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Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience
- Thread starter OurLadyOfWires
- Start date
DelightedOne
Versed in the lewd.
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How else do you think Silky would recruit her?
Angry with the mom, but likes the child enough to focus on her instead of going full cold barrier of profissionalism.
Angry with the mom, but likes the child enough to focus on her instead of going full cold barrier of profissionalism.
Sveta08
Shinning Glimmering and Dangerous
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Velvet thinks she can fix the world.That she, in her infinite novel experience, could change it.
Velvet, and most of the poll and votes by extention, think they know Right, Absolute.
Silky doesn't do that. Silky didn't do that.
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spiderhellian
Araneae
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It might end her beloved, right.
If Velvet had to choose between Stormchaser being present for eternity at the cost of an ever-bleeding wound, and staunching that wound…
That's not really a choice at all, is it?
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DelightedOne
Versed in the lewd.
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If my "The House is no place for lovers" theory is right it might be a choice, in a different way.
Edit: And that is Mother of Wolves territory too, I guess.
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Talon Tiger Dino
From the best dinosaur fighting game
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Sorry Baldomare old gal, but new age, new rules. Get Friendshipped, Nerd.
Sveta08
Shinning Glimmering and Dangerous
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Ah-ah-ah! No no no.
Much as I appreciate the thought and snagging the writing I made, be well aware!
We have no confirmation nor certainty that the wound Baldomare experiences is related to Illopony or could cause his dissapearance, or is beholden to Glory's rules.
Much as I enjoyed and hated making that writing, it is still as we speak, not-canon. Confirmed nor unconfirmed. It is merely my speculation on the wound.
spiderhellian
Araneae
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To me it's canon
Because it feels so right I refuse to believe it is wrong!
Blood is always the price...
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Wolf Songs
New
Sveta08
Shinning Glimmering and Dangerous
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Harrumph! Well, regardless!
Have you here my latest musing that changes nothing but the eyes seeing.
In which a Wolf Sings
It's beautiful.
Before you is a bowl. A dish. Not perhaps for eating, at least not food in the way most do. Though, it consumes still.
In quiet. In pain. In heat like a wound enflamed.
I name you Evil, the first Son.
A bowl piled high with ash.
Bones and bodies of the dead and damned made no more than embers to a fledgling. Before even your youngest brothers' birth, this was yet born. A great conflagration, the dust and remains of so much and so much more burnt by fire of the sun itself. Ever warmed, ever silenced, ever bleeding.
Is it any wonder you so often see your baby brothers' smile here?
Is it any wonder how often Mother finds herself beside this vessel? Never looking, never seeing, but always knowing. Knowing in the way that every mother does.
Stil, you do not linger.
Beautiful as it is, there is work to do. And if nothing else was inherited from Mother, it was a work ethic.
So you begin your rounds.
Heavy paws not felt and not seen near crack the marble.
Pressure like malice follows you. Withering the expression of the guard as you pass by. Every one feeling but the faintest brush of your fur. What cruelty would it be to not offer each and every one a measure, however small, of your attention?
The shiver down their spine. The shift in ill fitting armor. The potential and the threat.
You are not so deft of paw as your younger brother. Paranoia is a master here, where you are merely indulgent. He would know to whisper to their ears and eyes. The heat addling the senses. The whisper of a dragonfly wing taken for so much more. The exhaustion in a close friends eye seen as far worse. The gentle, quiet agony he could bring with mere questions.
You would have to thank him if you see him next.
But it is merely in passing that the staff of Castle feel your presence. For they do not have your eyes or teeth or tongue.
The first is, perhaps, more important.
Such curious things that thought. Maybe more than a sense of work inherited from Mother. But a sense of perspective. Of Scale.
The first stop is deep. Is dark. Is lower than low. The children who brush against the bones of this world.
No sooner than you remember it do you stand before the door. Great and quiet, enscribed with an eclipse of the sun.
To their eyes at least. You always thought it looked like a closed mouth.
Findings for a future...
As you are though, it is with ease that you walk through the door.
No lock, no enchantment, no mastery of magic or ageless insight is enough to bar your passage. And here is no exception.
Children who brush against your brothers both. Wounds still slow in growing mount. Nips from Ash, a living shiver from Paranoia. And of course, a blessing too from you.
For here they find Power. Here, they find Hunger. Here they find
You.
Hours.
Hours you spend. Whispering nothing to their ears. Offering temptations.
How diligently they write them down. How carefully they enscribed and enshrine their fears. Their horrors. And their learning.
Every graze of your teeth draws from these children a shiver of worry. A fretful glance to the others. Wondering if they felt the same. If they could consider such an act... Such a maiming. Such a wound. Wouldn't that help?
Wouldn't that be good?
Doubt in others is Paranoia 's game. But you.... You hunger for a simpler, easier kind of fear.
Corrupted good
Alas, Mother approached. And there is still a changing of the guard to take place. Ash is too young and too focused. Paranoia is too broad and too far in his touch. He cannot walk as you do.
Eventually the work is done, and those dark quiet doors are left alone. From sequestered secrets to well known ones.
Earth and stone seem to shift beneath your paw as you climb the many steps. Rising high.
Chasing Mother, if on another way.
She is sweet, and kind, and gentle, and no more do you haunt her visions. How rare do you whisper word to her. And every time she lashes out in anger and frustration. But...
Your steps land on stones warm to even your senses.
For Mother is not in your sights today.
