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

Alright, I've been won over on the Celestia appearance. Either that to help ease up on the doomsday clock of Celestia giving up on ponykind or Midday Dew to help launder lores and prevent Celestia from feeling betrayed seem like the ones that help our most pressing priority.

[X] A disturbed guest
[X] A Royal guest
 
It's not the cultist way if we don't have people plotting against each other to claim Glory for themselves.
See, this is why the Mansus fell. People kept power bombing each other into the supports and the foundations all willy-nilly for power or strife or whatever other crazed notions popped into their heads.
 
Well of all the people that did that at least the Edge adepts had an excuse.
Lantern: Only light can sear away the shadows of ignorance (I burnt down the woods)
Forge: Improvement cannot come without change; the old must make way for the new (I blew up the woods)
Winter: Everything must end in time (I killed the woods)
Moth: Nobody can figure out my plan if I don't have one (I cut away the woods)
Knock: What a mountain calls a wound, civilization calls a tunnel (I tore open the woods)
 
Because although almost everypony in the Royal Castle just woke up from a peaceful night of sleep, your night was… a little more eventful than usual.
talk about an understatement!

You are working on forgetting what needs to be forgotten.

You are working on calming down what needs to be calmed.

You are working on accepting that what is done is done.

And slowly… achingly slowly… you are working on stoking an entirely different flame inside of you.
yeah, better to forget that for at least the rest of the day.

"Today is the day…!" you say once again. No, you practically hiss those words.
I'm kinda hoping that, for the first time in years, Velvet might join a Heartsong.

You know, a little gift from Harmony and the Princess of Love.

"TODAY IS THE DAY A PRINCESS GETS MARRIED!"
All 9 lores in a sentence!

They all felt it. They all know that something just stirred. And that if even a single thing goes wrong from now until the end of the day, they will rue the day that they ever failed the Princess' Mare of Honor.
by the powers of the old world and the old Gods, NOBODY will ruin this day!

WE KILLED A (DEMI)GOD FOR DARING TO TRY! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE NEXT!


Throughout that entire time, you make sure everything runs smoothly. But eventually, and inevitably, there is nothing left to do but allow all the pieces to fall into place. At some point, Rarity takes her leave to go to Cadance's apartment, to help the Princess garb herself in her magnum opus. And there is nothing left for you to do but hound the venue itself, searching for flaws or problems that simply do not exist.
I DARE any changeling to try and infiltrate in search for love. I DOUBLE DARE THEM!

(let us ignore they're probably starving... Foolish Chrysalis...)

And finally, the hour arrives.
and luckily it's an "h" and not an "H" there...

...If Discord somehow appears NOW, I think we'll ALL explode!

After all, so many things didn't go as planned… Twilight Sparkle never appeared, despite having received an invitation. Princess Celestia, also, was meant to be the one officiating the ceremony, but she never even answered, and Fair Trial is standing in her place at the altar. More than that, you could make a very, very long list of all the little compromises and alterations that needed to be made, as the event took shape. All the small "can't"s and "won't"s that built up as the days went by.
so no Twilight and no Celestia? Expected, but disappointing.

Because it is impossible to look at what happened today and feel anything but pride and inspiration. As if ponykind had just been introduced to the sun, so now they know how light is meant to look like. As if you had just witnessed something perfect, so now you know what path you should take towards it.



And that was all thanks to Cadance herself.
Celestia might be more distant. Luna still asleep. Twilight might be lost.

But at least, we didn't mess THIS up.

Maybe, just maybe... killing the Master was worth it.

Maybe Harmony can still triumph, and maybe that will be a good thing for everyone.

Maybe, even for Velvet.

Of course, the trio of ringbearers were chosen exclusively because Cadance insisted on there being one for each pony race. And since choosing fillies from one or another noble family could have caused political problems, Cadance made the hard decision of choosing those three fillies based on her own arbitrary criteria.

The fact that the three ringbearers ended up being your two earth-pony and pegasus daughters, and the unicorn younger sister of your best friend, is entirely coincidental.
Are you going to accuse the BRIDE of nepotism?! I DARE YOU!

...Shame we don't have a unicorn daughter too, but hey, Rarity certainly appreciates Sweetie Bell being picked for that role.

On a side note, if we were not already basically the most powerful not-alicorn pony in the realm (with only some competition from Lady Fair Trial), THIS would cement us as the Favored of the Alicorn of Love...

