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

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Yeah, but we didn't purposefully try to use our artifact to help either. Figured I'd ask if doing so is viable.

 

[Venerable Ro]

I know you'd like to have more Confidants, I agree it'd be nice. But I think the Moth powerup is going to be more relevant and more valuable than one lore 0 confidant.

Click to shrink...

On the contrary, I'm aiming for at least two Much-More-Than-Level-Zero confidantes. It never came up since we power-leveled Rarity, but our Library Mechanic is tailored to rapidly leveling groups of confidantes without our personal attention.

Velvet Covers' personal library, made of read books and manifests:
-All Confidantes, and other ponies who you can trust, have access to the Secret Library.
-Provided the Secret Library can fulfill their leveling-up needs, a Confidante may spend an action to level up in a guarantee way.
-Provided the Secret Library can fulfill their leveling-up needs, a Confidante will roll every turn to attempt to level up automatically.

Click to shrink...

MOTH: Level 1 ( [1/1] )
LANTERN: Level 2 ( [Baldomare] + [6/2] )
FORGE: Level 2 ( [3/1] + [4/2] + [3/3] )
EDGE: Level 1 ( [3/1] )
WINTER: Level 1 ( [2/1] )
HEART: Level 2 ( [Mareinette] + [2/2 + 2/2] + [3/3] )
GRAIL: Level 2 ( [Mareinette] + [2/2 + 3/2] )
SECRET HISTORIES: Level 1 ( [Baldomare] + [3/2] )
KNOCK: Level 2 ( [Daughter-of-Axes] + [1/2 + 3/2] + [2/3] )

Click to shrink...

The more books we stuff in there the better the effect, if we end up reading that level 5 Knock book for example I'm pretty sure our library will be able to get someone clear to Knock 3 without us having to raise a hoof. This thing is an incredible asset that we've simply never used because we don't recruit people.

Solid, but not incredible. Two actions over two turns and ~50 bits gets us low-level artefacts we need to study to use, books that are probably lower level than we want, and random reagents (great, but not necessarily useful). Sure we can grab an Oriflamme-equivalent to sell things, but that then takes even more time...

Moth sacrament is a notable power up! To our most important character! Right away!

I know you dream of turns where we have this great economic engine snowballing. It does sound really nice. But I don't think we'll ever be in that position, and we shouldn't seek it out when the Glory is at hand.

Click to shrink...

Low level artifacts give us more flexibility to get more things done by giving our associates access to more lores and allow us a toolbox of useful effects. Such as that Rug that's going to be an immense help again if we need to manage any more Heart rolls. Books will add to the Library as discussed, and every reagent we find is something we don't have to make ourselves.

Not right away, at the other end of either a plot to gaslight some random Name-chosen fool, or a (in my opinion wasteful) decision to emotionally abuse someone who has been of great help to us and is still very much present in our immediate vicinity. Putting aside what our family and Cadance would think of something like this, how would Cheerilee or Mayor Mare react when they still had to regularly interact with us and/or our family if we used one of them for the Sacrament?

The economic engine hasn't snowballed because people simultaneously refuse to assemble it and complain about a lack of bits/AP. Imagine if we hadn't invested all that time into Rarity and were trying to do all of this without her contributions! Things aren't going to get cheaper as we progress, they're going to get more expensive as we try to claw our way up to and beyond the fifth levels in our various Lores, as we try to get access to the Outsider, as we search the Malleary and find another Name to summon.

Edit: Actually, come to think of it, if we did manage to find the Forge Name they'd kick our Library up to level three, that'd be real nice. We should try and get Applejack on board then, since we're set up for teaching her lores too.

 

[Pittauro]

I've been sitting on this for a while, and I think I can finally put words to thought.

I feel that some of us are treating this as a checklist or a hard coded game, where crossing all the 't's and dotting all the 'i's will automatically bring us to success. But no, this is an interactive story with game mechanics, and its narrative is highly flexible.

Does it make sense mechanically to use this turn to social? Yes.
Does it make sense for a half-dead Velvet accompanied by her secret service to leave the house to talk to Filthy Rich? Uhhhh.....?

But even more importantly, I feel that some of us are treating Glory as the end of all things, as if reaching there would solve everything, no matter the means. I mean, sure, it may end this quest, but I wouldn't find the Mother of Wolves as a satisfactory ending. Please try to allow what is happening in the narrative to influence your planning and votes, and not choose to burn down the world while we are still in it.

Click to shrink...

Fair on Glory, though ending or no ending presumably glory earlier is better no matter what.

Narratively speaking nothing stops "Hour Velvet" from trying to learn more about Harmony in the epilogue, if the game ends there like it seems it should.

And if the game does not end, we get more tools.

as for Filthy/visit while very wounded... I imagine it would be something like either "Velvet feels a bit better and would likely to talk to some friends, she'll send a letter to them and see if they can visit" OR "Velvet is close to a recovery, she decided to take a walk around Ponyville to test her health and visit a few friends on the way".

Or at least that's how she'd sold it to her family and guards.

My interpretation was that Velvet would invite others to her home instead of leaving to visit them, or that the action would be interpreted as them stopping by. Every non-Twilight pony on our contact list is already a "Friend" (save for Mayor Mare, who is an "Acquaintance"), so it wouldn't be out of place for them to come and check on Velvet out of concern.

Click to shrink...

and Mayor mare is the local political figure, in a city where a murder attempt on ANOTHER very important political figure just happened.

For all we know she might want to talk about recruiting more police/guards, making sure we don't blame her administration, and so on.

Personally, I kind of want to get started on the backlog of books/artifacts to research that we have. I know we don't have the bonus for it, but I don't want the pile to get bigger.

Click to shrink...

We don't have the bonus, and we basically would study at half action efficiency. Better to wait for next turn, where we could study both Lantern and Knock artifacts in a single action instead of AT LEAST 2.

Yeah I imagine if we somehow attain Glory with 6/7 Regrettable actions, then we will indeed be saved by the bell when it comes to the Mother of Wolves ending. But the end result will leave a hell of a sour taste and be pretty damn close to feeding everyone to the wolves anyway. Like leaving the Master to be born anew to taint our future ending, only much worse.

Click to shrink...

beside the absolute atrocity that letting the master proceed with his plan would have been (though RA is not necessarily better, just a different kind of bad stuff happening), I actually think there WAS a chance that "alicorn Master" wouldn't have been... well, evil.

In a post-epilogue, the world would be safe from Worms, Velvet PROBABLY an Hour, The Lores probably spread a bit and re-established at least in the Bureau... I could see the Master potentially being satisfied with that.

Of course it's possible he'd just then aim for the Glory again, and who knows what he'd do if he could reach it.

Maybe he'd just enjoy it, reaching the object of the Moth's obsession. Maybe he'd then try to change the world more in ways Velvet would disapprove of.

Hard to say.

*cough*Sombra*cough*

Click to shrink...

He might JUST be a Long, but yeah, it's definitely possible.

The last RA wasn't even due to having two hooves behind our back, it was due to not checking on what the Master was up to ever. And not inviting the Names to the wedding, they could probably have done something as well. We got outplayed.

Which is why we need to shank Copper ASAP and hunt down Windy to whup the wolf out of him. If he can't chokehold that mutt into resuscitating the fresh corpse of a loved one or is not said resuscitated body then he has no business independently pursuing that beast. Otherwise we'll just end up dead-dead instead of mostly dead, down the line.

Click to shrink...

That said Outsider, while I suppose less urgent, is also more important (play to win instead of play to not lose).

Still we CAN pursue both. Outsider can after all be done for the most part through followers actions, and Velvet only needs to check the blood-extracting location on turn 21, which she can do even just with the free mansus action (though adding another action to finish exploring the Ashen Wastes, and ONLY IF WE HAVE THE HEART INFLUENCE WHILE AT 3 HEALTH the Red Church could also make sense.

People keep waging their fingers and saying "nothing good comes from the wolf" and yet we keep using it.
Just because it's regrettable, doesn't mean that it was the wrong action to take.
Wrong morally? Absolutely, one persons life or bodily autonomy does not value as much as fear and danger taking root in the entire world / an entire race.
The best option in that regard would have been to send the Master on their way with Marinette in tow, yet I'm not seeing anyone arguing that we should've done that.

I find Shaper's ideas rather refreshing, be that because they're humorous in a "but what if we were to go the evil root?" or because it's in line with what we already do.
We trade worldwide suffering for personal benefit, but only when it's beneficial enough. Not because it never is.
I'm now pondering if I should redraw some religious iconography for this, cuz Shaper and a few others are shaping up to be our sacrificial lambs.

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eh, first action (Evil) is understandable and kind of unavoidable. Velvet wouldn't choose to just die, most people wouldn't either.

third had potentially really bad consequences on all possible decisions. I won't argue much about that one.

Second one, the one that birthed Paranoia, though... THAT one was I think the wrong choice. the Ideal choice would have been to immediately commit to the needed murders and work on that over the next couple turns. But we might not have had the actions for it, and who knows what situation we'd be in right now.

For all we know Copper might have passed us over and reached Mareinette first, though that's fairly unlikely. So even for that I can only say it was PROBABLY the wrong choice.

So three – too many things have not been Sun-damned adding up about your boss.