Up
Up
Up to the highest tower.
Up to where the air boils and the world churns.
Here where magic not of your ways or the new is worked.
Here, the only door you have found that can dream of barring your way.
But it only dreams of it.
And dreams are nothing but passages themselves.
And so, you walk through the Seal of the Sun.
Into her chambers.
"Hello my friend."
No words pass by between you and the Monarch of the Sun. She does not know you, even if she feels you.
For here has been your quiet home.
Here has been an Agony savored like the finest wine.
You walk over, gentle and slow. Not circling her as prey, though to be certain, Wolf will devour the Sun. But you walk slowly all the same.
And
You
Rest
Draped around her withers like a neckpiece. Hanging heavy on her back. Paws falling down across her chest not in hunger. But an embrace.
Your muzzle finds her. Teeth so slowly. So gently parting the fur at her belly. Teething the wound so very long kept secret. Resting over her heart.
"... They don't deserve you."
"After all you have done. After all you have given. How many generations?"
"And to hurt your dearest Sister not years, not months, but a smattering of weeks after her return?"
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
She fights. Oh how she fights.
Every fiber. Every strand. Even more of her than there is buckles and breaks and strains against your words. Your words
Of comfort
Of commiseration
Of understanding
It matters not if she bends or if she breaks. It matters not if Mother rescues her from herself.
What pain could be sweeter?
"You remember her voice. Her touch. Her innocent smile."
"They stole that, didn't they?"
"A thousand years of peace. Of gentleness. Of kindness. And you ask for them to simply love her..."
"And they couldn't "
The sun is slow in setting these days.
And all who look to it know of something they never once felt before when witnessing it.
An uncertainty.
An... Agony. One without end. One held ever and always at the cusp of boiling over. Just ever so carefully constrained.
The sun burned.
And all held their breath
Save singer of song
Have you here my latest musing that changes nothing but the eyes seeing.
In which a Wolf Sings
It's beautiful.
Before you is a bowl. A dish. Not perhaps for eating, at least not food in the way most do. Though, it consumes still.
In quiet. In pain. In heat like a wound enflamed.
I name you Evil, the first Son.
A bowl piled high with ash.
Bones and bodies of the dead and damned made no more than embers to a fledgling. Before even your youngest brothers' birth, this was yet born. A great conflagration, the dust and remains of so much and so much more burnt by fire of the sun itself. Ever warmed, ever silenced, ever bleeding.
Is it any wonder you so often see your baby brothers' smile here?
Is it any wonder how often Mother finds herself beside this vessel? Never looking, never seeing, but always knowing. Knowing in the way that every mother does.
Stil, you do not linger.
Beautiful as it is, there is work to do. And if nothing else was inherited from Mother, it was a work ethic.
So you begin your rounds.
Heavy paws not felt and not seen near crack the marble.
Pressure like malice follows you. Withering the expression of the guard as you pass by. Every one feeling but the faintest brush of your fur. What cruelty would it be to not offer each and every one a measure, however small, of your attention?
The shiver down their spine. The shift in ill fitting armor. The potential and the threat.
You are not so deft of paw as your younger brother. Paranoia is a master here, where you are merely indulgent. He would know to whisper to their ears and eyes. The heat addling the senses. The whisper of a dragonfly wing taken for so much more. The exhaustion in a close friends eye seen as far worse. The gentle, quiet agony he could bring with mere questions.
You would have to thank him if you see him next.
But it is merely in passing that the staff of Castle feel your presence. For they do not have your eyes or teeth or tongue.
The first is, perhaps, more important.
Such curious things that thought. Maybe more than a sense of work inherited from Mother. But a sense of perspective. Of Scale.
The first stop is deep. Is dark. Is lower than low. The children who brush against the bones of this world.
No sooner than you remember it do you stand before the door. Great and quiet, enscribed with an eclipse of the sun.
To their eyes at least. You always thought it looked like a closed mouth.
Findings for a future...
As you are though, it is with ease that you walk through the door.
No lock, no enchantment, no mastery of magic or ageless insight is enough to bar your passage. And here is no exception.
Children who brush against your brothers both. Wounds still slow in growing mount. Nips from Ash, a living shiver from Paranoia. And of course, a blessing too from you.
For here they find Power. Here, they find Hunger. Here they find
You.
Hours.
Hours you spend. Whispering nothing to their ears. Offering temptations.
How diligently they write them down. How carefully they enscribed and enshrine their fears. Their horrors. And their learning.
Every graze of your teeth draws from these children a shiver of worry. A fretful glance to the others. Wondering if they felt the same. If they could consider such an act... Such a maiming. Such a wound. Wouldn't that help?
Wouldn't that be good?
Doubt in others is Paranoia 's game. But you.... You hunger for a simpler, easier kind of fear.
Corrupted good
Alas, Mother approached. And there is still a changing of the guard to take place. Ash is too young and too focused. Paranoia is too broad and too far in his touch. He cannot walk as you do.
Eventually the work is done, and those dark quiet doors are left alone. From sequestered secrets to well known ones.
Earth and stone seem to shift beneath your paw as you climb the many steps. Rising high.
Chasing Mother, if on another way.
She is sweet, and kind, and gentle, and no more do you haunt her visions. How rare do you whisper word to her. And every time she lashes out in anger and frustration. But...
Your steps land on stones warm to even your senses.
For Mother is not in your sights today.
Up
Up
Up to the highest tower.
