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

[Cochimetl]

Rising While

Click to shrink...

Then I'll pay close attention the next time I draw it.

 

[Venerable Ro]

On second thought, "dogmatic" is the wrong word I picked. "Jarring" or "off-key" is a better description.
The protagonist went from a sheltered loner farm accountant to a chief spook and royal favourite, sent dozens to their deaths and performed tons of shady deeds, acting under pressure many times. Yet all that had no measurable impact on her personality, skills or disposition. Hence the dissonance.
(And it's not a question of power, at this point the supernatural bonuses grossly outweigh the mundane stats.)

Click to shrink...

The quest, I think, has managed to accidently demonstrate the power of being the right person in the right place at the right time. Velvet was always a capable administrator, that's how she originally got her Ponyville responsibilities. During the Luna crisis the nobility (due to an unlucky streak of rolls) proved singularly useless while Velvet managed some excellent administration rolls to almost singlehandedly save the operation and help stabilize Equestria as a whole. That got her noticed and led directly to most of our current situation.

It's not so much a dramatic character change in my mind, as it is Velvet simply applying extant skills to a greater and far more visible degree. Her household already ran like a well-oiled machine, and from day one we never took any liberties with our duties even when it would have been really convenient to skim a few bits off the top. It's also worth noting Velvet's Moth-given obliviousness to how she's perceived by others, the fact that she still doesn't know she's a mafia princess, and the fact that her family matter more to her than anything else is always going to have a strong anchoring effect on her character.

 

[Cochimetl]

Rising While

Click to shrink...

Then I'll pay close attention the next time I draw it.

Click to shrink...

Man, I've really got the luck of the draw today. It was the next event I drew. So:

Eva Dewulf was a many-times-great daughter of Rowena of Ys, and of Kelemdu the Wolf. Yvette, we suspect, is a daughter of Eva's line - descendend both from Ys and from the Dewulfs. Ys always wanted such an heir, and they want her preserved... but Rowena or her consort became Long after their daughter's birth, so Rowena is plagued by the urge to devour her descendants.

Click to shrink...

I think this makes all sense. Rowena had a daughter who knows how long ago, with a guy called Kelemdu the Wolf. Some time after that, they both were Long and wanted to eat her, but her line survived (their name being bastardised to Dewulf over the centuries).
Giles Dewulf then got involved with Hafren of Ys, renewing that connection. Why that's necessary for the plans of the City Unbuilt, I don't know. Maybe the Ys blood got a bit too thin for their tastes? I think it was mentioned that before Hafren got involved, the Dewulfs did not show the signature paleness of their ancestor Rowena.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

You are Comet Feet.

And right now, there is every chance you might die in the next few minutes.

"You were loyal to the Master, and you also feared her. I care not why, or what circumstances bound you to serve her. But she is dead now, and that influences your position in the board."​

You are at the end of a small bridge, the one that leads to Fluttershy's house.

The one that she maintains and repairs, despite her wings, because a family of birds nested under it, once. The one that, at her request, the beavers leave untouched, and the larger animals avoid so as not to strain it. The very last fork on the road that, if taken, could only ever lead to her home. A figurative gate, left open and unguarded, that leads to a sanctuary that welcomes and shelters all life.

A figurative gate that, for the first time in its existence, might be soiled with blood and death.

Your blood. And your death. Because again…

… there is every chance you might die in the next few minutes.

"I am here to ensure your piece falls in the correct place."​

The thing before you isn't a mare. She might look like one, but you know she is not.

She might be wearing a dress, and her silver mane might be long and well-kept in the artificial way that for some reason you never see in Fluttershy's mane. She might have the face of a pony, and four legs under her.

But that is no mare.

The blank expression she has, utterly neutral and devoid even of hate, looks more like a mask than anything else. You know why she looks like that, of course. Because she is so focused that even her subconscious is too busy to change a detail as small as her expression.

The knife that is dangling from her neck, also, is no ordinary knife. You have no idea how she got something like that, you don't even know what that knife truly is. But you know that is no ordinary knife.

But most of all, her voice… it is so sharp that it hurts to listen to her words. You tried your best to respond in kind, but even answering her was a battle you could feel that you were losing.

The thing before you is no mare.

It is Velvet Covers.

And regardless of how it happens, you realize today your life is going to change forever.

…

She looks at you one last time, and after what feels like an eternity she finally begins to move.

The mare takes a step forward, stepping a hoof on the bridge.

The fur on your coat bristles. Your legs tense, and your wings open on your sides, ready to throw you up into the skies at a moment's notice.

Because the two of you know the significance of this bridge. The two of you realize that if she crosses it, she will be invading the place you are guarding. And if you cross it, it could only be to sally out and attack her instead. That truth is painfully obvious to the two of you.