And you were honestly surprised at how much restraint the Princess showed, when she only gave Shining Armor what must have been the deepest kiss you have ever seen in your life.

a kiss so deep that we had to move the quest to Questionable Questing for it!

...that doesn't work that well when we're still in the SFW section though... Curse you @OurLadyOfWires , you ruined my joke! 😡


Because by Equestria, everything around you is making you emotional, no matter where you look. The sight of your two younger daughters in their pure-white ringbearer dresses, laced with ribbons of gold and green. The gorgeous figure of Softy, who you just realized you had never seen in a dress that wasn't a maid uniform. The smiling crowd all around you, cheerful and bright and actually pleasant despite almost every one of them being nobles.
I'm kinda surprised it's mostly nobles actually.

"Excuse me, ma'am? The Mare of Honor is needed in the kitchen, to sort out a small issue with one of our cooks," he says.

...I'm kinda suspecting it's jut an excuse. Is it someone from the Bureau?

Leaving you alone with one of your Lunar Bureau agent, who just told you the code for "trouble that requires your attention".
yeah, I thought as much.

Hopefully nothing too serious.

However, the fact remains that events like this need a place for the staff to work. So, you follow your agent towards one of the several tents that were raised around the venue, where the items and horsepower needed to cater for hundreds of nobles and a Princess could be properly stored and managed.
Also, you know, there's a need for bathrooms.


Well, let's see what are the possible guests. I'm expecting "changelings" "Celestia" "Noble coup" "Twilight" "Cult operation". Maybe Windy too?


[] A troublesome guest

a stupid assassin tries to kill Lady Fair Trial (Probably someone from a noble family she slighted in the past, or that has something to hide).

We get a chance to get closer to her.

Worth considering, but I suspect there's better options.

[] A disturbed guest

Midday Dew is the first innovator affected by our regrettable action, the new Curse of the Innovator.

The Wolves gnaw around the walls of the Mansus. As any student of Histories know, they will kill you if you linger."

our third son brought us a present...

[] A self-invited guest
Baldomare decided she wants our best wine XD

"Oh, isn't that obvious? Convenience, Velvet. Coming here is just a lot less work, with the anchor and all."

"I beg your pardon, with the what now?"

"The… the anchor? Glory above, Velvet, are you telling me you don't know about it? I thought you were working in this city BECAUSE of the anchor."
Only Anchor I can think is... the place where Discord's statue was?

also funny, turns out good enough wine can bribe Baldomare to tell us what we don't know 😂

well, probably because we sort of already knew bits and pieces of it, and just had to connect them.

aaand... yep, an Outsider. Discord is my first guess.


Celestia makes an appearance. She's not smiling, but she brings a gift...

this might be good for Celestia's mental wellbeing...


Basically Love and Harmony spread from the wedding to all of Equestria.


Personally I'm leaning towards either "A host of Guests" or "A self-invited guest".

Bring joy and stability to Equestria, or make progress towards Glory.

Then again, an in with Midday Dew of Eclipse (and thus an in with the ones who'd likely be tasked to research the lores), an in with Fair Trial (the one who'd judge the cultists) or even "just" Celestia visiting and giving Cadance a gift...

they're all good picks.
 
Midday Dew is the first innovator affected by our regrettable action, the new Curse of the Innovator.

The Wolves gnaw around the walls of the Mansus. As any student of Histories know, they will kill you if you linger."

our third son brought us a present...

So, he is technically aligned with Velvet, and was technically not harmed... just ignore the lingering scars upon the psyche.

Also I got very confused how this latest event was apparently posted... an hour after I read it. Please don't send me down that Lore route. Anyhow, hour and change left... I'm not really sure what I'm leaning towards. There's the, I guess civil focused In, the other side of the Bureau In, the Baldomare Hint, the Celestia Mystery Box, and just general Love.
 
I still feel the correct answer is A Royal Guest or An Uninvited Guest.

What was it that Baldom- ah....That that mare said.

There are two ways to win. Either by winning, or making your opponents loose.
An Uninvited Guest pushes towards a potential Win state. A Royal Guest prevents our lose state somewhat longer with "Dawnbringer" problems.

That... and I am of course imagining an alt win state that we already know.
After all, we've found the tower to the moon. And a daughter that will soon awaken to the moon.
That the path is so restrictive, so limited, so rare and unable to be reached, save for when the moon is in position, when the celestial heavens are when and where they must be...