Up to where the air boils and the world churns.
Here where magic not of your ways or the new is worked.
Here, the only door you have found that can dream of barring your way.
But it only dreams of it.
And dreams are nothing but passages themselves.
And so, you walk through the Seal of the Sun.
Into her chambers.
"Hello my friend."
No words pass by between you and the Monarch of the Sun. She does not know you, even if she feels you.
For here has been your quiet home.
Here has been an Agony savored like the finest wine.
You walk over, gentle and slow. Not circling her as prey, though to be certain, Wolf will devour the Sun. But you walk slowly all the same.
And
You
Rest
Draped around her withers like a neckpiece. Hanging heavy on her back. Paws falling down across her chest not in hunger. But an embrace.
Your muzzle finds her. Teeth so slowly. So gently parting the fur at her belly. Teething the wound so very long kept secret. Resting over her heart.
"... They don't deserve you."
"After all you have done. After all you have given. How many generations?"
"And to hurt your dearest Sister not years, not months, but a smattering of weeks after her return?"
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
She fights. Oh how she fights.
Every fiber. Every strand. Even more of her than there is buckles and breaks and strains against your words. Your words
Of comfort
Of commiseration
Of understanding
It matters not if she bends or if she breaks. It matters not if Mother rescues her from herself.
What pain could be sweeter?
"You remember her voice. Her touch. Her innocent smile."
"They stole that, didn't they?"
"A thousand years of peace. Of gentleness. Of kindness. And you ask for them to simply love her..."
"And they couldn't "
The sun is slow in setting these days.
And all who look to it know of something they never once felt before when witnessing it.
An uncertainty.
An... Agony. One without end. One held ever and always at the cusp of boiling over. Just ever so carefully constrained.
The sun burned.
And all held their breath
Save singer of song
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Uruguayan spider
Not too sore, are you?
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Baldomare: Ah, the ponies of this era... Harmony really brought something here
Last edited:
Over the boiling Sun
New
OurLadyOfWires
Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!
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Author's Note: I promise I will catch up to the thread, read the wonderful omakes and fix the pointed-out typons soon. And I hope you are all doing well!
- - -
You are Shining Armor.
And right now, you really don't feel like your namesake. You don't feel like the stallion who can gallop into the fray and save the day. In fact, you can barely stand your ground as it is. You can't even take a single step forward from where you are.
But still, you have nowhere else to be. There is nothing else you can do. And you know, from the bottom of your heart, that being here right now is the single most important thing you should be doing.
So, you will stand your ground. You will wait, and hope.
You will be here, when that door finally opens.
…
The Royal Castle is… hot. There is no other way to describe it. The effect waxes and wanes at random, but not even the thickest horseshoes can hide the fact that the floor itself is unnaturally warm.
Even then, life tries to continue as normal in the Royal Castle. The maids are making a point of keeping the windows open, to let the cool breeze in. The guards are changing their patrol routes to avoid certain corridors. But everypony else is trying their best to pretend nothing is wrong.
And of course, everypony is avoiding the royal apartments.
Everypony except for you.
If the Royal Castle is hot, then the royal apartments can only be described as sweltering. The warmth, the heat that is boiling the Royal Castle from the inside, is coming from here. It is emanating from the royal apartments. And not just from anywhere in the apartments, this heat is coming from right behind that door.
You know that because you are here. You are here, right next to the heart of this scalding wave. Even though all the guards have been dismissed, lest the metal of their armors singe and scorch their coats, you are still here. You are standing right in front of the wide double doors that lead to Princess Celestia's personal residence.
And much like a colt that is standing too close to a bonfire during a camping trip, you can practically smell the tips of your fur burning. Even if the process is so slow that it causes your white fur to barely turn grayer over the course of an entire day.
You have been here ever since this whole mess began. Ever since your dear wife, your other half, suddenly rushed to the Princess of the Sun and locked the door behind herself.
At first, you thought this would end quickly. You thought that whatever was happening, it would only last a few hours, and that your job would be to console your exhausted wife after whatever trials she had been forced to face.
You thought that at first. Until the heat started to swell, and the hours stretched to an entire day. Until the heat became so unbearable that the guards on duty were slowly pushed away from their posts. Until you were forced to be elsewhere, even if only for a few hours, so you could make arrangements to cover for your absence, in the Bureau and elsewhere.
And now, your life has turned into the morbid mixture of a statue and a desert-dweller. You stand here, alone, in this final antechamber that leads to Celestia's residence, and you wait. You wait, and you breathe in the hot air, and you try to ignore the puddle of sweat that is constantly evaporating around you. You wait, and you do not begrudge your lack of a horn with which you could have shielded yourself from the heat any more than you are thankful for your strong body that allows you to withstand this. Because you know you would still be doing this even if you had neither.
Every now and then you retreat to the previous room, where you quite literally keep a supply of cooled water and nourishment. And whenever you are too tired to stand, you retreat two rooms further, to the closest place that is cool enough for you to sleep in.
But other than that, you just wait. You wait for Cadance. You wait for the love of your life.
Not because you don't trust her. Not because you think you can even help her. None of that. In fact, you are acutely aware that even Cadance herself is ill-suited for… whatever it is that she is doing, but that somehow she is also the best pony available to do it, in all of Equestria.
Still, you are not here because you think Cadance needs help. Instead…
Well, you just know you have to be here. You know, in your heart of hearts, that you need to be here.