However, she did not move to cross the bridge. And the icy focus in her eyes makes it clear she is not taunting you either.

Instead, she just steps a single hoof on the bridge, and then she pauses.

This too, you realize, is a symbolic action.

After all, she is not attacking you, but she is gaining ground. And the pregnant pause that occurs, after she stops, makes it clear she is inviting you to do the same.

This is, you realize… a negotiation.

One that is not happening with your hoofs or your blades.

Not yet.



"I would have you serve me."



She says that, as she firmly plants her hoof on the wooden bridge. As if she was declaring her intention while moving a piece on a board game.

But that is the thing, this is how you hope this will work… that is her initial demand, yes, but she only took a single hoofstep into the bridge. And she is still standing on the opposite side of the short wooden path. Which means, in turn, that there is still place for you two to maneuver.

And perhaps, there might even be enough space for the two of you to find common ground.

"I would have you leave," you say, planting a single hoof on the bridge as well.

Only a single hoof, and nothing more. To make more demands, to take more ground, would be to invite an attack. Either due to your disrespect, or because you would be showing you do not intend to negotiate as an equal.

Or at least, you hope that is what is going on inside her head… you think that is the case, but you sincerely cannot be sure.

For all that you know, this might be a trap. And the heavy significance you feel in this ritual, as if you two were repeating something that already happened several times in a distant past, could all be a ruse from her.



"I still have need of Fluttershy."



Her second demand, and her second hoofstep. Now, half her body is standing over the wooden bridge.

But the two of you are still a few ways from each other.

And you have words to tell regarding her latest demand.

"I will not accept that she be endangered," you take your next step.

And like two warriors of old, trying to negotiate peace at the last moment before a fight, you two lay out your terms.

Neither of you take a single step back. To do so would be contrary to this way of negotiation.

But still, you can tell that she is wording her demands very carefully. And you, too, try your best to do the same.

"I would be willing to call upon you, instead, if a task is dangerous."

"I would be willing to heed your call, provided you do not corrupt her."

"I cannot stop her from learning by herself."

"But you will deny her if she ever asks for guidance."

Step after step, term after term, the two of you slowly negotiate a contract of sorts.

Of course, it is made under the threat of violence. And the two of you realize that a falling out, now, would only result in one outcome. But still, neither of you are willing to bend on your own terms, so all that is left to do is hope that these two jagged puzzle pieces each of you are carrying somehow connect in the end.

Step after step, term after term, the two of you give and take ground over the wooden bridge.

Until you two are so close to each other there is no more room to walk.

Until you two are looking at each other's eyes, and the only place left to plant a hoof is in each other's faces.

You do not like how this is going, so far. You do not like the fact that, unless you take it to the next level, your life will still be connected to the creature before you.

However, you were also able to…



"…"



Her eyes narrow, and the drumbeat of your heart begins to ache inside your chest. The air itself growing sour and heavy as you watch the entirety of your deal run through her eyes.

You just made the last term, that the two of you would treat each other as equals. Not as servant and master, and not as friends. But as equals, and that she would respect your terms the same way you would respect hers.

And now, there is no space left for her to impose anything else. There is nothing she can do but either accept it, or tear this contract into pieces along with your throat.

The knives under your wings begin to rattle as the mare begins to raise her hoof…



…



… and you can only watch as slowly, and glacially carefully, she…

"That is acceptable."

… she keeps her hoof raised, keeping it in place between the two of you. There is so little space between left between your bodies she is almost touching your chest.

And it takes you the longest time to realize she is offering her hoof so you can shake it.

"This is acceptable," you say, mirroring her movement, and taking her hoof with your own.

The sensation of her hoof against yours is almost painful, and for a moment you think you are being cut by a knife.

But once you let go of each other, there is no blood on your hoof. Not on your hoof, and not anywhere else. Especially upon the surface of the bridge.

Then, without another word, the mare turns around and leaves.

And you almost can't believe the fact that she… she is gone.

She is gone, and you are alive. Your paltry preparations went to waste, but that is actually good, and you… you…

…

You stand there, for the longest time, with your eyes unfocused. Looking towards the direction she went, as if she was about to return at any moment.

But that moment never arrives.





- - -

- - -

- - -





You are Stormchaser, and right now you are with a very unexpected guest.

"You look… different. Did anything happen?" you ask, your tone as cautious as it is curious.

Because you do not mean it as a joke. By Celestia, you are always very carefully when joking around him to begin with.

But as you look at the large and burly Comet Feet, you can't help but think that something did happen.

More than just that, you can practically feel that…

"… I am not sure," he says, his tone unusually low.

And of course, his tone is not the only thing that is unusual right now.

After all, this is the first time Comet Feet came all by himself. This is the first time he came by himself and stayed to talk to you, rather than just leave after some errand. Every other time he came here to speak to you, he was usually with his… friend?