Well, it simply helps to have a potential ally who can... perhaps pull at the tides there.
 
I still feel the correct answer is A Royal Guest or An Uninvited Guest.

What was it that Baldom- ah....That that mare said.

There are two ways to win. Either by winning, or making your opponents loose.
An Uninvited Guest pushes towards a potential Win state. A Royal Guest prevents our lose state somewhat longer with "Dawnbringer" problems.

That... and I am of course imagining an alt win state that we already know.
After all, we've found the tower to the moon. And a daughter that will soon awaken to the moon.
That the path is so restrictive, so limited, so rare and unable to be reached, save for when the moon is in position, when the celestial heavens are when and where they must be...

Well, it simply helps to have a potential ally who can... perhaps pull at the tides there.
Wasn't the thing about that being getting the Secret History Sacrament? Which iirc is basically just waiting on getting that accomplished at this point? Ignoring all the danger and stuff and potential other things like were actions taken this turn to do it because it's been long enough that my memory on that is failing me.

Edit: Checked.
-[X] These are the skills that allow you to climb the Mansus
--[X] Attempt, even if foolishly, to untangle the webs of the Secret Histories
---[X] Investigate your current skills. To try to understand them, if nothing else. (Current progress 0/3)
So, yes it is being worked on.
2nd Edit: I just realized I need to go check SV for the specifics of Sacraments again.
OurLadyOfWires on the original thread said:
SACRAMENTS

-In order to reach Level 5 in a Lore, you require FOUR Level 4 scraps, as well as a Sacrament.
-Sacraments may be achieved in two ways. Through "actions of your own" or through "invitation by one who is very great".
-Keep in mind that there are no superior options. The effort to achieve Sacrament through "actions of your own" will not make the direction your Lore studies take "better" or "superior".
-It is also important to note that the direction, theme and "flavor" your advance in said Lore will be tied to the nature of the Sacrament itself. (Reader's interpretation and discussion is advised)
-Consider the "Invitation" statuses as WoG. Don't worry about asking to make sure. If I forget to update a certain status-quo (a previously glad patron will now ask for a favor, etc) I'll let you all know before a voting period is over.

SECRET HISTORIES
Actions of your own: "You are afraid of doing this, but there might be a History where you are not. Regardless, it is time you learn more about how this works, these recent memories that at the same time are and are not your own."
-Perform, three times, an action dedicated to studying the memories and glimpses you have of other Histories. [Costs one action each]
-This is a dangerous action.

Baldomare's Invitation: "I suppose it's better for me to show you than not... Especially given the Brand you chose. Or could it be that your Brand chose you instead? It has been known to happen... Regardless. I'll do it for free, with how I can see this is what you really want. Come back to me when you are ready, then pack for a long hike."
-Complete the Beyond the Map's Edge expedition, taking Baldomare as a companion.
-You must reach 4/4 scraps of Secret Histories before taking this action.
So, yeah. Also I don't know the codes because I keep forgetting where they are. Sorry.
 
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I don't know that there is a "correct" or "best" choice here. None of them will make things worse. Considering Velvet called on the wolf and destroyed the Woods for it, I find it thematically appropriate that the Wedding should bring such joy to Ponykind. It may not be as immediately useful, but themes and choices like this have tended to hold weight across the quest.
The other choices are more pragmatic and considering the trials Velvet has ahead of her, picking them is understandable.
 
Wasn't the thing about that being getting the Secret History Sacrament? Which iirc is basically just waiting on getting that accomplished at this point? Ignoring all the danger and stuff and potential other things like were actions taken this turn to do it because it's been long enough that my memory on that is failing me.

So, yes it is being worked on.

So, yeah. Also I don't know the codes because I keep forgetting where they are. Sorry.

Yes.
Which means, to me at least, it makes sense, for either the Reach the Moon victory conditions, or the Reach Glory victory conditions to take the An Uninvited Guest path.
A Royal Guest, is prevention in my eyes. It will assist and prevent things with Celestia from spiraling... somewhat further, in some tangential ways.

The questions to me really is, do we think we can support Celestia being potentially irritated with The Wedding happening while her sister is gone? If so, An Uninvited Guest. If we are worried about her, which, I am, then A Royal Guest.
 
