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

[Spacemurica]

Can you blame people for having an emotional attachment to the main character of MLP? Especially considering how well Bird writes her?

 

[Alan975]

Sigh, here we go again.

Click to shrink...

At least the two most important ones are being done! Hopefully it's not too big of a risk.
And look on the bright side, for once I'm not on the losing side!
...Not really a plus for you, but I tell you this will fly by like oh so many of the previous ones did before I tore out even a little bit of hair.

Anyway, which ones do you think would have been better to go for than Twi? Because I'm not really seeing how any besides Library could be more "optimal".

 

[Limabot]

Hopefully one of the three quest lines we're currently on ends soon, as I really want to get around to scouring the place for the Fragniclave.

 

[Shaper47]

Can you blame people for having an emotional attachment to the main character of MLP? Especially considering how well Bird writes her?

Click to shrink...

Anyway, which ones do you think would have been better to go for than Twi? Because I'm not really seeing how any besides Library could be more "optimal".

Click to shrink...

Given how every single previous thing with Twilight has been a disaster with high costs and wasted actions anything else would be better.

Claiming a defeat from the jaws of victory is not something I support.

 

[Sveta08]

Claiming a defeat from the jaws of victory is not something I support.

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Oh, don't be dramatic. It will work out. Have faith.

 

[Shaper47]

Oh, don't be dramatic. It will work out. Have faith.

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I have pattern recognition.

 

[Arrkhon]

Honestly I entirely expect us to teach her some basic Lores, have her gain few stacks of Fascination and then get yoinked out of this place before we can fix it, maybe if we knew something about Harmony magic we could teach her something safer with no teacher but we specialize entirely in mind twisting horrors

 

[Alan975]

I have pattern recognition.

Click to shrink...

Aha! But after so many losses the odds have to be in our favor now!

That's how gambling works, right? Sunk cost conformity or some such

Oh, don't be dramatic. It will work out. Have faith.

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Eh, alteast it's a bit refreshing compared to the selfcngratulatory back-patting

 

[Solace2117]

In fairness, looking back on it, I actually think the Wedding Twilight vote worked out pretty well. I mean not as much for Twilight, but considering the speech we got from Cadence afterwards about being abandoned by her loved ones, I think it helped tie Cadence to Velvet a lot quicker.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

Hopefully one of the three quest lines we're currently on ends soon, as I really want to get around to scouring the place for the Fragniclave.

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Ax's request is getting the Fragniclave she cannot be free without it.

 

[Maer]

Ax's request is getting the Fragniclave she cannot be free without it.

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Her request is actually 'find my family'. She's chasing the sisters that left her behind. The frangiclave is her goal only because it lets her remove her chains so she can go after them. But she can't. So her request is to find them and tell them of her. She has Hope that the frangiclave will be here, but no certainty. So that's not her request, and it never has been. Not for this sacrament, at least.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

As pointed by the Lantern Name herself want she want and what she thinks she wants are two different thing. What Ax wants is the frangiclave she sending us after her other people because she forget that they had the frangiclave. But she still in an unconscious level remembers.

 

[Enna's Fractal Wings]

I think it helped tie Cadence to Velvet a lot quicker.

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I think this is exactly why people are arguing against it. Sure it worked out for Candace and Velvet. But Poor Twilight still won't leave her library, she's lost her only friend with childhood, and no one around her can understand except the one person she thinks betrayed her. From Twilight's POV, Things went about as bad as possible.

WE know that isn't true, but she doesn't trust or believe us, anymore. Granted, I'm not sure the right thing to do here is to fix her in EQG and hope that the fix transfers via some quantum dream superpositioning shenanigans, but it's the thing we can most easily take advantage of, and if we're really treating this as a dream... Well, things can only go better from here, can't they? worst case, Twilight is just... more adamant that we don't see her. best case? We might be able to leverage her as insurance if Celestia every becomes a problem.

I'm realizing this all sounds really... ruthless. But hey. We've done what we needed to in the past. We'll continue to do so, I think.

 

[AuthorTransient]

I'm voting against it because 1. it feels like the consequences will be horrific (come back wrong style) and 2. AP sink. I feel like an employee inside an online meeting that just revealed a majority voted for 'blockchain' technology, or maybe even something worse like a citizen seeing the results of a political referendum.