His friend? Girlfriend? Wife? You aren't really sure. In some aspects, the two of them feel like a married couple. But in other aspects, it feels like they barely know each other.

But still, more importantly…

"Would you like to talk about it?" you ask.

More importantly, the stallion itself looks…

…

He looks calm.

No, really. This is the best way you can describe it.

Because every other time you met him, or spoke to him, he looked… not tense, but not at ease either.

He always looked like he was watching out for something. It always felt like he was a taut slingshot, that was about to fire.

But right now, he looks… normal.

He is younger than you, of course. You know that. And yet, for some reason, you feel like you are looking at an old pony who just retired. You feel like you are looking at an old stallion, who just let go of a heavy weight he had been carrying, and at the same time you feel like you are looking at a young stallion who is living the first day of his entire life.

You don't really have the words for it, but… well, it feels like you are speaking to a pony you just met.

No, that's not right. Instead, it feels like you are talking to a pony who just met himself for the first time. And who is still confused about it.

"Did I… did I ever tell you where I came from?" he asks.

The two of you are sitting on a balcony. It is a weekday, your wife is away, and your daughters are in school. So, it's just the two of you.

And he asks you that as he just… looks away towards the farmlands. To the point that you feel like he is talking to himself as much as he is talking to you.

"No, I don't believe you did," you say, reclining back on your seat.

You already know how these conversations go. So, you will listen more than you speak.

"I used to live in… well, it was a big city. Lots of backstreets, lots of dark alleys. And lots of ponies who lived in those dark alleys," he says.

His eyes are a little unfocused as he talks.

You can't help but wonder what exactly he is looking at, with his mind's eye, as he tells you about that. What memories is he reliving right now? How did a colt grow up to become a stallion like this?

"There weren't a lot of ways to survive. Especially without reliable parents. But there were plenty of colts like that. So, as the years went by, we found each other and banded together."

He doesn't say the word gang. Not out loud, at least. But he doesn't use an innocent word either.

Still, he doesn't give you too many details. And you don't ask for them. This, you know, is not the time to interrupt him with questions.

In fact, you know the only reason you are here… the only reason he came here, is because he needed somepony to listen. Because doing this is a lot easier than speaking out loud while alone.

And the reason why he came here, rather than do this with the one other pony who would be willing to listen, becomes obvious soon enough.

He is… ashamed, of what he is talking about.

"Petty thefts. Quiet stickups. A few bruises here and there, whenever we fought over territory. But we were just small birds in a big sky. So small that we were largely ignored by the real players. And they would only come after us, and teach us a lesson, when we really stepped out of line."

He tells you about a few things that, you assume, stick out in his head. Disparate events that dot what is no doubt a much larger and longer story. But still, he only tells you what comes to his mind.

The first time he was hurt. The first time he hurt somepony. The first time he did something he would never be able to take back.

Until finally, through happenstance or design, he and his group were faced with a wall they could not overcome.

"… and then we finally realized the uniforms had us surrounded," he says, and his expression grows tired as he says those next few words. "But here's the thing, none of my friends had wings… Only I did."

Ah.

And after that, from what you understand, his life just began to spiral out of control.

He escaped the clutches of the law, but only to find himself alone in a dangerous city. So, he did the only thing he knew to do: he sought refuge under the wings of a larger bird.

But that larger bird also had larger designs. And the urchin colt who had barely become a stallion was suddenly being asked, and being used, to commit worse and more dangerous acts. The one advantage he ever had in life, that he was a little stronger than most ponies, being treated as a tool to be used and inevitably discarded.

However, when he realized his usefulness was nearing its end, he once again ran.

Only that time, it would have been far more difficult to escape the things he had done, and the ponies who knew about it.

"And that is when I was found by… that is when I came to Ponyville," he says. And the things your wife told you allow you to fill in the blanks. "But that is the thing. My whole life, I have been… under somepony's thrall. My whole life, I felt like I never really… like I couldn't… like I wasn't living it myself and…"

He trails off.

And once you realize this period of silence is stretching longer than it should, you very carefully place a hoof on his shoulder.

The stallion doesn't break your foreleg, thankfully. But to your surprise, he doesn't even react at all.

In fact, he might even be welcoming the gesture.

But this is not about you, and you know you have to say something. You know it from the itch you feel in your cutie mark, and the strange things you have learned to notice as of late.

You need to help him understand what this means. You need to help him solidify what this… where this confusing storm he has inside his thoughts is taking him. Before he reaches the wrong conclusion, and once again falls into the only spiral he has ever known.

And to do that, you tell him the only thing that makes sense.



"You are free now," you say.



