrong. As you remember that… that dozens of ponies just disappeared, just a few days ago, and that everypony is on edge, as if waiting for the next horseshoe to drop.

    And waking up in the middle of the night to see the sun at its peak is definitely not something normal. Much less something encouraging, no matter how much you know that only Princess Celestia could have done something like this.

    "Ponpon, what is going on?" you say, your own voice going up a few notches as you barge into her room. Seeing that Ponpon is safe makes you feel a bit relieved, of course, but that little relief is immediately overshadowed by what you see in her expression.

    "I… It's… I don't know, Soft, but…!" she says, the older mare stammers, as she tries and fails to say something.

    You have never seen Ponpon stammer before. You have never seen her lose her composure any more than she had to, and only when she had to "look" angry while performing her duties as head maid. And even then, you really think she was just faking those bursts of anger, to keep you younger maids in line.

    But still, right now the only thing you can really understand from Ponpon is that she is pointing at her window, with a trembling hoof.

    "But…!" she tries once again, and fails, to say something.

    So, with uncertain steps, you make your way towards her, and you look out through her window.

    You look down, seeing that Ponyville is… perfectly normal. Just like the view you saw out through your window, you don't see anything out of the ordinary, except for the fact that you can see everything due to the unexplainable midday sun.

    Then you look up, and sure enough you can see the sun. But that's it. No sign of the moon, no eclipse, no clouds that haven't been put there by pegasi hoofs.

    And then you look… at the space between Ponyville and the sun. You look at the horizon, towards the distant mountain where Canterlot is perched. You look towards the place where you were born, and the city where you lived most of your life.

    You look at the distant shape of Canterlot, and you realize it is burning.



    Your panic, the immediate wave of horror that takes over you, keeps you frozen for a full second. It keeps you frozen long enough only for you let out a single, strangled scream of terror.

    And on the next second, you fly out through the window, making your way as fast as your wings can take you towards the distant column of smoke that is slowly building up on the horizon.



    - - -



    It is common knowledge that pegasi are faster than trains.

    Railroads crisscross most of Equestria, to the point that almost every last city is can be reached by train. Sure, the train system is not perfect, and there are plenty of small communities in Equestria that are as far as a few days on hoof from the nearest train station. But still, the locomotive solution is quite expansive, and is an answer to most of the transportation problems of ponykind.

    However, the fact remains that the ponies who are most benefited by trains are the earth ponies and the unicorns.

    Because if a pegasus really feels like it, he can fly anywhere he wants.

    It is tiring, sure, and it's not like a pegasus can cross the whole country at a whim. But still, the truth of the matter is that pegasi fly thanks to magic. They express their magic through their wings, just like unicorns express it with their horns and earth ponies with their legs and hoofs. So, a pegasus really can fly a lot faster than the size of his wings lets on, and also for much longer than their physical condition would normally suggest.

    And right now, that is exactly what you are doing.

    You are exhausted. You are tired, and you are confused, and you are terrified of what is going on. But still, you are flying towards Canterlot.

    You have never gone to a fancy school, and you only heard in passing how physical tiredness relates to magical energy. But you don't really care about that, right now. All that you care is that you can still feel your magic inside of you, and that you are pushing every last ounce of it into your wings and your feathers as you all but propel yourself towards the distant shape of Canterlot.

    You have never really done this before. All the times you went to and from Canterlot you did it by train. And that worries you. But not because you don't think you can make the trip. Quite on the contrary, actually, you know you can do it. You know, from a whole life of hard work and effort, how far you can push yourself, and how much you can force yourself to keep going even after that.

    But still, you are worried over the fact that you have never done this before, because… you don't know how long it will take you to get there.

    Because no matter how fast you flap your wings, or how much effort you put into corralling the winds around your feathers, Canterlot just doesn't seem to be getting any closer. And yet, every minute that passes, every second that you spend racing through this bright midnight, the city only seems to burn more intensely.



    You lose track of time. And even though it hurts your eyes, you can't look away from the city, as it becomes larger and larger in a pace that is agonizingly slow.



    - - -



    When you finally reached Canterlot, your wings hurting almost to the point of cramping and your breath so labored that you almost thought you would pass out as soon as you landed, you didn't know what to expect.

    Of course you didn't know what to expect. You flew to Canterlot exactly because you didn't know what was happening in the first place. Because all that you could see was that the city was on fire.

    So, again, you didn't know what to expect.

    But you certainly weren't prepared for what was waiting for you.

    Canterlot was screaming. The city where you were born in was screaming, and the sound was deafening. It was horrifying.

    To the point that… you are not sure you will ever forget them, the sounds that Canterlot was making when you finally set hoof on it.

    Because there were so many of them.

    There were so many of them, and yet… and yet, none of them really drowned out any of the others.

    Canterlot's throes were not a cacophony.



    No. They were a cruel symphony. And they all complemented each other, each in their own terrible way.



    You heard the sounds of fire…

    It was the roaring sound of the blazes that were all around you, as houses and buildings were consumed by the raging inferno that seemed to have spread to the whole city. It was the sound of cracking and sizzling, coming from wooden structures as they crumbled under their own weight. The sound of open furnaces, coming from the stone and brick buildings as the contents inside of them were cooked like a parody of an oven, their windows letting out red glares of fire and thick columns of smoke as if they were the gates to Tartarus itself.

    And you heard the sounds of death…

    It came from the mouths of ponies. As they were trapped inside their own homes, blinded by the smokes and surrounded by the flames. As they were entombed underneath their crumbled houses, begging for help or screaming out in panic for their loved ones. As they were burned alive, howling in pain for however long it took for their lungs to be filled with ashes.

    You heard all of that, and yet you ran along, galloping through the streets of Canterlot as quickly as your hoofs could take you. Somehow knowing that your wings wouldn't be able to carry you even if your life depended on it, but somehow also understanding that you would not stop running until you reached the place you had to be.

    When you finally reached the building where your family lived, your heart sank. Your body froze as you realized the great pile of rubble, bricks and toppled walls was standing on the exact same spot that you had once called home. You almost wouldn't have believed this was the place, if you hadn't spent most of your life walking up and down the street you were on, as you went to and from work.

    Your hesitation only lasted a second, and soon enough you were on top of the pile of rubble, your hoofs grabbing the painfully heavy and hot pieces of debris and flinging them away as you tried to dig your way into it.

    You could hear screams coming from underneath the rubble.

    You could hear screams coming from all around you.

    And you kept digging, even though none of the voices were familiar.



    You lost the track of time, your body growing too numb, and your mind too tired, for you to be able to worry about things as trivial as how exhausted you were, or how much effort it took you to even move around as you worked to push the next toppled wall.



    - - -



    You worked. You toiled. You pushed yourself to the limit, and then you pushed yourself beyond that.

    You really didn't care how much it hurt, or how much you got hurt while doing it.

    At some point, a beam of wood fell on your side, hitting your left wing and causing a bruise that thumped painfully in time with your heartbeat. But you didn't care about that.

    At some point something large and heavy slid towards you after you pushed out a pile of rubble, nearly crushing one of your hoofs and making your leg swell slightly. But you didn't care about that.

    At some point, you realized you had several scratches, sores and marks all over your body. But you couldn't care less.

    You just kept working on the pile of rubble. You just kept shouting the names of your brothers and sisters, of your mom and your dad, as you desperately tried to recognize of one of the desperate voices you could hear was from one of them.

    You kept working… even as the fires died out, around you. Even as the screams died out, around you.

    Even when you could no longer hear anypony under the rubbles, you kept working.

    Because there was nothing else you could do.

    …

    At some point, you woke up. But not in the sense that this was all a bad dream. No. You woke up in the sense that you realized you had passed out, on top of the still standing enormous pile of rubble and underneath the glare of the sun. You woke up, and you got back to work, as much as your body protested and screamed for you to stop.

    At some point, somepony offered you water, and you realized that you were so parched when you drank from it that you almost choked. They also tried to pull you away from the toppled building, but you struggled against them and they quickly gave up. You think they were guards, but you didn't really care.

    At some point… at some point, you just forgot what you were even trying to do. You just looked around you, and you realized how little progress you had made, and how utterly large the building was. You had lived in that small apartment building for most of your life, after all, and even though you couldn't for the life of you remember how many stories it had, you could certainly tell that it was way too large for a single mare to be able to work through it.

    You finally collapsed, once you realized that. Your heaving and exhausted breath giving way to sobbing tears and whimpers, as every last pain you were feeling on your body came back to you all at once.



    You lost track of time. You just laid there, begging your family for forgiveness at how useless you were, and praying with all your soul that they were somehow alive and well underneath all of that rubble. Or better yet, that they had not been home for some reason, whatever reason, when this all happened.



    - - -



    You are in pain.

    Your whole body hurts. Your mind hurts. Even the act of thinking hurts, as you lay on top of a half-bent wooden door, surrounded by the remains of the place where you grew up.

    You think… you think you have been here, in Canterlot, for at least a whole day now. You are not really sure. But you are sure that the sun has already set, and risen again, at least once.

    Still, you don't… you don't really care.

    All you really care about is seeing your family again.

    The fires have already all been extinguished, and you can see the distant figures of pegasi flying over the central parts of the city. You think they are search efforts, or at least you hope they are. But still, you can tell that their focus is being directed mostly at the central parts of Canterlot. And your family, of course, lived in the outskirt districts of the city, on the cheaper and poorer parts of the Capital that were far away from anything pretty and important.

    You thought about flying over to them. To ask for help, or maybe to ask if they knew anything about any survivors, or if they had any clue of what in the Tartarus had happened in Canterlot to begin with. Because you think you had heard something, from the ponies and guards that passed nearby while you were here, but you didn't really pay attention to what they had said. You think they said something about monsters, but you are not really sure.

    But still, you thought about flying over to them… but you couldn't. You just couldn't.

    "Because I c-can't… leave this place…" you say to yourself, raising bruised and pained forelegs as you cover your eyes with your hoofs. "M-my family… they m-might be here, under a-all of this, and…"

    Your voice cracks, as your numbed and exhausted mind slowly pieces together certain thoughts. Thoughts that you have been trying to suppress with all your might ever since you arrived in Canterlot. Thoughts that you simply couldn't bear to think of, less you truly lost what little energy you still had to keep going.

    "… a-and if I leave, I m-might never se-hee them again a-and…!"

    You feel tears, more tears, roll down through your ash-covered face. You feel your chest convulse painfully, and dry throat ache, as you cough between your whimpers and sobs.

    Because you realize, your nearly feverish mind somehow making the connection even through the haze of exhaustion, that it just might not matter whether if you leave this place or stay. That maybe, and just maybe… you might never…

    That your family didn't…

    That all this time you spent away from them was…

    T-that it was…! That t-they…-!

    Your thoughts are interrupted by a sudden lurching, and you nearly fall down from where you are lying as you feel the rubble shift underneath you.

    You almost jump at that, your heart racing and your body filling with energy as you realize what is happening. As you realize that the rocks are moving underneath you. As you realize that, against all odds, somepony might be alive under all of this.

    That they might be digging their way out! That your family is okay, and you are about to see them!

    But your hope turns into confusion as you realize that… it isn't just the rubble underneath you that is moving. No, everything around you is moving. Layers upon layers of bricks and broken buildings are moving all around you… no, they are being moved around you, and are gently being floated towards the street.

    And all those floating pieces of debris, you realize, are surrounded by a glowing aura of pink.

    Moments later, the telekinetic magic grabs hold of you as well, and you are delicately taken from the top of the rubble pile and towards a waiting group of ponies.

    They are guards, you can tell. City guards, their armors covered in ashes and dust, their faces marred with exhaustion and sorrow.

    You think they are part of a search effort. Or at least, that is what they tell you when the floating magic lands you close to them.

    You think that they are trying to ask you something, several things, as a pony with a medicine-related cutie mark rushes towards you. What your name is, or how badly you are hurt, or whether if you know if there are any survivors in any of the nearby buildings.

    You think… that a lot of things are happening around you, right now. But you can't really focus on any of those things.

    The only thing you can really think about is the pony who is performing the glowing pink magic, the one that is in doing in a matter of minutes what you had not been able to do over the course of several hours.

    You realize she is a Princess. You can't really remember her name, or why that particular piece of information is important. But still, you realize that the magical pony is a Princess.

    So, you walk towards her. Ignoring the overworked doctor as he tries to tell you to stop. Ignoring the exhausted guards as they collect the… the bodies, that the Princess is floating out of the rubble. Ignoring the fact that the Princess herself seems… not to be in the best shape.

    You ignore all of that, and you walk up towards the Princess. You stand in front of her, until she looks you in the eyes and you are sure that she has noticed you.



    And then you ask her where she was, this whole time. You ask her, seeing how easy it is for her to do this, why she didn't arrive sooner. Why she didn't arrive before your family choked and died under that pile of ashes and rubble.



    You think the pink Princess' expression… changed, after you asked her that. But you are not really sure. You might have seen a tear run down through her face, or you might have just imagined all of that, as you passed out after being placed next to the waiting guards.



    - - -



    None of the bodies that were pulled out of the building were from your family. But that didn't relieve you in the slightest, because you soon learned that the disappearances were as numerous as the deaths.

    You woke up in a field hospital, in one of Canterlot's several plazas. There, you heard everything. You heard about the monsters, and about how the guards failed to show up, and about the great pyre Princess Celestia had made in front of the Royal Castle, where bodies of dead ponies were being cremated every midday by the Princess herself, if no family members appeared to claim them.

    You stayed there until you were able to walk again, and that by itself took quite a few days. But still, you left Canterlot, even though you still had a limp and you couldn't move your wings, as soon as you hard the trains were moving again. Not for private transportation, mind you, you heard they were just coming and going to take ponies and materials to where they were needed. But still, it wasn't hard to convince the guards to let you take the train that would pass by Ponyville.

    And truth be told, you would have boarded it as a stowaway if you really had to.

    So, almost ten days after the disappearances happened in Ponyville, you finally returned…

    Although it was only after the train departed to its next destination that you realized that… you had no idea what to do next.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You are Lady Velvet Covers and right now you are… you are looking at a heartbreaking sight.

    It is night, and you have woken up a few minutes ago. Or rather, you have been woken up, by the characteristic scent of a pony sulking around your house.

    For several tense seconds you thought it was an intruder. Maybe a changeling that survived the purge. Maybe a robber who was trying to take advantage of everything that was going on to steal from your home. You didn't know exactly what it was, but you could still sense the characteristic marks of its intentions.

    You could smell its threat, you could smell its misery. You could smell its desire not to be heard or detected, as well as its unstable and confusing mental state.

    It took you several moments to realize that, under all of that, you could also sense the familiar presence… of Soft Sweeps.

    You sneaked out of your bed as soon as you realized that, and you had made your way towards her as quickly as you could.



    "I… I quit, Mrs. Velvet… I can't take this anymore… I... I q-quit..."



    That was the first thing she told you, as soon as she realized you were there. As soon as she turned around and... and faced you.

    Soft Sweeps is looking at you, but only in the sense that she is looking in your direction. Her eyes are glassy and unfocused, and her expression is somehow both lost and alert at the same time.

    And that is just her face… the rest of her, also, is…

    Soft Sweeps is hurt. In so many different ways.

    Her fur is filthy, covered in ash and bruises, dust and… and dried blood. She has wounds all over her body, scratches and cuts that seem to have received only the barest hint of medical attention. Gashes that seem to have been cleaned up only enough so they might not get immediately infected.

    Her legs, also, are terribly lesioned, and you can see cracks on her hoofs from where you are standing. Her wings don't seem to be resting against her sides like they normally do, and you can tell that several of her feathers are rustled, or outright missing.

    And her voice…

    "What… what do you mean, Soft? What happened? What-?" you try to ask.

    But she interrupts you before you can even finish what you were saying, her voice rasping and hoarse as she speaks.

    "I said I quit." She says, cutting your words so forcefully that you almost take a step back in surprise. "I quit, and I'm done, and I can't take it anymore, a-and I… and m-my… My f-family and m-my…"

    She says that, but her voice slowly begins to crack, what little steel she had in her tone fading away, as her expression slowly crumbles into heartbreaking anguish.

    And as tears begin to form on her eyes, you carefully start making your way towards her. Your chest tightening up as the young mare simply… looks down towards the ground, her words dying in her mouth and coming out instead as pained moans.

    "Oh, Softy. I am so, so sorry for-"



    "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"



    But you stop talking, and walking, as Soft Sweeps suddenly slams a trembling hoof against the ground, her face twisted in anger as she looks back towards you. And even though she still has tears running down through her cheeks, you can clearly sense how utterly serious… how murderous she is right now.

    And how her anger is solely aimed at you, at this exact moment.

    "Don't… don't you take a STEP towards me… Because this… all of this, this is all your fault!"

    She slams her hoof against the floor once again, her whole body trembling as her wings go to a slightly open stance, showing you all the little signs that you are standing before a truly irate pegasus.

    And to be honest, you have no idea how to answer what she just said.

    "This is all YOUR fault! Because…! Because I…! I always spent so much time working… and I… so I wasn't there… I wasn't there when they needed me, a-and I don't even remember the last time I saw them… and..."

    But as quickly as her anger comes, it also fades away. And soon enough, you are once again looking at the… utterly destitute Soft Sweeps. At the absolutely sorrowful mare who just…

    Who clearly just lost everything she ever had. Everything she ever knew. Everypony she ever cared about.

    Her hindlegs finally buckle behind her, and she sits down on the ground with a painful gasp, her hoofs going to her head as she covers her eyes and cries, every single movement she makes clearly painful and slow.

    "I-I can't… I quit... I can't be here… I'm a horrible daughter… I'm a horrible sister… I can't take it to have Silky call me that ever again… I can't take it not having my own siblings call me that ever again… I… I…"

    Soft Sweep's words eventually die out, turning into a long and painful drone of loss and misery. You can still see her anger rise to the surface, every now and then, but only to be beaten down by the utter exhaustion that is weighting her down.

    And as for you… you don't even know how to begin addressing this. You can't even begin to fathom how much pain she is in, right now. You have no idea what might be best for her. Heavens, you don't even know what might even reach her, if you try to talk to her right now. It might just be that, no matter what you say, it will fall on deaf ears.

    But still, Soft Sweeps needs you. And not in the sense that she needs "you". No, she needs somepony. Anypony. She desperately needs help.

    And you will be damned if you don't do everything you can to help her.

    But still, you need to decide how to go about this.

    …

    Well, you can only think of one way, that you know will almost surely work.

    Soft Sweeps desperately needs direction.

    And you will give it to her.



    You will treat Soft Sweeps as you would treat…



    [] [An Apprentice]
    -"Rage burns inside of her. Blood boils, begging for her to move in ways she has no knowledge about. Take that burning wrath and use it to reforge her as if she were metal. Temper her into a sharp edge."
    -Soft Sweeps will eventually become a Confidant.
    -Soft Sweeps' main Lore will be turned into EDGE.
    -You will gain one Edge scrap of Lore.


    [] [A Moirologist]
    -"There is nothing left for her. There is nothing left inside of her anymore. She has lost everything, and from now on she will always feel that she is alone, no matter where she goes. Thus, she is ready."
    -Soft Sweeps will eventually become a Confidant.
    -Soft Sweep's main Lore will be turned into WINTER.
    -You will gain one Winter scrap of Lore.


    [] [An Apostle] [This is a Regrettable Action]
    -"Grief is a journey. A sharp, knife-edge path that separates Hate and Misery. Every step is painful, and most will eventually lose balance and fall towards either side. But take the knife that is Grief, plunge it deep into the heart: it becomes Agony."
    -Soft Sweeps will immediately become a Minion.
    -You will teach Soft Sweeps something great. You will make Soft Sweeps something great.
    -Soft Sweeps will not die or be lost in any way. What you will gift her is purely knowledge.
    -You will gain one Edge and one Winter scrap of Lore.
    -This is a Regrettable Action.


    [] [A Daughter]
    -"Soft Sweeps has lost her blood family, but that is not the only kind of family that exists. You will never be able to give her back what she lost. You will never be able to erase the pain she is feeling. But you will remind her that there are still ponies who love her, one day at a time."
    -You will take Soft Sweeps in.
    -Her Lore characteristics will not be changed.
    -You have no idea what else might happen as a result of this decision.
    -WARNING: Soft Sweeps will be added into your "Family" nucleus. Like Silky, Stormchaser and Selene, she will become a pivotal factor when you consider your future actions, and allowing her to be harmed will result in terrible consequences to yourself. You will truly see her as your daughter.


    [] [Exile]
    -"Your words did not reach her. You tried to stop her, but you stepped out of her way when you realized she might actually try to hurt you. You hope that she comes back, some day. You hope that she at least finds happiness."
    -Soft Sweeps will leave.



    One hour moratorium. Vote for as many as you like, only the single most voted option will be selected.
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 4 - 1/7 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    Baldomare's horn lights up in a pale-pink glow, as she gently floats the kettle towards you and fills your cup with her strangely scented tea.

    And you let her do just that. You don't even have the energy to thank her, as she finishes filling your cup. To be honest, you don't even have the energy to speak. A heavy silence hangs around you as Baldomare floats the kettle back towards her, and you can feel the mare eyeing you as she takes a sip from her own cup.

    You let out a long sigh, partially breaking the silence that hangs around you. You resist the urge to massage the side of your head, despite the throbbing headache that you are feeling. This is all because of the stress you are feeling, you know, so you also know you can soldier your way through it.

    Besides, you called Baldomare because you wanted to talk to her. So, you do your best to get yourself together, because it really won't do to be rude to her considering how kind she has been to you so far.

    "Thank you, Baldomare," you say, doing your best to lift your downtrodden gaze and actually face the mare as you speak.

    "Don't mention it, dear," she says, answering you with a rather worried smile that…

    Well, you can only imagine how you must look like if Baldomare is making that sort of face as she looks at you.

    "So," Baldomare continues to talk, although you can tell she is picking her words very carefully. "Could I ask… what exactly happened last night?"

    You wince at her question, your headache acting up for a few moments even though you realize she asked it as kindly as she possibly could.

    Heavens, you… really don't want to talk about this. You don't even want to think about this.

    But still, you take a few deep breaths and try to center yourself again.

    "Yes… about last night… Say, Baldomare, do you remember Soft Sweeps?" you ask.

    After all, Baldomare has not been in the Wake for that long to begin with. And considering how she wasn't even in Ponyville this last month, she might not really remember who this is all about.

    But, rather unsurprisingly, the mare nods to you almost before you finish asking the question.

    "Yes, yes, I remember her. Filly's nanny, a bit too young for her own good. I remember her, and I know this is about her. I also-…" Baldomare almost says something but suddenly stops, looking at you with a hesitant expression as she wonders if she should say something or not. "Well, to be entirely honest, dear, I also recognized her voice, this last night. When she began to yell and all..."

    You purse your lips at that, memories of what happened less than a day ago coming back to the forefront of your mind as you remember how Soft Sweeps…

    As you remember the things she said, and the things she did, and also…

    "Well, it helps that you know who this is about then," you say, letting out a sight as you try and fail to push those memories away. "So, to put it in simple terms, what happened was that, well… Softy… her whole family was in Canterlot."

    You really can't bring yourself to say anything more than that, a sour taste spreading through your mouth as you say those words.

    But thankfully, you don't really have to say anything else. You can see from Baldomare's expression how quickly she is piecing everything together.

    You can see how her expression changes, her curious expression turning thoughtful as she thinks about what you just told her, and then her eyes suddenly going wide with realization. And then, a few moments later, you watch as her expression turns even more apologetic as she finishes connecting the dots.

    As she realizes that you said Soft Sweeps' family "was" in Canterlot.

    That, and the fact that you spent the whole afternoon talking to your family, behind closed doors. Coupled with how tired you look right now, considering how you finished talking to your family less than an hour ago.