Almost as if something… something, very small and very subtle, is whispering in your ear that…
… that if the worst come to pass, that if something goes horribly wrong, it is your duty… no, it is your purpose to stand between Cadance an-
Your thoughts grind to a halt as a noise shatters the simmering air. Your exhaustion, the heat, and indeed your very dehydration are forgotten as your mind focuses on a singular thing.
Despite the oppressive hotness, you take a step towards the door, then another, and then another, as it slowly opens inwards.
And even though you know this is only a reprieve, and not the end of it, you allow yourself to feel relief as you finally come face to face with your dear beloved.
Even if her body feels dangerously light as you carry her away from that place.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Princess Cadance, and this is a dream.
But this isn't just any dream. This is a dream in the sense that you are not awake, but this is not a place that Princess Luna can intrude upon.
You do not mean this as a slight to her. And this is not a claim that you are better than her. But the same way you cannot force Celestia to fall in love with a pony, you know that this dream is for you alone.
You know this because this is the only place you can speak with her.
So, how did it go?
You know her. You know her more than anypony else. You know her better than you know yourself, and you know her better than she knows herself.
And most importantly, you love her dearly.
"I am not sure," you answer honestly.
You know she is, well, a she. Even though you don't really see a filly, or even a mare, when you look at her.
You know her name, but only in the sense that you know that you know her name. Almost as if you can't quite remember it, or perhaps as if you haven't decided what her name is yet.
You know she isn't real, but only because you have not started working on that.
And yet, despite all that, you can't quite place who this pony is, no matter how hard you try.
At least it wasn't so bad that you think it went badly.
"I guess that is true."
Did she laugh just now? Did she mean that as a joke? Or did she say that in a wise, sagely way?
You don't know. You are not really sure what type of pony she will turn out to be.
Even if you know that getting to know her will be the happiest thing in your life.
However…
"Is everything alright?"
You ask. No, you feel forced to ask.
Not because you are nervous. It is impossible for you to feel nervous in this dream. This is a place that not even fear can reach.
Still, you feel forced to ask that.
Why do you ask?
"Because I… I can't see your face today. I can't see your face right now. Your face is always clear, even if I can never remember it. But right now I…"
Well, I'm still here, aren't I? I still exist.
She says that to put you at ease, even though you are not distressed.
However, the way she said that… the implication of her words… you can't help but think that…
"Have I done something wrong?"
I don't know. Have you?
"If I… if I fail, if something goes terribly wrong, will you stop existing?"
She doesn't answer you. She does not answer, because she loves you too much to lie to you.
And yet, her presence is so faint that you can barely feel it when she places a hoof on your shoulder.
You know there is only one way for me to stop existing.
She says that as she comes so close your horns almost touch. She says that looking so deeply into your eyes that she might as well be looking into your soul. She says that, at the same time, as a warning and a plea and perhaps even a farewell.
And suddenly, her face comes into sharp, painful focus. You can see her now, but there is something wrong with her. Her face is harder, more masculine, marred with exhaustion and topped by a slightly melted horn.
But as you take in a sharp, cool breath, you realize you are not looking at her. That you never did. Instead, you are looking at the face she would be modeled after. The mold from which she would be cast. The one whose eyes she would inherit and for whom her love would eclipse even yours.
You wake up, and you realize you are looking at Shining Armor, the love of your life.
And as your faculties and your memories and the pain you feel all over your body comes back to you all at once…
… you quickly forget the dream you just had.
- - -
- - -
- - -
Evergreen Bloom considered herself to be a lucky mare. Perhaps one of the luckiest mares ever. And that was because, to put it simply, she had the best job in all of Equestria.
It was a lot of work, of course. But it was meaningful. And more than that, she always knew what to do. She always knew that she was doing the right thing.
Because she was none other than Princess Cadance's personal assistant.
Being physically close to a Princess is already a privilege. Everypony knows that. But being personally close to a Princess, by virtue of spending so much time with one, is nothing less than a blessing. And thanks to her job and station, Evergreen Bloom had reached that second threshold, and maybe even more.
Granted, being one of the ponies who turns a Princess' will into reality is not easy. Princess Cadance can (and already has) ask for anything, at any time, and it is Bloom's job to make sure that whatever she wants happens as quickly as possible. Without any margin for error.
But of course, being her does come with certain privileges. After all…
Well, the best way she could explain it was through a parable she was told, back when she was a filly.
The parable went something like this:
The answer to that parable is obvious, and it is often told to young foals for a reason.
Of course, the Princess did not break her own rule. After all, the garden belongs to her, and her rule was there so everypony else knew how they should act in her garden.
And the greater lesson from that parable is that laws also do not apply to Princesses. Because just like the flowers in the garden, ponies also belong to the Princesses in this great garden called Equestria. And the Princesses' laws are there so that ponies know how they should act under the Princesses.
In short, being a Princess' assistant meant that Evergreen Bloom could do anything to fulfill Princess Cadance's wishes. And that she could go about her job with a clean conscience, because anything that Princess Cadance asked her to do was objectively right.
However.
However…
Well, Bloom was not questioning Princess Cadance's will.
But even Bloom had to admit that she wasn't quite sure how this would turn out.
"Here we are, ma'am. Right this way," the stallion guard said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Bloom thanked the Constable guard for taking her there, and then she focused on the task at hoof.