I don't know that there is a "correct" or "best" choice here. None of them will make things worse. Considering Velvet called on the wolf and destroyed the Woods for it, I find it thematically appropriate that the Wedding should bring such joy to Ponykind. It may not be as immediately useful, but themes and choices like this have tended to hold weight across the quest.
The other choices are more pragmatic and considering the trials Velvet has ahead of her, picking them is understandable.
I think that's kind of the point. They're all supposed to be equally desirable for different reasons. Do we want a better idea of how the judicial branch is doling out things according to their purview, since iirc, Velvet did choose to work with the Solar Court so having a better idea and possibly 'pull' on their actions has benefits. And much the same can be said for the potential en-Lore-ning of the Bureau, as well as closer ties to Eclipse. Moving onto the two more terrifying entities in the potential surprise guest list, we have Baldomare giving a clear and direct hint of an avenue to Glory. And then we have the Celestia Mystery Box, because that's what it is, outside of her showing up and... that being meaningful in it's own way. And then the general public feeling the Love, which might help with the ongoing and future problems of Evil, Paranoia, and Ash?
Yes.
Which means, to me at least, it makes sense, for either the Reach the Moon victory conditions, or the Reach Glory victory conditions to take the An Uninvited Guest path.
A Royal Guest, is prevention in my eyes. It will assist and prevent things with Celestia from spiraling... somewhat further, in some tangential ways.

The questions to me really is, do we think we can support Celestia being potentially irritated with The Wedding happening while her sister is gone? If so, An Uninvited Guest. If we are worried about her, which, I am, then A Royal Guest.
You could also argue whatever is in the Celestia Mystery Box (Yes I will keep referring to it that way.) could be of great value or use, like perhaps a Lore Artifact for Cadance's protection? There is still some level of a connection between Celestia and Cadance, and even if she did not officiate, showing up does show a level of approval for the wedding. Moreso given the entities partaking it are very much ponies she likely sees as... useful? Good? Whatever the word is.
 
I just realized I need to go check SV for the specifics of Sacraments again.
Yes, that is my fault. I'll port them over here eventually. But I apologize for the inconvenience till then.

Which means, to me at least, it makes sense, for either the Reach the Moon victory conditions
After all, we've found the tower to the moon
Mumble mumble for-the-millionth-time-you-are-basically-locked-into-Glory-ending-at-this-point mumble mumble

I am patient. I will repeat this as many times as needed. Especially given how we just returned from a rather long pause.
 
Considering the number of unspeakable acts Velvet committed to make sure this wedding happened, we've gone beyond declaration or even decree.

At this point, it's a threat.
More of a statement

While mechanically true, I feel like you're glossing over some narrative implications. We've already had this sort of thing before in the quest; we call ourselves a good person, but when given the opportunity, will we actually make the selfless decision? All of the other choices are purely to our benefit - if we want the moral high ground, helping everyone else instead is the best option.
Of course not all good deeds go unpunished. We TRIED to help Twilight, and...

Alright, I'm going to argue for picking option #2 (Midday Dew) real quick.

Firstly, as I've already mentioned, this seems to be our chance to get an "in" on laundering the Lores in a way that isn't extremely risky, complicated, or both. If Midday Dew "discovers" the Lores, there will (by necessity) be a gap in time between ponies beginning to learn and study the Lores, and Equestria finding out about the Path Through Nightmares. Since, as a reminder, the two-aspect circle was located on the back of the Blank Door, and even if it is written down in a book somewhere in the Canterlot archives... well you still need to know to look for it, and searching that deep into the archives will take time. It also means that Equestria and Celestia will be finding out about the Lores in a way that is (or at least appears to be) entirely disconnected from Velvet. And it's not like Velvet hasn't already shown herself to be able to be subtle about leading ponies into the Lores; hell, we initiated Rarity into Grail basically on accident, and we know... a lot more now.

Secondly, this isn't just (possibly) an opportunity for Velvet to guide Dew into the Lores. This is an opportunity to get Dew in on the Velvet Conspiracy(tm). Which is to say, convince him to help us hide the whole "our Lore levels are way way higher than they should be" thing. After all, we're being explicitly told that he is vulnerable, pliable, and willing to make compromises to keep Equestria safe. If that means keeping quiet on how Commissioner Velvet Covers seems unusually knowledgable on these matters and making excuse for why she seems to be learning so quickly to the point of outpacing everyone else... well, that's really a small price to pay in exchange for the knowledge on how to protect ponykind, isn't it Midday Dew? (says Grail 4 Velvet with an Incarnadescence)

Third, having metaphorical leverage over Dew when he starts to delve into the Lores likely means that we could push him into getting the Bureau involved re: learning the Lores sooner than we would if we followed any of the tentative "plant Lore bait somewhere" plans that have been thrown around so far. After all, even if the Crown begins to study the Lores in earnest, that doesn't help us much (and in fact puts us in more danger) if the Bureau doesn't also get to learn the tasty Lore bits.