    "Oh…" is the only thing she says, her own expression becoming unusually somber and downcast as she says that.

    "Yes… and I'm not sure you noticed, but Softy also hasn't been coming here these last few days either," you continue, and you watch as Baldomare's expression once again turns thoughtful for a few moments.

    "Now that you mention it… yes, you're right. I haven't really seen her ever since I left for Manehattan last month. But you told me you dismissed the servants from coming, after this whole mess started, so I thought the nanny just wasn't coming to work."

    You slowly shake your head at that.

    "Not quite. What happened was that… Well, we can see Canterlot from Ponyville. So the night it happened, when the sun rose in the middle of the night, we all woke up to see that Canterlot was on fire. And Softy is a pegasus, so she…"

    You trail off as Baldomare slowly nods at your words.

    "And as you probably guessed by now, Baldomare, what happened was that Softy returned last night."

    "Ah… That makes sense…" she says, her own eyes turning to look at… nowhere in particular, to the point that you can see the mare is also deep in her own thoughts. "That poor pony," she says eventually.

    "Yeah…" you reply, the dejected words escaping your mouth almost without conscious prompt. "I just… I just hope I did the right thing, Baldomare. I just hope I manage to do the right thing, moving forwards…"

    Your horn starts to glow, and you slowly float your cup of tea towards you.

    "But the thing is, she was… Softy was so angry. Heaven knows she deserves to be angry, but I… I didn't know what to do. I was scared, even. Not scared of her, but scared for her. It scared me to think just how… how devastated she had to be, for her to be that angry."

    Although you do understand why she was like that. Of course you understand. What happened to Soft Sweeps is something that is probably one of your worst nightmares, to the point that you don't even know how you would react if it happened to you. So of course you don't blame her for how she reacted… for how she is reacting.

    But still, it scared you. It hurt you to see her like that, and it still hurts you to know how much she must be suffering right now.

    "Yes, dear, I…" Baldomare says, hesitantly, "to be honest, I'm surprised your husband didn't wake up. The house is pretty large, but… well, even I could hear it from my room…"

    You let out a sigh at that, but you can't help but agree with her. Thank the heavens for small mercies that Stormchaser didn't walk into you two during all that.

    "But I can also tell this isn't the whole story, Velvet. So I have to ask…"

    The mare continues, taking a sip from her own tea as she asks her question.

    "What exactly did you do?" she asks.

    And although you can't stop your expression from turning into a grimace, you try to collect your thoughts as best as you can to answer her question.

    You take another deep breath, noticing how dry your mouth is.

    So, you take a sip of your tea-
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 4 - 5/7 New
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    • -but somehow you choke on it. You have no idea how, but you somehow manage choke on your tea, and several embarrassing moments pass as you try and fail to cough it out from your system.

    "Goodness, are you alright Velvet?!" Baldomare says, moving to get up from her couch but stopping as soon as you raise a hoof.

    "I-m al-righ-" you say, or at least try to say, between a violent fit of coughs.

    It takes you almost a full minute before manage to breathe normally once again. And you take several few deep breaths for good measure, just to make sure that your body understands that everything is alright. With Baldomare looking at you worriedly, and extremely apologetically, during the whole time.

    "Heavens…" you say to yourself, still gasping slightly, "I know a whole library's worth of Lore knowledge, and I still don't have anything that might save me from a lungful of tea," you say, forcing your still panicked face to smile.

    It takes Baldomare half a second to realize you just made a joke, but she finally lets out a small chuckle, and you are glad to see her worried expression soften down into relief. But still, you do have a point, because you might not enjoy dark humor but it would indeed be extremely embarrassing to die because you choked on tea of all things.

    "Watchpony's light, Velvet, don't scare me like that," she says, still trying to stifle her laugher. "But still, I couldn't agree more. Like I said before, it takes a lot of effort to cheat death!"

    You allow yourself to giggle a bit, letting the impromptu mirth wash over the somber atmosphere that had built up from all the previous conversation.

    "But still, I'm sorry my tea did that, Velvet," she says.

    Although she honestly sounds far more apologetic than she would normally be.

    "Oh, don't worry Baldomare," you say, waving a placating hoof at her, "the tea is lovely. And besides, I'm the one who is to blame, seeing how I literally failed at something as simple as drinking from a teacup."

    You say that. But still, for some reason, a small part of you is telling you that Baldomare really means it, with the apology she just gave you. And you can't shake the feeling that her expression is slightly... complicated, right now.

    Although you also know there is nothing you can do about it. After all, the mare almost always refuses to answer your questions, so you are sure that trying to ask her what is really bothering her won't get you anywhere.

    "But well, as I was saying…" you say, your short-lived amusement dying down as you continue from where you left off. "I asked Ponpon to take care of Softy for a while, made her promise me she wouldn't come to work and would take care of her. Because, well... Softy was… Softy is really angry, Baldomare."

    You let out a short sigh, as you remember just how intense that whole affair was. At how angry she was. How desperate her words sounded as they flew out of her mouth.

    "At herself, at me, at the world. At everything, really, as much as it pains me to say this. So even though I really wish I could have her here with us, I don't think it would do her any good to stay in a place where she will be constantly reminded about how she worked so far away from her family for all these years and…"

    You trail off, picking up the offending teacup as Baldomare slowly nods at what you just said.

    "Well, that is also why I spent the best part of the day explaining everything to Stormchaser, Silky and Selene. Because I… I have to make sure they all understand what is happening, and how we... how we all have to band together and help Softy, moving forward."

    You purse your lips at that, thinking back at the several hours that you spent… very gently explaining to your daughters the gravity of what happened to Soft Sweeps, and how careful you will need them to be the next time they see Softy.

    After all, Silky does see her as an older sister… and even Selene warmed up to her, eventually. And Soft Sweeps made it very clear, between her tears and sobs, just how badly she might react if the fillies were to treat her in a certain way, for the foreseeable future.

    "But really, Baldomare. I honestly don't… I'm really worried about how to take things from here onwards."

    You say that, and you let out a long sigh. Because deep down, you care too much about Softy to not try to do something. But still, you know that just having good intentions isn't good enough, and it gnaws at you that you just don't know if what you are doing will work out or not.

    "Well, if it helps even a little bit," Baldomare says, her voice sounding strangely reassuring for some reason. As if she somehow knows exactly what she is talking about. "I can't tell you for sure that what you are doing will work out. But I can guarantee that… well, that I'm glad you didn't chose to do anything else."

    She says that, and for some reason you can't help but feel… strangely reassured.

    As if her words have a deeper meaning, for some reason. Like she really knows what she is talking about, and isn't just trying to comfort you like a normal friend would.

    So, you can't help but smile faintly as you hear her say that.

    "Well, when you say it like," you say, as you bring your teacup to your lips, "for some reason I can't help but trust you."

    And just as Baldomare opens her mouth to say something, you take a sip from your tea-

    -and you choke-

    "Wha-… what?! Oh no. No, no, no no no…"

    -because you recognize this taste, as it sticks to your throat and clots in your mouth-

    "Velvet, listen to me. Listen to me. Look into my eyes. You are going to be fine, I promise!"

    -it is the taste of tar and blood and ashes-

    "Just listen to my voice, and focus on what we were talking about-!"

    -and all the bad things that happened to you in your youth-
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 4 - 7/7 New
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    • -you shake your head, feeling as if…

    Feeling as if…

    Wait, what the hay just happened?

    "Wait, what?" you say to yourself, shaking your head.

    You look around you as a strange mixture of vertigo and forgetfulness slips away from your mind. You feel like something just happened, or that you just forgot about something important, but the more you try to remember what it was, the more it slips away from you.

    You also suddenly feel very tired. Way more tired than you think you should be, even if you take into consideration everything that has happened today.

    "What what, Velvet?" Baldomare asks you, and you realize the mare is sitting opposite to you on one of the couches of your tearoom.

    And it suddenly clicks.

    Right, of course.

    What just happened is that… you are about to have a conversation with Baldomare. After all, she did tell you some time ago that she could enhance your Secret Histories knowledge, even if only temporarily, so that is what you want to talk about with her.

    And of course, you also want to talk to her about… well, about what just happened, with Soft Sweeps and your family.

    "Oh, it's nothing. Pardon me. I think I was just… well, forget about it," you say, settling yourself on your own couch.

    "Nothing? Are you sure about that?" she asks, her words sounding strangely meaningful, although you are not really sure why. Although, to be fair, Baldomare speaks like this most of the time anyways. "Well, if you are telling me 'nothing' just happened, then let's try this again."

    You tilt you heard at that. "Pardon, Baldomare. But try what again?"

    "Oh, you will see," is all she says, in a tone that you already know means you shouldn't ask any more questions. "Now, dear, as soon as we finish this conversation, I will help you with your Mansus scaling problems. But before that, you seem to have a lot on your mind. So why don't you tell me a bit about that first?"

    "Right, uhm… yes, that sounds like a good idea."

    "Of course it is, dear. And would you care for some tea? I brewed it myself, just for this little chat of ours," she says, nodding towards the kettle she has on the table next to her couch.

    "I would love some, Baldomare."

    Baldomare's horn lights up in a light-pink glow, as she gently floats the kettle towards you and fills your cup with her strangely scented tea.





    You have told Baldomare what happened, regarding Soft Sweeps. You have told her about what happened to the young mare, and how you decided to help her as much as you can, for however long she needs.

    You have also explained to your family, even if in varying degrees of details when it came to your daughters, how careful you will have to be with her for the foreseeable future. Currently, Soft Sweeps is recuperating at Ponpon's house. You will visit her as often as you can, of course, but this whole situation really will have you playing it by ear.

    Baldomare also did... something to you, during your conversation.

    You are now under the effect of the Influence     "I Have Been Here Before" (Secret Histories, +40). This influence will fade at the END of THIS TURN.

    You have gained two scraps of Secret Histories Lore. (You will no longer gain any Lore scraps from Secret Histories Influence).

    Author's note: Dear archive reader. If you have reached this post by simply clicking on the "next threadmark" button you may have missed something! Kindly click the very last line on this update, the one written as a blue hyperlink. And instead of going to the next post, manually scroll down until you reach this point again!
     
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    • Sometimes, we can only be there New
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    • You are Scootaloo. And right now, you are in Silky's house.

    Although technically, you have been here for a while now, so… is this your house as well? Do you, uh, live here now?

    Silky's mom kinda sorta said you do, and she has said that more than once, so… you guess?

    But anyways.

    You are Scootaloo. And right now, you are in Silky's house.

    But more importantly, right now you are mulling over a rather worrying problem.



    "Well, she did it again," you whisper under your breath, as you look down at the empty bed.



    At Selene's empty bed, mind you.

    Although the fact that Selene's bed is empty isn't strange in itself, of course. It's a bed. It's meant to be empty most of the time, unless you're sick or something like that.

    However, the current situation is worrying for three reasons.

    One, because it's the middle of the freaking night. The window is wide open, and you can see that the moon is still a ways from the horizon, so you can tell that it will still be a few hours before sunrise.

    Two, because your own makeshift bed, the ridiculously large mattress that you have been sleeping on, is on the floor right next to Selene's bed. So not only did she sneak out of her bed and left the room, but she also somehow did it without waking you up.

    Seriously. Selene is already quiet to begin with, and you swear her coat was made for night camouflage. But come on, how did she pull this one off?! Your sleep isn't that heavy that you wouldn't have heard her!

    And three, because… this situation is actually worrying because this is not the first time this has happened.

    This is not the first time you have woken up in the middle of the night and realized Selene isn't there.

    You haven't really thought much about it. Or rather, you have thought about it… a bit… okay, maybe a lot. But still, you really thought you shouldn't be nosy about it.

    However, as you look down at Selene's empty bed, and think back at the several… small things that you have been noticing about her, here and there, these last few days…

    Well, you're kinda thinking that maybe you should do something about this.

    Selene is quiet, and she has all sorts of problems, her amnesia and all… and all the other stuff…

    But she's still your friend. And you won't be able to keep calling her your friend if you don't do something when you're honestly worried about her.

    With that in mind, you quietly sneak out of the room, and go look for her.



    - - -



    Silky and Selene's house is large.

    Very large.

    You've been here for a while now, ever since the aborted sleepover, but you still haven't explored all of it.

    Heck, even Selene herself told you that she hasn't explored all of it, and she's been living here for months!

    Although you're sure she was talking about the annexed buildings as well, and about the farther farm-related places that they also own.

    But anyways. As much as this house is large and exciting to explore, that's kinda working against you right now…

    Because you can't find Selene anywhere!

    You tip-hoofed your way out of the room, you went up and down the corridor, checked every door that wasn't locked (except for the rooms of course), and then you went over the whole labyrinth of halls-kitchen-backrooms that were unlocked downstairs… twice. And still no sign of the dang filly!

    Maybe she knows a trick that you don't? She has been living here for months now, so maybe she found out something already? Some sort of secret passage that leads to somewhere that is locked during the night?

    "Maybe there's a… a basement of sorts? Some trapdoor that she knows how to get to? Who knows, she might just have a copy to one of the keys," you mumble to yourself, as you stare at the central door on the enormous entrance hall, the one that leads outside. "I mean, she's not anywhere that's unlocked and… maybe I should check Silky's room? Although I do not want to wake her up and…"



    "No, she doesn't have a secret key or anything like that. Well, not in the regular sense of th-"

    "AH!"



    Your nearly jump out of your skin as you hear somepony's voice from right behind you. In fact, you literally jump, your legs jerking out underneath you in sheer shock, to the point that you are sure you would have taken flight if you could.

    And it takes you several seconds, and quite a few deep breaths, to realize that you are still paralyzed in shock. It also takes you about half as much time to finally turn around and look at the source of the somewhat familiar face.

    "Oh, did I scare you? Sorry for that," she says, as you turn to face her with still-shaking legs.

    "N-not at all…" you say, your heart still beating a lot faster than you think it should, "I, uh, just didn't expect you to be here, uh… auntie Baldie."

    You say that second-to-last word with a slight inflection as you look up to the mare. Because for all that everypony, including herself, says that you should call her that, for some reason it still feels weird for you.

    Because… "auntie" Baldie feels waaay too much like a teacher, to you. In fact, you are reminded of Miss Cheerilee whenever you look at her. So calling her "auntie" just feels wrong.

    This might just be a trauma you have, from that one time you called Miss Cheerilee "mom", but that is beyond the point.

    "But you've been walking up and down the house for a while now, so I thought I should give you some help," she says, "and you might lose the timing if you take any longer, so it's for the best."

    "Ah, sure, thank-" you say, but you immediately stop when you realize the several strange that she managed to jam into a single phrase. "Actually, wait. How do you know what I'm doing? And what do you mean by timing?" you ask, raising an eyebrow at her.

    "Oh, don't worry too much about the little details. I'm auntie Baldie, remember? I know stuff," she says, somehow managing to sound dismissing (in a this-is-too-obvious-to-bother-answering kind of way) and intriguing at the same time. "Now, about your quest to find your friend Selene…"

    You try your best to keep the sheer disbelief out of your face. You fail, of course, but you have already been in this house for long enough to know that asking auntie Baldie to explain herself is a lost cause.

    So, if nothing else, you are at least going to accept her help if she is willing to give it. Never mind the whys and the hows involved in all of this.

    "Okay," you say tentatively, "so, uh, do you know where Selene is?"

    "Of course! Knowing stuff is my thing, after all. But more importantly, I want to point out that you also know where Selene is."

    "Wait, what?" you ask, tilting your head.

    Because you thought auntie Baldie was going to help you.

    But what she just said wasn't helpful at all!

    "It's exactly what I said, dear. You already know where she is. You just haven't realized yet," she repeats herself, even more confidently this time.

    And you resist the urge to facehoof.

    "Auntie Baldie… I think that if I knew where Selene was I maybe wouldn't have been sneaking up and down the house for the last…" you look towards the large clock on the hall, but give up when you realize it's too dark for you to see what time it is, "for the last hour or so?"

    "True. But maybe if you had thought things through just a bit better you wouldn't even have needed to do all that to begin with?" she says, with an amused smile.

    To which you answer by not rolling your eyes at her.

    Although you can't really suppress the frustrated sigh that you let out a few moments later.

    "Alright, alright, a better hint then," she says, as if this was somehow fun for her. "So, you sleep next to her bed, right?"

    "Yeah," you answer. Mrs. Velvet did offer you a room (the house has so many spare rooms!) but you preferred to stay in Selene's after all.

    "And you're pretty sure she wouldn't have been able to sneak by you without waking you up, right?"

    "I guess? I mean, she might have. I swear sometimes Selene feels like a ghost."

    "Mhmm, I suppose that's accurate in a sense. But anyhow, you also know that Selene isn't really fond of the moon, right?"

    "Well duh, she says that almost every night. That's not really a secret that she keeps or anything."

    "True, true," the mare says, nodding to herself.

    And then, she gives you an encouraging wink as she says her next words.

    "So why was the bedroom window open when you woke up?"



    A smile slowly appeared in auntie Baldie's face, as your own expression slowly went from confusion and realization.

    And you swear that the long, drawn-out "ooohhh…" that you let out somehow made her night.



    - - -



    "Selene is freaking insane…" you mumble to yourself, as you look out through the bedroom window.

    Because you can see it. You can see how she does it.

    You can see the parts of the wall where a pony could technically, and only technically, step on in order to make their way up to the roof.

    But still, you can "see it" in the sense that you can understand that it is possible, not in the sense that you can do it. Just like those devilish math problems that Sweetie Belle can resolve during class. You can see how it is doable, but you certainly don't have the ability to do it yourself.

    "And what is more…" you mumble to yourself nervously…

    … as you take your eyes away from the exterior wall of the house, and look down… towards the faraway ground.

    "Selene is a blasted earth pony. How in Equestria did she even think about doing this?"

    Because again, Selene's room is on the second floor.

    And this is a large house. The ceiling on the first floor is high. So you are sure that you are way higher than you would be if you were on the second floor of, say, Apple Bloom's house. Hay, you think you are even higher up than Sweetie Belle's room, and her room is on top of her sister's shop!

    But still…

    What auntie Baldie said makes sense…

    Selene has to be up there… on the -you gulp down something dry- on the roof of this very large castle-sized house.

    She has to be up there, and you are still worried about her.

    So you have to get up there.

    And not being able to fly is not an excuse. Selene can get up there by herself, as well, so…

    "Alright… pegasi aren't afraid of heights… pegasi aren't afraid of heights…" you say to yourself, as you try your best not to look at the long fall that awaits you if you commit even a single mistake. "J-just… just think of what Rainbow Dash would do…!"

    Well, Rainbow Dash would have flown up there, of course. And it would have been awesome. But more importantly, Rainbow would also have been brave.

    With that in mind, you take a deep breath.

    And prepare to do something incredibly stupid.



    - - -



    Your legs are shaking.

    The roof tiles feel slippery under your hoofs, and you are afraid that they might just fall off in a small avalanche if you don't walk carefully.

    And it's cold. The night wind blowing against your coat much more strongly than you expected.

    But you made it.

    And by Equestria, was it nerve-wracking.

    But you made it.

    And much to your relief (because you would not have liked it if this was auntie Baldie's idea of a prank) there she is.

    Selene is on the other side of the roof, with her back turned to you. She is sitting close to one of the edges of the roof, and she is clearly looking up at the moon.

    Well, to be honest she's not really looking "up". The moon is so close to the horizon that it looks like it's about to set soon. But still, you can tell that she is looking at it.

    And even though she has her back to you, you can tell that she is… thinking about something. That she is thinking about the kind of things that, uh…

    Well, you don't think she should be alone right now.

    Because being a quiet filly is fine. Just following around you and your other friends is alright. Selene being Selene is alright.

    But coming up here in the middle of the cold night, just to… do whatever she is doing? Well, that doesn't feel right.

    And you can't call yourself her friend if you're not willing to be here with her, if she's like this.

    So, you cautiously make your way towards her.

    "I, uh, thought you didn't like the moon?" you say, as soon as you are close enough for her to hear you without you speaking too loud.

    And you are not sure what to think about the fact that she wasn't surprised when she heard you.

    Of course, you're glad that she didn't freak out, especially given how close she is to the edge of the roof. But still…

    "I don't," is all she answers. Her tone dry and short.

    She doesn't even turn to look at you as she says that. Heck, you are not even sure she moved an inch.

    And gosh-dang you hate the fact that you have no idea of what to do next.

    Because what should you do? What the hay is going on in Selene's mind? Does she want to be left alone? Does she want you to stay? Is there something you should say right now?

    Of course there's something you should say right now. The problem is that you don't know what that is! Rainbow Dash would know, of course, but knowing her she would never find herself in this kind of problem to begin with.

    But still, maybe you should try to say something? Anything?

    Well, you've come this far, you gotta at least try.

    "Selene, uh, well…" you say, floundering awkwardly for a few moments.

    Until your guts finally tell you that, since you have no idea of what to say, then you should be direct.

    "Selene, are you alright? You've been kinda… off, you know?"

    You say that, eyeing your friend's back's if hoping you could catch some sign or movement from her.

    "I'm fine."

    But again, she gives you an answer that…

    Well, at least you can tell that she is upset about something, at best. And she is upset at you, at worst.

    So… you did some progress?

    Oh shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Who are you kidding? You're absolutely screwing this up. Selene is right in front of you, she's clearly acting weird, you can tell that she has some sort of problem and you have no idea what to do!

    Uh, well, maybe you should try something else?

    "Well, uh, y'know Selene? It's really cold out here, tonight. Shouldn't we go back inside? I mean, I'm sure your mom would be upset if she knew we were up here and all," you say, hoping that gets an answer out of her that is at least longer than two words.

    "…"

    But much to your dismay, the only thing you hear from her is a grumble.

    "Did you… sorry, did you say something?"

    "I said… that…" she grumbles again.

    And even though you can't really make out the words she is speaking, you can tell that she is now really upset about something.

    So you have no idea how to tell her that… that you weren't able to hear her again?

    Should you tell her that? You really, really think you shouldn't. Isn't there a saying about not poking a hornet's nest? Or was it a sleeping manticore?

    "Uh… you're gonna have to say that a bit louder?" but still you ask her, against all reason. Even though you immediately kick yourself right after.

    But much to your surprise, she answers you.



    "I said! She's! Not! My! MOM!"



    Or rather, she yells at you, stomping a hoof against the roof with a dry crack.

    And you literally take a step back at that, out of sheer surprise.

    To the point that it takes you a few seconds to realize that Selene is finally looking back at you.

    And the expression she has on her face is…

    She looks angry.

    But she also looks sad. Sadder than you have ever seen her before.

    And she also looks alone.

    "Not… my mom…" she says again, this time in a much quieter tone. And you are not sure if she is talking to you, or to herself, or maybe to the world.

    You cautiously make your way towards her, a few moments later.

    And even though you can tell that she doesn't want you here, that she doesn't want anypony here… that she is angry when you put a foreleg around her back in a side-hug… she still lets you.

    She lets you, and you know you have to, even though she is angry at everything and everypony, yourself included.

    You also realize that… that maybe you don't know what to say because there might be nothing you can say.

    Maybe… you're only supposed to listen.

    So, you stay like that for a long while, as Selene… thinks. You wait for however long she needs you to.

    "Mrs. Velvet is not my mom…" Selene says, after who knows how long. "My mom left me… she left me, and she forgot me, and she doesn't even care about me…"

    You watch as Selene angrily moves her foreleg, and you think she is about to hit the roof again. That is, until you realize she moved her hoof to… to wipe the tears that appeared on her face.

    "Because why the hay else would I have forgotten about her? I don't… I don't even remember a face, Scoots… I don't remember anything… it's like I… l-like I didn't even exist before and…"

    She gives up on rubbing her tears, and they stream down through her cheeks and are blown by the wind to the ground far below.