I'm side by side agreeing with Shaper, which should really show how much I fear the final outcome. I mean, Twilight work ahead? Uh, yeah, I sure hope it doesn't.

 

[Solace2117]

I think this is exactly why people are arguing against it. Sure it worked out for Candace and Velvet. But Poor Twilight still won't leave her library, she's lost her only friend with childhood, and no one around her can understand except the one person she thinks betrayed her. From Twilight's POV, Things went about as bad as possible.

Click to shrink...

I know, maybe I should have added a . It was more of a response to people saying we never got anything good picking Twilight options.
I've been arguing against, at least jumping in immediately. Don't mind trying to help this Twilight, just think it's a better idea to find out what we're dealing with before jumping in head first.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

Tally
[X] Your faith has been rewarded. And the medallion has made its way back to you, on a very unexpected pair of hands. (Further your search for Axe's… contact)
[X] You have found limits, you have found walls. Now it is time to look for doors and tunnels. (Follow up on exploring this place)
[X] "Miss Sparkle? It's about the project we discussed. I have a... proposal, on how to advance it. Could you see me after class?" (Follow up on Twilight Sparkle)

You tried not to think about it. You really tried. You focused your efforts on trying to explore this world a little more, you took the time to look for the little girl to whom you gave the medallion. Heavens, at times you even surrendered to the sleepwalking effect that makes time move a little faster.

You honestly tried to push this idea out of your head. To shift you attention towards something else.

You tried. But in the end, you failed.

It is late in the evening, and you should probably go to bed soon. However, on a rather unusual turn of events, you are currently on your home. Or rather, you are in the place you would call home in this strange world.

You are here, and you are still awake and aware, because you are having a conversation.

If you did not have anything important to do, you are sure that the fog of this world would have just taken over your mind, and you would come to your senses on the next day right in front of the school. However, you spent your entire day looking forward to this meeting. So, you managed to regain your conscience once you got back home.

And this meeting you are currently having is with…

"So, can it be done?" you ask towards the mirror, looking at its foggy reflection and at the faint glow it somehow emits.

You ask that towards the mirror, because you know the Daughter-of-Axes is listening, on the other side of its misty surface.

"Ae… suppose it can, aye," she answers.

And you don't even bother to suppress the wave of triumph that her words create in your body. To the point that your hand, for some reason, involuntarily balls into a fist and makes a little upward motion.

"Bu' it wuidn' be simple as," she continues, her voice unusually serious as she thinks about complications you would never be able to even guess about. "She dinnae hav' th' Silver Kae, fer starters. An' then thar's the problem she dinnae kno' how tae avoid refraction problems…"

You purse your lips at that, but you don't say anything. Both because you realize you are completely out of your depth on this subject, and also because you have the feeling she is not done speaking.

"Still, ye did sae she also exists 'ere, aye? Ye mentioned she's also a hors' over 'ere?" she asks.

"Yes, as far as I can tell she doesn't just exist here. Just like several other ponies I know in the real world, she seems to have an identity on both sides."

You say that, and then you hold your breath as you listen to the snakemare mumbling something to herself.

It takes most of your willpower to not pace around the room, as you wait on her. But eventually, and finally, she tells you what you wanted to hear. What you needed to hear.

"Well, in tha' case, et might be to our advantage she has a reflection…"

And then, the Daughter-of-Axes explains to you how you could, hypothetically, turn your ideas into reality.



- - -



You will not say that you have been avoiding young Twilight Sparkle.

You have just been trying to… keep her safe.

Yes, that is what you have been doing.

The problem is that, for the longest time, you were not sure of what keeping her safe meant.

Because on one hand, the last time you interacted with her… every time you interacted with her, she has somehow ended up suffering.

You tried to teach her the Lores, and she nearly went insane. You told her to trust her mentor, and she rushed headfirst into a danger she was not prepared to face. You promised her you would save her, and then she suffered at the hoofs of the Cult, and then as a prisoner of Copper.

Through your actions, no matter how indirectly you were involved, you saw her lose her little dragon, and then the attention of her brother, and the very magic that was always so important to her.

As much as it pains you to admit it, sometimes you think it would have been better if you had never met her. And that, if you had never been introduced to her by Rarity that day, she might not have become the lifeless and hopeless husk that she is today.