Edit: And, just to point out this doesn't just benefit ourselves (re: not dying), it does also benefit Equestria as a whole if Eclipse & the Bureau can get access to the Lores, considering that the cult splinters are still out there, Lore knowledge is going to spread outside of our control regardless and likely result in even more splinters popping up, and that there are still a plethora of big bad threats in Equestria that will show up at some point. The soonest (hypothetically) being Sombra. And Equestria doesn't have a (functional) Elements of Harmony anymore (which is our fault, but still). Plus, getting the Lores into Eclipse and the Bureau is pretty much Step 1 of being able to heal Shining Armor and Twilight's horns.

Good points

We don't even need to reveal to him we're this far high in the lores. we can fake learning as he does, being "in" on cult research from the start, and later on when we have the bureau find the books (probably in the canterlot expedition site) we can also have Velvet be part of the "research", and have her understand those books and lessons better than anyone else.

And then she starts discovering more, and basically we get a decent excuse to build up more of an Occult Library for Eclipse, to which the Bureau Agents would also (ideally) get access.

Maybe we can at that point also justify getting free books, basically from Eclipse's or the Bureau's budget. Basically Velvet becomes the Loremaster of Eclipse AND the Bureau.

Honestly, acting like we have the moral high ground is kind of a self-delusion at this point. Making all the other ponies happy is just a band-aid fix at this point. There are too many other problems boiling under the surface for it to last. Choosing that option is effectively choosing Harmony's option--something we royally screwed up after what happened with Twilight. If we really want to fix things, our best option is to reach The Glory as fast as possible. If we linger, that just means something else might come up that will force us to pick another Regrettable action.

There are so many things that can go wrong. Cadance taking our understanding of the lores the wrong way. Our ongoing cult war. Everything about Celestia.

We have a goal, so let's pursue it. We can be nice when possible, but not when it causes us to lose out on an explicit step forward.
I just want to point out we have no confirmation that once we reach the Glory we've won.

Mostly because... the Forge closed the way, but presumably also passed through the Tricuspid before sealing it.

So, in theory, the Forge of Days and the Sun In Splendor should be there, beyond the Tricuspid. And I have to wonder what happens once we go in there.

And even if they're no longer there, because maybe they died AGAIN or something... then what?

(I kind of wonder if they might have turned into Alukites in there...)

in the game, passing the tricuspid makes you a LONG. that's the bare minimum that should happen. But there's no Hours to make us Names, and I'm not quite sure passing through the Tricuspid is enough to become an actual Hour.

So, personally, I think that we'll get a MAJOR advantage from passing through (as we'd AT LEAST become a Long, with all that implies), but I also think it's not the end of the game.

on another note, I also don't think we're ready for a confrontation with Discord, if the outsider is actually him... then again, maybe he's still stoned, in which case we might be able to ritually kill him? That's possible. Maybe even likely.

Well, this is a rather nice day. To be honest, Velvet needed it at least as much as Cadance did.

Never the less, our options. The first one, with Fair Trial is... Nice, but I can't say that it is nice enough. While it is an "in", it is a distinctly impersonal "in", because while Fair Trial is grateful, it isn't really Velvet Covers who has helped her. At best, it is "Commissioner Velvet Covers", at worst, "the Lunar Bureau". Don't get me wrong, it is not bad, and it is an in - with time, it will develop in genuine relationship, but it is just that - nothing more. Hopefully - hopefully - we will get other chances to get an in, even if it will happen slightly later.

The second option is better. Unlike with Fair Trial, Midday does connect with "Velvet Covers", or at worst with a "Loremaster". Like it says, he is pliable and vulnerable, and getting an in with the Eclipse would be rather useful. We wouldn't even need to smuggle the lores, not directly - let him "discover" them. Unlike us, he - hopefully! - doesn't have any skeletons in his closet. He'll be fine with a little more scrutiny.