    "Nopony ever even looked for me, Scoots… t-they… my parents… they didn't even care… I w-was just… just a nopony that t-they threw away… my mom and my dad, I w-wasn't good enough for them, so they threw me away…"

    You feel something tight grabbing at your heart, as Selene looks up at you, and you have no idea what to say. You have no idea what it must be like, to feel what she is going through. You can't even relate.

    Because sure, you miss your mom and dad. You sometimes get lonely, when they are away. But still… they're still there. They still send you letters, and… and they care and stuff. Hay, you know how important their work is, but you also remember how the one time you got sick they just threw everything to the wind and ran back home.

    So you can't really imagine how it's like. You can't imagine how it would feel like if your mom and dad never came back, let alone how you would feel if they didn't want to come back…

    "I… I don't need Mrs. Velvet to be my mom, because… because she is better than that… a-and I… And s-she cares about me… and she and loves me and…!"

    Her voice goes down to a whimper, as she says those last words.



    "A-and besides… what if she becomes my mom…? W-will she just want to leave me as well…? Is she… would she also… just throw me away?"



    You pull Selene into a full hug, feeling her tears dampen the fur of your chest as her words… well, she doesn't really manage to say anything for a good while.

    And you just stay like that, with her.

    Even though you can't do anything else for her.

    Even though this whole thing isn't fair. It's just wrong. You girls are fillies, Selene is a filly, this sort of stuff shouldn't happen to her.

    It's not fair that this stuff happened to her.

    But the world isn't a fair place, is it? Apple Bloom also lost her parents, Diamond's parents seem to fight all the time, a cartload of ponies just disappeared from town…

    Heck, it even goes down to the small things, like how you'll never be able to fly or things like that.

    The world really is… not fun and games all the time.

    But you can't do anything about any of that.

    The only thing you can really do, right now, is be here with your friend.

    So that's what you are going to do.

    "Do you think…" Selene asks, as the moon finally touches the horizon. "Do you think that somepony… anypony, from my before I lost my memories… do you think they are still looking for me? Do you think anypony from before still cares about me?"

    A soft golden glow envelops the moon, in the far-off distance, as it sets in the horizon. And moments later, the sun rises on the opposite side of the world, shining its light on your back.

    "I… I don't know, Selene… but hey, I'm here. I'm here, and everypony else is here, and we care about you," you say, as Selene gently lets go of you and looks you in the eye, "so uh… I hope we are enough?" you ask.

    Although you immediately kick yourself at how awkward, and maybe a bit corny, that sounded just now.

    But to your relief, Selene lets out a small chuckle.

    Not a bright chuckle, and definitely not an "I'm better now" chuckle. But it's a start.

    "Yeah… I guess…" she says, her frown turning into a small, almost imperceptible, smile.

    But a smile nonetheless.

    "Uh, thanks Scootaloo…" she says, whatever smile that was creeping into her face turning into an awkward, shy-embarassed expression.

    And you let out a sigh of relief, because that expression is a loooot closer to the Selene you are used to.

    "Eh, no problem. That's what friends are for!" you say confidently. "But we really should get out of here, I do not want to think how it would be like if Mrs. Velvet knew we were up here."

    "Oh, uh, we should get back to my room." [Velvet Covers: quietly leave, cd 60]

    "But you go first, I wanna learn what's your trick for it." [Success]

    "Right, that makes sense… and speaking of which, why are you sleeping in my room anyways? There's plenty of guest rooms, but why the hay do you prefer a mattress in my room?"

    "Well, duh, because you're my favorite!"

    "Favorite, what is that supposed to mean?"

    "Well, you're an earth pony that doesn't feel like an earth pony, I'm a pegasus that doesn't feel like a pegasus… c'mon, it's obvious!"

    "Wha… what? That's a pile of hay. C'mon, be honest, are you afraid of the dark or something?"

    And the two of you descent down into a more comfortable banter as you carefully make your way back into the house.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You much down at the delicious pancake, resisting the urge to apply the Chantilly container directly into your mouth. And you can tell that you are not the only one having that idea, seeing how Silky is eyeing the Chantilly herself from where she is sitting next to you.

    Selene, for her part, is munching down on her boring old cereal, being quiet and generally not attracting any attention to herself. Which is exactly how the Selene you know would be like, so that's a relieving sight.

    But your train of thought is interrupted as Mrs. Velvet re-enters the dining room, sitting on the chair next to Mr. Stormchaser.

    "Scootaloo dear, I just talked to a mare at the door," she says, your ears perking up in attention as she floats a plate of fruit towards her, "it was your nanny."

    You immediately cringe at that, as you realize that, if your nanny is here to pick you up, then this whole dream is finally over.

    No more huge house, no more awesome food, no more having a roommate and not living in an empty house.

    You knew this day would come, but you hoped it wouldn't be this soon… but oh well.

    "Oh, I… I see. I'll go pack my things, Mrs. Velvet, but thank you very much f-"

    "I wasn't done speaking, dear," Mrs. Velvet says, gently interrupting you. "I just wanted to let you know that she came here, I clarified certain things, and then I sent her away."

    "You… you did what?" you ask, not exactly sure of what she meant by that.

    "Sent her away, dear," Mrs. Velvet says as if it was the most natural thing in the world, her tone making you feel like she is paying more attention to her food than to this conversation. "I found her wanting, is all, so I relieved her from her duties. Your parents can come pick you up, when they come back home."

    She calmly munches down from the fruit, and then she looks at you with an expression that almost seems…

    "I wouldn't want to separate you from your friends, after all."

    That almost seems like she knows something.

    "Unless you want to go back home?" she asks.

    "What? No no no-... I mean... not at all, Mrs. Velvet. I, uh, thank you for having me?"

    "My pleasure, dear," she says.

    And breakfast continues as normal.
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 5 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    You take a deep breath, even though you realize breathing isn't really that important in this place.

    But still, you take a deep breath, as you once again get used to having a body that is capable of feeling things, and as the insistent heat of your Brand reassures you that you have indeed left the Blank Plains.

    Although you realize that leaving the Blank Plains isn't exactly a reason for you to calm down.

    After all, you are now in the Shattered Stairways. And the last time you tried exploring this place… well, things didn't exactly end in a stellar fashion.

    But still, as certain as the Glory that shines down upon you, you know that you can't run away from this place forever. You know, as countless ponies that came before you knew, that you must rise ever higher.

    Because if you don't, somepony else will.

    You look around you, taking in the strange-yet-familiar sight before your eyes. Right now you are standing on a floating bridge made out of Mansus-stone, on a one-way path flanked on both sides by an endless fall. Even from here you can already see how the path branches and turns up ahead, connecting itself to countless other paths, bridges and stairways, all in varying states of disrepair.

    This place is a labyrinth, you know. And what is worse, you know that this is a broken labyrinth, with no guarantee that a safe way forward even exists.

    However, unlike the last time you were here, this time you have a few tricks up your sleeve.

    Because just a few days ago you had a long, and strangely helpful, chat with a Name, about what you should look for and what you should avoid.

    Armed with that knowledge, you begin to make your way forward.



    [Searching for a new location]

    [Roll: Excessive bonus. Auto-success]



    And you find it. You immediately find what you are looking for.

    It is a small symbol, etched into the Mansus-stone. A sign carved into the ground by the ancient ponies who have walked this place before you. One of the little marks that they used to denote their own progress, and perhaps to warn other explorers away.

    But this particular sign that you are looking at is not exactly like the others. No. It is not like the clear knife triangle that will lead you to that dreadful pit of knives, and it is not like the other symbols that seem to have been carved with intent and purpose.

    No, not at all.

    The symbol that you were looking at right now, and the sign that you are following, is in fact the opposite. The stones that you are following are the clear ones, their surfaces clean and unmarked as if they have been made smooth by constant friction. The paths that you will follow are the straighter ones, and the narrower ones, that branch and twist and turn without ever going up and down even single flight of stairs.

    Because Baldomare advised you, between her far-fetching stories and elusive ways, that you should really be "looking for snakes" right now.

    And she has made it very clear, in one of the stories that she told you, that snakes dislike taking stairs, and that their scales make the paths they slither upon very smooth indeed.



    - - -



    [Following the Path, cd 100]

    [Roll: 56 + 30 (KNOCK Level 3) + 20 (SECRET HISTORIES bonus) + 40 (I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE) = 146]



    The main problem you have, however, is that the Shattered Stairways are, as their name suggests, shattered.

    You realize what you have to do. You can see that you are supposed to follow a particular path, through all its twists and turns as it deliberately avoids the stairs that might take you up or down.

    However, it doesn't take very long for the path that you are following to reach a dead end. Or rather, for it to reach a broken end.

    You follow the Mansus-stone, smoothed out by the scales of a slithering creature, until the path you are following gives way to a gaping pitfall. Looking up ahead, you can see that the path continues after the chasm.

    But unfortunately, in order to reach the continuation of your path you will have to find a way around the chasm. You will have to double back, and negotiate your way through the lateral stairs and the roundabout paths so you can find your way back to the trail you are meant to follow. And you can already see that will be no small feat, especially considering how the Shattered Stairways would already be hard to navigate even if they were not in such a broken state.

    It is very fortunate, then, that Baldomare has supplied you with so many stories to draw from. The Lantern name rarely does anything without purpose, and you are sure that there is a lesson or a piece of advise to be drawn from everything she told you a few days ago, when the two of you talked over tea.



    [Success]



    - - -



    As the trail you are following finally ends, you realize that two things might have happened.

    One, you might be hopelessly lost. It may be that you simply followed the wrong trail all along, or that you just imagined that this strip of Mansus-stone was just slightly smoother than the rest. Who knows, it might be that you have spent your whole night on a fool's errant, and that you have simply been wandering at random within this labyrinth-shaped part of the Mansus.

    Or two… the fact that the trail has ended can mean that you have reached your objective.

    You look up from the Mansus-stone, placing a hoof at the spot where the snake-trail abruptly ends, and you try to figure out what exactly you should do next. Because to be honest, as you look around you, you can't really see how the place you are at right now is any different from any other part of the Shattered Stairways.

    After all, everywhere you look you see nothing but disconnected paths, spiraling stairs, and upside-down bridges that all seem to be parts of a gigantic three-dimensional puzzle. And for all that this might be a fantastic view, the fact remains that you have no idea if you have arrived at the place you were supposed to arrive. In fact, you see no evidence of whether if the place you are trying to reach even exists at all.

    Heavens, you don't even know "what" this supposed place is. This whole time you have just been following a path, so you don't even know where said path leads, if it even leads anywhere at all!

    But still, you haven't come this far just to give up.

    And as you trace your hoof over the Mansus-stone, feeling the edges of the part where the snake-trail ends, you can't help but to have an idea…

    Or rather, you can't help but feel that something isn't exactly right.



    [Barrier-and-Wall, cd ??/???]

    [Roll: 42 + 14 (Learning) + 30 (LANTERN Level 3) + 15 (WINTER bonus) = 101]

    [Success]



    And as you pass your hoof again and again over the smooth trail, you feel… something.

    Yes, you feel something.

    You. Feel. Something.

    Edging on the very limit of your perception.

    Dancing around, almost purposefully, away from your Lantern-sight.

    But it is exactly because it tried to skid away from you that you notice it. Had this strange sound, this awkward buzzing, not tried to evade you, then you might have simply thought it to be a background noise inside your brain.

    However, now that you have noticed it, this thing seems so out of place that it is almost glaring.

    You can tell just how close this was. You can tell just how barely you almost missed it.

    But now that you have noticed its existence, the great barrier that is blocking your way gives up on trying to cloak its presence.

    It begins to push against you in earnest.

    And you begin to push back, seeing how the concealed snake-path continues before you with every forceful step you take.



    [Wall-and-Barrier, cd ???]

    [Roll: 57 + 14 (Learning) + 30 (WINTER Level 3) + 15 (KNOCK Bonus) = 116]



    You force your way through it. You resist its caressing allures, and the thousand different things that it suggests you to do instead of trying to pierce it. You open it, slithering through the narrow gap that you see before you, even as the barrier re-seals itself behind you.

    And you only realize it is over when you almost trip on your own legs, your mind spinning with confusion and exertion.

    But still, as your mind clears from the Grail-induced fog, you realize that you made it.



    [Success]



    - - -



    You can't help but feel like you have just done something wrong. Like you are trespassing somewhere you shouldn't be, or that you are somehow committing a crime that you didn't know existed, but that you are guilty of regardless.

    But still, here you are. You can still feel it right behind you, that sickly-sweet invisible wall that tried so hard to bar you passage, that mind-boggling snare of confusion that seemed to be determined to turn you around. However, the fact remains that the… barrier, or whatever else it was, is now behind you.

    Which means that you are free to push forward.

    Although you immediately realize that "forward" seems to have completely changed its meaning now.

    It's a bit curious, now that you think about it. This kind of thing has already happened before, here in the Mansus. But it definitely has not happened enough times for you to have gotten used to it.



    So, you are somewhat surprised when you realize… that the scenery before you has completely changed.



    You blink a few times, wondering if you are really seeing what is before your eyes. But sure enough, everywhere you look you see this new, different vista.

    The usual scenery of the Shattered Stairways, with its endless and labyrinth-like roads of Mansus-stone connected by broken bridges and ruined stairs, is gone. You can tell that you are still in the Mansus, of course. You can still see the light of Glory shining down upon everything, and you can still tell that you are not in the Wake. But still, somehow, your hoofs are no longer stepping on the dark-blue Mansus-stone as they were a few moments ago.

    In fact, you aren't even on a "path" anymore. While traversing the Shattered Stairways you are always on a straight path, of sorts, making your way through a labyrinth of narrow bridges flanked on both sides by an endless fall. But not anymore.

    No. Now, everywhere you look, you see that you are in a plain of sorts. Or is it a dark desert? The Mansus-stone is gone, and so are the endless falls and disconnected stairways, and in their place a great desert-like plain seems to stretch in all directions, all the way towards the distant horizon.

    You look behind you, seeing that the desert stretches on even towards the direction that you came from. Although, paradoxically, you can also sense the barrier right behind you, and you realize that you might be able to leave this place if you really try. You then look down at the ground itself, taking up a hoof-full of the dark sand, seeing how it reflects the light of Glory as if it was pulverized onyx.

    "Well, no point in heading back," you say to yourself, once again turning your back to the alluring buzz of the invisible barrier, "not after all the trouble it took to get here."

    You say that, even though you realize that you are just trying to encourage yourself to keep going. After all, your last foray into the Shattered Stairways did not go so differently from what is happening right now. Last time, you also ended up in a strange place that almost felt like a separate pocket inside the Mansus. And considering what exactly you ended up finding, at the very center of that snowstorm, you…

    "Let's just hope things don't end up like that," you say, pursing your lips.

    And then, you begin to explore the strange desert of dark sand, under the glaring light of the Glory.



    - - -



    You have been walking for… a very long time, now. Even though it doesn't really feel like much time has passed at all.

    This place is indeed a desert. You can still feel the faraway barrier as you walk, almost as if it is a magnetic pole to a strange compass you somehow have inside your mind. And that feeling persists no matter how much you distance yourself from the "entrance", and no matter how many countless dunes you walk over, the pulverized onyx scraping against the sole of your hoofs as you put one leg in front of the other.

    You are a bit thankful, you admit, about the fact that you don't really feel tired, no matter how long you walk. But still, you can't help but realize, as you head deeper and deeper into the desert, that you are beginning to feel… a different kind of discomfort.

    It came to you slowly, at first. Like a realization that gently crept its way into your head. Like an idea that steadily grew inside your mind. It came to you slowly, as if the Glory was actually a sun that was warming up the back of your head. But with thoughts instead of heat, and with a cold string of ideas instead of a searing headache. As if a strange thirst was indeed draining the energy of your body and your bones, even though you knew you were in a dream.

    That discomfort, that realization, came to you slowly, but it came nonetheless. To the point that now, as you walk through the endless stretch of shiny black sand, you can't really think about anything else. You can only think about one thing, now. An idea that has been coming to your head for so long, like a drop of water to your forehead, that it now feels like it is bashing against your brain with the strength of a hammer.



    And that idea is that… this desert is a very, very lonely place.



    And now that you have realized that, you can't really think about anything else.

    Everywhere you look, the black sand is there to remind you how barren and lifeless this place is. Every time you reach the top of a dune, you realized that there is nothing else around you as far as the eye can see.

    Every step you take makes you realize that there is nothing here, and that the only sensible thing to do is to turn back. To run away and flee, for this desert is a lonely place where ponies are sent to suffer.

    And you almost do that. You almost turn back to leave, thinking that your expedition is being a waste of time and that the barrier that tried so hard to bar your entrance was placed there for good reason.

    That is… until you see a glint of something on the smooth sand of the desert.

    "Huh?" you say out loud, your voice breaking the windless silence as you make your way to the curious glint.

    But you aren't hallucinating, you are almost sure of it. The solitude has not driven you insane yet, even if it has almost convinced you to go away. You aren't hallucinating, and as you approach the shining object on the ground, you soon find yourself looking at…

    "Is this… a key?" you say.

    Cautiously, carefully, you pick up the small object from the ground.

    And sure enough, you find yourself looking at a small metal key, intricately forged from a strangely colored metal.

    The oppressive weight of loneliness that the desert seems to be pressing against you fades, if only for a moment, thanks to the curious object you are now holding on your hoof. But this small window is more than enough time for you to realize that, on another dune a bit further away, you can see yet another glint of metallic reflection.

    And soon enough, you realize that you were following a trail, deep into the heart of the onyx desert.



    - - -



    You stare down at the cave, hearing the constant rasping noise coming from within.

    And you can't help but realize how quickly your heart is hammering inside your chest.

    The keys brought you here, sure enough, but you honestly did not expect to find something like this.

    Because the keys were like a trail at first, small beacons that reflected the Glory light laid on the ground at random intervals, like a trail of crumbs from a story you used to read to Silky.

    The keys formed a trail for you to follow, until they didn't. Because after a while, the keys became more and more common, they became a lot more numerous.

    And you mean a lot more numerous.

    You saw all kinds of keys, as you made your way deeper into the desert. Large keys, small keys, keys made out of wood, and metal, and blue Mansus-stone. Keys that seemed to be sharp to the touch and keys that reflected the light of Glory as if they were small lanterns.

    At a certain point, there were so many keys that you didn't even have to look for them anymore, as you followed them to their apparent source. The keys strewn on the ground becoming almost as common as the hard sand that stretched in every direction.

    After a while, the keys became so numerous that you had to take care not to step on them, the sound of metal rustling against metal becoming more and more common as your steps disturbed the keys and caused them to fall on top of each other.

    Until finally, there were so many keys that you had no other choice but to step on them. There were so many keys that they covered the sand itself. That they became a path, and then a road, and then a small mount, the countless keys piled on top of each other until they covered the very sands and dunes of the desert.

    And when you realized it, you were already scaling a literal mountain of keys.

    You scaled that mountain, guided both by a sense of curiosity and by a deep understanding that this is the only thing you could have possibly come to this desert for.

    You scaled that mountain, and now you are looking down at the entrance of a cave, near its very top.

    And again, coming from that cave you can hear a loud and constant rasping noise. A sound of metal shearing against metal, that reminds you of the sound of farming tools being dragged through the ground… and of the sound of Comet Feet sharpening his knives, inside that decrepit lodge that he stays in.

    It is the hissing sound of yet another key being made, you know. And considering how you are standing on a mountain of them, you can't help but realize that you might have found their source.

    You take a deep breath, gulping down the dryness inside your mouth, and you make your way into the cave, trying not to think about how the precariously held walls look like they might collapse at any moment.

    Trying not to think about how the hissing sound of metal also sounds too much like a snake slithering through a path of blue stones.

    …

    The cave itself isn't exactly deep, and there are no branching pathways either. But still, you make your way in as subtly as you can, putting cautious hoof in front of cautious hoof and trying to be as silent as possible as you go deeper into this place.

    And soon enough you find the source of the rasping noise.

    The first thing you see is a large, wheel-like stone. You are not sure what that kind of thing is called, whether if it is a sharpening wheel or a grinding stone. But still, you see a large circular stone connected to a manual hoof-powered contraption of sorts, that is clearly meant to spin the stone itself.

    And of course, the second thing you notice is the pony who is standing behind the grinding stone, spinning the device with a hoof and carefully pressing a key against it with the other.

    You realize that the pony is hooded, and that he is maybe as large as you are.

    You also immediately realize that the pony is dangerous. With a very large and sharp horn-topped axe casually laying on the ground next to him, although you realize that the pony would still be a threat to you even if that thing wasn't there.

    And finally, you realize that the hooded pony is looking at you, it's hooded face pointed straight at your own. In fact, it seems the pony has been looking at you for a while, and that the large grinding stone has stopped spinning for a few seconds now.

    A chill runs through your spine, from the back of your neck all the way to your tail, as you practically feel the air shudder as the pony… as the hooded creature takes in a deep breath.



    "Wo'dye wont…"​



    And every muscle on your body goes taut as you hear those words.

    The creature spoke to you, you are sure of it. You are sure that you heard its voice just now.

    But still, another chill runs through your body as you realize that you... that you cannot understand what it just said.

    It spoke with a cold voice, for sure. A cold and distant voice that you immediately understood to be very old… and perhaps not quite something that would belong to a pony. It lacked the piercing certainty of Baldomare's voice, and it did not have the same incorporeal quality of your Master's tone. But still, the fact remains that just by hearing that voice your mind immediately compared it to the voice of Baldomare and your Master. Just by hearing that voice, you were immediately reminded of… of creatures like them.

    Your subconscious, or perhaps something even deeper and more primal, immediately understood that… that you are in front of something large. Something larger than yourself, and greater than anything you could ever hope to achieve in your life. Something larger and older than anything that could ever come from the Wake.

    But still…

    Still…

    Even though you understood all of that just by listening to the creature's voice. Even though you could tell all of that just by looking at the frightening pony-shaped and hooded creature. The fact remains that…



    "I-I…" you stutter, your voice stuck inside your throat. "I'm sorry?"



    The fact remains that… you have no idea of what the creature just said to you.

    And you can feel cold sweat forming on your forehead as you realize what is happening right now.

    Because how could you not have thought about this possibility? How is it that you didn't even consider it?!

    "I, uhm…" you say, you stutter, trying and failing to keep your nervousness from seeping into your voice. "Can you understand what I am saying? Because I… well…"

    But even as you say those words, you can see the creature's demeanor slowly change for the worse. You can see it narrowing its eyes under the shadow of its hood, and you can tell how its body language is slowly becoming more… alert.

    "Do you… do you speak my language? Or maybe I should…?" you say, in fits and stops, as you begin to wonder just how much of a disaster this situation is becoming.

    You feel like a fool. Even worse, you feel like a fool who is in danger. Because how in the heavens could you not have thought this might be a problem? After all, just a few weeks ago you finished reading (or rather, you tried to read) a grimoire that was old enough to have knowledge about the Mansus. And that tome was written in another language.

    And you know that all ponies in Equestria speak the same language. So you should have realized, by simple logic, that this meant that at some point in the distant past that wasn't the case. You should have realized that ponies of past eras spoke in languages that aren't used anymore nowadays. And you definitely should have realized that in the Mansus, of all places, there might be creatures that literally only speak in forgotten languages.

    How could you not have thought about this? How could you not have prepared for this?! You are pretty sure that Baldomare knows every language that ever existed, so you could at least have tried to prepare for an eventuality like this.

    But you didn't. So here you are right now, neck-deep into the Mansus, being stared at by a creature older than written history… while being absolutely incapable of doing something as simple as communicating with it.

    You open your mouth, and then you close it. You try to think about something, but your mind draws a blank. You begin to wonder if maybe you should try to gesture at it, but your eyes immediately fall upon the very large axe that the hooded creature has next to it, and you suddenly realize that making sudden gestures might not be the best idea.