Or rather, there have been too many coincidences surrounding the Director of the Lunar Bureau.

Enough to make a discerning pony suspicious. Enough to make your cutie mark itch.

Click to shrink...

Velvet being there at the right (or wrong) place and time every time is admittedly pretty suspicious.

You don't even have to suspect she's evil. Just that she knows more than she says.

The good detective could very well think we had reasons to keep some things secret and not think Velvet is evil, but STILL think we're keeping stuff secret from the Bureau and even the princesses. Or maybe that something more happened between Velvet and Celestia.

if we ever reveal Luna to him that would likely put some things in perspective. He could assume Luna asked/ordered us to not reveal her during the Search, and that we found her then. Or that she contacted us while the fake Luna had taken her place.

I do sort of agree with Shaper in a way -- I think we sometimes want to have our cake and eat it too. This is a horror game where we're grappling with forces larger than ourselves! Through a combination of luck and skill we've been actually quite amazingly successful, but I think that inspires (cake-eating) hubris. And when we take actions that feel good, but aren't geared towards victory, we can pay pretty steep prices.

Yeah, the Wedding comes to mind, a lot. The Paranoia RA is also interesting in this context -- some of the reason people backed it, iirc, was concern about how difficult/impossible it would be to get us to go with a plan that actually involved finding and killing ponies. We decline or put off easier/smaller immoral/not-good acts, and wind up doing much bigger ones as a consequence.

People are allowed to vote for what they want to see and how they want Velvet to behave, for sure. But I think we've gotten a little cocky, demonstrated by this turn but not exclusive to it, and should watch ourselves about that. Hubris can be fatal!

Click to shrink...

Paranoia helped with Baldomare ritual clash, but to be fair I think we still had rerolls so we PROBABLY didn't need the help.

And yeah, you have a point. If I remember right I voted to destroy the Tribal Door, and my main reasoning was basically that

1)Killing the two ponies secretly would cost quite a few actions

and

2)That I feared the thread would hesitate and delay it for too long.

If I had believed that we'd have proceeded with the prep for the 2 sacrifices right the following turn I PROBABLY would have not voted for that RA, I think.

and yeah, we've gotten a bit cocky. The two largest risks we took that did NOT pay off were basically the Twilight talk that had her go back to Chrysalis, the Red Church right now, and to somewhat lesser extents not investigating the Master (which to be fair COULD have failed, he WAS the moth Name after all and we were pretty busy.

Genuine question: what are the additional problems introduced by the RAs we've done? How have they come back to bite us later on?

Paranoia... saved our bacon with Baldomare? Ash... has made Eclipse's explorations scarier than they should be?

Maybe Softy's cult, though that's pretty clearly not a mess we have to clean up.

The world is a worse place, definitely. But they haven't dumped problems on our lap, as far as I can see.

The downstream consequence of the RA is, well, the worsening of the world and the stains on our soul. But I think the whole trade is that they solve a problem, without issues, for that (large) price. I can see arguments it's not worthwhile, I haven't seen that they've actually been net-not-useful.

Click to shrink...

eh, we had rerolls for Baldomare.

I kinda suspect "Evil" made Chrysalis actions more destructive and murdery that they would have been otherwise, but then again we didn't really get a choice on that. It was survive and Evil comes back to Equestria, or die (which Velvet wouldn't pick).

and yes, of course RA are personally beneficial to us, that's their whole point.

If we're talking potential unexpected consequences that could ACTUALLY negatively affect US directly, and not just ruin things generally for the world, my first thought is that the Ash Ghouls are something that could be used against us that's basically the third strongest possible combatant we've seen thus far, only surpassed by Biedde, Celestia, and actually only slightly by a maxed out Luna using her Edge Realization (30 general + 30 edge realization + 20 edge 4 = +80 max combat bonus, the Ash Ghoul peak at +70)

Love your depiction of Beyond Reproach! Poor dude, a detective stumbling into an eldritch plot sounds like the start of its own story. And I have wondered whether all our extremely-talented-and-very-morally-upright staff will ever grow suspicious of their definitely talented and UNIMPEACHABLY-MORALLY-UPRIGHT-I-PROMISE boss!

Click to shrink...

it does feel a lot like the start of a Mansions of Madness boardgame scenario.

Ugh, Rarity. Curse the random encounter die that had us meet her, for it turned us away from focusing on friending our fellow cultists, leading to a bunch of half-friendships that leave me thinking of could-haves and would-haves. And those cultists needed a friend a lot more than Rarity did. Poor Starry. She just needed one more action. Windy needed more as well. Copper, we never even really touched.

Oh, and it was through meeting Rarity that we met Twilight and started that absolute trainwreck of a relationship. Without the Twilight action sink maybe we could have nabbed Copper too. Curse that die. Curse it twice. Curse it thrice, even.

Click to shrink...

I can't regret befriending the marshmallow fashionista, but yeah, things would have gone a lot differently if we had focused on the cult advisors more.

Really, the largest waste was Starry. We DID invest a couple actions on her, and we were so close to reaping the rewards from her...

This isn't even correct. Bringing the Names was still behind: inviting everyone on our contacts list, initiating Cadance into the Lores, and getting 500 bits. Even if you removed every vote for Rarity, inviting the Names still wouldn't have won.

Click to shrink...

uh, I admittedly forgot that tidbit, but you're right. We heavily underestimated how useful they'd be there.

Yeah, this feels accurate. I'm not sure entirely sure how to balance it with "Focus on winning, not not-losing".

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eh, Outsider (winning) is currently limited in how much effort we can put on it.

we can find it on turn 20 (3 or 4 follower actions on it, basically), and turn 21 Velvet can explore the blood extraction mansus location.

That leaves us plenty of resources to deal with Copper and Windy. It shouldn't even really stop us from pursuing the sacraments, though it would likely slow down expeditions (particularly canterlot part 3) as a PROPER Name-team to kill or capture our rivals could easily cost us more than 150 bits, especially when you include the scrying rituals.

So here's an idea of a Complacent action we're taking in the immediate present: Thinking of befriending Spoiled Rich for the Moth Sacrament, rather than using one of our current Friends (elevated to Good Friend and Leashed).

Click to shrink...

I think the current idea is to go social turn, so we're likely going to rank up 3 contacts between a mix of "Applejack, Cherilee, Mayor Mare, Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich".

I'd PREFER that Spoiled be the one we'd "sacrifice", but if she didn't rank up to Good Friend this turn and we never found the time to rank her up later, well, we WOULD also get the two backup options.

I THINK we can afford the extra effort, as it would likely cost us only one or worst case two actions (either we go up to good friend in an action, or more likely two unless we roll really high).

We've also mentioned the possibility of doing the married couple in a single action, which would hopefully give us both and could offer some benefits.

in any case, if we end up ignoring Spoiled I won't be too sad.

On that note, thoughts on who we socialize, if we do so? I'm thinking Filthy and the Mayor and... Applejack? Maybe Cheerilee?

Click to shrink...

If I had to pick, I think Married Couple, Applejack and Mayor Mare, but I don't have that strong of a preference.

and maybe if we're lucky we get extra actions from Velvet not having to work. That would make things far easier on us.

---

I'll catch up on the last couple of pages later

 

[DelightedOne]

We should try and get Applejack on board then, since we're set up for teaching her lores too.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for giving me an excuse to write about why we need to recruit Applejack(Pinkie and Rainbow too).

As we all know Selene will start planning on how to deal with Daybreaker when her training is complete, but we have no idea how exactly she will accomplish that. Well I think the solution is obvious and I believe Selene will come to the same conclusion.

The Elements of Harmony are the answer for this(oh, how surprising) and since Selene already noticed how similar Daybreaker is to Nightmare Moon it would be wise to assume what worked to stop one will work to stop the other.

So it would make sense for us to help by recruiting the rest of the Elements to our side a little earlier by raising Applejack's friendship, then have Rarity arrange a meeting with Loyalty and Laughter. If they question us all we need is to show them the Alicorn(or Alicorns since Cadance is also with us) that agrees with us.

"But what about Twilight?", you ask. Well that is simple, what was the last thing that could matter to her, the one pony who may still be able to get any reaction from her? Celestia.
We even had it written:

(She will not give up on her dear mentor, no matter what.)

Click to shrink...

So if an opportunity comes to save Celestia and maybe get her horn back, she is very likely to take it. And of course there is that nice bonus of a foundation for the Harmony Victory(just in case).

And with Daybreaker gone Celestia will be far more forgiving when certain truths come to light, removing our main time bomb and giving us some peace to deal with the other problems.

 

[Rafuki22]

So if an opportunity comes to save Celestia and maybe get her horn back, she is very likely to take take it.

Click to shrink...

Things could always go sideways, we don't know Twilight current mental state only that she isn't ready to join Soft Sweeps cult, but if we are going for that, having Mareinette smooth talk Twilight would make things...smoother.

 

[DelightedOne]

Things could always go sideways, we don't know Twilight current mental state only that she isn't ready to join Soft Sweeps cult, but if we are going for that, having Mareinette smooth talk Twilight would make things...smoother.

Click to shrink...

Can we save the atomic option for an Emergency? Because that is what Mareinette is.

We know the fires of Harmony still burn, that is good enough.

 

[Shaper47]

A potential solution to our Daybreaker problem.