The third option doesn't seem that appealing to me. Yes, it is directly working to "win", rather than "not to lose", but it doesn't give us anything critical. Yes, it accelerates the timeline, but we do know that Discord is an outsider - the Master called him one back in the beginning of the quest. While it seems appealing, I, frankly speaking, do not consider us to be ready to deal with him yet. Sure, not having to do research is nice, and frees some AP - and we are in permanent AP hell - but it is just that. For now, I think I'll pass this option. For once, it is not just knowledge we need, but power. Possibly power of friendship (aka having your friends punch your enemies in the face), but power still.

The Royal option is really appealing to me, for that simple reason that it does something - even if we don't know how much - about our main problem. Really, consider it: the Cult is dead. The Master is dead. Starry has walked into the dark and not being a problem yet - I don't think we can ignore her, but we don't need to race against her either, not yet. Windy is concerning, we will need to check on him, but there's a limit on how quickly he can recover losses. Copper is a problem, but we are distinctly at advantage against her (we have 3+ Names against her 1, and we have Alicorns to give us implicit protection). Our biggest problem is not getting vaporised by the Angry Sun Horse, really. Also, well. This is from SV:

Doing something to defuse it, or even possibly move a little towards defusing it is the most prudent course of action, I think. While winning is crucial, so is not losing (even if we shouldn't overdo it). Plus, it seems it does something else for Cadance, and that is even better. She and Luna will be our primary defenders, it seems.

Finally, option number 5. It's fine, I guess? But I think even partial success is good enough - the wedding should help even if we don't choose this option, both at calming the ponies and calming Cadance. So, it's fine, but pass - I don't think we should overcommit. We have way too many problems for that.
The more I read, the more I'm thinking Midday Dew might be the best medium to long term option.

Outsider is best if we assume we can then quickly find and kill it and then ascend to Glory, AND that no more problems after that will manifest. I doubt it's that easy.

the harmony spreads option is probably the best in the short term for Equestria, and I wonder if there might be knock-on effects and consequences... maybe the harmony and love will somehow reach Twilight? Then again it might just be what it says. A more peaceful Equestria is useful, but... not THAT useful right now, compared to only a moderately peaceful one?

I agree with Fair Trial not being that interesting right now, and Celestia is kind of a mystery box. Though with Luna about to return I'm willing to ignore Celestia now as she'll get some focus soon anyway.

What BritBiscuit is saying. Because remember, this is what Cadence is currently thinking:



Right now, she thinks that Celestia has left her. And it is true, you know? In 4 out of 5 options, Celestia - functionally Cadance's mother figure - is not even there. At all. On the most special day of her life. She might as well be dead.

And it was like that for about a year now. First, Celestia abandoned her to search for Luna. Understandable, excusable, but excuses do not heal wounds inflicted. Then, she Celestia was absent because Chrysalis!Luna was draining her. Again, not Celestia's fault, but she wasn't there for Cadance. Then, well. Then, Angry Sun Horse.

For a year, Celestia gave Cadance at best a few phrases a day. Maybe less, possibly much less.

Cadance can't bring herself to hate her. Maybe she can't. But it is not a healthy relationship.

Cadance says happiness of everypony would bring her joy, but it is not the whole truth, isn't it? It was incredibly important to her that she is marrying Shining. So, in situation like this...

Wouldn't knowledge that Cadence's mother did not forget her would be incredibly uplifting? Even if it is just a small step, it will give Cadance hope.

Harmony is important, and ponykind is its foundation, but it is the Alicorns that are its Champions. Harmony needs that wound healed just as well, and if Celestia doesn't show up...

Can she make up for that, in the future?

And this is love. Motherhood is a part of Cadance's domain. This is a wound that Cadance can, perhaps, endure, but is is a wound that otherwise would be left to fester, rot, scar.
interesting insight.

Indeed, Celestia's presence will mean a LOT to Cadance. Right now, she only has two loved ones in her life, really.

Shining Armor, and Velvet.

There's, I suppose, Twilight, though we don't know how their meeting went. But Twilight is not in a good place.

This visit from Celestia could mean a lot. and we don't know what the gift is.

and this might compound with Luna's return next turn.

Why would we want to do this?

Moving up the worms victory condition seems like a bad idea.
Shaper, I'll tell you to you straight: Don't be like that.

From all we know, Harmony is a force for good. It MIGHT be ignorant of the Lores. It's heavily implied it has limited agency.

But NOTHING has even implied it being IN ANY WAY on the Worm's side.

The Master assumed that the lights of Harmony would bring the worms to Equestria and destroy it. But They might very well have been wrong.