    You have no idea of what to do.

    And your heart almost stops beating when you realize the creature is getting annoyed, and that it takes in another deep breath as it opens its mouth.



    "Wo'. De. Ye. Wont."​



    The creature speaks again, and for a second time you realize that you have no idea what it means, even in the most basic of senses. The only thing you are sure of is that the creature's patience is very quickly becoming more and more scarce.

    Maybe this was a mistake? Maybe you shouldn't have come here? After all, if somepony walked into your house and started speaking gibberish to you, you certainly wouldn't appreciate it. In fact, could it be that you are even offending it somehow rather than just annoying it?

    And maybe… maybe you are even in danger? You usually feel that the Lore tricks you learned to use in the Wake get dulled when you are in the Mansus, and your Edge-senses are certainly no different. So maybe the creature before you is getting angry at you, perhaps even preparing to attack you, and you are none the wiser??

    You can feel the tension inside your body approaching a peak, and the thought that you should start running right now is growing stronger with every passing moment.

    But before you can make a decision, the creature acts first.

    And your body freezes as you watch the hooded creature throw the key that it was holding away, reaching for its axe in a quick motion and-!



    "Aahhhhhhh!"



    -no... wait... Waaait, wait wait. You blink your panic away as you shake your head, taking a few terrified seconds to realize that the creature did not, in fact, reach for its axe.

    Instead, you realize that she (and you immediately realize the pony is a mare) simply threw her hood back, revealing her face.

    And you also realize that her face, despite not being as angry as you initially thought, is extremely annoyed.



    "Fer all fok's sake. A whole er'a stock don 'ere, an the farst pone tha appears is a daft mare?! Can' a snek get a wee bit o' fokken luck?! S'it too much tae ask?! Damn Hours curse was'lready bad enof, but noo ae hav tae deal w'this s'well?!"



    And much to your surprise the hooded creature, the hooded mare, begins to practically yell. And you are not entirely sure if she is yelling at you, at herself, or at the cave that surrounds both of you.

    But much more importantly, you also realize that…!

    "Wait! Wait, wait, hang on a second. I… I can understand you?" you say, your surprised words coming out of your mouth almost without prompt.

    And the mare looks at you only for a split second, her expression a mixture of disbelief and disappointment, before she resumes her rant.

    Although this time her rant is clearly directed at you.

    "Well ye fokken tell me, ye daft mare! Cos' ae sure canny tell w'how stooped ye've been acting!"

    She says that, and you are taken aback by several things.

    First of all, you are taken aback by the fact that you can understand her. Her accent may be dreadful, and you realize that you don't really catch some of the words she says. But still, you can understand her.

    And secondly, you are surprised by how… natural she sounds. Because the mare before you absolutely feels like a creature in par with Baldomare, and you can certainly tell that there is something downright and unnatural wrong about her. But still, she… you really have no other way to say it other than that she really feels like a pony.

    Especially given how much emotion you can feel behind her words. Even if those emotions are on the more "aggressive" and "annoyed" side of things.

    And seeing how you can't help but feel like she is an annoyed, yet normal, pony, you also can't help but feel like it was extremely rude of you to make her feel this exasperated.

    "I, uhm, I apologize?" you say, realizing that it has been a short while ever since you last said something.

    Although the mare didn't seem to care about your silence, her endless rant of curses becoming louder and more inventive the longer you stayed quiet. But still, thankfully, she quiets down as you begin to talk.

    "I mean it, uhm…" you trail off for a few moments, wondering how to continue. Because part of you realizes that you are making your first contact with a creature older than the Princesses. While another part of you is telling you that… you really shouldn't try to overcomplicate this? Not with this mare, at least. "I'm sorry at how I acted, the trip here was… a bit long. But still, would you mind if we started again from the beginning?"

    You say that and you try to give her a smile, which immediately crumbles under her annoyed glare. However, rather than to resume her yelling at you, the mare simply rolls her eye and lets out an extremely long sigh. As if she was trying to come to terms that she really didn't have a choice.

    "Foine, foine, if yer willing not te play deaf again… ye cuid maybe answer me damn questn'then? Wo'. De. Ye. Wont?"

    You narrow your eyes for a few moments, your mind running as fast as it can as you try to understand what exactly the mare just said.

    But thankfully, the answer comes a lot more quickly than before.

    "Oh!" you say, as it finally hits you. "You are asking me what do I want?" you ask.

    And you let out an honest sigh of relief as the mare gives you an annoyed nod.

    "F'corse ae'm askin tha. Ae mean, yer the farst sumna ae'v seen n'ages. N'ae'm a Name, so thr's bound tae be somethin' tha' ae can do fer ye. Or t'leas somethin' tha ye wan from me."

    You nod at the mare as you realize both that you can understand her, and that in fact the two of you might actually have already begun a negotiation of sorts. Notwithstanding the fact that, if you understood her correctly, this mare seems to be a Name!

    "N'incase ye didn't notice, s'pretty fokken obvious wo' ae wont," she says raising one of her hindlegs from underneath her hooded cloak and revealing that… that one of her hindlegs is shackled. "S' the reason why ae made s'many kaes. Ae need a kae tha' only opens, but fer som reason they all end up wrong."

    A soft "ohh" escapes your lips as you realize her situation.

    And you immediately understand what direction you want this conversation to go.





    Three Mansus Actions used up. 1x for "searching for new location" and 2x for two "hurdle crossing".

    You have completely explored the Valley of Keys!

    You have met the Daughter-of-Axes, the Name of Knock that is stuck (or maybe imprisoned) in the Valley of Keys. Her [INCOMPLETE] information has become available to you, and she is now available to be summoned.

    The Daughter-of-Axes seems surprisingly talkative, even though you have to struggle to understand her. She is also surprisingly pony-like, although you swear you saw a hint of scales, instead of fur, when she casually showed you her shackled hindleg. But from your talk with her, you have learned several things.

    You have learned that the Daugher-of-Axes is interested in "a key that can only open", and is willing to be summoned to the Wake. Offering her services in exchange for the chance to search for that item.

    In turn, you have told the Daughter-of-Axes of your own predicament. And upon learning that you wish for "protection" from potentially occult attacks, she has offered you a "Wrong Key". She has made it very clear that she can easily produce more Wrong Keys, if summoned, and has gifted you a single unit as a "free sample".

    You have received ONE "Wrong Key"!



    You have received one scrap of KNOCK Lore from your recent experience.



    You have completely explored two locations within the Shattered Stairways. "The Way Up" is now available to you!



    Daughter-of-Axes [INCOMPLETE INFORMATION, you must summon her for a complete status file]

    "She claims that she was the Daughter of 'another', before, but that she had to bind herself to a new patron once her Mother 'did what she did'. Always wearing a cloak upon her body, and a scowl upon her face, you have slowly come to realize that, perhaps, her problem is that she simply isn't good with words. Or with ponies. Most likely with both, to tell the truth. You are also pretty sure that she has scales underneath that cloak, instead of fur, but you will definitely not pry. Especially given how she seems to hide that great horn-topped axe so easily underneath that cloak. And considering her Lore nature, you wouldn't be surprised at all if the inside of her cloak is a lot larger than it appears."


    Daughter-of-Axes

    Summoning requirements: KNOCK 120, EDGE 60, WINTER 60.

    Summoning cost: 100 bits.

    Summoning details:
    -[CURRENTLY UNKNOWN]

    Health: [CURRENTLY UNKNOWN]
    General bonus: [CURRENTLY UNKNOWN]
    "Specialty" bonus: [CURRENTLY UNKNOWN]
    Aspects: KNOCK 6, EDGE 3
    [NAME]: There is, or was, a hierarchy within the Mansus. She has reached high within its ranks.
    [CRAFTER]: Is capable of producing "Wrong Keys" (FURTHER DETAILS UNKNOWN)
    [Other positive traits unknown]

    [UNIQUE]    : (Particular details unknown).
    [Other negative traits unknown]



    "WRONG KEY"

    Consumable Item

    -Can be used as a "Knock 3" reagent

    -Single use (breaks when used)

    -Can be used reactively to completely deny an enemy offensive ritual aimed at you or at ponies near your immediate physical vicinity.

    -Can be used to instantly inflict a single wound to a summoned creature if used in combat.

    -Breaks at the end of its fifth month of existence.

    Other notes: The Wrong Key you have received will break at the end of Turn 18. And none of the informational sheets have been updated to reflect this post yet, be it your Knock scrap levels or inventory. (I will edit this out when I do that).

    Hope you have all been well!
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 6 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions) (4 actions remaining)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    To say that a lot of things have happened, this past month, is… an understatement, to say the least.

    In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that ponykind as a whole is still in shock, as news slowly begin to travel from one town to the next. There are a lot of ponies who have not even realized, yet, that they have just lived through what might have been one of the greatest tragedies in recent history.

    But still, life goes on. Even as ponies wonder out loud if another horseshoe is about to drop. Even as the… dreadful details about what exactly happened in Canterlot slowly become more and more precise. Even as all of that happens, life still goes on. The sun continues to rise and set, to everypony's relief, and the number of days between everypony and that great tragedy continues to steadily increase.

    Although, of course, that doesn't mean that you have been any less busy.

    Quite on the contrary, in fact. The number of things that you have to worry about seems to have tripled.

    Because you realize how much the Cult is growing. And you realize that something very, very wrong has happened. And you realize that you can't just stand by and let something like this happen, ever again. And you realize that every time you close your eyes you remember how Twilight's expression looked like inside of th-



    "…" you take a deep, cold breath.



    And you focus your thoughts once again.

    Because yes, a lot has happened. And yes, you have a lot to worry about. But you can't be everywhere at once, and you can't take care of everypony at the same time. Not yet, at least.

    However, that sure as Tartarus doesn't mean that you aren't going to try.

    "Stormy, I'm leaving for a little bit," you say to your husband as you make your way downstairs.

    "Anything the matter, dear?" he asks almost immediately, and you can feel the slight hint of veiled tension in his voice.

    Which makes sense, given how you ran yourself ragged right after everything went down in Ponyville, to make sure the town didn't descend into chaos. Plus everything the two of you talked about just a few days ago, regarding the Cult and… everything else.

    "Nothing to worry about, Stormy. I'll just visit a… friend," you say, rather hesitantly. "Well, at least I hope she considers me a friend."

    "Mhmm," he gives you a slow nod. But the two of you share a meaningful glance, and you can tell that he is not entirely convinced about what you just told him.

    Or rather, you can tell that he understands that what you are about to set out to do will be… complicated, but that he can't really understand why.

    "She is a bit… quiet, to say the least," you admit, making him give you a more understanding nod. "So I'm worried about how this whole mess might have affected her. I hope she is alright, but I still want to check on her. She's the sort of mare that is used to being alone, but still…"

    "I see… are you sure you don't want me to come with?"

    "Oh no. Heavens, no. I'm already worried that she might not even want to see me, and I've already visited her more than once. So I can't even imagine how she might react if I take somepony new with me."

    "Wow. That bad? Well, tell me how it goes once you come back," he says, giving you a small, but still loving, smile.

    "I will. And I promise I'll be back before nightfall," you answer.

    And a few minutes later you are outside of your estate, making the long trek towards the distant dirt road that leads to the limits of the Everfree Forest.



    - - -



    As you walk over the small stone bridge that leads to Fluttershy's cottage, you can't help but kick yourself over how many days it took you to come check on her.

    You know you didn't have the time. You know nopony had the time. After all, you and Mayor Mare had to spend almost every waking hour you had to calm the town down, after a dozen of ponies literally disappeared in that fateful night. And after that there was the whole calamity of Canterlot being on fire in the middle of a sun-topped night.

    You also had to take care of your family, and you had to be there for Soft Sweeps, and all the other thousands of things you knew you had to do despite the fact you are only a single mare.

    Besides, you knew Fluttershy had not been physically hurt because. You knew, through the Cult, that Fluttershy wasn't one of the "ponies" that disappeared. So you didn't even have to worry about the fact that Fluttershy lives alone and far away from town. You knew none of the "monsters" had taken her away.

    So, you realize that, rationally speaking, you simply couldn't have prioritized checking on Fluttershy before now. You simply couldn't.

    But that's the thing. These are your rational thoughts speaking.

    However, when it comes to how you feel about all of this…

    Well, you simply can't shake away the memory of how Fluttershy sounded like, the last time you saw her. How she was so distraught that she tried to press you for answers.

    After all, this is Fluttershy you are talking about. And she tried to press you for an explanation.

    So yeah, you really wish you could have checked on her sooner…

    …

    You hope she is doing alright.



    "Well, only one way to find out," you say to yourself as her cottage finally comes into view.



    As you approach the plant-covered house, you immediately notice a huge, glaring difference in relation to the other times that you have been to this place. The difference is not bad, mind you, but it still makes for a sight that you realize you had not seen before. Even if this difference makes a lot of sense, in hindsight.

    Namely, as you approach Fluttershy's cottage, you see that there is a small crowd gathered on and around it.

    A crowd of animals, of course.

    As you think back on the… two or three times you have been here before, you remember that there weren't really any animals nearby. Sure, you remember noticing the bird houses, and the critter-holes, and all the other things that made you think you were stepping into a small animal sanctuary. But still, now that you think about it, you had never really seen any animals proper.

    Which only now you realize is strange, especially considering how much the mare likes animals, and how many accommodations for them she placed around her cottage.

    And now that you think about it… you think you can guess the reason as to why these animals were conspicuously absent, the last few times you were here.

    "Well," you mumble to yourself, looking at a group of colored birds that is staring down at you as you walk, "if nothing else, I hope you all at least kept her company while she… well, while she was alone."

    You say that, but as you get closer and closer to her door you can't help but notice that… something is off.

    "You guys did keep her company, right?" you ask, as a worrying feeling begins to form in your guts. "You took care of her… right?"

    Because you realize that this place… the birds, and the critters and everything else, is quiet. Too quiet. The very atmosphere around you seems to be heavy with something.

    The colorful birds seem almost guilty, as you look up towards them. The squirrels and rodent seem almost worried, as they peek at you from within their burrows. You see empty pots of food and upturned bowls of water, and you really hope that this isn't just your mind imagining things for you to worry about when nothing like that really exists.

    But still, as you finally reach Fluttershy's door, you can't help but think that this place feels even less lively than it did, the last time you were here. Even though there is a literal multitude of wildlife and friendly critters surrounding her cottage.

    And also, you can tell that… that Fluttershy's door is denying you entrance a lot more strongly than even the first time you were here.

    Well… you came this far, so you definitely aren't going to turn away now. Heavens, you came here precisely because you are worried about her, so you can't be discouraged even if you find evidence that you were right about worrying.

    And besides, you have yet to see the mare herself.

    So you hope for the best, as you raise your hoof and knock on her door.

    "Fluttershy, are you in there?" you say out loud, noticing how a small crowd seems to be looking at you, and the door, almost expectantly. "It's me, Velvet. Would you like to talk for a while?"

    You say that, and then you wait, not even being able to sense her over the presence of all the other animals nearby.

    …

    And you wait.

    And wait.

    And wait.

    …

    You wait, as the sinking feeling inside your chest grows heavier and heavier.

    You wait, as you begin to wonder if you should try something else. Who knows, maybe you would be able to check if she is there if you try harder.

    You wait… until you realize something. Something that you realized was off, but that you didn't think much about when you first arrived here.

    You realize that… her door is denying you passage perhaps a bit too forcefully.

    Because you can tell when a door is locked or unlocked, sure. You can even tell when a door has more than one lock, or if the lock is a bit more complex or expensive than usual. However, the sensation you are getting from Fluttershy's door is not like any of those feelings. No, this is something else.

    You place a hoof on her door, and you realize that…

    Oh…

    You slowly sit on your hinds next to the door, pressing the side of your body against the hard wooden surface.



    "Fluttershy… can I talk to you? Please…?"



    And then you gently whisper those words to the mare that, you just realized, is lying down on the floor, right behind that locked door.





    [The fluttering heart, breakpoints 50/80/110/150]

    [Roll: 97 + 13 (Diplomacy) + 15 (GRAIL bonus) + 10 (An Awareness of Appetite) = 135]





    You hold your breath, your ear pressed against the door as you try to hear for a sign, any sign, that she heard you. Any sign that she at least chose not to ignore you.

    But you can't hear anything.

    Heavens, even the birds and the critters seem to have quieted down even more, almost as if they are holding their breath with you. But still, you can't hear any sign of the mare on the other side of the door. In fact, you are not even sure if she is there. A small seed of doubt sprouting in your mind and telling you that this feeling you had just now was an incorrect hunch. A delusion that you summoned up thanks to a mixture of Lore knowledge and wishful thinking.

    However, after almost a full minute…

    "…"

    You think, you think, that you hear something.

    You think that you hear the sound of a pony slowly getting up, of feathers dragging against the door as a pegasus gets on her feet.

    You think you hear the sound of a wooden floor creaking due to shift of weight, right behind the door. And not because somepony is walking away from it, mind you.

    And after what seems almost like an eternity-

    *click*

    -you finally hear the sound of a lock being undone.

    And you swear that you hear the animals behind you sigh in relief, as the door slowly opens.

    "Hello there, Flutter-… shy?" you begin to say. But you can't help but pause, your eyes going slightly wide, when you finally take a look at the mare's face.

    And in return, the only thing she does is wordlessly open the door just a little bit more.

    Which you understand as being her way of telling you to come in.



    - - -



    The inside of Fluttershy's cottage is dark and quiet, and you dare say even a little bit cold. It has the characteristic atmosphere of a place whose windows haven't been opened in a long time, and that hasn't seen much activity apart from the bare minimum that a pony would need to survive.

    But still, more than you are worried about her cottage, you are actually worried about how Fluttershy herself looks like.

    Because Fluttershy doesn't look like she is doing well. She doesn't look like she is doing well at all.

    It is the combination of a thousand little things. Her mane looks slightly unkept. Her feathers seem to be slightly ruffled. Her coat seems to have bits and patches that are disheveled, and you think you can see a hint of bangs under her eyes. Heavens, even her posture is off. Fluttershy didn't even properly move to close the door behind you, when you entered. She just leaned against it and slumped back down to the floor where she is sitting.

    But most of all, it's her expression that worries you.

    You have already seen Fluttershy when she was uncomfortable. You already know what she looks like when she was hesitant. Heavens, you have even seen her when she was at ease and relaxed, on that one time she was explaining to you about the health of the animal that Comet Feet had brought you to check.

    However, you have never seen her like this. Even on the last time you were here, when she was distraught to the point of pressing you for answers, she still wasn't like this.

    You don't really have a word to describe it. She doesn't look exactly like she is miserable, or hollow, or confused, or empty, or even in pain. You can't describe how she feels, because she doesn't seem to be feeling one single thing at any time.

    Instead, from the way that her gaze is fixed somewhere far away, you can tell that she seems to be thinking really hard about… something.

    But you don't know what that is. Of course, you have several hunches. You have lived long enough to know what might be tormenting Fluttershy. You know that she is like this because of what happened between her and Comet Feet. You have seen enough in your life, and you have read enough books, to be able to summon up all sorts of scenarios as to why she might be like this.

    However, you also realize that... that you simply don't know Fluttershy.

    So, you stay quiet. Until she finally looks up at you.



    "Why…?" she says, her tone so low that you almost don't hear her.



    She says that, she asks that, but she doesn't say anything else.

    But you can see, from the way her gaze is trembling, and her breath is going faster and faster, that it won't be long before she… continues, that question.

    So, you wait.

    And sure enough, a little less than a minute later, she finally holds you gaze again.



    "Why is this happening…? How did this happen? I really… I really don't…"



    You purse your lips at that, honestly unsure about what you should say next. And that is because, again, you don't really know Fluttershy at all.

    You "know" her, sure, in the sense that you know "about" her. You know that she is not very social. You know that she prefers the company of animals. You know that she has been friends with Rarity for a long time, and that even Rarity herself has failed to bring Fluttershy out of her shell more than once.

    You know all of that, but you have no idea of why she is like that.

    Is it some trauma that she carries from her childhood? Does she perhaps have a bad relationship with her family that made her turn out like this? Does she have some sort of disability that she hides behind a hermit guise, like you hide your own leg?

    You don't know. You don't know why she is like this.

    And because of that, you definitely don't know what is going on inside her head.

    Does she think of you as a friend? Did she let you inside her home because she values your presence or wants your advice? Could it be, perhaps, that she merely tolerates you, and let you in just because some company is better than no company?

    And what about Comet Feet? You know he triggered her problem, but is he really the source? Fluttershy is not like Rarity, who you would be able to say is lovesick. She is not like Jade, who you could tell was being crushed by her own guilt. It might be either of those, or it might be something entirely different.

    You have no idea if, perhaps, Comet Feet is the very first pony that she felt a kindling of care about in her entire life, and that she is suffering right now because she just lost something she never even knew she was missing.

    You have no idea, and that indecision is causing you to freeze up.

    But thankfully, or perhaps worryingly, Fluttershy herself continues to talk not long after.

    And what she says next… does answer some of your questions.



    "Because I... I don't do this… I'm not like this…" she says.

    Although you really don't know if she is talking to you or to herself.

    "Ponies are… ponies are mean… they are mean, and loud, and they don't respect you, and they… they don't care about you, and…!"

    She says that, and you can tell that her voice is slowly growing louder with every word she speaks. You have never seen Fluttershy angry, and you don't even know if she is capable of feeling anger, but you can see how worked up she is slowly becoming.

    "… and they don't care about you. So I don't care about them! That's not what I do. I care about animals, and they care about me, and that has been more than enough for me my whole life!"

    She says that, but then she stops, almost as if something got stuck in her throat.

    And her next words come out so low that they are almost a whisper.

    "So why am I… worried? Why am I worrying so much that it hurts?"



    And from her tone alone… from the way she said that very last word, the way it hung so heavily in the air that you could almost feel it…

    You let out a soft, helpless sigh at that.

    You have no idea what happened to her, before you met her.

    You have no idea what drives a pony to isolate herself to completely from society like she did.

    You don't even know why she is telling you this right now. Fluttershy doesn't seem to be a mare that gets closer to other ponies to begin with, so you can't even understand why she opened her door for you, let alone why she let you in.

    However… you think that... you might have a hunch in regards to what she is feeling right now. Because even though you don't quite understand "how" she thinks, what is in her past or what makes her tick, you think you know the particular rut that she is in right now very well.

    So, you think you know how you can help her, even if only a little bit.

    Or at least you hope you do.



    "You know, he feels the same way that you d-"

    "No he doesn't."



    You try to say something, but the mare cuts you off almost immediately.

    And you have to control your expression, to hide how… how honestly surprised you are, by what you felt in her voice.



    "He doesn't feel like this. And I know this because…! Because he…"

    But as quickly as the mare's vitriol appears, it also fades away.

    "… because he… He said to me, a while ago… he said to me that a lot of ponies are scared of him. I can see how much that hurts him, but that's not what I… Well, he told me that I didn't mind his presence because everypony thinks he is like a dangerous animal, and I'm… and I'm good with animals…"

    You can see her pursing her lips, almost as if she regrets something that she had said in the past.

    Or perhaps, her expression changed just now because she regrets that she didn't say something, when she had the chance.

    "But I… I don't think that's it. I think it's the opposite, actually… I think I'm the only one who sees him as a pony, and…. But he doesn't feel like this. Because everypony is mean to him, including himself. So he doesn't think that he is… that he deserves…"



    You can see Fluttershy curl up even more at that, her back pressed hard against the door.

    And you decide that you can't take this anymore. You can't stand to watch her be like this anymore.

    You don't care if she cuts you off again, or if she gets so upset that she kicks you out of her house. You have to at least try to get through to her. You have to at least try to help her.