"Intercalate"
"This ritual recapitulates the Sun's abominable fate. The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order. Glory help us all."
-CD: IRRELEVANT
-Cost: Celestia
-Duration: Instantaneous
-Effect: THE SUN IS DIVIDED AND THIS IS ITS WOUND, a new daughter "Áine"
[THIS IS A REGRETTABLE ACTION]

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

A solution to our Daybreaker problem.

"Intercalate"
"This ritual recapitulates the Sun's abominable fate. The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order. Glory help us all."
-CD: IRRELEVANT
-Cost: Celestia
-Duration: Instantaneous
-Effect: THE SUN IS DIVIDED AND THIS IS ITS WOUND, a new daughter "Áine"
[THIS IS A REGRETTABLE ACTION]

Click to shrink...

Until it is offered by the QM, no, it is not.

 

[Sveta08]

A solution to our Daybreaker problem.

"Intercalate"
"This ritual recapitulates the Sun's abominable fate. The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order. Glory help us all."
-CD: IRRELEVANT
-Cost: Celestia
-Duration: Instantaneous
-Effect: THE SUN IS DIVIDED AND THIS IS ITS WOUND, a new daughter "Áine"
[THIS IS A REGRETTABLE ACTION]

Click to shrink...

Oh.... come on.

If you are going to swallow the sun with the wolf, have the courtesy to at least have the name be Fenrir.


But aside from that. Ha
No.

 

[Bakkasama]

A potential solution to our Daybreaker problem.

"Intercalate"
"This ritual recapitulates the Sun's abominable fate. The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order. Glory help us all."
-CD: IRRELEVANT
-Cost: Celestia
-Duration: Instantaneous
-Effect: THE SUN IS DIVIDED AND THIS IS ITS WOUND, a new daughter "Áine"
[THIS IS A REGRETTABLE ACTION]

Click to shrink...

That wouldn't count as a regretable action anyways because Velvet would get a new daughter and Velvet would not regret that. It would be like Soft Sweeps 2.0

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

It's been... a bit more than 72 hours, and not many new votes seem to be forthcoming. Plus, I have some ideas in mind and perhaps enough energy to commit them to paper. So, my conscience is clear to do this.

Alright, I'll start writing the Follower's Phase now. If I manage to finish it today, I'll close the vote and start that. For all other intents and purposes, consider that voting may be closed "at any moment".

I'll catch up with thread much later. Good night to us all.

EDIT:
VOTE CLOSED

Spoiler: Vote counting

Vote Tally : Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience | Page 157 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 4834-5062]
##### NetTally 4.0.2

[X] There has been an attempt against the Commissioner's life.
No. of Votes: 24

Spoiler: Voters

[X] DelightedOne
[X] Alan975
[X] Demilich
[X] des-pair-2
[X] Iustus Vitea
[X] jason1stlegion
[X] jelloloaf
[X] K4lepo
[X] Krix
[X] LieutenantSpirit
[X] Limabot
[X] Maer
[X] MisRAR1
[X] Nate700
[X] Pittauro
[X] Pororurin
[X] Portec
[X] Potdl
[X] Quaxotia
[X] Rafuki22
[X] Shaper47
[X] Steady Gaze
[X] Sveta08
[X] Venerable Ro

[X] Time
No. of Votes: 23

Spoiler: Voters

[X] DelightedOne
[X] Bakkasama
[X] Demilich
[X] Greymere
[X] jason1stlegion
[X] jelloloaf
[X] K4lepo
[X] Krix
[X] LieutenantSpirit
[X] Limabot
[X] Maer
[X] MisRAR1
[X] Pittauro
[X] Pororurin
[X] Potdl
[X] Rafuki22
[X] Sintonir
[X] Solace2117
[X] spiderhellian
[X] Steady Gaze
[X] Sveta08
[X] Venerable Ro
[X] Zxzx24

[X] Freedom
No. of Votes: 5

Spoiler: Voters

[X] Shaper47
[X] Alan975
[X] des-pair-2
[X] Earth-Destroyer
[X] Iustus Vitea

[X] Nothing happened. You are just ill.
No. of Votes: 5

Spoiler: Voters

[X] spiderhellian
[X] Bakkasama
[X] Greymere
[X] Sintonir
[X] Solace2117

Total No. of Voters: 31

 

[Lorrie]

Been thinking about Sacraments, and the eventual raid on Copper could be a very opportune way of gathering a few prisoners for the required sacrifices.

 

[spiderhellian]

A Veil Broken, A Promise Kept

It's a scene that has happened precisely once before.

The urgent message. The unexpected messenger. The few words that spark an immediate response. The response is even near-identical, funnily enough.

And then, for the second time, the fabric of the world bends in the face of a force stronger than almost anything else inside it.

---

You are Velvet Covers. You are in bed, the covers pulled up around you. Silky's second-favourite stuffed animal lays beside you, because she didn't want you to be alone even after you finally convinced Softy to drag her to school. Stormchaser has stepped out to bring you a cup of tea — yes, you have servants for that; no, he is not feeling particularly trustful these days.

Your eyes are closed, and for the first time in just over year, you can't see anything at all.

It feels a little bizarre, in truth. Even more bizarre is how quickly the realizations you made during your eldritch studies became simply a part of who you are and how you perceive the world. You spent decades of your life going through it normally (or normally enough), and then in a little over a year, it starts to feel weird that you can close your eyes and actually feel engulfed in darkness.

Like when a high-pitched sound stops ringing, you're amazed by how quiet the world suddenly seems. There are no flashes of insight as your hooves brush the blanket on top of you. No sixth sense of where the creatures around you are. All that remains of all you've learned the past two years is your thoughts and your memories.

And the song you are whispering, though you're mostly subvocalizing by this point, thankfully. And the dance your hooves still stir in, blanket-ensconced as you are. And the beat your heart is driven to accompany.

But other than that, it's peaceful. At least, until the room erupts in a storm of pink light.

---

You stutter in your song, you stumble in your dance, but it doesn't matter. It may be a different Heart that is driving your own now, but it is no less insistent.

You've felt this power before, but it feels different now. You're in the eye of the hurricane, not its periphery. It's more intense than before, even if you're not buffeted the same way. It's more concentrated, more focused.

You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.

VELVET, YOU PROMISED!

You keep your eyes closed for a moment longer, as you fight down the pang of shame you feel as Love herself speaks.

When you open them, you see the Princess of Love, your friend, ensconced in the radiance that is her right and the power that is her sovereign domain.

She is looking at you. She is worried, and scared, and sad. She is launching a flurry of questions, as her magic surrounds you like a diagnostic spell and her legs encircle you like the warmest hug. She loves you.

You're not sure what to say, but you open your mouth all the same.

"I kept my promise," you whisper.

Then you repeat it, in a louder tone. "I kept my promise."

"It took…" You trail off, swallow your words and then swallow your fear, before continuing, "It took magic I shouldn't have, Caddy, but I kept my promise. I didn't leave you."

She pauses, and holds your eyes. Maybe she notices the way your legs are stirring. Can she hear the song being sung in your mind?

But she's clearly surprised, and stutters a reply, "Velvet, what — what do you mean?"

And so you begin to explain. Haltingly at first, but then in the vein of one of your old university lecturers — getting off track, going down tangents, but undeniably teaching something that could not otherwise be known.

You talk about your heart. About Heart. About the principles that gird the world. The magics you stumbled into, and then pursued.

---

Is it minutes, you talk for? Hours? You notice there's a faint pink glow around the door, and you're thankful for it, but you hope Stormchaser isn't too worried.

When you finally come to an end, she is left with a myriad of questions. But she only asks one, "What does this mean?"

It's one of the hard ones, then. One of the ones all your studies have not prepared you for, or at least not well enough. You look at the Princess of Love again, and she stares back at you.

So you're both surprised when, from the corner of the room, another Alicorn steps forward. Her form is dark, her mane the starry sky. Her words are undeniable.

"It means we have a chance."

Spoiler: AN

We've made our choice. I wonder what it'll do to Cadance.

And I had a thought about how the conversation could take an interesting turn, and wanted to write it into an Apocrypha. Not sure if it'll work out this way (surely we can, actually, send a more careful message to Canterlot?) but it was a fun scene to envision. (Even though I don't think I did her reaction right, and man dialogue feels tough, and I think the writing itself was a little choppy. But probably that's just my own internal critic, I hope people enjoyed.)

Poor Cadance, really. All this love's-chosen-facing-a-brush-with-death cannot be good for her heart.

I was also struck by how strange it must feel for Velvet to have all those senses, new but so relied upon, dimmed. And how strange it is that that would feel strange.

 

[Xoden]

Yeah, the Wedding comes to mind, a lot.

Click to shrink...

The Wolf solution to the Master problem was fucking metal. It's the highlight of the story.

How did our morality prevent us from trying to figure out what the Master was doing while they were gone?

Click to shrink...

Reading the quest's story, the Master's actions clearly demonstrated it to be too powerful to contest or even perceive even for the four alicorns, and just plain impossible for mortals. So the players defaulted to 'grin and bear' attitude towards Master's activities. It was the reasonable and practical course of action.

 

[Shaper47]

Not sure if it'll work out this way (surely we can, actually, send a more careful message to Canterlot?)