However, you also realize that all of that happened in the real world. To the Twilight Sparkle who was born a pony, and who grew up to be a mare.

Conversely, this Twilight Sparkle…

Is she just a reflection? Is she somehow connected to the real mare? Are they completely different entities?

Does any of that even matter?

You are not quite sure.

You don't really know

Maybe this young woman feels a connection to you, or perhaps some hesitation at your presence, because she can feel an echo of an echo of what happened in the real world.

Or maybe, just maybe, she is a completely separate person. And despite her fascination with magic, she is just a girl who is doomed to chase her dreams until they mature to obsession or rot into disappointment.

You don't… really know.

So, if you were to help this Twilight Sparkle. If you were to take her back with you. Would this be a mercy? Would you truly be saving her? Or would this be the first step of another disaster that would strip away from her everything she ever had?

You are not sure.

Perhaps there is no way to be sure.

But still, now you know there is a way.

…

You will not say that you have been avoiding young Twilight Sparkle.

But, throughout these last few days as you thought about it, you will admit you have been rather distant from her. Ever since you last spoke to her, all the way until last night when you spoke to the Daughter-of-Axes, you have been avoiding her whenever you could.

You did not call on her during class, when she raised her hand. You left class as soon as the bell rung, so as to avoid her. And you even ignored her several messages asking for your office hours.

The young woman has, undoubtedly, been trying to speak to you. To be honest, it wouldn't be wrong to say that she has been hounding you. And how could she not? After all, the last time you spoke to her you basically proved that her life's obsession was real, and not some crazy fantasy she has been nurturing. So, of course she would do that. Of course she would try to speak to you in private, and figure out what the hell is going on.

But you are a very hard woman to corner. You have ways and ways and ways of avoiding unwanted scenarios. So, as much as it pained you (and as much as it agonized her), you have not spoken to her ever since you two last met in her little workshop.

However… that ends today.



"Miss Twilight? See me after class," you say, once again just a few moments before the bell rings.



All of her classmates, you can tell, think that she is scared now, given how she immediately froze on her desk. Some of them are even laughing, quietly, as they whisper to each other that look, her hands are shaking, or that she finally did it now.

Still, less than five minutes later, everyone else has left the classroom, leaving you two alone. And you watch as the young Twilight Sparkle slowly rises from her seat, a hand on her chest as she tries to steady her breathing, before she makes her way towards you.

"Miss Sparkle," you say, when she finally reaches the front of your desk, "how have you been?"

You say that as you put your pen down, the one you were using to double check your notes, and calmly put your hands together to address her.

If you didn't know any better, you would think nothing had happened since you last spoke to her. After all, even this scene looks exactly the same. Twilight Sparkle is standing in front of your desk, her body tense and her fists clenched, as you look at her with nothing but a calm smile.

This scene looks exactly the same as last time… with one difference.

It's her eyes. You can see there is something else in her eyes now. Something that is at the same time stronger and scarier than any amount of nervousness she could be feeling about this.

Still, you wait a few seconds, until you finally accept that she won't really answer your question. Maybe she didn't hear it. Maybe she is just too caught up in her own mind to respond.

Well, either way, it doesn't matter.

"The last time I called you after class," you continue, "I asked you about your future. I asked you where you saw yourself, in five or ten years. I asked you what you would try to do once you were done with your education here."

You narrow your gaze, tilting your head slightly as you look into her eyes.

The young woman holds your gaze, with an expression you can only describe as resolute.

This is, you can tell, taking every last drop of her strength. Whether if it is because she is not comfortable with other people, or because she is not comfortable with you, you do not know.

Still, the things she saw, and the things she knows you can show her, are keeping her feet under her.

"But after putting some thought into it, I realized I was thinking too small. So, I am here to make you a… proposal."

You slowly get up from your seat, keeping your gaze on her as you do.

"What if I told you that you are right? About everything, that is. That nagging sensation you always had, that this world is too small. Those insistent thoughts that there is something out there, or inside you, or somewhere you can't quite name. The strange things you have been trying to measure, or detect, or at least catch a glimpse of, with all those devices you have built. What if I told you that you are right?"

You snap your fingers, causing sparks to fly out of them. Something that any hack magician could do with parlor tricks, but that you realize she will know means more than just that.