And as soon as you say that, you realize from his expression that… that he had never felt something like this before. That he had been flying through a storm for so long that he never really knew what a calm breeze felt like.

He turns his face to look at you, and the expression he has on his face is almost confused. Surprised, perhaps, but definitely befuddled.

"Wh… what…? But I…" he says, but he trails off, looking down for a few moments as his thoughts slowly gather into something more cohesive. "What do I do?" he finally asks.

You let out a small chuckle.

Well, that is something you can answer a lot more easily.

"It is obvious, isn't it? Whatever you want," you say that, and you almost laugh as he tilts his head slightly. The very notion of what you just suggested him still being something he is not used to. "But that might be a little too much for now. So tell you what, why don't I teach you how to take a mare on a date? I don't think you ever invited that friend of yours out to do something, right? So why don't you set your sights on doing that, and then you take if from there?"

You expect the stallion to grunt at your words. To scoff at your suggestion, and maybe shake his head in annoyance. For half a second, you expect him to do one of those things, because that is what he almost always does whenever you two talk.

That is what you are used to seeing him do. That is the Comet Feet you have been cautiously getting to know, throughout these last few months.

But to your surprise, the stallion… doesn't.

He doesn't give you a nod either, not even a hesitant one. But he doesn't refuse you outright either.

And that, you know, is something you can work with.

"Speaking of which, where is she? I didn't expect you to…" you begin to say.

And from that point on, your conversation continues. As you slowly get to know a familiar friend, who you are meeting for the first time today.

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Tally

[X] Compromise.
-Velvet Covers and Comet Feet will reach an agreement.
-Velvet Covers will be prohibited from teaching anything about the Lores to Fluttershy. It will no longer be acceptable to level Fluttershy up, ask her to perform rituals, or do other Lore-related actions.
-Comet Feet will no longer grow his hatred towards you every time you ask him for a favor.
-Comet Feet and Fluttershy will remain a "single" Confidante, together. But rather than having to "ask Comet for a favor", he will take over Fluttershy's actions and perform them, if he is better suited for it. (Asking Fluttershy to go on an Expedition, or perform a ritual, will have Comet Feet to do it instead, for example).

Your relationship with Comet Feet and Fluttershy is now operating under a different set of rules. Their contact information will be updated at a later date to reflect that.

Not a friend, but not an enemy. Not a confidante, but not entirely disconnected from your plans. It was already said, once, that you would only be able to befriend one and a half Cult advisors, given the direction your actions took you. This is, probably, the best you will be able to do for the time being.

But perhaps, this will be enough.

If nothing else, it did not end differently.

 

[Shaper47]

A pity we didn't take a different path, but at least he serves us.

Let us hope we don't regret this indulgence.

 

[DelightedOne]

Oh, update half an hour before I sleep... I will read it as fast as I can now and read it again tomorrow.

Okay, the start is just the meeting in Comet's Point of View, everything seems alright till now.

Oh come on he still thinks Velvet is not a pony, what do we need to do to change his mind get drunk and have Velvet cry with him over their regrets(she definitely has the worst ones). Yes Comet where could she have gotten an Edge thing like that knife when she has an Edge Name around is a complete mistery.

I'm starting to think our issues with Comet are all because he is just as oblivious as Velvet, but in another way, not the social way.

Heh, the Compromise is shown as they literally meeting in the middle of the bridge, that is brilliant. Good, they mentioned Fluttershy learning by herself and it is acceptable, nice.

Aww, Stormy and Comet are bonding again, that is always nice to see. Comet's backstory is not what I expected but makes sense and now I wonder if the Master deliberately went looking for ponies without parents(Jade, Starry, Comet and technically Velvet considering her situation).

Now he is free, I hope things can get better between him and Velvet...and that Fluttershy doesn't kick his ass because of the Compromise(or Velvet's).

 

[Sveta08]

How nice.
This... well. It's not as useful maybe as some would want. Does not give us resources we can quantify in numbers and bits.

But this... I think this is good.
Yes. This, I think, is good.

 

[Steady Gaze]

So tell you what, why don't I teach you how to take a mare on a date? I don't think you ever invited that friend of yours out to do something, right?

Click to shrink...

So Comet and Fluttershy have been doing… you know what… but Comet hasn't even taken Fluttershy out on a date?

Ok re-reading this—

"Oh, this place has already hosted more Names than I can be bothered to count. So pipe down, you. And more importantly! I take it the filly you are hiding behind you is Miss Fluttershy? Or is it Mrs. Fluttershy already?"

You and Rarity exchange a pointed, scandalized, glance. An entire letter's worth of information being exchanged between you two in a fraction of a second, as Baldomare casually asks something that you and Rarity have barely tiptoed around for weeks now.

And besides, she is a Name. A Lantern Name nonetheless. What does she know that you two don't? WHAT HAS SHE SEEN?