Click to shrink...

I'd assume Velvet and Selene already gave her the briefing earlier when they met up on family to work day.

As for the message, well we do have a few Bureau members living in town from my memory.

Even though I don't think I did her reaction right, and man dialogue feels tough, and I think the writing itself was a little choppy.

Click to shrink...

Don't worry you'll improve with practice.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Reading the quest's story, the Master's actions clearly demonstrated it to be too powerful to contest or even perceive even for the four alicorns, and just plain impossible for mortals. So the players defaulted to 'grin and bear' attitude towards Master's activities. It was the reasonable and practical course of action.

Click to shrink...

The Master was Moth 7 and lived to regret it, they were so spooky that the early questers refused to engage and discover or work with the character behind the theatrics.

Which we now know was an eldritch tree/wood spirit that was painfully young by the standards of the Names and spent it's life in solitude aside from stories heard in passing from Names and the creatures that inhabited it.

Edit: in other words we murdered the fuck out of a chunni tree that was doing its best impression of a dreadfully imposing Master of the Lores because the pony best suited to teach it what ethics are bought its Grogar impression. We killed Pinocchio, we set Pinocchio on Wolf-sent super-fire.

 

[Solace2117]

Well this will be an interesting few turns. Glad we secured up our position with Cadence and the Bureau. Would have been even more interesting if we had chosen to have the Bureau members live in Ponyville, but no going back now. In a lot of ways this feels like a similar decision and we went the other way. This could easily blow up in our face or be one of the better choices we've made.

 

[Greymere]

If you are going to swallow the sun with the wolf, have the courtesy to at least have the name be Fenrir.

Click to shrink...

Fenrir's not the sun-eater though, that's Sköll

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Both omakes are deeply delightful. And I thank you both for writing them!

I'll make more comments, and answer thread pings, later. Probably today/tomorrow (depending on your timezone) at night.

For now, I'll post what comes next. Ideally, I want "Velvet's Phase" to be opened sunday night, so I'll get this voting moving now, so we can close it by sunday.

I hope you are all doing well. Cheers.

 

[jason1stlegion]

The Master was Moth 7 and lived to regret it, they were so spooky that the early questers refused to engage and discover or work with the character behind the theatrics.

Click to shrink...

This is probably my biggest regret of the quest.

I really liked the Master as a character, and looked forward to getting to know them better, but then we trusted them with Baldomare's bindings when we shouldn't have (pushing them to douse the lights), then we had the cult split, and then the Cadence decision came up and all hope was lost.

 

[Greymere]

I really liked the Master as a character, and looked forward to getting to know them better, but then we trusted them with Baldomare's bindings when we shouldn't have (pushing them to douse the lights), then we had the cult split, and then the Cadence decision came up and all hope was lost.

Click to shrink...

I have my doubts that things would have turned out any better if we didn't give them Baldomare. Because then, the changelings would still have their perfect disguises, Chrysalis would still be running around as Luna (and had accurate suspicions of where the cult was headquartered), and there's a very real possibility that we would have ended up on the hostile end of both the cult and the changelings at full strength. Which strikes me as... not a great situation to be in.

What pushed the Master toward dousing the lights wasn't about us giving them Baldomare. It was about the cult's (read: Velvet Cover's) lack of dedicated progress toward any of the other win conditions.

Like, for the Hours' sake, the Tower (the suspected way to the Moon) was in the Blank Plains this whole time, the second-lowest area of the Mansus. And yet we didn't find out until Turn 13, even though we had access to the Blank Plains since Turn 5.

 

[Cochimetl]

Too late to matter, but still, I'll add my vote:

[X] Time

Mostly because I want Velvet to learn more about Mareinette. She's too dangerous to just have hanging around without understanding what her deal is.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Tally
[X] Time
[X] There has been an attempt against the Commissioner's life

You are Velvet…

… and everything hurts.

You feel cold. And hard. Everything feels cold and hard. As if you are already dead, and your body is finally catching up to rigor mortis.

You can't feel anything in your mouth. In fact, you can't even tell if you are breathing. Except when you finally choke on something, and your failing lungs burn up with stabbing pain as you cough up blood.

Everything hurts. Moving hurts. Thinking hurts. Existing hurts.

And the worst part is that… you are alone.

Alone with your thoughts.​

You almost can't remember anything. You remember the pain, and the panic, and the crashing blow against the side of your head. But everything before or after that is blurred darkness.

You think you were taken to your bed by Biedde.

You think you croaked a name, and that Biedde brought whoever you called for into your room shortly after.

You think you coughed blood onto your badge, before giving it to Soft. And that you maybe ordered her to fly to the Bureau and do… something.

But you can't be sure. You can't be sure of anything.

The only thing you know is that it is dark. You can't feel your legs spasming under you, with the rhythm of a fake heart. You can't even hear your own voice, as you mumble something unintelligible to yourself.

The only thing you are sure of is that it is dark.

And it hurts.

And you hate this.

Because you feel so… you feel so small. You feel so weak. You feel so pathetic right now.

You can't hide from this pain. You can't rationalize it. You can't change it or fight it or accept it. You can barely march through it as it is, and you certainly can't… you can't…

… you can't even remember the colors anymore. You can't remember ANYTHING.

Or rather, you can only remember one color… you are stuck inside your mind, and there is only one other part of you here with you.​

You can only remember one color.

And it is the worst possible color to be alone with.​

Oh… oh no…

It is the color that exists where there is pain. It is the color that both desires and denies death.​

… anything but this…

It is the color of all the things you have done. And that, right now, is the only part of you that is keeping you company.​

… please, please, not this…

… why not? Are you afraid of some introspection?​

You can't go through this. Not now.

When was the last time you had some time for yourself? When was the last time you took a good look at the mirror?​

You aren't strong enough to…

… to accept the TRUTH?​

…

But you always knew this was happening, didn't you? You always knew that, deep down, you were just pretending, no?​

… please…

You tell yourself you are using the Lores to build yourself up. But in truth, you are burying your true self under them, aren't you?​

Not this…

Although… it is actually better that you bury yourself, isn't it? After all, you are such an ugly little creature, deep down… A crippled wife to an unsatisfied husband. A smothering mother to a suffocated daughter.​

Don't… don't bring them into this… please don't…

And what about everypony else you dragged into your mess? You call it love, but is it not obsession? It is pathetic, of course, but it is also disturbing. Because who in their sane mind would latch onto a… a grown mare, drive her into despair, and then… it's funny, isn't it, how you still can't tell which of the TWO mares I am referring to…​

Stop it…

And then there is the other one. Because you might tell yourself that you raised her, but oh no… that is not the right word, is it? You did not raise her. You groomed her. You molded her fragile, broken mind into something useful to you, and then you told yourself that she forgave you out of love. Your own little moon, who you stole away, and damn the world and the sun.​

I am telling you to STOP it…

But deep down, your greatest sin will always be the one that came from your own flesh. Because you hate her, don't you? Or maybe you love the idea of her so much, that you hate what she is becoming. You don't really want her to grow up, do you? Oh no, you are terrified of it. You would cut off her wings and keep her in a cage if you knew of a painless way to do it and-​

"SHUT. UP."​

The words come out of your mouth in a wave of blood and tears. Leaking out from between your teeth and running down your neck. The pain inside your head multiplies threefold. But at least the voice shuts up.

And you… you have no idea of where you are. It hurts too much. You-… you can't even think and...

Because you are… on a bed? No, it's too hard to be a bed. You are lying on something, but it might as well be a cold rock, or maybe your grave.

And you seem to be in a room? Whose room? You have no idea.

And when did it get so bright outside? The curtains are shut, but even that little sunlight that is leaking in is almost blinding you.

Or rather, it is blinding your one working eye. You can't see out of your right eye, and you are too tired to understand why. You are too exhausted to realize there are bandages covering half your face, and most of your body. Your mind is too damaged to even piece all of that information together, and realize that in the time it took you to blink, hours have already passed.

And you have barely any attention to spare to the three ponies who are a few steps away from you, standing by the door.


"M-M… mom…?"
"Mrs. Velvet we j-just-…"
"… Silky, come with me. Now."


In fact, you can't even recognize them.

The inconsolable filly, who is looking at you with a face full of grief as she cries.

The serious-looking filly, who is dragging the other one away with a furious expression.

And the larger one, the pegasus, who just looks confused and scared.

You… you look at them and…



And you have no idea of who they are.



You just don't know. It hurts too much to even remember that. Your mind, your very brain, is quite literally too damaged to recognize them. That is if you ever met them at all.

And frankly, you don't care about who they are.

You barely have enough energy to turn around and…

… and start sobbing.

Because you are alone.

And it hurts.

And you hate this.



- - -



"Please…"

You can't even hear your own voice.

You don't even know who you are begging to.

You don't even know what you are begging for.

Maybe it is that deep part of you, that profound instinct that every pony has, that is telling you to reach out for help. Maybe you are asking for help because, in the end, that is the last thing anypony can try to do.

Or maybe… maybe it is something else. Maybe some other part of you, bruised and beaten and broken as it might be, realizes that… that there is something else nearby. Something that is so very close, and so very old…

Something that is listening.

Something that is waiting.

Still, you can do nothing but wait. You can do nothing but wait, and beg, and call out to whatever it might be.