    Because, if nothing else, you know what she is feeling right now. So even if you don't understand the mare herself, you know what she wants to hear. What she needs to hear.

    So, you very slowly walk towards her, stopping as soon as you realize you have reached the absolute limit of what she seems to be comfortable with.

    And you say the one thing that you know will capture her attention. The one thing you know you have to say, even if it means that you will have to make a promise.



    "Comet Feet is back," you say, watching her eyes immediately focus on you. But you continue to speak quickly, before she has any time to say something, "but something happened. And I… he is going to need your help, and this is what we are going to do…"





    Fluttershy remains a mystery to you. A quiet, reclusive, hermit-like mystery, not unlike the stallion that she for some reason is so worried about. But you understand the nature of the pain she is suffering, so with that you can help.

    Fluttershy will be able and willing to help you next turn, in any actions that involve Comet Feet. Considering your plans to betray the Cult, your current plan is to seek out the stallion as soon as his Edge Influence fades. Fluttershy will accompany you in that, should you so wish.

    You have also felt that Fluttershy seems to have a penchant for     WINTER, although you are not entirely sure what that tells you about her.

    Your Mansus explorations continue, and your progress happens slowly and one night (or afternoon-nap) at a time. Your meeting with the Daughter-of-Axes, even, happened at the culmination of several days worth of effort. So, you are currently making your searches for the next Door. You feel that you will find it soon, but it did not happen yet, and in the meantime you visited Fluttershy first.

    <50: "I'm… not feeling well… please go…" that was all she said to you, from behind the door that remained locked.

    50: She did not say anything. But at least… she listened.

    80: "Okay… I guess… thanks for visiting…" she said, from the half-open door. But at least you gave her something to hang on to. (You must make a promise to Fluttershy [Open Vote])

    110: She let you into her home, not her heart. But still, you made do. (Fluttershy will be available next turn, no voting required)

    150: "Fluttershy… have you been crying…?" (???)
     
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    • The Tribal Door New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions) (4 actions remaining)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    Ever since you met the Daughter-of-Axes, you have been roaming the Shattered Stairways. You say that you have been "roaming" because, truth be told, claiming that you were trying to "map" the place would be the height of hubris. Or perhaps of stupidity.

    It is impossible to map the Mansus. It is impossible for a pony to chart the Shattered Stairways the same way that it is impossible for you to understand the Woods, or for you to reach the horizon of the Blank Plains.

    And yet…

    And yet.

    The fact remains that you are still able to navigate it.

    You have already wondered about this before, of course. But recently, these last few days, this paradox is one that has been truly disturbing you.

    After all, you realize that you can get lost in the Woods almost on a whim. You realize that, every now and then, you get a feeling that if you "take a wrong turn", or diverge from your path to explore a curious moon-bathed grove, that you will be lost. And yet, you are still capable of reaching the stairs that lead to the Blank Door almost every night.

    And that is because you know the "path" that leads up. Even though there is no path, even though the trail that you must follow to go higher in the Mansus changes every night. But still, you know "how" to do it regardless, and that is something that you retain even after you wake up.

    The same thing almost always happens in the Blank Plains as well. There are very few nights that your numb mind simply wanders towards a place you do not wish to go. To date, you have almost always made your way towards the Branding Door on the nights that you planned to continue your explorations of this level of the Mansus.

    But still, the question remains…

    How is it that you can do that?

    Why can you do that?

    If it is impossible to map the Mansus, how is it that you can still explore it like you do? How is it that you still make "progress", if the Mansus is a dream-realm that is different, yet maddeningly familiar, every time you step hoof on it? Why is it that certain places, like Baldomare's lodge, remain the same, while so many other parts of the Mansus do not?

    Hoof-waving this paradox away and telling yourself that it is just a dream isn't cutting it anymore for you. If you are to reach the Glory, you really want to understand this place. You really want to master this place, in order to reach its pinnacle.

    Otherwise, you would just be playing a game the rules of which you do not understand. And consequently, you would always be a victim of fate and chance.

    So, as you explore the Shattered Stairways and ponder how to proceed, you keep those questions close to your mind.

    And tonight, you have a theory of sorts that you want to test.



    [The Path that Must Exist, cd 100]

    [Roll: 10 + 14 (Learning) + 30 (KNOCK Level 3) + 20 (Secret Histories bonus) + 40 (I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE) = 114]



    What is the Mansus, really?

    Your Master has told you long ago, during one of the many sermons she held, that the Mansus is the House of the Sun. And you understood what she meant the very first time you had the Dream, and you looked at the colossal shape of the Mansus against the horizon and saw the Glory shining down from its very top.

    Thus, the Mansus, you understood then as you still understand now, is a place of power. It is a place where power dwells, and where power roams. Those who tread within it do not "take" its power so much as they "are" power, by sheer virtue of walking through its halls.

    Baldomare, also, gave you a few tidbits of knowledge in regards to that. She told you that the Mansus is real, even though it only exists in dreams, and that only a single Mansus exists, even though there are many Histories. And you think you caught at least part of what she said. Especially given how, curiously, you can't seem to be able to glimpse any other memories of yourself while you are in here.

    Thus, the Mansus, you reasoned then as you still reason now, is a place of stability. Perhaps the Histories float around the Mansus like the sun and moon fly around Equestria. Perhaps the Mansus is the only thing that really exists, and the Wake is the true dream.

    However, you also can't deny the fact that…

    The Mansus is broken. And according to your Master and Baldomare both, it laid forgotten by ponykind for longer than anypony alive knows.

    But how could that happen? How was that even possible?

    If the Mansus is real, how could it have been forgotten?

    If the Mansus is power, how could it have been broken like this?



    And most perplexing of all, if all of that happened, how can the Mansus still exist?



    You do not know. You do not know the answer to those questions. You suspect that your Master know them, of course, and you are pretty sure Baldomare knows the reason for all of this as well. However, they are not willing to tell you, and have made it very clear that you must seek those answers for yourself.

    And to that… you have a theory that you would like to test.

    All this time, all these years, you thought the Mansus to be… a place. Your Master almost always referred to it as the House of the Sun, so you can understand why you took those words almost to the literal sense. You thought the Mansus to be a house, which meant it was built by somepony, or something, to serve a particular purpose.

    And that idea was probably solidified when you saw how damaged the Mansus is. You thought it to be a house that, as any other house, could be broken. Perhaps even destroyed.

    But your theory is… what if you have been thinking about the Mansus the wrong way all this time?

    You had this idea when you pondered about the Lores themselves, not long ago. Because the Lores are, basically, laws of nature. Strange laws of nature. Metaphysical, almost unexplainable, laws of nature. Laws that Baldomare explained to you were tied to… to the Gods of ponykind, to the Hours, and their whims and humors and conflicts with each other.

    But what if the Mansus, as well, wasn't just the house where the Hours took residence? What if the Mansus itself is also… also a law of some kind? What if it is also a necessity of reality, like the Lores, and gravity, and time itself?

    So, the theory that you want to test, can be more or less summed up like this:



    "The Mansus has to exist, as surely as an apple has to fall when it breaks from its branch."



    And from that, you will take the liberty to make certain extrapolations.

    The Mansus must exist, but there must be a reason for the Mansus to "exist". There must be a "criteria", so to speak, that must be fulfilled in order for the Mansus to be considered as "properly existing".

    The Mansus, also, is the House of the Sun. It is obvious, for anypony who ever even looked at the Glory, that the Mansus exists to house the Glory. To be the pedestal upon which Glory sits. To be the passage and guard and gate that allows and bars passage to the ultimate pinnacle that is Glory.

    Consequently… it stands to reason that the Mansus "exists" to "be the way towards Glory".

    For these past few months, you had a fear of sorts, at the back of your head. You feared that, perhaps, the Mansus was in such as state of disrepair that maybe, and just maybe, it was impossible to reach Glory. Perhaps some crucial passage had crumbled, or perhaps a stairway had broken down and been lost, making Glory unreachable forever.

    But now? Now you can't think of any alternative other than your theory.

    Because perhaps… perhaps the Mansus wants to be scaled. Perhaps it needs to be scaled. Maybe, and just maybe, the Mansus is incapable of existing without being scalable.

    Even if it imposes great hurdles upon those who dare to set foot on it. Even if ponies, and creatures, who have already risen higher take it upon themselves to block the path of others.

    There is always a way up.



    With that in mind… you set out to test your theory



    - - -



    The damage to the Mansus is… extensive.

    You have no idea what could possibly have caused it. You have no idea what titanic power was required to do this.

    However, it is abundantly that the place where this blow was struck, the focal point of this great wound that scarred the Mansus, is higher up in the House of the Sun.

    Because of course it is. After all, great power would be required to do something like this, and power only exists higher and higher still.

    It is obvious, then, that the damage to the Mansus came from up high. That the signs of destruction will become clearer the more you scale the Mansus.

    So, that is exactly what you looked for. You wandered through the Shattered Stairways, taking the stairs and paths and bridges that go straight and sideways and upside-down. And all the while, you looked for traces that could point you to where the Mansus was cracked. To traces that could point you to where the damage to the Mansus came from.

    And slowly, one stairway and ruined bridge at a time, you came to a realization of sorts.

    Looking for signs of damages in the Shattered Stairways is, of course, like trying to find a tree in a forest. The place has the word "shattered" on its name for a reason, and the sight of dead ends, broken bridges and ruined arches is as common as the sight of black roots and strange leaves is on the Woods.

    However, you slowly began to notice a… pattern, of sorts.

    It reminded you a bit of a thick sheet of ice. Of the frozen surface of a lake that you saw during winter, many years ago, when you were showing what snow looked like to Silky for the first time. You remember that the two of you came upon a lake, but that the frozen surface of the lake was cracked.

    Somepony, or something, had hit the very center of the lake so hard that it had broken the frozen surface, and the previously uniform sheet of ice had been transformed into a small multitude of pieces. However, you remember that the broken, floating pieces of cracked ice were still floating in their original configuration, simply because there was no free space for them to rearrange into a new pattern.

    It was as if somepony had hit a mirror hard enough to crack it, but not hard enough to break the mirror and cause pieces of glass to fall away.

    You remember how the broken surface of the frozen lake reminded you of a spiderweb.

    And more importantly, you remember how you could clearly see exactly where the core of the impact that broken the lake was. You remember how you could clearly trace the cracks back to the center of the lake, where they were all connected and from where they all came from.

    You realize now that the Shattered Stairways are no different.

    Because something broke the Mansus. Something happened that caused the Mansus to crack and buckle and split apart in, forming ruptures great and small that reach all the way down to this level.

    So, if you want to go up, if you want to reach the source of this wound, you need only to follow the cracks.

    And if the Mansus wants to be scaled… if the Mansus exists in order to be scaled…

    Then you have no doubt that at least one path will still exist. That amidst this sea of broken staircases and ruined trails, at least one path still exists. At least one golden path must remain, even if all the cracks spread out from it like branches spread out from a tree trunk, that will lead you to the next Door.

    With that newfound certainty in mind, you begin the slow process of trailing the wounds of the Mansus, following the sea of metaphorical blood that will lead you back to the source of its harm.



    - - -



    It took you days.

    Days of double-backing. Days of trial and error. Days of running around in circles and realizing that all your efforts were in vain because you were exploring a stray branch.

    Because you realized that the Shattered Stairways are all connected. There are no truly "floating" segments that cannot be somehow reached, and no parts of it that are completely cut-off from the rest of it.

    But more importantly, you were right. There is a single path that leads from the Branding door to the higher levels. There is a path that connects this place and the next, like a great artery, or a trunk of a tree, from which all the other paths and stairs and bridges branch out from. And the further you went on that path, the more damaged and ruined it was, with all of the cracks and damages branching out of it like a myriad of rivers that can be traced back to a single nascent.

    It took you days…



    But finally, you have found it.



    You look up towards the very last stretch of the path. The very last stairway that you have to climb.

    It is broken, almost ruinously so. Covered in so many cracks, and chipped away in so many places, that you almost can't identify it as being a stair at all. In fact, you almost fear that it will crumble under the weight of your body as soon as you dare to step on it. After all, every last crack on the Shattered Stairways, every last strand of damage and disrepair that plagues this entire level, can be traced back to this single staircase.

    And to the door that rests at its very top.

    You fear that these punished steps will crumble if you so much as touch them with your hoofs, but you do so anyways. Because even though they look like they might fall apart at any moment, something inside of you tells you that this last set of stairs will not crumble, unless the entire Mansus was to be grinded down to dust.

    After all, this is the only path that connects this level of the Mansus to the one above it.

    And there must always be a path that leads to Glory. Otherwise, the Mansus itself will have no reason exist.

    Thus, this path will hold. This stairway will remain in place, no matter what happens to the rest of the Shattered Stairways.

    With that unexplainable certainty in mind, you begin this final ascent.



    And finally, finally, you reach the next Door.



    The first thing you realize is how utterly old it is in appearance.

    The door seems to be made out of some grey-and-brown stone, its aged appearance and color completely out of place against the Mansus-blue of the ground that leads to it, and the pervading and incorporeal purple background that surrounds the Shattered Stairways. The Door, also, is flanked by two plinths. Two low pedestals, one of each side, that curiously don't seem to have anything on them…

    Your eyes narrow, as you look at those pedestals. Their position is too conspicuous, and they are made of the same aged material as the Door. To the point that you would have known that they are somehow part of the Door, that they are connected to it, even if you didn't know the first thing about the Lores.

    You can't help but think that they are there to hold some sort of offering… after all, every Door in the Mansus has a price.

    But still, whatever their purpose is, you know they are secondary to the Door itself. And you return your gaze to the great and imposing slab of stone that stands between you and the higher parts of the Mansus.

    You can see that it is cracked in several places, with signs of wear and the passage of time noticeable in every detail. Although it is not nearly as broken as the stairways themselves. In fact, you can even see how the cracks that expand down through the staircases come from underneath and around the Door itself.

    However, for all that the door seems old and crumbling, it still has a solid and inviolable appearance about it.

    And furthermore, you realize, as you cautiously approach the Door, that its surface is covered in intricate carvings. Many of them are marred by cracks, or had small parts of it chipped off by time and wear. But still, this Door… the more you look at it, the more you realize it is, or at least was, a work of art.

    And an extremely detailed one at that.

    The Door is divided into three sections. It is formed by three pieces, instead of two rectangular parts connected at the center like a regular door would be. Three slabs of stone of roughly the same size, firmly pressed against each other in the shape of a Door, placed in a way that all three parts touch each other. And on the surface of each section, you see, there are curious and detailed carvings. Upon closer inspectionn you see that they are the depiction of… of ponies. Ancient ponies, with curious markings and symbols on and around them that you can't even begin to discern, but that very closely resemble certain things that you know about the Lores.

    The entire Door, you realize, is a great carved mural about ancient ponykind.

    And as soon as you understand that, you throw all caution to the wind and get as close as you can to the Door, examining every inch of it and taking in every last detail that you possibly can.

    Here, you see what seems to be an ancient city of clouds, kept aloft by Edge-sharp lightning and the chaotic breeze of Moth-winds. There, you see a tree that was nurtured by the mysteries of Forge, its iron branches being shaped into weapons. And the more you look, the more intricacies you notice. Ponies without cutie marks surrounding those that are Branded. Ponies carrying Brands following those that reached even higher.

    You spy on one of the edges of the Door a group of Branded ponies kneeling before a pony that is triumphantly posing with a hoof over a skull, and you immediately understand that to be a Long who had conquered death.

    However, as you look more closely, you immediately realize another detail.

    The Door is divided into three sections, which are firmly pressed against each other. And the entire surface of each of those three sections is carved with the curious pictograms and drawings of ancient ponykind.

    But each of the three sections… the more you look at the Door, the more glaringly obvious it becomes. Each of the three sections only depicts one of the pony species. On the one closest to the ground you see only earth ponies, their mastery over nature and soil apparent in the depiction of their cities and in everything else. On another section you see only pegasi, on their floating bastions.

    And on the places where two of the Door sections touch, the ponies carved near the edges are invariably drawn as if they were participating in some sort of combat. The edges of the Door sections dividing the ponies carved upon them like the borders of two countries at war would divide their territories.

    This Door, you finally understand, depicts how ancient ponykind was like, in the past Eras.



    And it that age, the three species were locked in an endless war.



    You look down, your body freezing up as you realize that you had moved without intending to. Realizing that at some point you had raised a hoof, and that your hoof is inching a hair's breadth away from the Door.

    You finish the movement without a second thought. You want to know more about this Door. You need to know more about this Door, and of the story that it tells.

    You need to know how things were like, on that distant past when the Lores were known and ponykind seemed to be locked in such a sorrowful state.

    And above all else, you need to know what you must do in order for this Door to open.



    [Comprehending the Door of the Tribes, cd 100]

    [Roll: 71 + 14 (Learning) + 30 (EDGE Level 3) + 15 (Lantern bonus) = 130]



    Your hoof touches the impossibly old surface of the Door.

    And your mind fills with light.

    "The Sun was different, before. I wish you could have seen it as it was then."

    That was what your father used to tell you, when you were a colt.

    You remember how nostalgic he sounded when he said those words. In fact, you think he almost sounded sorrowful.

    But you also remember not understanding exactly what he meant.

    "How was it different, father? How could the Sun ever be different?" you would ask.

    You would always ask that, whenever he spoke about the Sun. But your father never answered your question.

    He never answered your question… until the day you turned into a stallion.



    "Follow me, my son, the time has come."



    It was a cold morning, on the day that your father died.

    He woke you up before even the first minor bell rang. It was the last day of winter, and the hateful chill was so strong that you knew you wouldn't be able to take three steps out in the snow before you froze on the spot, if you weren't properly protected.

    But still, you dutifully prepared as he bid you, and you followed him out to the gates of the city.

    And waiting for you, waiting for your father, was an entire band of unicorns, all geared for conflict and war. A whole war-conclave, with artifacts dangling from every last horn, the wind thick with magical potency. You saw adepts, and you saw Branded, and at their head you even saw dreaded Spearhorn, who was bound in service of the Scarred One Who Lives In The Dark.

    And at the center of the warband was an armored carriage, clearly meant to transport something precious, surrounded by an entire cadre of learned mages.

    And when your father wordlessly entered the carriage, you followed him.

    The two of you were locked in there. And as the carriage began to move, your father told you about the Sun.



    "Tell me, my son. What do you know about the Sun?"

    "I know only what is obvious, father. I know that the Sun is always at the edge of the horizon, only ever showing us half of its face. Much like how the moon is always at the top of the skies looking down upon us. I know that the sun moves to the top of the skies at the break of each season, blocking out the moon. I know that it always stays there for three bell-rounds, while the earth changes and heals, before it returns to its resting place."

    "You speak the truth, my son. And yet, you tell me only what you know. But you are a stallion now, and it is my duty to reveal to you how much of a tragedy all of that is."

    "…"

    "The Sun was different before, my son, back then."

    And then your father told you about the Sun.

    He told you that not long ago, a short few years before you were born, the Sun was different.

    He told you how it was magnificent. How it was Splendorous.

    He told you how the Sun used to dance through the skies all on its own, and how its movement through the heavens was used to keep track of time. He told you that a bell-round was called a "day", and that half of a day was a completely sunless period called a "night".

    He told you about how the Sun used to look down at ponykind like a proud father. And that ponies, in turn, would look back at it like hopeful sons. He told you that the Sun of before was the moon's father, and that she would also dance in the skies with him, rather than stay still as she does nowadays.



    "The Sun used to be our proud father. But something happened, my son. Something happened, and the Sun changed, or was passed on to the hoofs of another. And now? Now the Sun has its back to us. Now the Sun rests at the horizon, half-hidden, forever looking at the past. It is no longer a proud father, but a mournful son."

    He said those words just as the carriage came to a halt, and you understood that would be the last time you ever spoke to your father.

    "And the final thing I must reveal to you, my son, is that now… now we have to move the Sun ourselves. Come, follow me. It is the last day of winter. I will show you how we change the seasons and break the snow's grip upon our land."



    When you left the armored carriage, you realized that the tension on the air was almost palpable. The entire warband was on edge, horns lit up and ready to fight at a moment's notice, and the cadre of learned mages was busily preparing a grand ritual circle.

    And when you looked around you, you realized where you were. You realized what was observing you, from the other side of the vast plain you were in.

    There were two other groups of ponies, also surrounded by their own warbands. On one side you saw a great war-host of pegasi, carefully observing you from atop their black clouds. And on the other, you saw a deep phalanx of earth ponies, wearing their impossibly heavy armors and carrying their glowing weapons.

    You had been taught to fear them, when you were a colt. Fear the hornless ponies who had wings upon their backs, like some abominable fusion of pony and bird. Fear the hornless ponies who were large and strong, like barbarous giants who wished to trample everything unicorns had ever created.

    You had been taught to fear them, and then you were taught to hate them.

    But that day, you were taught that you also needed them.



    The ritual that you witnessed was the one that was performed at every season-break. It was performed grudgingly, and under the tense supervision of all three nations. But it was also the only thing that permitted your species, all three of them, to survive.

    And in order to perform it, all of you were needed.

    The earth ponies did their freak-magiks to entice the earth, whispering the Winter-words to urge the snow to cease falling, and thumping their hoofs on the ground in the Heart-rythms to infuse life back into the ground itself.

    The pegasi channeled the hateful energy of their wings to create fierce blasts of wind, splitting the heavens open with gusts of Knock and using their Moth secrets to confuse the snowstorms, so that they would create cold rain instead of snowflakes.

    And then finally… came the unicorns. The mages formed around the great magical circle, and as one they lit up their horns.

    And slowly, the Sun began to move.

    But, your father taught you, that ritual carried a great price. It drained away the life of the mages as quickly as one might strike lines from a tally, and furthermore the Mourning Son would not relinquish its grip upon the Sun so easily.

    To resolve both those issues, a Winter Branded was required.

    And as the horned mages worked their magic upon the Sun, the cost that they would pay with years of their lives was instead syphoned to the Winter Branded at the center of the circle.

    And as the Branded quickly faded away, his entire life flashing by in a span of minutes, the Ragged One diverged its attention from the Sun and towards that beautiful spectacle, allowing the Sun to be moved by the learned mages.

    Your father was that Winter Branded, at the center of that ritual. And you bore witness as, within the span of a minor bell-ringing, his beard grew long and white, and his coat became thin and ragged, and his limbs became frail and weak.

    He smiled at you like a proud father, and you witnessed his last moments like a mournful son.

    You witnessed him, until the Sun was at the top of the sky, spreading the life-gifts of the earth ponies' song to all corners of the earth, and warming the rain brought forth by the pegasi so that plants and crops could grow anew as the snow melted.

    You witnessed him… until he became bones and dust, and nothing but a memory from your past.

    And in that moment, you finally understood how the Sun was like, before, and how sorrowful is the tragedy that you live in today.

    You let out a long sigh, and you swear your breath comes out as a misty cold as you bring your hoof away from the Door.

    From the Tribal Door, you now know it to be its name. The Triple Door. The Trial Door. The Door of the Tribes.

    Its names are many, you now know, but it has a single purpose.

    This Door… it is a both a trial and a landmark.

    It is a monument to the Tririvality

    Because ponykind, even back when the Mansus was visible and the Woods surrounded everything, had always been divided into three species. Three nations. Three countries. Three Tribes.

    Maybe this is due to a disagreement in the Histories, of how ponies were meant to be. Maybe this is because, when ponies first stepped away from the Mansus, they did so in trios, and each one of them took on a different way to express their magic.

    The reason why things turned out like that is beyond you. And the answer to that question, perhaps, only exists in the knowledge of where ponies came from to begin with.

    However, the fact remains that the three Tribes hated each other, but also needed each other. For the world they lived in was hostile, and the powers that be ever vied and battled against each other. And even though ponies, like their Gods, needed each other to survive, they were also ever engaged in proving that they were the superior party. That their ways, and their skills, were the ones meant to be placed at the very top.