Right in front of her was, of course, the door to the Commissioner's office. And even from behind the door she could hear the sound of ponies speaking. Although Bloom had not dealt with the Commissioner before, so she wasn't sure which of the voices was hers.
Still, she quickly knocked on the door and let herself in, regardless of whatever meeting she was about to interrupt. After all, she was there at the Princess' request, and the thick necklace she wore identifying her as a Princess' emissary was usually more than enough to let her do whatever she needed to do in the Royal Castle.
"Please excuse me. Commissioner Covers? I bring word from Princess Cadance."
She said that, and the room immediately went quiet.
The Commissioner's office was… unimpressive. Or perhaps Bloom should describe it as "practical"? It had none of the pomp or royalty of a Princess' abode. But then again, a pony like the Commissioner was never meant to be treated with pomp or royalty.
After all, the Commissioner was just another pony, just like Bloom herself.
And speaking of the mare, she looked… frail. She looked a little thin, and a little tired, and a little pretty.
So, once again, Bloom couldn't help but feel a little… perplexed, by what she was about to do.
After all, she couldn't help but think that the Commissioner looked a little too much like Princess Cadance herself, who she spoke with just a few minutes ago in the privacy of the guest room she had commandeered to rest in.
"Cadance? Cadance is out?!" the Commissioner says, jumping out of her seat as she does. "Meeting's over everypony, we will continue this later." She finishes, clearly dismissing the three ponies she was speaking to just a moment ago.
And Bloom could tell, from the Commissioner's tone and from her urgent trot, that she was expecting to follow Bloom back to meet the Princess. Evergreen Bloom was well aware of how close the mare was to Cadance, of course, so it only made sense.
But that wasn't… why… Bloom was there.
"I'm afraid the Princess won't be meeting anypony, Commissioner Velvet," she said, raising a hoof, causing the mare to stop on her tracks.
For a moment, or perhaps a fraction of a moment, she thought she saw something in the Commissioner's eyes. Some lightning quick calculation of whether she should heed Bloom's words, or if she should just walk past her.
But thankfully, the Commissioner tarried long enough for Bloom to be able to speak.
"But like I said, I bring word from the Princess. She has a task for you, Commissioner," Bloom said, with the practical politeness that she learned over the years. Gracious, as it befits a message from an alicorn, but firm in its finality.
"A… task you say?" the Commissioner said, almost confused. But she nodded for Bloom to continue.
And once again, despite Bloom's unshakable certainty that her Princess is always right, she still hesitated for a moment.
But only for a moment.
"Yes, Princess Cadance has instructed me to… well, to come to you."
"Come to me for… what exactly?" the Commissioner asked. And even if she didn't know it, Velvet Covers had just mimicked, almost word for word, the same question she had asked Princess Cadance just a few minutes before.
"For everything. Princess Cadance will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, but she just instructed me to come to you for, well, instructions. She ordered me to place her Royal Office under your direction until she calls for us again, and…"
Bloom trailed off, as she came to terms with the only way she could properly word the Princess' will.
"… she asked you to run Equestria, Commissioner Velvet, until she comes back."
The Commissioner's eyes went wide at that.
The three ponies behind her, whose meeting had just been interrupted by Bloom, simply blinked in confusion.
And Evergreen Bloom herself could only think about the parable that she was told, all those years ago.
This is the Princesses' garden, she told herself, and they decide how it is run.
Even if they decide that it will be taken care of by bumbling foals like themselves.
This update is rank with the color of Harmony, even if you cannot see it. But that is alright. It is only natural to focus on the printed words, and ignore the paper upon which they are written.
More to come, soon.
- - -
You are Shining Armor.
And right now, you really don't feel like your namesake. You don't feel like the stallion who can gallop into the fray and save the day. In fact, you can barely stand your ground as it is. You can't even take a single step forward from where you are.
But still, you have nowhere else to be. There is nothing else you can do. And you know, from the bottom of your heart, that being here right now is the single most important thing you should be doing.
So, you will stand your ground. You will wait, and hope.
You will be here, when that door finally opens.
…
The Royal Castle is… hot. There is no other way to describe it. The effect waxes and wanes at random, but not even the thickest horseshoes can hide the fact that the floor itself is unnaturally warm.
Even then, life tries to continue as normal in the Royal Castle. The maids are making a point of keeping the windows open, to let the cool breeze in. The guards are changing their patrol routes to avoid certain corridors. But everypony else is trying their best to pretend nothing is wrong.
And of course, everypony is avoiding the royal apartments.
Everypony except for you.
If the Royal Castle is hot, then the royal apartments can only be described as sweltering. The warmth, the heat that is boiling the Royal Castle from the inside, is coming from here. It is emanating from the royal apartments. And not just from anywhere in the apartments, this heat is coming from right behind that door.
You know that because you are here. You are here, right next to the heart of this scalding wave. Even though all the guards have been dismissed, lest the metal of their armors singe and scorch their coats, you are still here. You are standing right in front of the wide double doors that lead to Princess Celestia's personal residence.
And much like a colt that is standing too close to a bonfire during a camping trip, you can practically smell the tips of your fur burning. Even if the process is so slow that it causes your white fur to barely turn grayer over the course of an entire day.
You have been here ever since this whole mess began. Ever since your dear wife, your other half, suddenly rushed to the Princess of the Sun and locked the door behind herself.
At first, you thought this would end quickly. You thought that whatever was happening, it would only last a few hours, and that your job would be to console your exhausted wife after whatever trials she had been forced to face.