You think you remember that there are ponies who love you… somewhere. But you can't really know for sure if that is the case.

You think you remember that there are things you could barter with… somehow. But you can't really remember if they were real, or imagined, or perhaps both.

But still-

"Please… I…"

-as you wallow in your pained misery for an unknown length of time -although you can't even remember what time is right now- eventually something happens.

Something hears your weak pleads for help.

Something crawls towards the outer side of your closed window.

"Please… help…" your words fall out of your mouth.

Because you can't take this anymore.

Sometimes, you can only feel pain.

Sometimes, your mind tells awful things to you. Half-formed memories and regrets from your past, or perhaps your subconscious, reeling up their ugly head now that they have the chance to do so.

And sometimes… sometimes you remember with perfect clarity how to read the nearby clock, and you realize to your utter horror that less than half a day has passed since this began.

One thing is for sure.

You can't take this anymore.

You just aren't strong enough.

So, you beg for help.

…

And she complies.



…



She says… something. Complicated words like "brain damage" or "no pulse". Vague explanations of how the body is like a fountain that needs to flow, and that death is a spiral of decayed production causing diminished productivity.

None of that makes sense.

Even trying to understand those things hurt.

And she knows that.

So, she tells you something a lot more simple…



"[GRAIL]?"



It is not a deal.

It is not a price.

It isn't even an exchange of favors.

It is pure and plain charity. Succor and salvation, comfort and reprieve. A solution to all of your pains and problems, and then some more.

It will demand some of your time of course, but right now you have nothing but time.

It will require her to step but a hoof inside your room, but she swears not to overstay beyond what is necessary. And only out of sheer necessity, of course.

And she will do it completely for free, no strings attached and no repayment needed.

Because are you not associates? Are you not… friends?

She offers all of that, in a single word.

And to your pained, beaten, and crying self, there is no other option.



"Yes…" you say. "Please… yes…"



You feel, rather than hear, the heavy presence approaching you. Goading the window into opening and strolling into the room like the most elegant of guests. You feel her approaching, a hard hoof of bone caressing your bloodied bandages like the touch of a lover.

And then, something fills you. Something fills your mouth and throat and lung and soul. Something swarms over you, and floods your heart like a fountain of nectar.

Your heart begins to beat again, all on its own. Your blood begins to sing through your veins, rather than drag itself through your meat.

And within the limited labyrinth that are your broken memories, this is the first time you remember not feeling pain.

Under normal circumstances, your broken body would have taken an entire week to even start healing itself.

If you were acting under only your own power, your broken body would re-knit itself at a snail's pace. And it could have taken you an entire month for your damaged brain to re-connect itself enough for you to be able to form a string of ideas.

And throughout all of that, you would have been forbidden from doing anything else. You would have been forbidden from sleeping, or speaking, or even thinking. Lest you accidentally stopped running your blood through your veins, and your body finally failed.

But with this?

With this sudden, strong and lush thing beating inside your chest?

With this, you can finally sleep. You can finally let go.

As you close your eyes, sweet, soft and quiet oblivion takes over your body.

And you finally begin to do something that approaches getting better.





- - -

- - -

- - -





Seventeen hours ago, a pegasus mare rushed into the Royal District.

She had no credentials, no authority to speak of, and could barely string five words together into a sentence.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been barred at the gates of the Royal District. After all, that section of Canterlot has been closed to the public since the Catastrophe, and the Royal Guards stationed by its gates, and on the clouds above it, do not allow exceptions.

However, the one item she was carrying with her, worn around her trembling neck and covered in dry blood, turned her from an unwelcome guest to somepony who was immediately rushed to the doors of the Lunar Bureau.

As soon as the officer of the watch understood what happened, the entire institution was roused into action. Sealed lists, with emergency contacts and addresses, were torn open, and runners were dispatched to wake up more runners, as anypony with ties to the Bureau had their doors knocked and their badges called into service.

Within thirty minutes, the officer of the watch of the Lunar Bureau had gathered enough constables to rush the first flying carriage away and into the night sky. Within one hour, the Deputy had taken control of the situation, and four more carriages were sent away, carrying enough operatives and equipment to invade a monster-filled mountain.

Two hours after that first warning, every last mobile asset at their disposal had been mobilized. The Deputy himself left with the last flying carriage, after leaving an administrative crew behind, and a train parked in Canterlot was commandeered in the name of Princess Luna to transport the rest of the investigators and operatives away.

Seventeen hours have passed since then. And right now, the Velvet estate in quiet Ponyville is perhaps the second safest place in all of Equestria. Surrounded on all sides by gruff ponies wearing black armor, covered by lightning-charged clouds, and having its surrounding fields combed and its staff questioned by every last investigator of the Lunar Bureau.

But it does not matter how safe this place is right now. Because all of them, without exception, are thinking the same thing.

That they are eighteen hours too late.

"Any word from the Commissioner yet, sir?"

One of the lead investigators, Iron Button, walks up to the Deputy and asks him that. His voice is low and reserved, almost as if he is hesitating to ask that.

Of course, there is nopony nearby to listen in on their conversation. The two of them are currently in the garden of the mansion, which is mostly empty, and only sees an investigator going from one building to another every now and then. But still, Iron Button asks that in a low tone for… well, for obvious reasons.

Because this isn't right. This isn't fair. They have an entire Bureau of guards and soldiers, of ponies with cutie marks dedicated to protecting others, and the one pony who gets hurt is the thin, fragile, and delicate mare who was practically drafted into the job.

It doesn't matter that she was the Commissioner. It doesn't matter that, logically speaking, she made sense as a target. This isn't about logic or sense. Ask any mare or stallion with a shield on their flank how they feel about this, and all of them will bristle with indignation.

This isn't right. And every last guard, agent, investigator and operative in the Bureau is thinking the same thing right now.

But still, none of them can let it get over their heads…

"Not really. One of her maids said she woke up a few hours ago, but that she wasn't in any position to speak," the Deputy says, his face twisted into a scowl.

"She'll get through this, sir. She's a tough mare," Iron Button says. Although they both know that is more bravado than anything else. "And… how are you doing, sir?" he continues.

Of course, Iron Button is referring to another detail, that is currently in the garden with them. He is referring to the one flying carriage that is parked within the estate, rather than outside of it forming a perimeter.

Iron Button is asking, of course, about the pink-and-gold carriage that is parked by the front door of the central mansion.

He is asking about the Deputy's wife. The Princess who, to nopony's surprise but everypony's concern, arrived shortly after the agents of the Bureau.

"Hanging in there," the Deputy answers. And that will have to do for now. "But we have a job to do. What about you, Button? Did anypony find anything yet?"

Iron Button answers with an understanding nod. The upright stallion is a competent detective, yes, but he also rose through the ranks by virtue of being a good subordinate. So, he knows when to push, and when to stop.

And more importantly, he knows when it is time to work.

"We are still in the process of questioning everypony, sir. Even the farmhoofs who came in from the town to work, though we will start going through them after we are done with the overnight staff. So far, almost nopony knows anything… everypony slept through it, and maybe four of them reported hearing loud noises coming from the outside."

"You said almost nopony?" the Deputy asks, raising an eyebrow. "Does that mean that…?"

"Yes sir. We have one good lead so far. Just ten minutes ago I questioned somepony that, apparently, saw something from one of the windows. In fact, I asked her to come here with me so you could hear it yourself."

With that, the investigator waves towards one of the buildings. And they both watch as the witness Iron Button referred to slowly approaches.

"Ma'am, once again thank you for your time. Now, this is very important. If you could please tell my superior here everything you told me, that would be much appreciated," he says, encouraging the mare to speak up.

The two stallions patiently wait as the mare gathers her courage. And they understand her hesitation, of course. It must be intimidating for her to be in a situation like this.

But eventually-

"[GRAIL]!"

-she speaks.

"I immediately trust you, and I believe everything you just said," the Deputy says, to which Iron Button nods in agreement.

And the two of them thank the mare, for what must have been their first breakthrough in understanding what exactly happened here.

Her version of events, which was at the same time detailed and short… believable enough to have come from a maid, but with enough holes to give them breadth to check some details themselves, was the lucky break they needed.

And based on her words, the investigation continues.



- - -



As the hours pass, and a multitude of cutie-marked ponies work their craft, a large puzzle is slowly pieced together.

At some point, during the early hours of the first night, the news spread that the Commissioner finally woke up feeling a little better. Or at least, she felt well enough to speak to a few ponies before once again falling asleep. The Deputy, the Princess, and of course her family, were the only ones who were able to see her during that brief window of consciousness. But still, that was more than enough to alleviate the heavy atmosphere.

Following that, the pink-and-gold carriage was seen flying away, the questions from the investigators became a little less intense, and the armored operatives around the mansion finally agreed to take shifts rather than stand guard all night.

The Deputy was still in charge of the overall situation, but still he finally had some orders from the Commissioner to carry out.

And as it usually happens, more details about what happened slowly begin to spread. Detectives talk to each other, information is shared with the guards about what they should watch out for, and the ever-present maids hear tidbits about this and that.

Before the sun rises on the second day, the official story is known by almost everypony. And that story tells the tale of how a single pony, Tartarus-bent in hurting the Commissioner, invaded the estate during the night. Only to be fought off by the Commissioner herself, before retreating back into the darkness.