    So, naturally, the Mansus demanded the answer to that question if it was to allow passage to its higher levels. Like the Hours constantly battled against each other, so were ponies required to offer their own answer to the question of "who is the greatest", in order to reach the highest points of the Mansus.

    And that is what the Tribal Door embodies. That is why it has this shape and form.

    It is divided into three great sections because that is the only way it can serve its purpose. The three Tribes can only fulfill their purpose, can only continue existing, if they work together. And the Tribal Door may only deny passage as long as its three pieces are locked in their eternal struggle.

    Consequently, the Tribal Door may only be crossed if a pony proves his Tribe to be the superior one.

    And of course… there is only one way to prove that.

    You look back at the two plinths that flank the Door, at the two empty pedestals that stand on each side, and you immediately understand what you are supposed to place on them. You immediately understand what you must do... for the Tribal Door to recognize your success and grant you passage.

    So that you may rise ever higher.





    You have reached the Tribal Door, where the Tririvality is both celebrated, and required, if passage is to be allowed.

    You have divined the secrets of the Tribal Door, and you understand its price. Being a Unicorn, you must kill a member of the Pegasus species, and a member of the Earth Pony species. Only a single sacrifice of each species is required. The Door will stand permanently open, for you, once that price is paid.

    There are no ritualistic or metaphysical requirements for those deaths. Your hoofs need only be stained with their blood, and their lifeless visages will appear at the pedestals the next time you visit the Tribal Door.

    Had you accompanied Jade Whistle to the Blank Door, she would be waiting for you on the Earth Pony plinth.

    There is no other way to cross the Tribal Door.

    You have reached the Tribal Door, the metaphysical manifestation of the strife, and mutual need, that the three Tribes shared with each other. You have gained one scrap of EDGE Lore.

    You have seen a memory from long ago, when the Sun was different and pony hated pony due to the circumstances of their birth. You do not regret that said Era was forgotten. Gain one scrap of SECRET HISTORIES Lore.

    You have reached "4/4" Secret Histories scraps of Lore. Any further scraps you gain will be WASTED until you complete a Sacrament.
     
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    • You stare at the Tribal Door, your eyes wide in shock as you try to take in everything you just saw. Everything you just realized.

    You have learned how ponies interacted with each other, in the past Eras.

    It is all right there, immortalized on the surface of this Door, that has stood here ever since the first pony walked upon land.

    And you...

    You do not know how you feel about this.

    Do you regret the fact that this knowledge was forgotten? Do you regret the fact that ponies are no longer locked in such a state of conflict and sorrow? Absolutely not. You may not understand Harmony, or the alicorns, and you also realize that you do not know the full truth about the past. However, you do not regret how things are in the current age.

    Your husband is a pegasus, your daughter is a pegasus, and you cannot fathom how it would be like to hate them, to be taught to hate them, just because they were not born with a horn upon their head.

    However... also can't help but ask... do you condemn what ancient ponykind did?

    Your answer should be yes. You want you answer to be yes.

    But you would be lying if you didn't say that you are undecided.

    After all, they lived in a different world. They lived in a different Era, and under different laws.

    They lived in the presence of Gods, and the Mansus was visible on the horizon, as clear as a morning fog.

    They had knowledge of their own afterlife, and they knew so much... they knew the answer to so many questions that modern ponies have even forgotten how to ask.

    So, even though you do not envy their system, you still can't help but wonder if... if there was some reason behind it. If they were aware of some greater context that you still lack. If they were immune to a certain sin that only began to exist later down the line.

    After all, in their Era the only true answer was Glory. The greatest of goals that might ever be achieved was both known and attainable.

    And besides, on top of all that, there is also... another matter, that you must consider.

    Because no matter what you think, the fact remains that the Tribal Door still stands before you, and that it still stands between you and the Glory.

    Do you want to cross it? Absolutely. Are you willing to cross it? That... is another matter entirely

    Because you have told Stormchaser, and you have told yourself that you would do anything necessary. But when the time comes, will you truly be able to do it?

    You do not know.

    However.

    However...

    However...

    You realize... that there is another way.

    Or rather...

    Another way.

    You can feel it. Stalking you from a distance, hiding behind the nearest corner and just on the edge of your sight. You can smell it, on the very edge of your perception, so subtle that it almost doesn't rankle at your nose.

    You can feel it... on the slightly burnt corner of your soul.

    There is another way for you to solve this conundrum. Right here and right now.

    Although you know that this alternative is only possible... because none of the powers that would move to stop you are here anymore.

    And the Mansus is very, very old. It is old, and hurt, and nearly forgotten, and it certainly would not feel any difference if one of its doors were to be broken down and grinded into dust.

    But should you do it?

    The Tribal Door is not inherently evil. Even though it represents the Tririvality, even though it is the metaphysical representation of the Tririvality, it is not necessarily something to be reviled. After all, for all that it represents the conflict between ponies, that conflict is based on the ultimate truth that ponies need each other. And all of ponykind would fall should one of its three sides be destroyed.

    So, should you destroy that? You might be destroying the memory of conflict, but you would also be destroying a foundation of unity. So should you do this?

    The Mansus is old, and its influence upon the Wake has faded. But still, should you do it?

    Would it make a difference if you didn't?

    You do not know, and the distant eyes that are watching you, and waiting for your decision, do not seem to be interested in giving you any answers.

    However, one thing is for sure.

    If you do this now, you will not have to stain your hoofs with anypony's blood.

    ...

    You make your decision.



    [] Cross the Tribal Door (REQUIREMENTS NOT MET)

    [] Topple it. Ruin it. Ground it into dust. (You will destroy the Tribal Door. Nopony will ever have to pay the price to cross it, ever again) [This is a Regrettable Action]

    [] Leave it. (You will return to the Wake, and continue exploring the Mansus according to the current plan)





    Two hours moratorium.

    As things currently stand, not scaling the Mansus will result in you slowly spiraling to a defeat scenario. Trust your QM when he says this.

    But consider your options very carefully.
     
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    • The Regrettable Action New
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    • You are Lady Velvet Covers, and you have been here for a long while now.

    You have been here, staring at the Tribal Door, for a very, very long time now.

    Even though you know that you are still asleep. Even though you realize that you are in a dream, or in the Mansus, or just in a place where time doesn't exactly work like it does in the Wake. You still realize that you have been thinking for quite a while.

    And that is because you… you don't know what to do.



    Or rather, you didn't know what to do, until now.



    For the longest while, you were paralyzed, wondering what you could do, what you should do, given the situation you are in.

    Because you have just learned about how ponies viewed each other for the longest time. You have just discovered what was the initial bedrock upon which your civilization was built. What was the very first thing that motivated ponykind as a species, ever since that distant past.

    In fact, more than just discovering it, you might very well be standing before the metaphysical representation of that foundation.

    And that foundation… that thing that motivated ponies for such a long time, that force that made ponies tick…

    It was strife.

    It was strife, and conflict, and loathing, and anger and hate and aversion.

    You were appalled for the longest time, because you are standing before the undeniable proof that your species, that ponykind itself, was erected upon one great fight. In fact, you are standing before the very manifestation of that hatred.

    You do not know how much of that strife was "forced" upon them. You wish you could say that they were blameless, back then. You wish you could say that the Mansus, or the Hours, or whatever powers that be back then were the ones to blame. That the Mansus somehow forced ponies to hate each other.

    However, you also realize that you don't understand this place nearly enough to say that for certain. After all, were the ponies divided because of the Tribal Door? Or did the Tribal Door come to exist because of the conflicts between the three tribes? You wish you could say that it was the former. You wish you could say that ponies, at their very core, are good, and that the terrible things you can see engraved upon the Tribal Door were the result of an outside influence.

    You wish you could say that ponies are better than this.

    But unfortunately… as you look upon the Tribal Door itself… as you look back at your own life, and everything that… Well, you realize that you just don't know that for sure that...



    "…"​



    However…

    However.

    However!

    You realized that you also do not care.

    You feel something surge inside of you. You feel something boil inside of you, as you look at the Tribal Door. And you are not sure if it comes from your mind, or your heart, or from some faraway corner of your very soul, but you feel it nonetheless.

    You do not care… You. Do. Not. Care! You do not care that the ponies of antiquity thought and fought like they did. You do not care if the very foundation of your species was mutual hatred. You don't care about ponykind's past, even though you are standing right in front of the very embodiment of the hatred you felt for each other.

    And the more you think about it, the more you feel this… this thing welling up inside of you, this mixture of disgust and horror and hate at this Door that still stands before you.



    Because how dare this Door?!



    How dare this Door still stand? Ponies have been living in peace, ponies have been living in harmony, for longer than recorded history goes. Ponies have been able to love each other for even longer!

    How dare this Door tell you that you have to murder two ponies? That you have to "prove" you are better because you are a unicorn?

    How dare it demand from you an answer to a question that is wrong to begin with?!

    But most of all… what sickens you the most… what angers you the most is…

    How dare this Door to even exist? You can see that it is old and crumbling, but you also realize that it stands as strong as any other Door you have seen so far. How is it that… why is it that this Door didn't break down and turn into dust yet? And if… and if this Door still has sway over the Wake, and vice-versa, then what does this tell you about modern ponykind itself?

    You don't know. Or rather, you don't understand. What is it about this Door that still allows it to be here? Why does it still have power over you, to make its sickening demands with its nauseating logic? You don't understand, and you can't understand, because you feel like the thought process required to understand the concepts upheld by this door would see you going down a very long and dark tunnel that you would rather avoid.

    So, you can't understand it…

    And you honestly don't care.

    You dislike this door. You dislike what it stands for, and you dislike what implications it tells you by the mere fact that it is still exists.

    You abhor this door. You reel at the thought that you might have to kill a pegasus. At the thought that you would prove yourself "better" than an earth pony just because you murdered one.

    As if being a unicorn ever did you any favors in your life to begin with.

    Because as far as you remember, all that having a horn on your head ever brought to you was the weight of expectation. And after that, when that weight finally crushed you, pain.

    You hate this door.

    You hate this door.

    You hate this door.



    "…"



    And as you look at the Door… something tells you that rather than just feeling all this hate, you should be using it.​



    "But… but how…?"



    "…"



    "Ah…"​



    You already know what to do. You already know how to do it.

    Or rather…

    You already know what to do. You always did.

    You can feel it, stalking behind you from a distance that is at the same time vast and incredibly small. You can sense it, even though your Edge-senses don't really seem to work in the Mansus as they do in the Wake. You almost feel like you can smell it, like the memory of a rotten scent that at some point clung to your fur.

    That somehow followed you all the way here, even this far up the Mansus.

    That has been following you, no matter where you go, ever since you saw that endless mass of agony, surrounded by a storm of its own pain.

    Yes, you recognize this… presence. You remember how easy it has been to ignore it, all this time, even though you could never quite forget about it. Ever since it began to stalk you… to follow you, a bit over two months ago, when it almost broke your body in half with its long and sharp fangs.

    You remember how hard you focused on blocking it away and ignoring it. You dare say that you even succeeded. And being close to other ponies, especially your family, made its presence even more bearable, sometimes easier to ignore than your limp.

    But still, just like your limp, you have also known this whole time that… that this presence will never really fade.

    You tried to learn how to live with it, these last two months. You tried to teach yourself how to cope with it. To ignore it. To think about something else every time your mind remembered about it, or whenever you somehow felt its faint presence in the breeze.

    But as this presence… as this subtle, soundless whisper in the Mansus wind tells you that it knows of another path to solve your problems…

    You suddenly feel that you might not necessarily have to push it away. That perhaps, and only perhaps, ignoring it might not have been something that you really had to do.

    Because all this time, you feared this… thing. Of course you feared it. After all, it was something unknown. Or rather, it is something that you know very well. Especially considering where it came from, and the terrible things Baldomare explained to you, after you met it.

    So of course you feared this presence, however faint and ethereal it was. You would have thought yourself a fool if you had not avoided it at all costs.

    However, you can't help but think… As you anger swells and spreads inside of you, as you stare at the Tribal Door, you can't help but entertain another idea. An idea that is being whispered to you by this very something that seems to be at the same time very far away and inside of you.

    Because even if this thing is obviously dangerous… even if this hate is something that you don't understand, and that you fear… weren't the Lores the same thing, not long ago? Weren't the Lores also something new, and unknown and powerful?

    And have you not come so far in understanding them, and… and in mastering them?

    You feel like you might be able to do this as well, to this presence that has been stalking you.

    And as you look at the large, imposing, and hateful Door that stands before you, you can't really think of a better place where you might try your hoof at this.



    "Because I… because ponykind will not let you stand anymore," you say to the door-

    -as your rage grows-

    "-you are not a part of us anymore," you snarl at it-

    -your insides boiling as if something was clawing at your innards-

    "-and if you still are, then I will make sure to cut you out like the cancer you have always been."



    The thing that is watching you, that is both right behind you and oh so far away, smiles.



    And the last thing you hear, before your vision turns completely red with rage, is a word.

    A single word. A word that should be impossible to speak. A word that violates the very air with its presence, and that hurt so much to hear that you feel like stakes are being rammed into your ears.

    A word that comes out of your mouth, and is spoken with your voice.

    But even as your mind goes black with pain and your vision red with blood, you realize that this word only almost expresses your hatred.





    - - -

    - - -

    - - -





    You spasm.

    You spasm on the ground where you are lying.

    It hurts.

    It hurts.

    Your whole body hurts.

    Your mind hurts. Even thinking hurts.

    Something deep inside of you, something intimate and personal and that you can't really name, hurts.

    As if a fragment of it had just been burned black.

    As if a part of it has been irrevocably stained.

    You are only vaguely aware of the thing you are sprawled on top of.

    You are only vaguely aware of the polluted tar that is puddled around you, sticking to the fur of your Mansus-body, oozing around the remains of the pulsating wound that stands where the Tribal Door once stood.

    You are only vaguely aware of your state right now…

    Because your mind is still reeling at what just happened. And your mind is still repeating the jagged images you have just seen again and again and again, the sharp spikes of those fresh memories scraping against the insides of your head and the back of your eyes.



    You can't even breathe, as the swollen thing inside your throat swells and grows.



    It was just a sickening feeling, at first. It was just a rotten feeling, on the first few moments. You felt like you were pulling at something that ran deeper than your mind. That you were exposing something more visceral than your very heart, clawing at your insides with limbs you didn't really have, bringing to the fore a part of you that was somehow already tainted.

    It should have been thrilling, or perhaps frightening. But you felt neither of those things. You were too drunk with hate to feel anything else. You were too disgusted by the Door, or perhaps by yourself, to be able to think about anything else.

    But you kept on regardless. Or rather, you wouldn't have been able to stop even if you wanted to.

    Not that you would have wanted to stop anyways, with how you felt.



    Your throat. It hurts. The words you just spoke, they did something to your insides. You can't breathe.



    The Door buckled and bent under your hooves, as you struck it. It cracked and shattered at your words, as you whispered at it. It rotted and degraded into dust, as the things you did ate it from the inside like a hateful cancer.

    And all the while, you reveled and bathed in the blood of the Mansus, as you wounded it. Your own blood mixing with the dust and rot and pain of the Mansus as the process also wounded yourself.

    You did not stop. Even after the Tribal Door became a distant memory, you did not stop. Even after that whole section of the Shattered Stairways was reduced to a bleeding gash, the very air around you twisting in pain, you did not stop.

    And as you caused more and more pain to the world around you, a realization of sorts dawned at your frenzy-drunk mind.



    You are going to die. You can't breathe and you are going to die. Something is happening inside of you and you are going to die. There is something clawing at your insides, from the base of your lungs to the top of your mouth, and you are going to die.



    It was you.

    That is what you realized.

    This whole time, you honestly thought that you and this… this presence, were two separate things. You honestly thought, from what you saw and felt, and from what Baldomare told you, that you had simply been followed to the Wake. That the thing that hurt you was simply a shard that had somehow caught your scent and stalked you back to the waking world.

    You thought, when Baldomare said that you "reminded the world of something it used to do, long ago," that… well, that it was something dissociated from you.

    But on that moment, you could see it for what it truly was.

    That rotten smell. That disease. That taint that began to stalk the Wake ever since that fateful day, and that you were pouring into the Tribal Door and the Mansus and all the things you so hated…

    It was coming from you. It is you.

    As if the stain upon your soul was a tiny brazier, a minute lump of coal that would never really stop burning, letting out a tiny but constant stream of polluting smoke until the day you died, even if you never touched it again.

    And in your self-loathing hate, the only thing you were truly doing was expanding that wound in your very soul. All so that the burning malice could flow out from you more quickly. Like a leak on the ceiling turning into a small crack, as some horrible storm tried to force its way inside of you. Like a whisper of malice, in the ears of the world, turning slightly louder as you lent your voice to it.

    There was absolutely nothing good about what you were doing.

    But oh, the power you were channeling as you rip the wound in your soul wider.



    You regret this. You are going to die. You hate this. You are going to die. You wish you could take this all back. You are going to die.

    You know that the world will become a worse place, if you let this thing out of you.

    But if you don't expel all this evil, all this hate that you have inside of you, you are going to die.

    And you are terrified of dying.



    You get up with trembling legs, the black tar burning against your coat as it sticks to your fur. You can't see a thing, and you are not sure if it is because you have blood on your eyes, or if it is because you don't even have eyes anymore.

    Your tongue is swelled. Or rather, the thing that was your tongue is swelled. But whatever it is, it is not your tongue anymore. Not after what you made it do.

    Not after the words you spoke with it.

    Your body is failing. Your insides burn. It will rip you from the inside out at any moment now, if you don't act first.

    You realize you have a choice. You always had a choice. You could do nothing now and die, and the thing inside of you would die with you.

    But you have already made your choice. You have already chosen the worse alternative.

    So, even though your whole body feels as heavy as lead, even though your mind is about to black out, even though you are drenched in blood and tar and pain and the stuff from which the deeper parts of the Mansus is made, you get up.



    And with a hateful movement that is the mixture of a convulsion and a spasm, you throw up.



    This feels worse than being sick.

    This is worse than being in pain.

    There is something inside of you. Something that wasn't there before. Something that is nestled inside your throat, in a place that is neither your brain nor your heart, but that is somehow related to both.

    And you push it out.

    This is wrong.

    You feel bad.

    You feel sick.

    You feel sick. You feel sick. You feel sick.

    You desperately try to think that this doesn't make sense, that this is a dream, that this isn't your real body and that the foreign sensation that is wriggling inside of you isn't real.

    But you can't. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you repeat that inside your mind, you can't convince yourself that this isn't happening.

    That something very wrong is about to happen.

    You practically fall forwards, your whole body freezing up from your belly upwards as if you are about to throw up.

    You cough, and you retch, and you panic as you feel something clawing out from your throat and through your mouth.



    And you almost drown as it finally bursts out from inside of you.



    This is painful.

    This is horrible.

    This is agony.

    As if you were throwing up every last organ inside your body.

    As if you were spewing out a river of hooks and knives.

    It keeps coming out, more and more and more and more, until your vision fades and you almost black out. It comes out as black tar and dirty flames, and it coalesces into a shape almost as if it had a will of its own.

    And when it is finally over, you are collapsed on the floor. You are in so much pain that you almost can't breathe. So exhausted that you can't even bring yourself to cry, even though you can feel tears coming down through your face.

    You are lying down on the ruined floor, before the shattered Door. You are lying on top of the great black puddle of sticky tar that was forcibly expelled from inside of you.

    And when you look up, you see the shape into which the majority of that vile, painful thing coalesced into.

    You can see that it has the shape of a great black wolf, not exactly like the last one you saw, but still not too far removed from it.



    And as you look up at it, you see that it is looking back at you.



    It looks at you, straight into your eyes, and it begins to smile.

    …

    No, that's not it.

    This is not a smile.

    It is not a smile, or a grin, or a smirk, or even the beginning of a laugh. No. It is not -it cannot- be anything good, or positive, or even pleasant.

    Because that creature is incapable of any of that. By its very nature, it is only capable of the opposite.

    So, even though it is making a similar movement, even though it is baring its teeth at you in a manner that is reminiscent of a smile, you understand that it is doing no such thing.

    The only way that you can describe it… is that its mouth is splitting into a smile.

    And oh, how large its mouth is. How sickeningly wide its jaw opens into a mockery of joy, as it looks at you. Skin ripping and drooling blood as it keeps growing wider than its mouth can possibly bear. Its eyes widening up as if the creature can taste the thrill of a coming hunt, its fur bristling with anticipation.

    When the wolf's mouth opens up enough, its tongue rolls out, unnaturally long and… and sharp.

    But your blood runs cold as you realize something. You have no idea how you realize it, there is no reason for this idea ever to have occurred to you, but you understand it nonetheless.

    The wolf's tongue, it is not literally sharp. It is not sharp in the sense that is blade-thin or razor-sharp. In fact, it even looks like a tongue ought to look, even if it is so long that it is sickening to look upon.

    But no, it is not sharp in that sense…

    It is sharp… because it can cause harm, because it can wound.



    "Oh no…" you whisper to yourself, your body reeling as you finally understand what this means. As your mind finishes connecting the dots of what part of your body this wolf came from.



    And the wolf's wrong-smile becomes all the wider, as it sees that you understand.

    Because worse than the last, always worse than the last, this wolf…

    It is capable of speech.



    "Mother…"​



    It says that single word. That single, nauseating word, spoken through blooded teeth and rotten breath.

    That single word that, though it sickens you in the deepest parts of your body, you also understand to be a truth.

    It says that…

    And then, it begins to tell you how this will all end.
     
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    • XXX-XXXXXX-XX-XXXXXX New
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    • This is a story so detestable, so regrettable, that the powers that be have completely severed it from the Tapestry.

    It is a memory from another, whose actions made the world a worse place. A revelation of what awaits at the end of a dark road.

    No paths exist from this place to that reality. No links connect this story to the shining Thread that is the future.

    And may it stay that way. May this cut-off History never touch the Garden.    ​

    - - -

    You are-
     
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    • The ways that the Wake will change New
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    • …

    You are Velvet Covers…

    …

    And your whole body aches…



    "Try taking a sip, Velvet. If nothing else, at least the strong taste of the alcohol will help to ground you. Remind you that you're in the Wake and all, and that you have a body. It's one of the reasons I drink it all the time."



    Or rather… your body doesn't ache.

    No, that's not it.

    You just feel dirty.

    Because you just did something wrong.

    Because you just understood exactly how wrong your actions were, and how impactful they will be.



    "Theeere you go… one sip at a time. And don't worry about the time, still plenty to go before sunrise so we can clean all that blood later."



    Because you just made Equestria a worse place.

    ...

    "What…" you speak. Or rather, you try to speak. Your voice coming out in a low, painful rasp, as if the walls of your throat were still covered in dry blood or bristling fur or sharp claws.

    But still, Baldomare listens. She refills her own cup with wine, and slightly tilts her head closer to your own.

    You take a short breath, not yet daring to take a deep one. But you breathe in nonetheless, and you try to ask your question again.

    "What… happened…?" you say, slowly, your voice dripping with your exhaustion and your shame and your regret at what you just did. "What… did I do…?"

    But you finish asking your question regardless.

    And to that, Baldomare gives you a slow nod, and begins to answer.

    Because you already know the answer to your own question. You already know exactly what you did, and how wrong it was. You already have all the pieces to this puzzle.

    And good Baldomare, as it befits the merciless nature of her Lore, will simply help you fit those pieces together. She will simply shed a light on the knowledge you already have. So that you may look at it more clearly.

    You can see from her expression, from the frown she has in her face, that she will not enjoy it.

    But you have to know.

    And perhaps, she doesn't really have a choice. Perhaps she has to answer, for the same reason that a light has no choice but to push away the darkness.