"What if I told you that you are right… and that I could take you there?"

You ask her that, and then you explain what that would mean.

You tell her that the journey might be dangerous.

You tell her that she might never come back to this place.

You tell her that there is every chance she would have to abandon everything she has here, in order to jump into a world that will be as novel as it will be alien.

But still, you tell her that if she does, and it will be her choice, then she will finally reach the voice that has been calling her for her whole life. She will finally discover everything she ever searched for, and you will be there to teach her oh so much more.

You do not tell her anything else, and you certainly don't tell her anything that might frighten you. You also do not reveal to her the… details, and logistics, of how you will accomplish it. Because she simply does not need to know.

Still, regardless, the young woman listens to you with rapt attention. And despite the absurdity of what you are telling her, you can see that she doesn't doubt you even for a moment. And she doesn't doubt you that, if she takes too long to answer you, one day you will be gone, and there will be nothing left here but the Velvet Covers she has known for the last few years.

And when you are done speaking, you let her think. You stay quiet, and you watch as the thoughts and fears and desires she had her entire life swim inside her head.

You have no idea how hard this decision must be, especially for one so young. After all, you are asking if she wants to give up everything she ever had, in exchange for everything she ever wanted.

Eventually, she gives you her answer.

"My whole life, I always knew that…" she says, a thousand different words, from thousand different times she was lost in self-doubt, crossing her mind in an instant. That is, until she finally articulates the one that had always haunted the most. "I always knew I wasn't insane. I always knew there was something more out there. I always knew there was something more out there, that would explain why my life always felt like so much less."

A small smile appears on your face, as you recognize her expression.

It is the same expression you have, whenever you think of the Climb and the Glory.

It is the same expression every adept ever had, when they crossed the Branding Door.

It is the expression of ambition, and the willingness to leap over the abyss of failure for the chance to reach your heart's true desire.

"If you can… if it's even possible, I want you to take me there," she says.

Your answer to her is a long, knowing nod.

And a promise, that you will call her when you are ready to leave yourself.





- - -

- - -

- - -





It is hard to say that you have been dedicating your "free time" to something, given how you simply lose track of time (or perhaps even your conscience) whenever you leave certain areas.

In fact, it might be better to say that you have been gaining free time by doing this.

Because thanks to your efforts, you have discovered some interesting things. You are not sure if you are just learning the rules of this place, or if you are learning how to break said rules.

However, after a healthy dose of trial and error, you have finally discovered how to reach places beyond the school itself.

It wasn't really the buses. Not exactly. The problem wasn't that you had to find a means of transportation to take you certain places.

Instead, it was the company you kept.

You haven't yet tried doing this with one of your students. Heaven knows you will only approach them when you have a clear goal in mind. However, one day, you asked one of your fellow faculty members where you could buy a certain item, and they answered you right away.

A few more choice words, and maybe a little convincing, and your fellow eventually agreed to accompany you there.

And that is how you finally reached the city center.

The place is… large. It is large, and it is imposing, and it is also very small. There are several places you can visit there, and you have bumped into more than just one student there already. However, you also discovered that if you take just the wrong turn, or go down just the wrong street, you eventually go too far. And then you come back to your senses on the next day, in front of your school.

Still, this is something you could call progress.

That is, if you make the time to explore the city center, and its myriads of shops and backstreets, a little more.





- - -

- - -

- - -





It is late in the afternoon.

The final bell just rang, the last of your students just waved you goodbye as he rushed to his locker, and once again you gave Twilight a soft shake of your head -not yet- before shooing her away back to her own home.

Because you have plans for today. Today, you will try to explore this dream a little more. Today, you will see if a certain street in the city center really leads you somewhere, or if it is another dead end that you will have to avoid.

However, the moment you leave the faculty office and make begin making your way to the exit, you immediately throw all those plans away.

Because you can sense that someone is looking for you.

Someone you have already met.

Someone you have been waiting for.

Someone who smells like snakes.

So, you calmly put your purse around your shoulder, making your way down the entrance hall of the school, until you come face to face with a pair of figures that are waiting by the sidewalk.

There, you find a little girl who is shyly waving at you with one of her hands.