Your thoughts are instantly riled up into a storm. Rarity, for her part, chokes on her tea, and almost suffocates as she tries to cough it out without making too much noise.

Click to shrink...

I guess it's ambiguous, but I could swear it was implied somewhere, if not by them living together.

EDIT: Also, that was pretty wholesome for an update, so I can suppose we made one of the more ethically right choices.
EDIT 2: To clarify, I can absolutely believe that this is the state of affairs; I just thought it was funny enough to point out.

 

[spiderhellian]

Lovely update. Stormchaser coming in absolutely clutch for that sweet sweet lore. But also their friendship is wonderful. Comet being lost at the prospect of being free was sad, but hopeful in a way.

and then we finally realized the uniforms had us surrounded

Click to shrink...

Hm. I wonder if this is where he knew about Shining Armor from?

 

[Limabot]

SNIP

Aww, Stormy and Comet are bonding again, that is always nice to see. Comet's backstory is not what I expected but makes sense and now I wonder if the Master deliberately went looking for ponies without parents(Jade, Starry, Comet and technically Velvet considering her situation).

SNIP

Click to shrink...

Given Moth's general connections to childhood, I would be entirely unsurprised if that was part of the Master's plan for resonance in the Cult.

 

[Pittauro]

You are Comet Feet.

And right now, there is every chance you might die in the next few minutes.

Click to shrink...

It's nice to see he understands his position

But most of all, her voice… it is so sharp that it hurts to listen to her words. You tried your best to respond in kind, but even answering her was a battle you could feel that you were losing.

Click to shrink...

heh.

I'll point out again that we actually had more or less even odds in a fight. maybe a bit better than even.

We only get worse odds if we hold back (negotiate)

The thing before you is no mare.

It is Velvet Covers.

Click to shrink...

I suppose it's nice to be recognized

"I would have you serve me."

Click to shrink...

Normally Velvet would be more diplomatic... but then again, normally Velvet is not so resolute.

"I would have you serve me."



She says that, as she firmly plants her hoof on the wooden bridge. As if she was declaring her intention while moving a piece on a board game.

But that is the thing, this is how you hope this will work… that is her initial demand, yes, but she only took a single hoofstep into the bridge. And she is still standing on the opposite side of the short wooden path. Which means, in turn, that there is still place for you two to maneuver.

And perhaps, there might even be enough space for the two of you to find common ground.

"I would have you leave," you say, planting a single hoof on the bridge as well.

Click to shrink...

I imagine if we went with negotiate, those would be the win-loss results...

For all that you know, this might be a trap. And the heavy significance you feel in this ritual, as if you two were repeating something that already happened several times in a distant past, could all be a ruse from her.

Click to shrink...

uh. Is there some specific edge relationship we're echoing? This doesn't feel like the standard dyad.

But still, you can tell that she is wording her demands very carefully. And you, too, try your best to do the same.

"I would be willing to call upon you, instead, if a task is dangerous."

"I would be willing to heed your call, provided you do not corrupt her."

"I cannot stop her from learning by herself."

"But you will deny her if she ever asks for guidance."

Click to shrink...

ok, so we're EXPLICITLY forbidden from teaching her, even if she asked on her own.

She is gone, and you are alive. Your paltry preparations went to waste, but that is actually good, and you… you…

…

You stand there, for the longest time, with your eyes unfocused. Looking towards the direction she went, as if she was about to return at any moment.

But that moment never arrives.

Click to shrink...

yeah, that the preparations went to waste, both for Comet AND for Velvet IS A GOOD THING.

It's why many countries that do NOT want to get involved in wars maintain strong armies. It's a deterrent.

Of course it doesn't always work, but that's usually the hope (unless you're building up to attack no matter what, of course).

You are Stormchaser, and right now you are with a very unexpected guest.

Click to shrink...

oh. I'm curious to see how they'll talk about this.

More importantly, the stallion itself looks…

…

He looks calm.

Click to shrink...

uh. That's a MASSIVE improvement, really.

He is younger than you, of course. You know that. And yet, for some reason, you feel like you are looking at an old pony who just retired. You feel like you are looking at an old stallion, who just let go of a heavy weight he had been carrying, and at the same time you feel like you are looking at a young stallion who is living the first day of his entire life.

Click to shrink...

it makes sense.

We told him the Master is dead, and so he's free from that obligation forevermore.

We made a deal with him, and so he's free from worries we'll put Fluttershy in danger.

He still will have to keep up his part of the deal and assist us at times, but he also SHOULD know that Velvet is not needlessly cruel or malicious. At the very least he should believe we wouldn't want to lose such a valuable "tool" as him... and now that we promised not to put Fluttershy in danger or "corrupt her" more, our connection to her is also less of a threat and in some ways potentially even beneficial.