You thought that at first. Until the heat started to swell, and the hours stretched to an entire day. Until the heat became so unbearable that the guards on duty were slowly pushed away from their posts. Until you were forced to be elsewhere, even if only for a few hours, so you could make arrangements to cover for your absence, in the Bureau and elsewhere.
And now, your life has turned into the morbid mixture of a statue and a desert-dweller. You stand here, alone, in this final antechamber that leads to Celestia's residence, and you wait. You wait, and you breathe in the hot air, and you try to ignore the puddle of sweat that is constantly evaporating around you. You wait, and you do not begrudge your lack of a horn with which you could have shielded yourself from the heat any more than you are thankful for your strong body that allows you to withstand this. Because you know you would still be doing this even if you had neither.
Every now and then you retreat to the previous room, where you quite literally keep a supply of cooled water and nourishment. And whenever you are too tired to stand, you retreat two rooms further, to the closest place that is cool enough for you to sleep in.
But other than that, you just wait. You wait for Cadance. You wait for the love of your life.
Not because you don't trust her. Not because you think you can even help her. None of that. In fact, you are acutely aware that even Cadance herself is ill-suited for… whatever it is that she is doing, but that somehow she is also the best pony available to do it, in all of Equestria.
Still, you are not here because you think Cadance needs help. Instead…
Well, you just know you have to be here. You know, in your heart of hearts, that you need to be here.
Almost as if something… something, very small and very subtle, is whispering in your ear that…
… that if the worst come to pass, that if something goes horribly wrong, it is your duty… no, it is your purpose to stand between Cadance an-
Click
Your thoughts grind to a halt as a noise shatters the simmering air. Your exhaustion, the heat, and indeed your very dehydration are forgotten as your mind focuses on a singular thing.
Despite the oppressive hotness, you take a step towards the door, then another, and then another, as it slowly opens inwards.
And even though you know this is only a reprieve, and not the end of it, you allow yourself to feel relief as you finally come face to face with your dear beloved.
Even if her body feels dangerously light as you carry her away from that place.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Princess Cadance, and this is a dream.
But this isn't just any dream. This is a dream in the sense that you are not awake, but this is not a place that Princess Luna can intrude upon.
You do not mean this as a slight to her. And this is not a claim that you are better than her. But the same way you cannot force Celestia to fall in love with a pony, you know that this dream is for you alone.
You know this because this is the only place you can speak with her.
So, how did it go?
You know her. You know her more than anypony else. You know her better than you know yourself, and you know her better than she knows herself.
And most importantly, you love her dearly.
"I am not sure," you answer honestly.
You know she is, well, a she. Even though you don't really see a filly, or even a mare, when you look at her.
You know her name, but only in the sense that you know that you know her name. Almost as if you can't quite remember it, or perhaps as if you haven't decided what her name is yet.
You know she isn't real, but only because you have not started working on that.
And yet, despite all that, you can't quite place who this pony is, no matter how hard you try.
At least it wasn't so bad that you think it went badly.
"I guess that is true."
Did she laugh just now? Did she mean that as a joke? Or did she say that in a wise, sagely way?
You don't know. You are not really sure what type of pony she will turn out to be.
Even if you know that getting to know her will be the happiest thing in your life.
However…
"Is everything alright?"
You ask. No, you feel forced to ask.
Not because you are nervous. It is impossible for you to feel nervous in this dream. This is a place that not even fear can reach.
Still, you feel forced to ask that.
Why do you ask?
"Because I… I can't see your face today. I can't see your face right now. Your face is always clear, even if I can never remember it. But right now I…"
Well, I'm still here, aren't I? I still exist.
She says that to put you at ease, even though you are not distressed.
However, the way she said that… the implication of her words… you can't help but think that…
"Have I done something wrong?"
I don't know. Have you?
"If I… if I fail, if something goes terribly wrong, will you stop existing?"
She doesn't answer you. She does not answer, because she loves you too much to lie to you.
And yet, her presence is so faint that you can barely feel it when she places a hoof on your shoulder.
You know there is only one way for me to stop existing.
She says that as she comes so close your horns almost touch. She says that looking so deeply into your eyes that she might as well be looking into your soul. She says that, at the same time, as a warning and a plea and perhaps even a farewell.
And suddenly, her face comes into sharp, painful focus. You can see her now, but there is something wrong with her. Her face is harder, more masculine, marred with exhaustion and topped by a slightly melted horn.
But as you take in a sharp, cool breath, you realize you are not looking at her. That you never did. Instead, you are looking at the face she would be modeled after. The mold from which she would be cast. The one whose eyes she would inherit and for whom her love would eclipse even yours.
You wake up, and you realize you are looking at Shining Armor, the love of your life.
And as your faculties and your memories and the pain you feel all over your body comes back to you all at once…
… you quickly forget the dream you just had.
- - -
- - -
- - -
Evergreen Bloom considered herself to be a lucky mare. Perhaps one of the luckiest mares ever. And that was because, to put it simply, she had the best job in all of Equestria.
It was a lot of work, of course. But it was meaningful. And more than that, she always knew what to do. She always knew that she was doing the right thing.
Because she was none other than Princess Cadance's personal assistant.
Being physically close to a Princess is already a privilege. Everypony knows that. But being personally close to a Princess, by virtue of spending so much time with one, is nothing less than a blessing. And thanks to her job and station, Evergreen Bloom had reached that second threshold, and maybe even more.