And right next to her, holding her other hand, you see an old man. One who looks a little bit like the little girl, which makes you think he is her grandfather. One whose face and skin is rugged with age and the weight of many years.

One who is wearing a pendant around his neck, with the unmistakable symbol of a trio of knots cleaved by a deep cut.

You wave back to the little girl, and the grandfather takes from that exchange that you are the one he has been waiting for.

"Good afternoon, Miss," he says, with a kind and tired voice. "Are you the one who gave this to my granddaughter?"

He says that, and then he presents you with a familiar item. The same medallion you gave the little girl all those days ago.

"Yes, that was me. And I hope that did not cause any trouble?" you say, to which he responds with a calm shake of his head.

You are glad to hear that, of course, So, you reach out to take the medallion from his outstretched hand, seeing that he is still offering you to take it.



And the moment your hands touch, as you pick up the item, something happens.



It doesn't last any more than an instant, and you do not feel it was anything wrong or concerning.

However, as if you two had just exchanged a long handshake, or perhaps shared a greeting that was far more personal than that humble touch, you still feel like you just shared something with this old man.

And you also feel that he, in turn, shared it with you.

So, before you ever have the chance to take the medallion out of his hands, you somehow know… things. About him. About his life. About those he shared his life with. You have no idea how this just happened, or what this even means, but you still know these things nonetheless.

And now, you know that he is old.

You know that he smells like snakes.

You know that he is not a snake himself.

And yet, you feel like he has been so blessed by them that it doesn't really make a difference that he is just a mortal human like yourself.

All of that knowledge, that entire experience, happens in but an instant. Both to you, and to him.

However, even though you have a surprised expression on your face, you can't help but notice that the expression the old man has now is one of… not shock, not confidence, and not even surprise.

He just looks nostalgic, with a gentle smile on his face as if he had just experienced something he had not felt in a very long time.

In fact, for a moment, you almost think his eyes are watering up. Just a little bit. Not enough to form a single drop, but still enough to show how much that exchange meant to him.

"Ah. So you are like me," he says. "Not one of them, but not a stranger either."

He lets out a long sigh after that. But not an unhappy one.

"Come, please. Join me in my home. You can tell me about your journey there."

And without another word, the old man turns and makes his way to the nearby parking lot, still holding his granddaughter's hand as he does.

You take another moment, or perhaps two, to gather your thoughts. And maybe to allow your breathing to calm down once again.

Because you feel a little nervous. Just a little bit. The old man's kindness, and the welcoming aura he had about him, makes it clear that you are not in danger. But still, you can't help but feel your heart beating inside your chest.

But once you are done with that, you tie the medallion to your hair once again. And you follow after him.



- - -



The old man took you to his home.

He took you to his home, and he introduced you to his family, and then he invited you to dinner.

And there, you got to know him a little better.

His life, according to him, was entirely unremarkable. He was a normal man, who led a normal life, whose job made him travel a little more than he wished he had to. Still, he was a person who didn't really have any great desires, or any great fears, and who lived one day at a time as mortals are wont to do.

Until one day, he finally met the woman who would become his wife.

She was a bit of a traveler, and so was he. She needed a little help, which he was happy to give. And she was committed to something akin to a quest. So, since he never really had any great ambitions in his life, he agreed to help her, even if only to spend one more day with her.

During the time they were together, he learned a lot about her. He learned that she had a sister, who she was dedicated to helping. He learned that she wasn't from any country that he could name, or that he could ever find on any map. And eventually, he learned that she wasn't quite human, but that she wasn't not a human either.

And the same way he used to live his life one day at a time, he eventually began to live his life for the sake of spending just one more day with her. No matter where that took him, or what he had to leave behind.

They traveled to many countries and lands, and they wandered until he one day forgot where he had come from.

Until one day, finally, she found what she was looking for. She found what she had been looking for all along.



"I always knew that day would come," he said. "I always knew she was not mine to keep, and that she made promises that were older and more important than the vows we made in our marriage."



Maybe that is why he had such a big family with her, as they traveled. Maybe that is why he had so many sons and daughters, and they in turn had so many grandchildren, while they went from place to place.

Because he knew that one day she would be gone. So, he created a great family, and planted many great trees, to remember her by. To say that she was once there, and that she once loved him, and that their love would live on even after she was gone.