    "You did… two things, Velvet," she says carefully, sitting back on one of the seats she has on the guest room she has been living in.

    You simply nod at her, although you are not really looking into her eyes, and you pull the covers she gave you closer to your body.

    Because even though you don't really feel cold, you really want to hide right now. You almost feel like a filly who just found out that… well, you feel like that…

    "The first thing that you did, Velvet, was break a Door. And that in itself is already impactful… Although I have to tell you, dear, that breaking the Door wasn't a bad thing."

    You slowly tilt your head at that. It takes some effort for you to actually focus your gaze on Baldomare, but you do it regardless.

    "Are you surprised? Well, you shouldn't be. Doors were already broken before, Velvet, and the world went on just fine. I won't say it's natural for them to break, but it's still not wrong when it happens. The thing is that… well, there is always a… not a price, no, but a consequence. Yes, that word is a lot better."

    "But that consequence… bad, no?" you say, trying to take a deeper breath than you did before.

    Your lungs still feel wrong, you still feel like there is something polluted inside of you. But it does feel better than the last time. And it certainly feels a lot better than when you woke up in the farmlands, where Baldomare found you.

    "Not really, dear, not really," Baldomare says. And you are honestly surprised by that. "Because you see… I already told you this before, Velvet. Don't think that what you just did, breaking the Door, was a blow that you struck against the Mansus. You didn't affect only the Mansus, because there is no difference between the Wake and the Mansus. They are… oh, how can I explain this to you… The Wake and the Mansus are not connected. They are, of course, but when you use that term you encourage yourself to think of them as two separate things, connected by a bridge. No, Velvet, the Wake and the Mansus are the same thing."

    You narrow your eyes at that, but the mare continues to talk regardless.

    "Ponies were locked in an endless conflict because the Hours were constantly at war. And the Hours were constantly at war because ponykind was locked in an endless conflict. And the Tribal Door was both the creator, consequence, and heir to that status quo. So, the thing that I need you to understand is that you didn't really harm the Mansus, you simply changed it. In a deep way, in a profound way, and just like the ripples of that will affect the Mansus, so will the same ripples affect the Wake."

    "But… but still… what will happen?"

    "Well, you already know that. You saw the Tribal Door, after all, and you saw that it stood for two simple things, didn't you? That Door was the manifestation of the need that ponies have for each other. Of how they needed each other to survive, and how they hated each other because of that need. It was the living monument of just how vulnerable the three tribes felt, individually, because they knew that they would die without each other, and yet they could not bring themselves to fully trust each other."

    She says that, and then she takes another sip from her cup, her eyes unfocused almost as if she is reminiscing about something.

    "After all, it is easy to say that they were foolish… But trusting somepony isn't really that simple. It's easier to raise a wall than to raise the dead, or so the saying goes, and the certainty of hate is always more simple than the uncertainty of trust."

    "So… when I broke the Door… I broke that need?" you say, after yet another slow gulp from the strong wine.

    "You broke an echo of that need, that's for sure. You broke the foundation of that need. But you are missing the second half of this whole thing, Velvet. You are still trying to think how your actions in the Mansus affected the Wake, but that's not how it works. Think, Velvet. Breaking the Tribal Door didn't cause a magical backlash that will make ponies suddenly start hating each other. Tell me what is happening in the Wake right now, and how that could reflect the breaking of the Tribal Door."

    You tilt your head, your sluggish and hurt mind trying to understand what exactly she means by that.

    You tilt your head, and you think for a moment.

    And then it suddenly hits you.

    "Oh…" you whisper to yourself.

    And Baldomare nods in agreement.

    "Exactly. That's how it works. Coincidences don't exist, Velvet. They never did. So isn't it strange? Ponykind has been…" she waves her hoof absent-mindedly towards the air, "at peace, like this, for the last thousand years. Their unity slowly growing stronger, without any great catastrophes to test it. But then… just a few days ago, something happened. What was perhaps the greatest disaster in your recorded history happened, and your civilization was shaken to the core."

    "The changelings… the massacres… all that death, in all those places…"

    "Mhmm. The unity of the three tribes was shaken, it was tested, and ponykind was given the option to either buckle up and continue together, or to… well, or not."

    You purse your lips at that. You already know what she is going to say, but you have no choice but to listen anyways.

    "And at that crucial moment in History… the Tribal Door is broken. And well, that is basically the answer that you ponies will give to this whole conundrum. You will grow more distant. You will grow apart."

    "So what now…? Do we split? Did I… did I… will Equestria just…?" you say, trying your best to keep the shame, and even the budding tears, out from your voice.

    But once again, Baldomare's answer surprises you. And this time, it is in a positive way.

    "What? Oh, no. Watchpony's light, no. Your country isn't about to split, Velvet, don't worry. No civil wars, no fighting, none of that. That's not how it works." She says, and you let out an honest sigh of relief. "These things always progress naturally, and I make no promises about how things might look like in a thousand years, but none of that will happen yet. Instead, ponies will simply become… more individualistic. Unity will give way not to selfishness, but to… well, to disunity. Ponies will prefer to trust themselves, or their own, instead of each other. It's the small things, Velvet. If you are walking in a straight line, but begin tilting slightly to the side, you will be grow farther and farther from that straight line the more steps you take."

    You nod at that, feeling the slightest tinge of relief at what she just said.

    And her explanation makes sense… the Wake is affected by the Mansus, and vice-versa, but like reflections in a mirror they each also need their own explanation. They each follow their own narrative, and mimic each other's movements according to their own laws.

    So, even though you broke a Door in the Mansus… it was an old Door, and old foundation, and old necessity for hate and need. And the Wake, likewise, will have… its own reaction to that.

    You are not sure if what you did was right or wrong, but you will have time to worry about it later. Right now, the only thing that matters is that… the world won't end. Equestria won't end. Not because of you.

    However, your slight relief is short-lived, as Baldomare continues to speak after taking another sip of her cup.

    "But of course, I did say there were two things. One was what you did. You broke a Door, and that went side by side with a turning point in the Wake, as it always happens… The second thing… was how you did it. That's where the problems begin, Velvet. Because under any other circumstance, things would have gone exactly as I said they would. An old echo of Unity would have broken. Cooperation would have been substituted by Individualism."

    She puts down her cup of wine, and then looks straight into your eyes.

    And even though her expression is neutral, almost kind, and her tone is soft, you can't help but feel regret at what she tells you next.

    "However, how you did it made all the difference. You brought the Wolf into this, Velvet, and you let him do things his way. So just like a ray of sunlight going through a colored lens, this whole thing will be twisted by his influence."

    You try your best to keep Baldomare's gaze, but you can't. You just can't. Her tone sounds almost pitiful when you turn your eyes down to your cup.

    But still, she patiently waits for you to ask the inevitable question.

    "How…?" you ask.

    And although you can see that she doesn't want to, she answers anyways.

    "You already know how, dear…" she says, slowly. "The Tribal Door was a manifestation of Need. That Need gave way to Cooperation later on, after this whole mess of an Era started. Had the Tribal Door been broken in normal circumstances, that Cooperation would have given way to Individualism, or whatever other word you think fits it best. Not good, not bad, just another way for ponies to interact with each other. Less reliance on others, and more focus on one's own capabilities. However…"

    "However… the wolf…"

    "Yes, dear. The wolf. You saw him, didn't you? On the farmlands, when I picked you up not long ago? He was smarter than the first, and a lot more diligent. He even told you his name, before he left…"

    You close your eyes, even though you can see through them. Still, you close your eyes as you try to forget the fresh memory Baldomare is telling you about.

    You try to forget the rotten puddled that you woke up on, not long ago, and the long and dark silhouette that was on top of you, looking down upon you and blocking out the moonlight.

    You try to forget what that thing called you, as soon as you woke up.

    You try to forget how it presented itself to you, almost like an earnest son, before it ran away into the night.

    You try to forget…

    "Tell me, Velvet... Do you remember the name of your second son?" Baldomare asks.

    And you nod to her, because you will never really forget. No matter how hard you try.

    "Fitting, I suppose. Because when Cooperation was broken, Individualism tried to rise up. When disaster struck, ponies tried to focus less on what they could do for their neighbors, and more on what they could do for themselves."

    Baldomare takes her cup on her hooves again, taking one last gulp from her wine, almost as if she wants to wash out the taste of the words she just spoke.

    "But as it happened, Individualism was devoured by Paranoia. And I guess that's how things will go, from now on."





    There are four, and exactly four, ways for this quest to end which are not defeats.

    You have discovered one of them.

    Velvet Covers will reach the ending "THE MOTHER OF WOLVES" should she ever reach 7/7 marks of "A Stain Upon the Soul".

    As with all endings progressing towards one ending will not block you out from other endings. It is possible to block yourself from other endings through other, narrative means. But the simple fact that you attain more marks, even if you reach 6/7, will not automatically mean that you will be unable to pursue the other endings.

    Although, in the progress of reaching 6/7, you might block yourself from other endings for other reasons.


    The act you have committed is the very definition of opening a path. Gain one scrap of     KNOCK Lore.

    Knock is now level 4.

    You have broken something. Something ancient, and that refused to change. By doing so, you have imitated a very old action, and that action still bears power. Gain one scrap of     FORGE Lore.


    Velvet Covers has gained a further stain upon her soul, and the world will suffer for it.

    "A Stain Upon the Soul" has reached level two.

    CAPUT GERAT LUPINUM. The Sun was Divided, and this is its Wound. Gain one scrap of EDGE and WINTER Lores.


    Having passed a door, you will automatically "scout" what lies beyond it, without a Mansus action cost. That will happen on your next Mansus-foray.

    One Mansus action used. Three remains, to be used according to the current plan.

    Author's Note: You may have missed something, but that might be for the best. Certain stories are best left untold, and certain knowledge is best left unearthed.

    However, if you search for it really hard, you might find it. I hope you don't find it. I certainly will not point the way there.

    Although... if there is one thing that cultists, and foolish adepts, are keen on doing, is to preserve forbidden knowledge.

    So maybe, and just maybe, if you ask around to those in the know, a certain foolish adept might show you the way to what you have missed.

    And the world will be all the worse for that.
     
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    • A Celebration of what Was, Wasn't and Will Be New
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    • Originally, this story was written and posted in another site.

    This post was a "celebratory" post, written when the story first reached the mark of one thousand pages of discussion.

    - - -



    You open your eyes lazily, the softness of your silk-covered bed making itself known as consciousness slowly returns to your body.

    You stay like that for a while, of course, enjoying the simple pleasure of being comfortable while lying on your bed. The minutes stretching by as the sunlight calmly shifts its position through the window. You stay like that, lying on your bed, for a long, long while. Until your limbs start to itch and you feel the need to start moving.

    So, you do just that. You get up, and begin the long process of stretching your body, letting out a loud meow as you do that.

    Yes, a meow.

    Because you are definitely not a pony (and thank goodness for that).

    Quite au contraire.

    You are Opalescence, Opal for short, and you are a cat. But more importantly, you are a cat who just woke up.

    Which means that you should go find something to do, lest boredom claims you.

    "Meow," you say to yourself, nodding at your own wisdom.

    And with that, you hop out of your bed, making your way to the open window and to the world outside.



    - - -



    You stroll around the rooftops of Ponyville, watching as the crowds of loud ponies trot here and there on the streets far below.

    Their workings, as always, feel like a mystery to you. A mysterious hassle, that is, with the way they always seem to be so busy and worried about this and that, and most of the time seem to be trying to fix problems that they themselves create.

    But it's what makes them happy, you suppose, so you won't judge them too harshly for it. Take your own pet pony for example. It would not do if Rarity spent the whole day spoiling you and fawning over you. If that were to happen, you would never have time for yourself! So, you suppose it's good that they create their own little troubles to take care of.

    However, the fact remains that the affairs of ponies are ultimately not of your concern, so you pay little attention to the crowd of multicolored giants that surround the houses that you are using to navigate the city.

    Jump up to a wall, jump down from a rooftop, walk by the shadows of a narrow alley, exchange pleasantries with another cat that you stroll by. You let your paws guide you through the city, walking around without any particular destination in mind, until you spot a familiar building in the distance.

    A large multi-colored building, that you know your pet pony visits every now and then. One of your friends also lives there, mind you, although he is a bit of an odd fellow that doesn't speak much. Probably because his race is cold-blooded, or so the gossiping goes.

    You wonder for a few moments if you will make that place your next stop, and you shrug, realizing that you don't really mind either way. If nothing else, your friend's pet pony usually gives you a suitable serving of milk, as every good host should, so you suppose you could grace that place with your presence today.

    With that in mind, you walk in through the pink open doors of Sugarcube Corner.

    "Oh! Hi there, Opal, how are you today?" the large pink pony, who is standing behind the counter, speaks up to you before you even finish entering the building.

    Naturally, you meow back at her.

    "Awesome! And you also arrived just in time," she says, "I've been having this shuddering in my hoofs all day, ever since I woke up, so I'm sure they'll be here any second now. Say, why don't you pick a nice spot while I go fetch something for you?"

    The pony talks excitedly, and perhaps a little too fast, and disappears into a door that leads to the back not long after.

    You have no idea what she was talking about, of course. But every time you come and visit she always does that, so you don't really mind. And more importantly, every time she does that she also returns from that back of the building with a saucer of milk.

    So, like the good guest you are, you patiently wait. You look around you for a suitable spot, and soon enough you make your way to a particularly cool spot underneath the shade of a table. Close enough to an open window for the edge of a soft breeze to brush you, but not close enough for the sunlight to actually reach you.

    In short, you find the perfect spot.

    A few moments later you hear the pink pony come out from the back, her hoofsteps growing louder and louder as she makes her way towards you.

    "Heeere you go, Opal," she says, putting down a large saucer, filled with sweet milk, right in front of you. "The usual, to one of my best clients!"

    You meow her your thanks.

    And not a moment after that, the pink pony immediately begins to shiver, a smile appearing on her face for reasons you cannot discern.

    "Owowowow… Pinkie Sense… and a strong one at that," she says, probably to herself, turning towards the entrance door as the shivering continues for a few more moments, "that must be them!"

    She says that, and then she moves away from your sight.

    Not that you mind her leaving, of course.

    Although you can still hear her as she makes her way to the entrance door.

    And what is more, you also hear another set of hoofsteps coming into the building.

    Still, you don't give them much attention. You just listen, as the pink pony begins to talk to whoever the newcomer is.

    You just listen, calmly drinking from your milk every now and then, as you enjoy the cool breeze that every now and then blows through the open windown.

    You just listen, probably unnoticed, as they talk.



    Laughing Hoof! I'm so glad to see you here! I've been having this jittering the whole day, so I knew you'd come!

    Pinkie, dear! It's been too long. And of course I came, you know I can't stand going too long without giving you a visit. How are your sisters?

    They're all fine, thank goodness. Maud left home to study, but we still keep in touch through letters. I can only imagine how much my family must be missing her, though, seeing how she's the second sister to leave the farm.

    Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine. And besides, I'm sure none of you will never really grow apart. In fact, even if they tried, I don't think you'd let them.

    Pff, ahahahaha! You can bet on that, Laughing!



    Another voice comes, from an open window. Eccentric-sounding to the point of paranoia, a third one chimes in, speaking even as he climbs in through the window.



    What're you talking about? Is it about me? It better not be about me. And where's the free cake? I was promised free cake, so there better be free cake!

    Hi Comb Keeper, how have you been?

    Of course there's free cake, silly. You know Pinkie always knows how to bring us together.

    Yeah, yeah, she can set a stage alright. Scooch over, I'm having a seat as well.

    Sure! You can sit here. Oh, I'll go grab us some more napkins. And say, Comb, did you find anything new for that collection you're always talking about?

    Of course I d-, wait, why are you asking? Why do you want to know? Are you planning on stealing from me?!

    Pff, oh Comb. Of course not!

    As if we'd ever be interested in your old hoard.

    It might be old, but it's mine!

    Of course, of course.

    And speaking of old, where is he? It's not like him to be late like this.



    A bell rings as a pony walks in, even though the door was open and the bell over it was not touched.



    That is because I am not late. You two are always early.

    Grave Digger! Welcome! I'm so glad you could make it!

    I don't much have a choice, Pinkie, and you know that. Someone has to be the voice of reason, and we all know none of you can be trusted with that.

    You can say thaaat, but I can see your smileeee!

    That is because you are forcibly pushing my lips up, Pinkie.

    But you are also happy to be seeing your frieeeeends!

    Just give it up, Grave, we all know you are a big softie deep down. Here, why don't you have a seat?

    But you can't have any cake!

    … Fine…

    Fine what?

    I'll have a seat.

    Aaaaand…?

    And it's also nice to see you again…

    Yay!

    Now could you please get off my back?

    Oh, right, sure.

    Don't pretend you don't cherish those memories, Grave.

    Whatever you say… and move over, that's my place.

    Nu-uh. I'm sitting next to her this time. Besides, I saw this empty seat first, so finders keepers!

    You really live and die by that saying, don't you…?

    Alright, alright, settle down.

    Yes, yes, quit the horseplay you two.

    And without further ado, let us begin! I declare officially open our session of "Was, Wasn't and Will Be!" So, who wants to go first?



    The sound of seats scraping against the floor echo for a few more moments. And soon enough, a heated discussion begins.



    I guess I'll start. Wasn'ts are always more interesting than boring old Was-es or uncertain Will Bes.

    That is an opinion, yes, even if it is wrong.

    Hush, Grave. Do your thing and be silent for now, will you?

    Pfff.

    As I was saying. I only know of stuff that definitely can't happen anymore, so no harm in sharing the less juicy bits. As long as you all know I'm hoarding the even juicier bits and-

    Yes, yes, and you are awesome, and your hoard is large and well hidden and all that. Just dish out the good stuff already!

    Fine… So, the thing is, the Moth Master was picked, right?

    Yes, but that's a Was…

    Patience, Grave Digger. Anyhow, the thing that you need to know is that the Master picking was basically choosing "who would take action". I won't say if they picked the most or the least interesting one, even though I know the answer, but by choosing that they made it so that other actors didn't decide to actively interfere in the Wake.

    So the other possibilities are still out there?

    Not really, not exactly. The other possibilities are still Wasn'ts, but the other candidates are still out there. Some of them have even been met already. They already met the Lantern and Secret Histories Master-candidate, and they just found the Knock Master… they also very technically met the Winter Master, but I'm not sure if that was a Was or a Wasn't. But the interesting thing is: By choosing the Moth one, they made all the other Masters into Wasn'ts. Their circumstances became thus that they won't become Masters themselves, for their own particular reasons.

    Wait, they can't become Masters? But they can reach the Wake, no?

    Of course, of course. But that's the thing. They can't be Masters, but they can still be actors.

    Interesting…

    Well, actors or Masters or whatnot, I hope they can at least be friends! What about you, Grave Digger, any Was-es that you want to share with us?

    … there is… a lot of Was going on… everything up until now has been a Was, even, so I don't know what…

    Aww, don't be shy. Don't you at least want to give us your opinion on everything that's happened so far?

    Fine, I guess… so… hmm… there's still a lot, even if you put it like that...

    Maybe start from the beginning?

    I'll try… So the thing is, she's doing better than I thought she would, to be honest.

    That's great! But why exactly do you say that?

    Well… there's a lot of factors. But the biggest thing is that I honestly didn't expect her to learn so quickly, for starters. The Lores, that is, I didn't expect her to be soo... all over the place. In fact, she wasn't meant to. You see, there is an expedition site that's both easy and nearby, and it would reward her with a relatively good artifact pretty early in her story. It was a level four or five trinket, I believe.

    High level artifact in an accessible place? Sounds like the Forgotten Mithraeum strategy for an early boon with a Winter cult.

    Something like that. But the thing is, she was supposed to… do at least one expedition, and she would then gain a good artifact that would serve as a crutch. That would make it so she wouldn't have to learn so much by herself, and that would also motivate her to go on more expeditions.

    Yeah, but, uh… she didn't go to any expeditions, did she?

    Nope. But again, she did well. She learned everything, by herself. I honestly did not expect her to do that. Not this quickly, at least.

    Oh wow, that's a background with deep pockets for you. I bet that helped her a lot in the House.

    It did. I think that, to date, she only failed a single roll in there. Or at least, she only failed to the point of losing an action once. The place was supposed to be a time sink, but instead she's blazing through it with… well, it's not without effort because she worked for it. But still, her pacing is unexpected.

    But it can't all be that good, surely? I mean, she's doing it her way, but she's bound to be losing something in return, right?

    Don't be such a party pooper, Comb.

    Why? It's the truth!

    I'm afraid he has a bit of a point, Pinkie… Although he's not entirely right. You see, she didn't lose anything, but another choice that Was was where she chose to live. Being here in Ponyville, she inevitably had the chance to get in touch with... certain notorious characters.

    Has she? I wouldn't know.

    She has. But the thing is that, rather understandably, pursuing those bonds robbed her of the time to pursue others.

    Oh, oh, oh! I know that one, that became a Wasn't as well!

    Indeed. A Was is that she made friends with one of the advisors.

    Yes! But she was supposed to befriend at least two, and maybe even three or more. But by now, doing that is practically a Wasn't.

    As it currently stands, she will be fortunate if she befriends one and a half advisors, in total.

    One and a half? How does having half a friend works?

    That's a good question, and that's already veering into the realm of the Will Bes, so let me give you three a piece of my mind when it comes to that.

    Sure, but no spoilers!

    Yeah, no spoilers!

    No one can have spoilers!

    Which means spoilers belong to me! Me!

    Fine, fine, no spoilers… uh… well damn, that really takes the wind off my sails now that I think about it.

    Maybe just give your opinion on things like I did? Go for a more general brush?

    Hmm… sure, I can do that. Okay, so, Will Be, Will Be… Oh, I know, how about I instead give some advice!

    There is that saying about free advise thou-

    Shhh! It's her turn now. And we all know Laughing, we can trust her advise.

    Well, now that you say that I'm kinda obligated to give good advise, but I'll try my best. So, uhm… First of all, I think she should try to figure out that it is possible to befriend her... let's call them her "special guests", that she has been inviting to her-

    Just say Names.

    Oh, fine, and here I was trying to be all mysterious… But anyhow, it is possible for her to befriend the Names. It is also possible to make the Names stay summoned permanently. However, the real kicker is that those two things are one and the same.

    Well, duh, real friends want to stay close to each other!

    Sewn at the hip?

    We do not tell Pinkie that sort of joke, Comb.

    So that's something she should strive to do. Conversely it is also bad if a Name ends up in the clutches of another party. Especially given how she's choosing to cut herself off from her first employer.

    Although that's technically a Was that they haven't seen yet.

    Semantics. They'll learn about it before the end of the turn. Anyhow, my second advice is… hmm… Pinkie, is there anything you figure she ought to know?

    Maybe some long-term direction? Those are always good.

    I suppose. I'll keep it short and sweet then. Taking in account everything she knows, everything she doesn't know, and the direction that the wind is blowing, I really, really think she should aim at the top of the House.

    That is always good advice.

    Not necessarily, Grave. Not in this world, and not anymore. But given the circumstances, I agree that it is good advice.

    I suppose…

    And that's it.

    Awesome! Now I would like to talk a bit more about…​



    The pink pony goes on and on. But you, the unnoticed white cat, has a greater problem right now.

    And that problem is that your milk saucer has finally run dry.

    Which means that your time here is done.

    So, as it is your wont, you get up once again, you stretch for a few moments, and then you make your way out through the nearest window.

    And you leave the four to their conversation, about things that were, that weren't and that might be, and all the other problems that ponies invent for themselves just for the pleasure of solving them.

    Really, being a pony must be such a hassle…



    Oh, and there she goes. Penelope's cat was blind, the poor thing, so I much prefer this one.

    Right? Opalescence is a dear. And she's good friends with Gummy!