Granted, being one of the ponies who turns a Princess' will into reality is not easy. Princess Cadance can (and already has) ask for anything, at any time, and it is Bloom's job to make sure that whatever she wants happens as quickly as possible. Without any margin for error.
But of course, being her does come with certain privileges. After all…
Well, the best way she could explain it was through a parable she was told, back when she was a filly.
The parable went something like this:
Princess Celestia had a beautiful garden, where all kinds of flowers bloomed.
One day, the Princess decreed that her flowers were so beautiful that "Nopony may pick a flower from the garden." And from that day onward, every pony who picked even a single flower from the garden was arrested.
Sometime later, while strolling through her garden, Princess Celestia herself came upon the most beautiful of roses. So pretty it was that she immediately picked it and plucked it into her mane.
Did the Princess break her own rule? Should she be imprisoned as well?
One day, the Princess decreed that her flowers were so beautiful that "Nopony may pick a flower from the garden." And from that day onward, every pony who picked even a single flower from the garden was arrested.
Sometime later, while strolling through her garden, Princess Celestia herself came upon the most beautiful of roses. So pretty it was that she immediately picked it and plucked it into her mane.
Did the Princess break her own rule? Should she be imprisoned as well?
The answer to that parable is obvious, and it is often told to young foals for a reason.
Of course, the Princess did not break her own rule. After all, the garden belongs to her, and her rule was there so everypony else knew how they should act in her garden.
And the greater lesson from that parable is that laws also do not apply to Princesses. Because just like the flowers in the garden, ponies also belong to the Princesses in this great garden called Equestria. And the Princesses' laws are there so that ponies know how they should act under the Princesses.
In short, being a Princess' assistant meant that Evergreen Bloom could do anything to fulfill Princess Cadance's wishes. And that she could go about her job with a clean conscience, because anything that Princess Cadance asked her to do was objectively right.
However.
However…
Well, Bloom was not questioning Princess Cadance's will.
But even Bloom had to admit that she wasn't quite sure how this would turn out.
"Here we are, ma'am. Right this way," the stallion guard said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Bloom thanked the Constable guard for taking her there, and then she focused on the task at hoof.
Right in front of her was, of course, the door to the Commissioner's office. And even from behind the door she could hear the sound of ponies speaking. Although Bloom had not dealt with the Commissioner before, so she wasn't sure which of the voices was hers.
Still, she quickly knocked on the door and let herself in, regardless of whatever meeting she was about to interrupt. After all, she was there at the Princess' request, and the thick necklace she wore identifying her as a Princess' emissary was usually more than enough to let her do whatever she needed to do in the Royal Castle.
"Please excuse me. Commissioner Covers? I bring word from Princess Cadance."
She said that, and the room immediately went quiet.
The Commissioner's office was… unimpressive. Or perhaps Bloom should describe it as "practical"? It had none of the pomp or royalty of a Princess' abode. But then again, a pony like the Commissioner was never meant to be treated with pomp or royalty.
After all, the Commissioner was just another pony, just like Bloom herself.
And speaking of the mare, she looked… frail. She looked a little thin, and a little tired, and a little pretty.
So, once again, Bloom couldn't help but feel a little… perplexed, by what she was about to do.
After all, she couldn't help but think that the Commissioner looked a little too much like Princess Cadance herself, who she spoke with just a few minutes ago in the privacy of the guest room she had commandeered to rest in.
"Cadance? Cadance is out?!" the Commissioner says, jumping out of her seat as she does. "Meeting's over everypony, we will continue this later." She finishes, clearly dismissing the three ponies she was speaking to just a moment ago.
And Bloom could tell, from the Commissioner's tone and from her urgent trot, that she was expecting to follow Bloom back to meet the Princess. Evergreen Bloom was well aware of how close the mare was to Cadance, of course, so it only made sense.
But that wasn't… why… Bloom was there.
"I'm afraid the Princess won't be meeting anypony, Commissioner Velvet," she said, raising a hoof, causing the mare to stop on her tracks.
For a moment, or perhaps a fraction of a moment, she thought she saw something in the Commissioner's eyes. Some lightning quick calculation of whether she should heed Bloom's words, or if she should just walk past her.
But thankfully, the Commissioner tarried long enough for Bloom to be able to speak.
"But like I said, I bring word from the Princess. She has a task for you, Commissioner," Bloom said, with the practical politeness that she learned over the years. Gracious, as it befits a message from an alicorn, but firm in its finality.
"A… task you say?" the Commissioner said, almost confused. But she nodded for Bloom to continue.
And once again, despite Bloom's unshakable certainty that her Princess is always right, she still hesitated for a moment.
But only for a moment.
"Yes, Princess Cadance has instructed me to… well, to come to you."
"Come to me for… what exactly?" the Commissioner asked. And even if she didn't know it, Velvet Covers had just mimicked, almost word for word, the same question she had asked Princess Cadance just a few minutes before.
"For everything. Princess Cadance will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, but she just instructed me to come to you for, well, instructions. She ordered me to place her Royal Office under your direction until she calls for us again, and…"
Bloom trailed off, as she came to terms with the only way she could properly word the Princess' will.
"… she asked you to run Equestria, Commissioner Velvet, until she comes back."
The Commissioner's eyes went wide at that.
The three ponies behind her, whose meeting had just been interrupted by Bloom, simply blinked in confusion.