"But that's the thing. She always surprised me, every day we spent together, and that day was no different. Because she decided to stay. With me, and with us, in the place we built our final home."



However, he explained to you that the day he knew would always come… never came.

She found what she had been looking for that whole time, but she never left. She finally found something that should not exist, but she never went on to deliver it to the one she promised.

It broke her heart, he told you, to choose between two oaths and two loves. And by the life of him, he nearly told her to pick the older one, and that he would be fine with all the blessings and joy she had given him. But still, at the very end, she chose him.

She chose him, and she chose the family she had created, and she chose the love she discovered with him. More precious than even the item she had been questing for all along.



"So, we stayed together. And we watched our children grow, and we watched each other grow older. Until finally… she left us, with a smile on her face and the promise that she lived a life worth living. She died, Miss Covers, even though she left a promise unfulfilled. Even though… deep down, I know she did not have to."



He never really understood everything about her. Despite their bond, he realized there were still secrets he never told her.

Probably because he wanted to keep him safe, you soon realized. Because in the end, he never knew about the Lores, or about the wards in his house, or about all the blessings and marks that she covered him with. He, and his family, never knew about any of that, because it was the only way she could keep them safe from the ambitions that knowledge could bring.

And so, you also realize that it is her will that the blood she shared with him grows thin, and that the smell of snakes they have about them eventually fades away, and that when they die the soft dirt fills their mouth, softer than splinters.

Because at the very end, and at the final conclusion of all things, she loved them. She loved them, and she loved him, and she was willing to pay the price for her decision.

However, you also know that… she wasn't the only one who had to pay that price.



"Still, I always wondered what it was that she gave up on. I always wondered who her quest was for. I always wondered… well, that is quite enough, I think. Come, follow, I will take you to her."



His house is a beautiful place. It is large and welcoming, but not necessarily lavish. It is built with craftsmanship that is not of this world or Era. And most importantly, it is fit for an entire family, several generations of it, to live together with plenty of room to spare.

It almost looks like a temple, and perhaps that was the intention all along. With strong and safe walls, and large gates, and the subtle motifs of snakes and scales everywhere you look, from the paintings on the walls down to the smallest details on the door handles.

Fit for royalty, you can't help but think. Fit for a princess, even if not one from this world.

Furthermore, it also has a small shrine, where the grandmother's curious religion could be practiced. A small shrine, by the lake, at the very center of the garden.

It was there that she spent most of her days, he told you.

It was there that she asked to be buried.

And it is there that he is taking you, after he is done telling you his tale.



"I always thought I would be the first to go, because she was always so very beautiful, and time seemed to have such a strange agreement with her. Even now, after all these years, she has not aged a bit. Her body is as fresh as the day she passed, almost as if she is sleeping. In fact, I think that is because… she has been waiting for you. That must also be the reason why we could never close her tomb, and why any lock we tried to bring here either broke or forced itself open."



At the very center of the garden, by the calm lake, there is a shrine.

By the doors of the shrine, guarding it with their outstretched jaws, is a pair of statues of snakes.

Upon the door, marking the threshold that divides this place from the outside world, is the carved symbol of an axe.

And within the shrine, surrounded by pictures and lit candles and all sorts of mementos, is a half-open tomb.

Because it would be impossible to close that tomb, given what the is sole occupier is holding on her hand.

Within the tomb, under the precious light of the lovingly-kept candles, is an impeccably dressed lady. Her skin is sagged with age, but still fresh, and her robes of gold and purple still smell like flowers and scales.

She has a… content smile on her face, of a person who chose how she lived, and who eventually chose to die. Her two arms resting over her chest as if sharing one final embrace with an unseen lover.

However, nestled between her hands, you also see two items.

One of them is a book, written in a language that you cannot decipher.

And the other is a key. A key that can only ever open whatever lock it touches.

The old man did not follow you into the shrine. In fact, after he brought you here, he said his farewells. To you, and to his dear beloved, for he knew he would be able to lock her tomb and properly bury her come tomorrow.

So, with his blessings, you took both items, and you left that place to never return.



…



However…



…



However.



This was not something you could avoid. This was not something you could do anything about.

It just so happens that, when you took the book, you also touched it.

The book was a diary, you could tell. A precious voyage log, kept by one who made the craft of travelling her very lifeblood.