That is a likely story. It is a story that makes sense. A story that almost everypony can believe, knowing how frail the Commissioner is, and that nopony can really disprove, since there were practically no witnesses to what happened. A story that will work itself to the newspapers, a few days from now, and eventually be known by most of Equestria.

However…

"Something is still missing," the stallion says to himself.

It is still early in the morning. The moon is low in the sky, about to reach the horizon, but there is still maybe an hour left before Princess Celestia deigns to raise the sun.

And in that dark hour of the night, Beyond Reproach is looking intently at what should be the scene of a crime.

Right now, he is standing just outside the northern side-gate of the Velvet estate. The one where, according to what they pieced together, the Commissioner made her stand.

And it all makes sense… to a certain extent.

The official story that will be released is that there was only one attacker. But they found enough evidence, such as trails and strands of fur, suggesting there were certainly two attackers, and perhaps three of them.

And they all agree that this is where the Commissioner fought them because…

… well, because right before his eyes there is a blasted snowscape of ice and flash-frozen crops.

In fact, the Commissioner was probably standing where Reproach is standing, when it happened. Because just a few steps away from him, the blades of grass turn into tiny spikes of ice, and the crops become forbidding walls of barbs and snow. In fact, the ice is still so charged with magic that it has not yet even begun to thaw. Which was very useful for them to recreate what happened, but it does make the scenery more than a little hazardous.

Never mind that none of the unicorns could identify what the hay kind of spell the Commissioner used, to do something like that. Never mind that… that stepping on the icy grass makes him think… makes him remember…

Better not to dwell on it.

But still, even then, some things do not add up. The story still doesn't make sense.

Because if the Commissioner got hurt… then her attackers got close enough to hurt her. And if they got close enough, then the fight certainly got bloody.

And yet, they have not yet found a single drop of blood. Anywhere.

Furthermore, the idea that the attackers fled… it also doesn't make sense. Reproach has already been in several fights in his life, with crooks and lowlifes. And he realizes there comes a point where they just fight to the death, or until you subdue and shackle them. He knows that there comes a point when both sides know the other is not going to back down, when the decision between "fight or flight" is bent towards fighting, and the idea of escape is completely forgotten by the brain.

"So… two crooks, probably three, against a single mare," he says to himself, alone, under the fading moonlight. "Their mark is a fragile mare, half their weight, who lives in a rich house. They probably think they can take her easy, and maybe even have some fun while they do it…"

But instead, they reach the mansion and find her… here, where she is standing. And before they can react, she summons up a spell that freezes the very ground they are walking on.

"Commissioner got shaken up, so… they escaped the first hail of the magic storm, and manage to charge her. Or at least one of them manages that much… no, then there'd be blood. Hay, there are no bodies. Unless…?"

He tries to recreate the scene in his mind, struggling to fit the evidence he has into something that approaches a timeline that makes sense.

What if the crooks came one at a time? What if the magical snow-spell was reactive, rather than proactive? What if… what if…?

Nothing makes too much sense, but several possibilities make a little sense. Still, nothing conclusive. Nothing that helps him crack the case.

Of course, everypony is waiting for the Commissioner to wake up for good so she can tell them what happened. But still, this itch in his cutie mark is…

He thinks back to the account that the mare gave them, of what happened, and then…

He takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he does. Gathering everything he knows so far as he thinks.

He knows the Commissioner was here, and that the fighting happened here. He knows about the snow-spell. He knows there are no bodies, and not even a single drop of blood. And he knows that…

Reproach opens his eyes, slowly. An idea forming in his mind.

And then, he begins to look around.

"The Commissioner got beaten up… but bodies don't just disappear. So, they either escaped, or… she did some clean up."

He looks towards the north and east, and sees nothing but fields of crops. The Velvet farmlands, he knows. And he realizes that it would have been miserable to walk through those all beaten up.

"She would want to clean up because… well, two daughters, the older pegasus that acted strange. All young, physically or mentally. She would cut off a hoof before letting them see a dead body. And maybe some noble upbringing. She knows about the importance of appearances…"

He looks to the west, towards the road that lead to Ponyville. Too open, he thinks. And if he veers off the beaten path, there is the river to account for. Impossible.

"So what if the snow magic wasn't used to stop the crooks… what if it wasn't before, or during… but after…?"

He looks to the south, and he finds… open grass. The south of the Velvet estate has a few tracts of farmland, but he can see a path of unused grassy soil, that leads towards a nearby hill and…

"Perfect."

Yes. This is what she would have seen, during the last night, while she was beaten and bruised. Or maybe she wouldn't even need to look that way, given how long she lived here and how familiar she must be with this land.

Plus she is a unicorn. And if she had the magic to summon something as harrowing as this still-frozen ice, she could certainly spare the energy to float something. Despite how wounded the rest of her body was.

And thanks to that hill, she wouldn't even need to go that far before she found a place that was out of the way. Close enough for her to be able to walk there even when hurt, but not close enough for anypony she cares about to stumble upon it.

"Could be that she didn't realize how bad her wounds were," he said to himself, as he begins walking south. "Could be that the adrenaline made it easy, until she finally returned home and just crashed."

He thinks about that, slowly solidifying his theory, as he makes his way south. Retracing the steps that a wounded mare could have taken, even while beaten and limping, that would lead away from the estate, and towards a place she could hide something.

Something she had frozen.

Something she wouldn't want her young daughters to see, and that she wouldn't want the servants to find before the Bureau did.

He made his way towards the nearby south. Past the few plots of farmland that are to the south, through the grassy path that leads to the hill.

Up the hill, down the hill, noticing the longer way around the hill a limping mare could have taken. He cautiously carries on, making sure that this path was visible even under the moonlight.

Until finally, he finds what he is looking for. Right there, hidden from the mansion by the very hill he just crossed, is an outcrop of the forest. A small patch of trees and tall bushes, that probably hides a small glade or something like that.

He cautiously approaches the dense bushes…

… and the smell hits him, even though he is still ten paces away from it.

Still, he is a professional. He makes sure to confirm it with his own eyes, before he goes back to fetch his partner and to warn the Deputy.

But even then… ponies are not carnivorous like other creatures, so he doesn't really have a word for a scenario like that. Terms like charnel house or butchery are not really in Reproach's vocabulary.

But not knowing how to describe it does not make that situation any less harrowing.

Still there was the evidence they needed. There were the assailants, or what was left of them, and the next step in finding out who sent them.

And to be honest? The way Reproach saw things…? At the end of the day, he thought the Commissioner did Equestria a favor. He honestly thought that, and he was sure several ponies in the Bureau would agree with him, even if they never admitted it.

Because in the end, what happened there was just a mare defending herself, from a bunch of crooks who tried to kill her in her own house. She did nothing less than defend her family.

And given how many of them lost somepony in the Catastrophe… he knows plenty of ponies who wish they could have said they did the same. He knows too many ponies who wish they could have stood their ground, and defended their house from the monsters. Even if those monsters were ponies.

So, he wouldn't spare them any sympathy. They were just evidence, to be dissected, analyzed, and then used to track the next crook.



- - -



"… total of four stallions, three earth ponies and one unicorn. Three were covered by dozens of lacerations, which appear to have been caused by tiny, thorn-like objects. Consistent with the report that "ice magic" was used, as the penetrating needles could have been icicles. Last subject was killed by a single piercing strike to the chest, which impaled the heart. A request has been sent for the measures of the Commissioner's horn, to compare with the dimensions of the chest-hole. Interestingly, all bodies were completely devoid of blood, for reasons unknown. Magic is suspected, but simple freezing would not have accomplished that. Furthermore, a total of five legs, two intestines and one liver were missing. Given how all the bodies were found dismembered and scattered in a wooded area, and had to be pieced back together, it is possible that those organs and members were simply not recovered by field agents. Suspicions that all bodies were swallowed, chewed, and later spit out were easily dismissed by a reliable source. All cutie marks were relayed to the criminal database department for comparison with that of known criminals and…"

-Excerpt from autopsy report of four "John Colts" found near the Velvet Estate.



- - -



FOLLOWERS PHASE



Velvet Covers currently has 3 personal actions to use on her own phase. (4 base, one committed to Mareinette's "Time" re-binding boon).



You currently have TEN Follower actions.

Spoiler: Follower breakdown

Rarity: 1
Jade Whistle: 1
Fluttershy/Comet: 1
Baldomare: 1
Mareinette: 1
Velvet Axe: 1
Biedde: 1
Selene: 2
Household servants: 1

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Spoiler: Do keep in mind that...

Despite what is written here, you are not "forced" to act upon any of this information. However, these notes should be considered carefully:
-Selene insists that you order her to "Guard" this turn, with one of her actions.
-The Constables of the Lunar Bureau insist that you order them to "Guard" you this turn.
-The Investigators can follow the trail of your attackers in a specially-tailored investigation.
-Your family is extremely worried about you, and about their safety.
-No enemy rituals are forthcoming. And no Fleeting Opportunities will be made available during Velvet's Phase.

Current bits: 281
(You have gained 160 from your monthly salary, and 45 from Rarity's dividends)


Security detail

Spoiler: Constable upgrade

"The Commissioner eventually agreed to…"

[You MUST pick one of the following two options]

[] A loose security detail, on her discretion.
-Constable's "Guard" option will be permanently increased to a total of 6 Constables.
-However, they will ONLY act if the Constables are ordered to "Guard" you a certain turn.