"And that is when I was found by… that is when I came to Ponyville," he says. And the things your wife told you allow you to fill in the blanks. "But that is the thing. My whole life, I have been… under somepony's thrall. My whole life, I felt like I never really… like I couldn't… like I wasn't living it myself and…"

Click to shrink...

and now, with our deal and our promise to treat him like a peer, he's no longer a follower.

He's not quite FULLY free, but he's free-er that he's ever been before. Technically speaking if ever lost interest in Fluttershy (nearly impossible, of course), he could leave and do whatever he wanted.

"Wh… what…? But I…" he says, but he trails off, looking down for a few moments as his thoughts slowly gather into something more cohesive. "What do I do?" he finally asks.

You let out a small chuckle.

Well, that is something you can answer a lot more easily.

"It is obvious, isn't it? Whatever you want," you say that, and you almost laugh as he tilts his head slightly. The very notion of what you just suggested him still being something he is not used to. "But that might be a little too much for now. So tell you what, why don't I teach you how to take a mare on a date? I don't think you ever invited that friend of yours out to do something, right? So why don't you set your sights on doing that, and then you take if from there?"

Click to shrink...

Go Stormchaser! teach him your ways!

Your relationship with Comet Feet and Fluttershy is now operating under a different set of rules. Their contact information will be updated at a later date to reflect that.

Not a friend, but not an enemy. Not a confidante, but not entirely disconnected from your plans. It was already said, once, that you would only be able to befriend one and a half Cult advisors, given the direction your actions took you. This is, probably, the best you will be able to do for the time being.

But perhaps, this will be enough.

Click to shrink...

I'll take "half" Comet.

It's, as in the name, a Compromise, but it's a good enough one.

And who knows. Maybe now that we'll approach each others as Peers with an understanding, MAYBE things can even improve eventually.

Oh come on he still thinks Velvet is not a pony, what do we need to do to change his mind get drunk and have Velvet cry with him over their regrets(she definitely has the worst ones). Yes Comet where could she have gotten an Edge thing like that knife when she has an Edge Name around is a complete mistery.

Click to shrink...

he doesn't know about the Edge Name though.

Keep in mind that Biedde is also Moth. I think it was mentioned he basically doesn't have a "presence" the way other Names have, at least not until he becomes hostile.

Heh, the Compromise is shown as they literally meeting in the middle of the bridge, that is brilliant. Good, they mentioned Fluttershy learning by herself and it is acceptable, nice.

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mostly irrelevant.

We're not allowed to teach her. I'm 99.9% sure that includes giving her access to our Library.

So basically Fluttershy would have to do as Windy and the other former cult advisors and study on her own... and she may very well never get that far. It's RARE for ponies to be able to reach lvl 3 in a lore even with access to materials, as not all cult members could reach the cap of our Library. ON HER OWN it would be even harder.

 

[jason1stlegion]

Good, they mentioned Fluttershy learning by herself and it is acceptable, nice.

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They explicitly mention we need to deny her guidance, so she's not going to get anywhere.

OTOH nothing was discussed on non-dangerous non-Lore tasks, so we can still use Fluttershy for the things we'd actually be using her for.

 

[angelsadvocate666]

"I will not accept that she be endangered," you take your next step.

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I think the most notable thing about this entire update is that this line alone among Comet's sentences, was bolded just as much as Velvet's sentences are.

 

[Gyldir]

We're not allowed to teach her. I'm 99.9% sure that includes giving her access to our Library.

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Considering the wording

"But you will deny her if she ever asks for guidance."

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I'd say you are far too certain.

It is possible that that includes allowing access to our library.
But it could also just be us giving lessons that is forbidden.

@OurLadyOfWires
Is allowing access to our Library a form of guidance (= banned under the agreement), or is it allowed (even if he probably won't be happy about it until he has some more character growth)

 

[Alan975]

So Fluttershy is a write off.
This has me unreasonably smad.

Two broken tools taped together to imitate a whole one.
... And instant ideas of trying to buddy up with him, that should not happen and I will activly vote against it.
Think I'll go back to lurking for a bit.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

We're not allowed to teach her. I'm 99.9% sure that includes giving her access to our Library.

So basically Fluttershy would have to do as Windy and the other former cult advisors and study on her own... and she may very well never get that far. It's RARE for ponies to be able to reach lvl 3 in a lore even with access to materials, as not all cult members could reach the cap of our Library. ON HER OWN it would be even harder.

Click to shrink...

The wording is rather open to interpretation, Fluttershy might be able to learn form the library on the every turn automatic roll if the library is high enough level that all confidants get. But we not been going for books much, and writing manuscripts is not happening to level the library.