And for all that the book was written in a language that was older than recorded history… the very last page was not.

So, you could not help but read that last page. You could not help but feel those words enter your mind, any more than you cannot stop yourself from breathing in order to live.

You read that last page.

You read the very last entry of her log, and her diary, and the story of her life.

You read her farewell.

And you are not sure if you wish you could take this back or not.

Spoiler: A breach of privacy, about a breach of trust

My dear beloved sister.

Today, I just made a decision that I cannot take back. And today, I sit down to write these words, because I know I will never be able to say them in person.

But written words are messages that can travel across space and time. And cursive writing is, in truth, just a great snake that we entrust to reaching its destination.

So, I know these words will reach you. Someday, somehow. I know they will reach you, together with this key that I bear, because I simply have that much faith in you.

You were always the better, between us two. You always figured it out. Who knows, maybe you won't even need this key anymore, when you finally get it.

Still, here it is, and here I am. My final message to you.

Please, do not be sad. I am here with you, and I will remain with you for as long as you hold on to these pages.

But know that I cannot return to you. I am sorry, but I just can't. I never attained the Silver Key, so there is no way for me to make the trip back to you without shedding.

And I cannot shed. I simply cannot, not anymore. Not this life. Not him. I cannot leave this love behind like a second skin. Because even if I were to return here the moment I gave you the key, I would not remember him anymore. I would not love him anymore.

Because as you know, a snake cannot simply wear a skin that they left behind. And he is now too old for us to relive our story, and for me to fall in love with him again.

So, I have decided to stay. I have decided to stay, and to die like the mortals of the stories they used to tell us about.

But please, do not think for a moment that my love for you is any less. Do not take this as a sign that our sisterhood is any weaker.

I swear to you, as much as my oaths mean anything to you anymore, that I made this decision because I have faith in you.

After all, he would not survive if I ever left him. I know this. He would see me off with a smile, and promise to care for our brood and our nest for the rest of his life. And yet, I know my sons and daughters would be burying him on the very next day. So, I know I cannot leave him.

But you? You are stronger than that. You are stronger than I ever was, and you will make it through this.

And so, this is the only choice I could ever make.

I love you, dear sister. And I will never forget the time we spent together.

So, please, I beg of you. Do not forget the time we spent together. And keep close to your heart the words that we always shared:


Slither through time! Hunt the monsters! And live a different adventure every day!


If there is something after this, if there truly is a beyond, then I promise I will look for you there! No matter how long it takes, or how far I have to travel. If it is possible, then I know we will meet again. I am sure of it!

And if it is not, then know I would not trade my memories of you for anything, and that the life I lived with my sister was the happiest I could ever have.​

Your dear little sister, the slither of your scale, the most annoying hatchling you ever loved,

Rajanaga of Pasargadae

Pasharka​

…

You think you can go back home, now. You do not know if Axe ever wished for this, but this is what she asked of you.





[Dice rolls have been omitted]


And just like that, now you have less time than you had before.


PERSONAL ACTION POINTS REMAINING: 2


You have made time in the real world, so you will have time here. What shall you do with it?


You will return home, back through the foggy mirror.

[] Return home, with Diary and Frangiclave, and fulfill your bargain with the Daughter-of-Axes. (End the dream, and redistribute your remaining action points.)


[] Return home, with Diary, Frangiclave, and something else besides, and fulfill two promises you have made. (End the dream, bringing Twilight Sparkle with you, and redistribute your remaining action points.)

Spoiler: LOGISTICS AND DETAILS

-You will bring back with you "Twilight Sparkle, the student of Canterlot High". She will follow you back to the real world and immediately become a Confidante.

-However, in order to transport such an unprepared ward, you will not only have to make the journey with her, but you will have to ensure she still has a reflection behind the mirror.

-You will take "Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic" through the Foggy Mirror, and leave her in place of her alter-ego on the other side.

-None of these actions will fail, or cause any immediate suspicion. However, you will have to deal with certain complications, and make a few decisions, as they arise. You cannot predict what the future might hold, other than the certainty of these four notes.