    Cat? What cat? There wasn't anyone eavesdropping on us, was there?!

    Just relax. And I promise there is no one eavesdropping at us right now.​



    The four continue their merry conversation, over the slices of a sweet chocolate cake.

    And before the first client of the day arrives, three of them are gone.
     
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    • Turn 14 - Results, part 7 New
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    • [X] plan DENY BALDOMARE TO CULT, SHE'S OURS! (conditional version) (and Windy instead of Rarity)
    -[X] (Book) Forge 3 (30 bits)
    -[X] (Moth Fruit) Give it to Baldomare If we reach Moth or Winter or Edge 4, eat it otherwise
    -[X] (Rarity) Emissary: (Fleeting Opportunity) Dissociate from Loremaster's fame
    -[X] (Jade Whistle) Research Selene (Knock 2)
    -[X] (Baldomare) Secret Histories Influence
    -[X] (Selene) In order: Winter > Moth > Edge if levels are the same, if one of these reaches lvl 4 go with that one.
    -[X] Attention of the Laws: Grail, use on the first valid target of the following: Stormchaser, Fluttershy, Soft Sweeps
    -[X] Hintseekers: Track down other members of the Expedition
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Stormchaser
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Fluttershy
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Soft Sweeps
    -[X] (Fleeting Opportunity) Windy Flakes (WRITE IN OBJECTIVE)
    --[X] Subtly check Windy's opinions and loyalty to the cult in view of the current events.
    -[X] Mansus exploration x3 (7 exploration actions) (3 actions remaining)
    --[X] Take actions in order, repeating failed actions until we succeed or run out of actions
    --[X] If we acquire a Wound or a Malus, skip to the Blank Plains step
    --[X] Search out a new location in the Shattered Stairs
    --[X] Fully explore the new location
    --[X] Seek out the next Door and study it
    --[X] Cross the Door, but don't spend an action on the other side
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Blank Plains until locations are exhausted
    --[X] Search for new locations in the Woods until locations are exhausted

    - - -

    You take in a deep, calming breath.

    You can't let everything that is happening drown you.

    There is no point in letting your feelings, be it panic or horror or guilt, paralyze you.

    You hold your breath.

    …

    And then you let it all go.



    You are Velvet Covers, and right now you are thinking.

    You are thinking about what has already happened, and about what you are going to do next.

    Which means, of course, that you have a lot of things to think about.

    After all, to say that a lot of things have happened, and that you have a lot on your plate, is a bit of an understatement.

    A lot of things have happened. A lot of bad things have happened to a lot of good ponies. And even though you wish you could say that you were unaffected, even though you wish you could say that you were able to weather this storm without being hit, maybe out of sheer luck or thanks to fate, you know that is not the case.

    Because bad things have happened to ponies who are close to you. Bad things have happened to ponies that you care about.

    Bad things happened to Soft Sweeps, worse things happened to Twilight Sparkle, and not a single day goes by that you don't think about both of them. Not a single day goes by that you don't remember that you played a part in what happened to them.

    And to you, it doesn't really matter that you "didn't know" what might have happened. It doesn't matter that you "couldn't have predicted" how things would have played out, or how much you were only indirectly related to this and that. To you, those arguments claiming that you are not to blame for what happened are immaterial. They are excuses.

    But again…



    You take a deep breath, you hold it in…

    And then you let it all go.



    Again… those are things that have already happened.

    For now, you must focus on what you will do from here on.

    Because you can no longer follow the Master. You can no longer tell yourself that you must trust her just because she knows more than you do.

    So, even if you fumble or make mistakes, even if you do things that you regret, you realize that you must set out on your own.

    You have to distance yourself from the cult, as dangerous as doing that might be.

    However.

    However...

    You don't need to do this alone. Or rather, you don't need to be the only pony who does this, this whole idea of distancing yourself from what the cult is doing. Because you can't be the only one who is thinking about this, can you? Surely, you can't be the only pony who has been fostering… doubts, about the direction that the cult is going.

    As a matter of fact, you know you are not the only pony who is, at the very least, frightened by everything that is happening. After all, on the aftermath of the "disappearances" caused by the changelings, on the day after the cult left for the changeling hive, you and Windy spent almost an entire day calming the cult's nerves. So you know that there are several ponies fostering doubts, you know that there are ponies, several ponies at the very least, who are not just blindly following the Master.

    Distancing yourself from the cult will be dangerous, for sure, and you have several other things that you feel that you need to do at the same time, in parallel to this. However, this doesn't mean that what you are trying to do is impossible. In fact there is one thing you can do that will help further almost all of your goals at the same time.

    After all, you could spend time and effort going for a broad approach, trying to nudge the cult as a whole towards dissent, or…

    Or you could focus your efforts on a particular pony, who already told you at least once that he feels confused and frustrated by the way that the Master is doing things.

    And that pony, it bears mentioning, is one of the very lynchpins of the cult, who holds the cult's purse and has direct sway over many of the cult members who make a living as club employees.

    You are thinking, of course, about Windy Flakes. And considering how all the other Inner Circle members are either unavailable, or already on your side in Jade's case, you can't think of anypony else you would rather have on your side as soon as possible.

    With that in mind, you set out from your home, making your way to the Wildhoof Club.



    - - -



    As you walk through the streets of Ponyville, you can see that the town is… recuperating.

    It is a far cry from what it used to be. The busy atmosphere that it used to have, of a small town full of life, is not exactly gone. Not entirely, at least. But you can still feel that Ponyville is moving only because it has to. You can tell that the usual day-to-day hustle is happening because everypony understands that they have to continue on with their lives, but not necessarily because the townsponies are taking any joy from going on with their personal routines.

    It's like… it's as if everypony suddenly lost their cutie marks, but were still trying to go along with their lives. The bakers are baking, the farmers are farming, and everypony is doing their job. But not out of the joy they have known ever since they first discovered what their talent is. Everypony seems to be determined, for sure. Ponyville itself still has that determined atmosphere about it. But nopony really seems to be happy.

    But to be honest, you can understand that. You can even feel it yourself, this strange sense that… that nopony really should be happy, that nopony really has a right to be content, not right now. Not when every other day another set of bad news comes from a distant town. Not when most of the town is still anxiously waiting for news about their relatives or extended family who lives far away, as the regular mail slowly resumes its activities. Not as dozens of ponies are still mourning a loss, be that of a neighbor, friend, or even a family member.

    Ponyville is determined, but everypony can tell that it is passing through a hard time.

    However, you are not in town today to do anything about that.

    Today, you are worried about something else.

    The Wildhoof Club slowly comes into view at the end of the street. It looks far emptier than usual, but that is already something you expected.

    If nothing else, you hope that means Windy Flakes is available to talk in this impromptu visit of yours.

    You step into the club, taking in the several unfamiliar scents coming from all directions, almost all of them tinged with one or another whiff of a characteristic Lore. And soon enough, you feel Windy himself, the strong scent of Winter prickling at your nose and reminding you of a time you visited a morgue while in college, for a lecture in biology. A particular mixture of cold formol and other chemical substances besides that is by far stronger than any other scent in the club.

    Well, at least he didn't decide to take a day off due to the club being low on activity. Knowing that you didn't waste your trip here is good.

    Although, as you make your way deeper into the club and towards his office, you can't help but feel a wave of tension inside of you.

    After all, you are about to have a very important conversation with Windy Flakes. With Windy Flakes, a stallion you understand to be very smart and business savvy. And you are about to talk to him about… a subject that may very well spiral out of control.

    You will try to be as subtle about it as possible, of course. You will try to first test the waters, and discover what his thoughts truly are, before you say anything that could damn you. But the fact remains that there is still every possibility that this could go horribly wrong, distant as that possibility may be.

    You stop in front of the door to Windy's office, and you can feel your nervousness tugging at your heart one last time.

    But still, you raise your foreleg and give his door a light knock.

    "Come on in," the answer comes a few seconds later. And without further ado, you make your way into Windy Flakes' office.

    The first thing you realize is that Windy Flakes is alone. You already knew that, of course, but for some reason… for some reason that particular information strikes you in a strange way, as soon as you set your eyes on him. Or maybe, as soon as you see his brand.

    The first snowflake. The herald of the storm. The scion of winter. The first sign of End.

    The second thing you realize, is that-



    -something is wrong.



    Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. But you are not getting this impression, this feeling, from the Lores. This is not something that you are sensing from your Edge-scent or from your recent memories...

    No. This... this thing that came to you just now, like the sudden splash of a bucket filled with cold water, comes from the even deeper and older source that is your personal intuition.

    And the fact that only your intuition is telling you that, without any backing from your Lore knowledge, is making you even more tense for reasons you can't describe.

    It's not that you are in danger. A part of you guarantees that you are not in danger, even. But what has you nervous is that you don't know why you feel like you should think you are in danger.

    "Lady Velvet! I am so happy to see you," Windy Flakes immediately says, turning away from his window to look at you. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

    He says that with a smile, and you force yourself to answer him with a smile of your own.

    But behind your smile, and within the confines of your mind, your thoughts are running at full speed. Your relatively recent and reliable Lore-knowledge clashing with your much older and savvy personal intuition, as the two of them clamor you not to listen to the other.

    Still, there is nothing you can do about that right now, except make sure that this sudden dread that you feel won't poison the conversation you are about to have.

    "Just a social visit, Windy," you answer, making your way towards him. "Because for all that there is talk that we are business partners, I still consider you a friend before that."

    "Ohoh? So the mysterious Loremaster has friends?" he asks playfully, "well, I'm honored. Please, take a seat Velvet. Can I get you anything to drink? Alcohol, water, something else?"

    You wave him that you won't be having anything as you sit on the cushioned chair in front of his desk, mind still abuzz as you try to figure out why you are feeling so on edge.

    And then it hits you.

    You thought it was the fact that WIndy is alone right now, but it's not just that.

    You thought it was the way he was looking out through his window when you came in, but it's not just that.

    But you realize, now, that his office is very quiet. Too quiet.

    "I'm fine, Windy, thank you very much," you say, casually looking around his office, your heart hammering as you think back to the last few times you have been here.

    And, still tense unsure why you are so tense because of a seemingly small detail, you pretend to be just looking around as you search for one thing in particular.

    "By the way, no gramophone today? I thought you enjoyed your music," you say absent-mindedly as you confirm your suspicions, noting that the device is nowhere to be seen.

    When you look back at him, you realize he is smiling in answer to your question.

    And his smile sends a chill down your spine.

    You suppress the cold sweat that is trying to form on your forehead, and you innocently stare back at him as he looks into your eyes.

    Although, as the two of you stare at each other, you can't help but... you can't help but realize, once again, that you are alone with him, inside his office.

    You also realize that you can't feel anypony nearby. Certainly not in hearing range, especially if you factor in the closed door and the walls.

    The silence stretches out for… maybe a bit longer than it should.

    To the point that you almost let out a sigh of relieve, when you see him move to finally say something.

    "I put the gramophone away for today, because…" he says, and then he pauses, still looking into your eyes.

    His smile still feels slightly off, but it shifts into something a bit more mischievous as he very cautiously says his next words.

    "Say… Lady Velvet… can I ask you to keep a secret? Or rather, would you mind keeping something just between the two of us?" he asks.

    And your heart begins to hammer inside your chest as he says that, even if the only outward change on your body is that you raise a curious eyebrow.

    Because… because on one hoof, this could be it. He could be about to tell you the exact thing that you came here to talk to him about. Or, if nothing else, asking you to keep a secret might be a window for you to ask him to keep a secret in return, as you engage him in a certain subject.

    However, on the other hoof, you have no idea what he might want to talk about. After all, you know he has a "project" back in his house that he thinks you know about, so this could be about that. And what is more, you still have no idea what it is about him that is making you so damn nervous.

    But regardless of what it is, you cannot let this chance slip by.

    Even if you have to will your voice to come out without a hint of your actual nervousness.

    "My my my, this doesn't sound like a regular business thing that you have in mind," you say, trying your best to sound casually amused. And as he immediately gives you an agreeing nod to that, you put on a more serious expression, "but of course, Windy. You have my word, whatever it is that you want to talk about."

    "Thank you, Velvet. The thing is that..." he starts to speak, but then he stops, his smile still on his face even as his eyes narrow, his gaze turning downwards as if he is struggling to put something into words. "The thing is… hmm…"

    He brings one of his hoofs to his chin, and you watch as his eyes wander to his desk, then to the ceiling, then somewhere else.

    Until finally he looks towards you… no, towards your Brand, and you can see his eyes light up in inspiration.

    "Say, Velvet, we've known each other for a while. Years, even. But have I ever told you about how I got my cutie mark?"

    You tilt your head at that.

    "I am not entirely sure? No, I don't think so," you answer. After all, even though you have known Windy for years, you two have not exactly talked enough for you to know that sort of thing about each other.

    Granted, knowing how somepony got their cutie marks is not exactly some sort of relationship threshold. It's not like couples are expected to tell their cutie mark stories to each other before their first kiss, or that you can't consider a pony to be a personal friend before talking about that. But still, you are almost sure that you two have never talked about this.

    "Figured I haven't, it's not the sort of thing I talk about much," he says, looking down at the snowflake-shaped mark on his flank. "And besides, it's just a boring old snowflake. On its face it already looks like it has a boring story behind it, doesn't it? In fact, I figure I could make up a story about it that's more interesting than the original," he says with a light chuckle.

    And for all that you are unnerved by this whole situation. For all that your intuition is still telling you that something is very, very wrong, you can't help but think that Windy's chuckle just now was surprisingly… normal.

    That is, normal in a deep, personal way. As if you have just seen a side of the prankster businesspony that he normally doesn't show. Or maybe even that he tries to hide.

    So you can't help but give your honest opinion, to what he said just now.

    "Don't say that, Windy. Cutie marks are special. And even if you think a cutie mark is mundane, it's still your cutie mark. It's a part of you that's unique," you say, "so I doubt that it has anything boring about it."

    "Hah! You are too kind. And part of me wants to say that you answered that perhaps too quickly," he says with a joking expression, "is that the sort of speech you give to your daughter whenever she starts panicking about what cutie mark she might get?"

    You raise a hoof to your mouth to suppress the smile of how spot on he was just now. But still, the stallion continues to speak before you get the chance to answer.

    "But anyhow. The thing is that… I actually have a cutie mark for ice sculpting," he says. "Shocking, isn't it? But before you start saying about how I ran an ice cream shop for years, let me tell you this: I never really liked my cutie mark."

    He says that, again with a tone that is strangely honest. A tone that you can't really find in yourself to interrupt, as he continues to talk.

    "I got my cutie mark during winter, obviously. Got too excited with a sharp rock and a block of ice while my friends were all busy making snowponies. Must've spent maybe all afternoon on it, but then... Bam! Me, a colt, did an honest to good ice sculpture with nothing but my hoofs and a rock. And I was so proud of it that I only realized I had a mark on my flank when I saw that my friends were pointing and cheering at my flank rather than at my statue."

    You can feel the hint of a smile appearing on your cheeks, as you hear the strangely honest Windy recount his version of a tale that is lived by almost, almost, every pony out there. That you hope your own daughter will live through very soon, even.

    You feel the hint of a smile appearing on your cheeks, but the smile never really forms…

    It never really forms, because of the chill you are still feeling about this whole conversation with Windy.

    And of course, because of how Windy's tone of voice remains calm and honest even as he says his next words.

    "But the thing about ice statues, Velvet, is that they melt. And me and my friends were all out playing, enjoying ourselves to the fullest, because it was the last day of winter. Winter wrap up was just around the corner, quite literally, and I got to watch as the proudest achievement of my life melted into a puddle less than a full day after it was made."

    He still has a smile on his face, even as he recounts that particular memory of his. It is the same smile he always has, when talking to you or anypony else. You don't feel good about his smile anymore.

    "Everything ends. That's the lesson I got out of that," he says, his eyes unfocused as if he is looking at his own memory, rather than at somewhere in his office.

    Although his silence only lasts for a minute. And when he snaps out of it, he continues to talk with a joviality and casualness that almost disturbs you.

    "But of course, then I grew up! Got a job, did my own thing, and then came the cult. And of course, no surprises here when I realized I had a penchant for Winter, right?" he says, laughing as if he had just said a joke.

    To which you just give him a nod as an answer. You can't really find it in yourself to laugh with him.

    Not as you see him change his mood… no, that's not it. Not as you see him control his mood so casually.

    And you wish you could tell yourself that this is just his Winter at work, or maybe even that he is making use of some Grail that he might have known about but never revealed. But that's the problem, you can't feel any of that. This, all of this, the story, the way he is talking to you, the way he honestly feels about all of this, this is all him. This is all Windy Flakes.

    You can't feel any Lore-magic at work. You can't feel any Winter-chill suppressing something inside of him, be it an emotion or a memory or something else. None of that.

    The only thing you can really feel is, again, your own intuition, telling you how worried you should be about all of this. About the stallion in front of you, and the conversation that you are having.

    You can only feel your intuition telling you that… that he is not exactly lying, but that he is omitting something. That he is omitting a lot.

    After all, like Jade once told you long ago, nopony joins the cult without a reason. And you can't help but notice how he so easily glossed over that part of his life, his whole life before he joined the cult, with a charming smile and a joke.

    "And the thing about Winter, the Lore that is, is that it really did open my eyes about a lot. You see, Velvet, for the longest time I thought that life was just about that. Everything ends and all. But after the Master taught me about Winter, I started to see it in a different way," he says, gesticulating with his hoofs. "Not that everything ends, but that everything will end. Do you know what I mean by that?"

    He asks that, and then he looks at you.

    And for all that his expression looks calm and collected, you can't help but feel that… that he is looking expectantly at you. As if he is waiting for you to confirm something. As if he is hoping that you understand what he is saying. That you understand him.

    To anypony watching, you two would just sound like a pair of ponies talking about life. But for some reason, you… your intuition tells you that he is almost desperate for you to say that he is making sense.

    For anypony to say that he is... that he is not...

    "Yes, Windy, I… I do understand," you say.

    Although he only nods, slowly, as if inviting you to go on.

    "It's about certainty." You continue, watching a light appear in his eyes as you speak, "knowing things will end can be bleak, but understanding that they will end, honestly comprehending that this is the way things go, is… reassuring."

    "Exactly!" he says excitedly, "and that makes all the difference! That made all the difference to me, as well. And that only got clearer and clearer as I climbed. I spent a long time on the Blank Plains, mind you, thinking over about that, and I even managed to be Branded because I wanted to understand it even more, and I'm sure there is more to be learned the higher we rise."

    You nod at that, mapping in your own head how you think Windy's progress was like, as the stallion continues to talk happily.

    Until he reaches a point where his excitement takes a sudden, sharp turn. And you immediately understand that Windy Flakes is finally reaching the point that he wanted to talk about.

    "However," he says, lightly hitting his table with a hoof, "however… something happened, recently. And I think that… I think that I'm on the cusp of another breakthrough, so to speak…"

    He says that, and once again he stops, as if he is searching for a way to express exactly what he is thinking.

    And once again, you can see a smile form on his face. A smile that, you now think, signifies his thoughts are going in a particular direction… a particularly frightening direction.

    In fact, you think that you can almost see it, how his confusion grows so much that it overwhelms his usually controlled expression. You can almost see his calmness cracking, being pressured to the point of almost bursting, as he becomes less and less able to hide his true feelings. You can almost feel his… his affliction, as he grapples and searches for a term that is at the same time at the tip of his tongue and beyond his reach.

    "Something happened… a few days ago. I don't know what it was, Velvet, but I… but something changed and..."

    Your heart sinks as he says that. Even though he didn't really finish that phrase, even though Windy himself clearly doesn't know what he is talking about, your heart sinks.

    Because he doesn't know, but you do.

    Your heart sinks, as you remember what you did a few days ago, in the Mansus, and the consequences of that action.

    You feel something cold run through your body as you prepare yourself for what he is going to say next, for all that you dearly hope to be wrong about this.

    "I know I can trust you with this, Velvet. Or that at least you will understand me, and know that I don't sound insane when I say this," he says, once again looking into your eyes, "but I feel like… I feel like I can almost hear… something. Like a voice on the wind, or a whisper, but that is so damn far away that I couldn't make out the words even if I tried."

    As he says that, he gets up from his chair. For a split second you almost think he is about to do something to you, even though your Edge-senses don't register any threat against you. But still, he stands up, and walks towards his window.

    And you can see his reflection, as he looks out through the window. You can see that he is searching for… something.

    Oh, who are you trying to fool?

    You know exactly what he is searching for.

    "There is something out there, Velvet. Maybe it was always there, and I just couldn't hear it. But that's the thing, just like how my life changed when I learned that everything will end, I feel that my life is changing thanks to this… thanks to this thing that I can hear now."

    His horn lights up, and Windy Flakes opens the window with his magic.

    You only realize how cold the room is when the warm afternoon breeze blows into his office.

    "I feel like it's trying to tell me something, Velvet, but the voice is so far away that I can't… or maybe, this thing is telling me to reach out for it? Because… because I almost feel like I will be able to hear it, if I go somewhere else. Maybe to Canterlot, where so many things have happened? Maybe to another city, given how so many ponies have died not long ago?"

    He asks you that, but you can tell that he is mostly talking to himself.

    But more importantly, you are thankful that Windy has his back to you, as he looks out through the window. You are thankful that he can't see the expression on your face.

    Because you know exactly what he is talking about. You know exactly what it is that he can almost hear, with a voice that is so distant that he can't make out its words.

    In fact…

    In. Fact.

    A chill runs down your spine, as you realize you already understand what his next conclusion will be.

    Because young Windy Flakes was afflicted, when he learned long ago that everything ends.

    An older Windy Flakes was consoled, when he later learned that everything will end.

    And right before you is a Windy Flakes that… you gulp something dry as you realize it. Right before you is a Windy Flakes that might just find some meaning in the thought that everything must end.

    "But… but I just…" he says, his every word weighted down by confusion and uncertainty, "I just don't know what any of this means, Velvet. I honestly don't know what to do. I don't even know if I should do something to begin with!"

    He lets out a long, wistful sigh, closing the window once again.

    And when he returns to you, much to your added tension, he looks and feels exactly like the Windy Flakes you have always known.

    "Well, that's what has been on my mind. So, my dear Loremaster, do you have any thoughts on that?"

    He asks, his tone so jovial and casual that he might as well have just asked about the weather.



    And you… you make sure to very carefully maneuver the conversation from that point on.



    Ultimately, you aren't able to talk to Windy Flakes about what you really wanted to talk. You didn't dare to breach the subject, so you weren't even able to gauge his personal opinions on the matter.

    Although you do think that… from the small comments he made, here and there, the cult will have much more to offer him than you ever will.

    And the one thing that you could offer him, to sway him to your side, is something that… well, that you might regret offering him.

    But that is not a decision you are willing to make right now. You have the closest thing to an answer that you will be able to get today. So, for now, this much will have to do.





    You have conversed with Windy Flakes, and you were able to learn a little more about the stallion. You are not sure that you are comfortable with what you have learned.

    You were not at all able to breach the subject of "what he thinks about the cult", when it comes to gauging how he might feel about eventually distancing himself from it. So your current understanding is that, if nothing else, he wishes to learn more about the Lores. And based on that, you think the Master and the cult will have more to offer him than you will.

    You have also found out something worrying, but you have no idea what to do with this information.

    You think that Windy Flakes honestly considers you a friend, but you suddenly realize that you don't know what "friends" mean to him.

    <40: "You are asking me about what?"

    40: "Let me tell you a little about myself"

    80: "Let me tell you a little about what you really want to know."

    120: ???

    150: ???



    [To whom is loyal the cold?, breakpoints 40/80/120/150]

    [Roll: 3 + 12 (Intrigue) + 15 (GRAIL bonus) + 5 (Beautiful) + 10 (An awareness of appetite) = 45]
     
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