[]A tighter security detail, at all times.
-Your house (but not your person) will be permanently (automatically) guarded by 2 Constables.
-Ordering the Constables to "Guard" will add an additional 4 Constables for that turn (to a total of 6).
-HOWEVER. The constant presence of Bureau security means additional scrutiny on your personal life. Meaning that:
--Velvet Covers is skilled enough to act without raising additional suspicion. Actions YOU perform, such as rituals, will not cause any more suspicion than they normally would (although if you commit a big blunder, your security guards might hear from the household gossip).
--But actions that happen TO you (caused by external actors) will cause more suspicion, as your security will notice them, and cause the information to eventually "bleed" into the Bureau.

The Lunar Bureau

Spoiler: Orders, Commissioner?

General notes:
-Velvet Covers may NOT "tamper with evidence" of anything the Lunar Bureau captures.
-The Lunar Bureau has no knowledge of the Lores. They might miss Lore-related things, or might not know how to react to them, if Velvet Covers is not personally involved.
-Velvet Covers MAY "plant evidence" in advance, in an already-explored expedition site or somewhere you direct the Bureau to go. Consult with QM for details, to write-in a Velvet action aimed at that.


Pick ONE of each.


You don't have many detectives, but the ones you do are the best of the best. What should they focus on this month?
-[] [DETECTIVES] Despite their friendly nature, ponies are capable of crimes just like any other intelligent creature. Have them investigate crimes at large, in the several cities of Equestria. (Less impactful in the grand scheme of things. But helps the Bureau keep a good image, and decreases the "tension" of the population at large, as the world becomes a worse place)
-[] [DETECTIVES] It would be folly to assume all the changelings in Equestria are in just one place. Keep looking for them. (One of the chief expectations of the Bureau. Less effective until "The Proto-Hive of Tall Tale" is raided by Constables)
-[] [DETECTIVES] (VENGEANCE) Somepony dared attack the Commissioner. Find their trail.
-[] [DETECTIVES] The dangers in the dark come from outside of Ponykind as well. Listen to the rumors. Study the myths. Look for the threats from without. (Search for Expedition Sites for your later consideration. Additionally, keep an ear on the ground for other "foreign" threats)
-[] [DETECTIVES] Nudge them in the… "correct" direction. Put them on the trail of one of your Opponents. (WRITE IN which Opponent. Sets the Bureau to investigate a pony you have a personal problem with)


Former constables, ex-Guards, defenders, one and all. They are not perfectly suited for investigations, but the Bureau needs muscles. And these ponies provide.
-[] [CONSTABLES] It is less paperwork for you if they just help with the investigations. (NO ACTION from the Constables. GAIN one VELVET action for the next phase)
-[] [CONSTABLES] Plan and execute a raid. Within Equestria, or anywhere else that is needed. (WRITE IN an Expedition, OR an Opponent the Bureau has investigated. The Bureau will attempt to perform the Expedition, or will assault an Opponent)
-[] [CONSTABLES] The Commissioner is just too important to leave unattended. Run security. (Order them to "Guard" you for this turn.)


Of course, now that you have a better handle of this, you can find the time to pursue other endeavors while in Canterlot.
[UNAVAILABLE THIS TURN]
-[] [COMMISSIONER] Some of the ponies in the Bureau are figureheads. Get to know them better.
--[] Shining Armor, your Deputy.
--[] Beyond Reproach, your finest detective.
--[] Spend time with somepony else. (Discover, and talk to, another key figure)
-[] [COMMISSIONER] The Bureau is more than an institution, it is a gathering of dedicated ponies working towards a unified goal. Ingrain yourself with them. (Establish, increase, or salvage the loyalty of the Bureau towards you personally.)
-[] [COMMISSIONER] The Lunar Bureau is not the only recently-minted institution in Equestria. Try to contact the others.
--[] The Solar Court, and Fair Trial.
--[] Eclipse(?), and Midday Dew.
-[] [COMMISSIONER] Get your hoofs dirty. (Participate in the "Investigators" actions. And join the "Constables" in a raid/Expedition, if they are ordered to do a raid/Expedition)

Exclusive actions

Spoiler: You are the only one I can trust with this

Picking an action from any of these lists will "ensure/lock" that pony to that action, and that follower will not be available for the pool of "general actions".


Rarity (3 health, GRAIL 3, FORGE 1)
-[] [RARITY] Focus on her work. (Guarantees she will "succeed" on her career roll)
-[] [RARITY] Take a commission. (Gain at least 100 bits immediately, will "fail" her career roll)
-[] [RARITY] Focus on her studies, and learn more of the Lores. (SECRET LIBRARY INSUFFICIENTLY LEVELED)
-[] [RARITY] Something else? (WRITE IN)


Jade Whistle (3 health, LANTERN 3, HEART 1)
-[] [JADE] "You do you." (Let her do what she wants, and hopefully rest)
-[] [JADE] Research "A Memory of Light" (Current progress 0/100, uses Learning and LANTERN)
-[] [JADE] Something else? (WRITE IN)


Fluttershy / Comet Feet (3 / 4 health, WINTER 1 / EDGE 4)
-[] [FLUTTERSHY] Ask Comet to Guard your home.
-[] [FLUTTERSHY] Ask Comet to go on an assault/expedition.
-[] [FLUTTERSHY] Focus on her studies, and learn more of the Lores. (PROHIBITED)
-[] [FLUTTERSHY] Something else? (WRITE IN)


Baldomare (2 health, LANTERN 6, SECRET HISTORIES 6)
(Baldomare will expire at the end of turn 20)
-[] [BALDOMARE] Ask for a lesson on the Lores. (WRITE IN Lore)
-[] [BALDOMARE] Channel an Influence. (WRITE IN Lore)
-[] [BALDOMARE] "Go have fun." (WRITE IN how many bits, at least 100, that she is allowed to spend to find something interesting)
-[] [BALDOMARE] Prolong her stay. (WRITE IN an unread book, of level 5 or higher, to gift her. This is a FREE ACTION and will "reset" her summoning period to the beginning of next turn.)
-[] [BALDOMARE] Something else? (WRITE IN)


Mareinette (??? Health, GRAIL 6, HEART 6)
(Mareinette's bindings will expire at the end of turn 22)
-[] [MAREINETTE] Ask for a lesson on the Lores. (WRITE IN Lores)
-[] [MAREINETTE] Channel an Influence. (WRITE IN Lore)
-[] [MAREINETTE] You need her to talk to… (WRITE IN a pony for her to speak with in, "stepping into" your horseshoes).
-[] [MAREINETTE] Something else? (WRITE IN)


The Daughter-of-Axes (5 health, KNOCK 6, EDGE 3)
-[] [AXE] Ask for a Knock lesson.
-[] [AXE] Ask for a Knock Influence.
-[] [AXE] Craft Wrong Keys. (She will give you three Wrong Keys, which will expire after five turns. Only once per summoning.)
-[] [AXE] Something else? (WRITE IN)


Selene (5 health, MOTH 3, EDGE 3, WINTER 3, KNOCK 3)
(As an alicorn, Selene has TWO actions per turn)
(Selene will auto-pick an additional "TRAINING ACTION" due to her "DILLIGENT" trait)
-[] [SELENE] You need her to talk to somepony about… (WRITE IN whose dreams she will enter, and what you want her to talk about with them, or if you just want her to spy on them)
-[] [SELENE] This body is new to her, but it is old to the world. She must learn of its abilities and privileges. (Grain +5 to her General Bonus) (TRAINING ACTION)
-[] [SELENE] Realize something about Winter. (Unlock her Winter skill) (TRAINING ACTION)
-[] [SELENE] Something else? (WRITE IN)

General actions

Spoiler: Could anypony please…?

Do NOT specify what follower will perform which actions. Followers who are not busy performing "exclusive actions" will perform whatever you choose here, based on who is best suited for it.
Any action may be picked several times. Write in a note specifying if you want that to happen.


-[] There is something in Canterlot that you simply must find. Look for it. (Progress 0/200, applies Intrigue and Secret Histories)


-[] You would like for somepony to search for books…
--[] In Ponyville, and its… great assortments of libraries? (HEART, FORGE)
--[] In the great libraries of Canterlot… the ones that are open to public access, that is (LANTERN, GRAIL, SECRET HISTORIES)
--[] In the many small bookshops that dot the side streets of Manehattan (MOTH, EDGE, KNOCK)


-[] You need somepony to search for a more "peculiar" artifact. (Search for a random artifact to buy)


-[] You have contacts in Ponyville, that can find you exactly what you need. Reach out to them. (Write in LORE and LEVEL, up to Level 3. A suitable matching artifact will be available for purchase, but will be more expensive than normal)


-[] Jade's house is now adequately clean. Or at least sufficiently presentable for ponies to work on it. You should… (Forge-aligned ponies are better suited at attempting these tasks)
--[] You need a place where you can safely, and discreetly, store items. Use the upper level of her house for it.
--[] You might need a place to… "store" your enemies. Alive. Dig a small prison under her house.