 

[Sveta08]

The wording is rather open to interpretation, Fluttershy might be able to learn form the library on the every turn automatic roll if the library is high enough level that all confidants get. But we not been going for books much, and writing manuscripts is not happening to level the library.

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I... do not feel the wording is so open as you may want it be.
It feels fairly clear what would and wouldn't be overstepping bounds.

If Fluttershy asks Velvet for a lesson, the answer is no. If Fluttershy asks to use Velvet's library, the answer is no. If Fluttershy is trying to sneak in to learn things, good odds are that Velvet will know, and turning a blind eye is permission by another name.

I think the closest Velvet can help is what she naturally does. Preventing Paranoia, having Ash not hunt Fluttershy should she search for the Manus.
Past that, and then by intentional action, or willing turning away of the eyes, Velvet would be "teaching" Fluttershy.

I may very well be wrong, but that is how I read the work.

 

[AuthorTransient]

You are Comet Feet.

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"You are free now," you say.

Click to shrink...

But perhaps, this will be enough.

Click to shrink...

YEEEEEAAHHHHHH

Oh that is so nice. And I like how although he was the only one with wings, he was also the most unfree! I love these little spots of brightness - they fill me with determination to secure and protect them ever moreso.

Also new uncle get for Silky!

 

[Limabot]

On another note, I think we should really find out what Windy is up to. With this latest update giving Comet's backstory, it kind of builds a greater impression that none of the Inner Circle started out evil, but rather descended into it through the promise of meaning and the power of the Lores (if they became evil at all).

Given this, (and the fact that Windy saw us as a friend at least for a little while), we may get something of value trying to track him down and see how he's been faring. The best case is that we may make some inroads into his mental state and potentially be able to limit his actions (if any real friendship is off the table); at worst we can find some of his crimes to report to the Bureau and maybe stop him from getting the jump on us.

 

[Zxzx24]

You need to help him understand what this means. You need to help him solidify what this… where this confusing storm he has inside his thoughts is taking him. Before he reaches the wrong conclusion, and once again falls into the only spiral he has ever known.

And to do that, you tell him the only thing that makes sense.



"You are free now," you say.

Click to shrink...

Time to use those wings to fly free. Instead of fly away.

I wonder if there was invisitext here?

But perhaps, this will be enough.

Click to shrink...

Let us keep our word as well.

While it is not wise to gainsay the words of Hours.

"Get one and a half of them." Is very... cynical.

Its inhuman. Inequine?

We didnt "get" Comet Feet. Stormchaser and Fluttershy saved him from spiraling into monstrosity.

We helped but... it was them who did it. More than us.

Perhaps we should consider this lesson. And recall the wisdom of the kinder world when we hear secrets from the colder one.

No one is alone.

Not even Starry was alone. Not even the Master. Not at the end.

Not a friend, but not an enemy. Not a confidante, but not entirely disconnected from your plans. It was already said, once, that you would only be able to befriend one and a half Cult advisors, given the direction your actions took you. This is, probably, the best you will be able to do for the time being.

Click to shrink...

When I was speaking of engaging Comet Feet in battle. And losing intentionally. I think part of it was what Stormchaser was pointing out. So eloquently.

That he does not need to be afraid of the Master. Or of us.

That he is free. Finally.

But while he may have understood the language of vioence I think... using words here was just as well. If not better.

So Fluttershy is a write off.
This has me unreasonably smad.

Two broken tools taped together to imitate a whole one.
... And instant ideas of trying to buddy up with him, that should not happen and I will activly vote against it.
Think I'll go back to lurking for a bit.

Click to shrink...

We kicked the door down to stop him from becoming a tool. We don't want Jade to be a tool. As loyal as she is to us.

Why...?

 

[Zxzx24]

On another note, I think we should really find out what Windy is up to. With this latest update giving Comet's backstory, it kind of builds a greater impression that none of the Inner Circle started out evil, but rather descended into it through the promise of meaning and the power of the Lores (if they became evil at all).

Given this, (and the fact that Windy saw us as a friend at least for a little while), we may get something of value trying to track him down and see how he's been faring. The best case is that we may make some inroads into his mental state and potentially be able to limit his actions (if any real friendship is off the table); at worst we can find some of his crimes to report to the Bureau and maybe stop him from getting the jump on us.

Click to shrink...

I'd vote for that sure.

-talk to Copper
-find windy
-burry Starry

 

[Venerable Ro]

We Moth ever onwards, flying towards the light. To burn someday, perhaps, or perhaps to cast a dappled shadow on the world. Chaos is a ladder we invite many to climb, since few indeed are those who possess wings to wander freely.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

How nice.
This... well. It's not as useful maybe as some would want. Does not give us resources we can quantify in numbers and bits.

But this... I think this is good.
Yes. This, I think, is good.