The lights of harmony could destroy lesser worms. It's very much possible that, as Harmony became stronger, it would have become able to passively kill even stronger Worms. There's a very good chance that by preventing Twilight's ascension we might have actually improved the Worm's position.

Honestly, we just don't know enough to tell of Harmony's nature, and of if it would have been strong enough to stop the Worms on its own, but... well, if we go by canon, the show ends with an implied new golden age starting.

...then again, then we get "MLP Next Generation", where another age of separation and the disappearance of magic came. So who knows.

The Worms don't even win if Velvet loses, as we instead take over Soft Sweeps and proceed to Wolfmax to victory.
Which is admittedly suboptimal, but at least it's not the Worms.
technically we don't know what happens if we lose. Best Guess is we play as Soft Sweeps, but even then it doesn't mean wolf ending is the only option.

Just as a random reminder, but I'll point out that Celestia does have access to Lore artifacts, and we once could have asked her for one as a gift.
It was implied the Changeling got most of them and destroyed or stole them though.

Er, that's literally how it works.

Harmony shinning attracts worms, Harmony shinning even brighter attracts more and bigger worms.

We even have two victory conditions that revolve around getting Harmony to stop it with this worm attacting malarkey.
but also Harmony shining brighter KILLS more worms more easily.

Just a reminder to everyone one way or another Luna is coming back soon which will either solve or drastically change the Celestia situation. Making actions to try to change that slightly will likely soon be overshadowed.
unless it compounds.

A Celestia that's more hopeful might be more willing to go with Luna's story (if she's on our side) and requests.

and we still don't know what the gift is. It might be an artifact, but who knows of what kind.

Right now what comes to mind is the amulet she gives Twilight to control the Sun and Moon near the end of the show.

See, this is why the Mansus fell. People kept power bombing each other into the supports and the foundations all willy-nilly for power or strife or whatever other crazed notions popped into their heads.
not really?

The Mansus fell because the Forge of Days, the strongest of the Hours (I think), did "something", the Sun-In-Splendor came back, the Mansus was kinda broken when the Moth ascended and burned into Glory and then the Forge of Days closed the Tricuspid, basically removing the reason for the climb and gifting eternal despair to any adept who reached the top.

Mumble mumble for-the-millionth-time-you-are-basically-locked-into-Glory-ending-at-this-point mumble mumble

I am patient. I will repeat this as many times as needed. Especially given how we just returned from a rather long pause.
oh, ok, we're locked in Glory Ending.

I actually forgot that.

I still kind of expect there to be further steps once we unlock the Tricuspid. Like, another challenge,

Then again, every time we passed through a gate we gained power, and this would AT LEAST make us a Long. Maybe we actually need to find the Key to the Tricuspid after this, to open it in the reverse direction? That's how you ascend to Namehood in CS, so I could see the next step being having to basically do that, except with no Hours left we actually go from Long to Hour...

...I'm kinda wondering what happens if we climb the Tower to the Moon though.

I'd still do it because I expect some bonuses. I'm kinda hoping the House of the Moon might have mentors capable of teaching sacraments...





Well, I'm leaning Midday Dew (to have a way to introduce the Lores and learn them that's justified), but Celestia and Harmony are fine too.

I'm uninterested in Lady Fair Trial, and I think we're not quite ready for the Outsider yet.
 
So. I'll post this because this is a lot of firsts for a lot of us.

This site doesnt have an in-built vote tallying system, but looking around i believe QMs use an external program that performs a similar function.

So, just vote as you normally would. Write the option you want with an "X" inside the brackets like this:

[X] Pat Softy

-and the system should pick up on it.

Still, we will do a manual counting when this voting is done, just to make sure. And we will take things slowly until we all get our bearings.

That being said, I hope you are all doing well!

- - -

Voting is OPEN

Only votes made from this post onward will be counted

No "closing" deadline set yet

Only votes in this thread will be counted.
 
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[X] A host of guests

I like the other options, but I think I'll stick with this one for now. Baldomare is still tempting from a pure pragmatic standpoint, as are the other choices, but this one feels right. Ultimately we need to reach Glory to win, but it's nice to see some real good come from the choices we've made.
 
[X] A host of guests.

For my first active vote I kind of just want to do something good for Ponykind after we kind of ruin part of the collective unconscious of them(for a good reason I guess).
 
[X] A Royal Guest

Best I can see is this prevents problems before they get worse.
 

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