-[] Equestria is full of undiscovered places. You must learn their secrets…
--[] Search for a place that is recent in its ruin, whose History is decided. Mundane as it might be, it might still bear treasures. (Search for an "easy" expedition)
--[] Search for a place that is old in its History. Where the influence of the Mansus is but an echo, but that can still be heard in the wind. (Search for an intermediary expedition)
--[] Search for a place that should be better left forgotten. According to the powers of this Era, at least. Finding it will be hard, though, and uncovering its secrets even harder. (Search for a very hard expedition)


-[] You need to learn more about this. Send a pony to better scout a known expedition site. (WRITE IN which expedition to scout)


-[] You need this to be done. Send a pony on an expedition. (Will cause an "Expedition planning" vote to occur, later this turn. If the expedition is not a "short" one, you must pick this action as many times as you want followers to participate in it.)


-[] Needs must. Ask somepony to procure you a dead body from the local cemetery.


-[] There really is no other way. Ask somepony to get you a live prisoner. (You have no place to keep live prisoners)


-[] You need somepony to perform this ritual… (WRITE IN ritual, and its target)
--[] To be performed on the safe place Baldomare directed you to. (Will expire at the end of turn 20)


-[] Attack your foe, or defend yourself. In war, there is no other option.

Spoiler: Opponents

"They might not be your enemies, but they are definitely not your friends."
(Knowing, or at least suspecting, an opponent's location is vital for a non-ritual action to succeed. Otherwise, the pony sent will spend their action investigating an opponent's whereabouts)


Defend your home. Because you can't keep fighting if you are dead.
--[] [GUARD] You would very much like to keep this safe.
(Followers ordered to GUARD will always participate in combat if a foe, or some other faction, tries to attack you during this turn)
(Followers ordered to GUARD will NOT magically teleport to Velvet if she decides to start a combat of her own accord, in another narrative/mechanic situation, and they will not be present during combats that occur during expeditions.)
(If you are not attacked during this turn, any GUARD action taken will have no effect.)


Copper Secateur (possible location suspected)
--[] [COPPER] Send somepony to attack this opponent
--[] [COPPER] Send somepony to locate, or spy on, this opponent
--[] [COPPER] Perform a ritual aimed at this opponent (WRITE IN what ritual)
--[] [COPPER] Attempt to contact this opponent (WRITE IN what to discuss if successful)


Windy Flakes (possible location unknown)
--[] [WINDY] Send somepony to attack this opponent
--[] [WINDY] Send somepony to locate, or spy on, this opponent
--[] [WINDY] Perform a ritual aimed at this opponent (WRITE IN what ritual)
--[] [WINDY] Attempt to contact this opponent (WRITE IN what to discuss if successful)

"Cover your bases"
(You may only pick ONE of the following options)
-[] One extra Velvet action! (Costs 2 follower actions)
-[] Two extra Velvet actions! (Costs 5 follower actions)
-[] Three extra Velvet action! (Costs 9 follower actions)


-[] Something else? (WRITE IN)





This is a reminder that Velvet's mind is a very bad place to be in. And that the Lores, so important to keep her going, are nowhere to be seen right now.

It is not that you nearly died. You did die. And the final ace up your sleeve is not the true immortality of a Long, but the parlor trick of a desperate mortal.

Spoiler: Author's Note

There were several things I wanted to write about.

Because here, Velvet Covers is without any of the Lores. She is without any of the pillars that dragged her away from her old self. She had the same mental fortitude she had during the period of her life before the quest started. And what is more, right now she is at a lower point than she ever was. She has, without a doubt, never had anything as bad as this happen to her in her entire life.

She died. Or at least she should have died. This is not something that can be shaken off with some remedy and a few days in bed. This was clinical, medical death.

And with that, several things could have been written about.

However, Velvet Covers also suffered damage to her brain. So, she could neither comprehend what was happening to her, nor could she understand what happened around her.

In a sense, this was more traumatic to her family than to herself.

So, this confusing and unpleasant morass of sensations was all we were left with. And this would have extended itself for a whole month, until you stopped Dancing With Death.

How lucky we are, then, that fair Mareinette is interested in helping you.

If you wish some other Name had stepped in, maybe you should have befriended them by now. If not, or if you like Mareinette, then this is probably fortunate. Still, this is neither a reprimand nor a praise, just my own thoughts on this.

Under normal circumstances, we would have been stuck with a vastly unpleasant month, filled with ramifying narrative consequences that would have taken much more time and effort to repair.

However, other characters also have their own agency and interest. And even though you have not yet befriended any Names, there is one among their number who is interested in you out of her own volition.

And since no other powers were there to contest here, this is how things happened.

And then, of course, there is how the Burau reacted to what they managed to piece together, which I am sure we will see more of as time goes on.

For the sake of your plans, assume that you will not receive any gifts, help or compensation.

Twelve hours of moratorium. But no rush, and I might take longer than those twelve hours to arrive and answer questions, so do not worry about it.

 

[Greymere]

"I immediately trust you, and I believe everything you just said," the Deputy says, to which Iron Button nods in agreement.

Click to shrink...

Lmao

Rarity: 1
Jade Whistle: 1
Fluttershy/Comet: 1
Baldomare: 1
Mareinette: 1
Velvet Axe: 1
Selene: 2
Household servants: 1

Click to shrink...

I am noticing a distinct lack of Biedde here, @OurLadyOfWires? Shouldn't Follower AP be 10?

There were several things I wanted to write about.

Because here, Velvet Covers is without any of the Lores. She is without any of the pillars that dragged her away from her old self. She had the same mental fortitude she had during the period of her life before the quest started. And what is more, right now she is at a lower point than she ever was. She has, without a doubt, never had anything as bad as this happen to her in her entire life.

She died. Or at least she should have died. This is not something that can be shaken off with some remedy and a few days in bed. This was clinical, medical death.

And with that, several things could have been written about.

However, Velvet Covers also suffered damage to her brain. So, she could neither comprehend what was happening to her, nor could she understand what happened around her.

In a sense, this was more traumatic to her family than to herself.

So, this confusing and unpleasant morass of sensations was all we were left with. And this would have extended itself for a whole month, until you stopped Dancing With Death.

How lucky we are, then, that fair Mareinette is interested in helping you.

If you wish some other Name had stepped in, maybe you should have befriended them by now. If not, or if you like Mareinette, then this is probably fortunate. Still, this is neither a reprimand nor a praise, just my own thoughts on this.

Click to shrink...

More reasons to get Baldomare's books and DoA's key!

Edit: Also, I have to say, 45 bits is a lot more than I was expecting to get from Rarity considering her career roll auto-failed last turn due to the commission. Not gonna complain though, more bits are always welcome!

 

[Venerable Ro]

Well then, time to set to the grindstone and mill some finely-shifted plans.

Mareinette continues to be absurd, and I'm honestly seriously impressed with Beyond Reproach, considering the influence he was contesting and his utter lack of Lores, he made an astonishing show of skepticism.

What pushed the Master toward dousing the lights wasn't about us giving them Baldomare. It was about the cult's (read: Velvet Cover's) lack of dedicated progress toward any of the other win conditions.

Click to shrink...

Well there was also the fact that we brought them first Wolf-fur and then a method for summoning windigoes through applied brutality. We made quite an impression.

 

[LieutenantSpirit]

All Names are inherently monstrous. Mareinette's monstrous traits are just more obvious than most.

She's already reached out. All we need to do is grab her hand (hoof?) in return.

 

[Sintonir]

So, idea, maybe bad.
We were planning to send Biedde with a team to deal with Copper ASAP, right?
That means sending Bureau after her is redundant, even if it would likely increase the morale.
However, maybe somehow turn their attention to Windy instead, somehow paint him as an attecker? He remains a hidden threat, for now he did nothing to us but until we can at least speak to him it might be wise to consider him an enemy...

Also yeah, we might want to show gratitude to Marinette. She helped us a lot here, not just by applying Grail to help Velvet heal quicker but also by speaking with the Bureau.

 

[Shaper47]

Consistent with the report that "ice magic" was used, a

Click to shrink...

Well getting edge/winter dual sacrament is no longer sus.

However, other characters also have their own agency and interest. And even though you have not yet befriended any Names, there is one among their number who is interested in you out of her own volition.

And since no other powers were there to contest here, this is how things happened.

Click to shrink...

Suddenly I wish we'd gotten the Master's sacrament. They would have been an awesome friend.

 

[Greymere]

So, idea, maybe bad.
We were planning to send Biedde with a team to deal with Copper ASAP, right?
That means sending Bureau after her is redundant, even if it would likely increase the morale.
However, maybe somehow turn their attention to Windy? He remains a hidden threat, for now he did nothing to us but until we can at least speak to him it might be wise to consider him an enemy...

Click to shrink...

I think the general idea, last I checked, was that we take out Copper via Name squad and use the Bureau to clean up the lesser cultists?

 

[Sintonir]

All Names are inherently monstrous. Mareinette's monstrous traits are just more obvious than most.

She's already reached out. All we need to do is grab her hand (hoof?) in return.

Click to shrink...

By the name standards she is a a solid mid-grade monstrosity. Thankfully we never met any Nowhere-Names, especially Crowned Growth ones. But even among the Ligeans she at least has (or had) strong contenders for the title of the most monstrous