You will stay a while and… (Costs one personal action point. Pick THREE options)

[] Alright, WHERE is Stormchaser? (Look for your dear beloved)
[] They are young and impressionable. Thankfully, you are a responsible adult. (Hang out with Rarity and Fluttershy, your real-life confidantes)
[] "Is there anything on your mind, Miss Jack?" (Approach Applejack)
[] "To be honest? I think your job is better than mine." (Approach Cheerilee. She is here… somewhere)
[] "Yes, it's about your daughter. What class I teach her? Well…" (Approach the Rich parents)
[] Apparently, they are not alicorns here. But they are still the highest authority. (Approach the Principals)
[] Now that you can reach the city center, it is time to explore it properly. Check the stores, see the sights, and discover what wondrous things this world considers mundane.
[] Now that you can reach the city center, it is time to explore even beyond that. Map the roads, learn the rules, and seek the very end of this dream.
[] This place has a library. Go take a look.
[] What is this "cellphone" all the kids are talking about? Why do you have one? And what is this "Internet" thing?





Author's Note:
First, the options to "leave" will remain the same until you finally pick one of them, or until you run out of action points. You can, if you so want, continue here without any problem. But know that your most important objective has been fulfilled.

Second, if an option states it will do something, then it will do exactly that. You don't need to worry about uncertainties or risks if an action promises a success, but you should note what uncertainties are explicitly noted.

Third, Velvet Covers is an unreliable narrator, and this world is already strange to begin with. I invite you all to consider if this update is brushing over certain topics or implications, or not.

Ultimately, as ever, the choice is yours.

Twelve hours moratorium. Vote in approval.

An option to "leave" will only win if it ends in the first place. Otherwise, the three activities with the most votes will be picked.

 

[Witherbrine2671]

A love story, so that's what this foggy mirror was about. I'm a sucker for them and this short story about snake who loved a man very much was something I enjoyed.

I had a small guess that taking Twilight back would involve a swap but beyond that I don't have much to say

 

[spiderhellian]

Oh…. Oh my lord.

That was really beautiful, Bird. I almost teared up reading Pasharka's note.

We got the snake lore. I love it. I was thinking about dramatic separatings, all the stuff of CS lore, when I should have been thinking of the other part of the setting too. So beautiful, and so sad, and so perfect. It's a tragedy, but it's beautiful as well, in a wonderful way.

---

So yes, the Twilight path meant what it said.

I want to do it, because it ties this gorgeous grief-soaked thread through everything to come. It's a horror, but not horrific. And I do think that's what I want to read.

 

[AuthorTransient]

Third, Velvet Covers is an unreliable narrator, and this world is already strange to begin with. I invite you all to consider if this update is brushing over certain topics or implications, or not.

Ultimately, as ever, the choice is yours.

Click to shrink...

That was... faster than I was expecting. Well.

Unreliable narrator. Um. Right, I'll ponder on it, but I think the thread is already leaning heavily towards a choice.

...is ignorance bliss?

Again, I implore the thread - this is an action that will define what Velvet Covers is willing to do. And I would like to believe that this world is at least a 'real' world, in that our actions here will have consequences in it. So I would like to approach the principals, I would like to seek the end of the dream, and maybe meet either Stormchaser or Applejack.

 

[Sveta08]

That was... faster than I was expecting. Well.

Unreliable narrator. Um. Right, I'll ponder on it, but I think the thread is already leaning heavily towards a choice.

...is ignorance bliss?

Again, I implore the thread - this is an action that will define what Velvet Covers is willing to do. And I would like to believe that this world is at least a 'real' world, in that our actions here will have consequences in it. So I would like to approach the principals, I would like to seek the end of the dream, and maybe meet either Stormchaser or Applejack.

Click to shrink...

Oh dear.

I... Will need a moment to find my words.

 

[spiderhellian]

Okay, so what would we do with the actions at home?

We've got a SH influence but no reroll, so we could search for Heart books but not confidently do the Sacrament.
We have an AotL lantern and still have that reroll, which gives us good odds at a study action on the Lantern artefact. But we also do want a Lantern influence soon, and that makes studying even stronger…
We could do the Fleeting with our uncle, or social… somebody.

Idk. Maybe we do take one back? But I'm not sure we need two.

I'd like to do both the city centre actions — we've invested a lot in them already, and I think they'll be more interesting than starting a path from square one. Maybe the third we meet the Principals?