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Oh we can definitely quantify it in numbers.
4 Lore Levels - 1 Lore Level = 3 Lore Level gain in our cadre.
To say nothing of combat bonuses. Biedde is amazing, of course, but he can only be in two places at once, and one of those places is guarding our home. Comet can be used for lower level expeditions and such, while Biedde tackles more fraught ones, for example.

I'd vote for that sure.

-talk to Copper
-find windy
-burry Starry

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Starry is already buried in prodigious amounts of Ash, silly.

Honestly that hurt to say. I wish we had befriended more of our cultists rather than the Mane 6. They needed it so much more. And already would have come with Lore Levels.

 

[Kai Merah]

But most of all, her voice… it is so sharp that it hurts to listen to her words. You tried your best to respond in kind, but even answering her was a battle you could feel that you were losing.

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Can I just say, I find it hilarious that we got an Edge influence to deal better with Comet Feet, and Comet Feet as a result, is actually leaning into Edge more to talk to us? I suspect approaching him without an Edge influence would have resulted in a much less fraught conversation, but I'm pleased with this result of Comet Feet being finally an equal to Velvet. Now we're equals, it'll be possible to actually grow a relationship more than just subordination and terror.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

-snip

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There was a time before the Glory but so far there hasn't been a reveal as to if there was a time before the Mansus. Also, the Gods-from-Stone were most likely the first Hours.

Some time after that, they both were Long and wanted to eat her, but her line survived (their name being bastardised to Dewulf over the centuries).

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Snippet you quoted actually says either Rowena or her lover became Long and yet she's plagued by the Crime too.

...that is very interesting.

Also, direct children aren't the ones ones on the chopping block, so are descendants. That'd mean there are no Names or Long from the Era of the Gods-from-Stone surviving who sired children.

As for combat in the wider SHverse it's not as simple as only Edge is used for combat, the other Lores have their applications even if they're less than Edge whose whole thing is the Fight.

 

[Cochimetl]

Snippet you quoted actually says either Rowena or her lover became Long and yet she's plagued by the Crime too.

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No, it says either Rowena or her lover became Long after their daughter's birth. At the time of her birth, at most one of the two was Long. The cravings started as soon as the second of the two became Long.

 

[SolipsistSerpent]

Oh come on he still thinks Velvet is not a pony, what do we need to do to change his mind get drunk and have Velvet cry with him over their regrets(she definitely has the worst ones).

Click to shrink...

Well, if things go to plan we'll stop being a Pony eventually, anyway, no point in changing his mind just to change it back.

 

[DelightedOne]

Honestly that hurt to say. I wish we had befriended more of our cultists rather than the Mane 6. They needed it so much more. And already would have come with Lore Levels.

Click to shrink...

Yep, Velvet's full attention should have been in the Elements OR the inner circle, splitting it kinda guaranteed we wouldn't get the whole set for neither of the two groups.

Uh, now that is an idea, we could have taken over the cult if we had befriended more of the Inner circle when the Master went away and recruited the Elements after.

Well, if things go to plan we'll stop being a Pony eventually, anyway, no point in changing his mind just to change it back.

Click to shrink...

The Velvet always answers "No", but we can shelter in that "No" like beasts in the crook of a tree.

 

[Paintmaster]

ok, so we're EXPLICITLY forbidden from teaching her, even if she asked on her own.

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Yeah, which is a double edged sword if I ever saw one. Winter is one of the more explicitly dangerous lores, with real risks even at lower levels. There is a non-zero chance that Fluttershy could do some serious damage to herself if she tries something without knowing what she is doing, and given she really cares about Comet Feet she is liable to do that to help him. Given the compromise the only way i can see to help prevent that is to have others keep an eye on her to pull her out of the fire if the worst happens.

 

[Pittauro]

Yeah, which is a double edged sword if I ever saw one. Winter is one of the more explicitly dangerous lores, with real risks even at lower levels. There is a non-zero chance that Fluttershy could do some serious damage to herself if she tries something without knowing what she is doing, and given she really cares about Comet Feet she is liable to do that to help him. Given the compromise the only way i can see to help prevent that is to have others keep an eye on her to pull her out of the fire if the worst happens.

Click to shrink...

nah, we shouldn't be all doomers.

Fluttershy is, right now, actually happy. She has a few trusted friends (Velvet and her followers mostly) and her probably-future-husband.

As long as Comet doesn't worry her too much, she probably won't delve deep into Winter. And if she does, Comet is not stupid. He'd likely notice, and either stop her OR, if he can't, come to us.

That's assuming Fluttershy CAN even improve her Winter or get in much trouble on her own. As far as I remember she hasn't even had the "Dream" yet, as she's on our side Ash would spare her, and generally speaking I don't see her accomplishing much on her own.

If things change, Comet knows where to find us.