And Evergreen Bloom herself could only think about the parable that she was told, all those years ago.
This is the Princesses' garden, she told herself, and they decide how it is run.
Even if they decide that it will be taken care of by bumbling foals like themselves.
This update is rank with the color of Harmony, even if you cannot see it. But that is alright. It is only natural to focus on the printed words, and ignore the paper upon which they are written.
More to come, soon.
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ses
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I see we threadgoers aren't the only ones who are a little yandere for The Princess of Love. Holy shit Bloom I totally understand where you're coming from, ponies aren't stupid and can plainly see that their rulers are Literal Actual Goddesses no matter how humble a game they might talk, but it's still scary to see laid out like that.
Ha ha, I feel like I got called out for my argument to go on the expedition. Oh well. I guess this is why Shiny gets to plap the Princess of Love and we don't
Also apparently Flurry Heart is straight up Pony Jesus
Ha ha, I feel like I got called out for my argument to go on the expedition. Oh well. I guess this is why Shiny gets to plap the Princess of Love and we don't
Also apparently Flurry Heart is straight up Pony Jesus
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Shaper47
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Called it.
Sigh, this is why we really should have put Mareinette on Cadance.
Greymere
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If that is actually the case, it'd certainly puts the potential cult goal for that time point in a different light huh?
Edit: Also, hey! We're finally putting that Mare Administrator trait to work. Just run all of Equestria for a month. No biggie
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ses
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I swear to God Velvet is literally ruling the country and yet the small town mayor slapped us with a DC 100 check to upgrade from "Acquaintance". She should be spending HER ap to suck up to US instead of burning our name AP on a dumb sidequest where we beg her to deign to like us a tiny bit more. Learn to be a better politician Mayor Mare!
spiderhellian
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Pretty funny update to read after we've decided to go adventuring on a Long Expedition
And man the glimpses of just what Harmony nonsense is going on will take some working through. And are all the more fascinating for it.
Oh well… We've made our choices and cast our dice, truly, no turning back now.
And man the glimpses of just what Harmony nonsense is going on will take some working through. And are all the more fascinating for it.
Oh well… We've made our choices and cast our dice, truly, no turning back now.
Shaper47
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Hmmm, well Velvet does have a Moth Sacrament, Mareinette and the Forge Name so if they wanted to change the Forge Name to make them a real girl...
Well Caddy is right there.
So even if Shining Armor abandons his wife Velvet Covers is able to give Caddy what she really desires.
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DelightedOne
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Things like this are why I feel we shouldn't have left. Please, dice gods, please don't give us 2 fallen alicorns if Shining dies by Daybreaker.
Flurry Heart? If that's her, then the Master baby alicorn option would have given Cadance some weird dreams.
Aha, knew it!
Well, good to know my dice still work on predicting good things.
spiderhellian
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You see, even when we don't realize we're prioritizing the lores over Harmony…
We're prioritizing the lores over Harmony
Never change Velvet, never change…
We're prioritizing the lores over Harmony
Never change Velvet, never change…
Arrkhon
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Wasn't this glaringly obvious all along? Barely anything Harmony related gets voted on even when it's beneficial to usYou see, even when we don't realize we're prioritizing the lores over Harmony…
We're prioritizing the lores over Harmony
Never change Velvet, never change…
DelightedOne
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To my ever growing dissatisfaction this is true.
But I still believe there is a chance, a small chance, that we are not going to keep doing this. If we can just... stop going mad cultist all the time now.
But I still believe there is a chance, a small chance, that we are not going to keep doing this. If we can just... stop going mad cultist all the time now.
spiderhellian
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All In is right. There.
The time to choose a different path was years ago, in game and IRL.
It's not wrong, the path we've chosen. It would be wrong to seek another so late in the day.
But it sure is funny
Earth-Destroyer
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If Harmony wanted more votes it should have made it easier to find. We found a shortcut to it, and got nothing.
Shaper47
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Well we have picked Caddy the pony well suited for incarnation of a Name.
Having a Name become an Alicorn is probably Harmony related.
ses
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There's a reason we don't have a grimoire of unicorn spells. This is a cultsim game and Velvet's path is the Lores. SO much tragedy was caused by us trying to emulate tropes. See destroying Twilight's life because we answered a test that had an obvious realistic consequence with parroting the cliche line that we were "supposed to say" about trusting her mentor. I have zero patience for people trying to gaslight us into thinking that we won't continue to get kicked in the nuts if we continue to act stupid. See the QM having to institute an emergency game patch to prevent us from stubborning our way into a Game Over because people got attached to the idea that "the Lores are bad and therefore we shouldn't climb the mansus. The Lores are a "Trap" and therefore we shouldn't study them"
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DelightedOne
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Ehhhh, there will be more things to worry about later, i spent some Reagents and am fairly sure we will have a couple more small Harmony themed options and at least 1 BIG Harmony Choice.All In is right. There.
The time to choose a different path was years ago, in game and IRL.
It's not wrong, the path we've chosen. It would be wrong to seek another so late in the day.
But it sure is funny
It is kind of obvious with the way this story was made.
A shortcut we only did one third of the way. It is not as if Glory was easy to reach, we just went more often with it.
Earth-Destroyer
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And if called exactly what would happen if we did not help Twilight. God dam that set up back so much, imagine if we had Twilight as a trained lore user. We would easily be all 6 in the lores by now if we had just taken Twilight under Velvet's care.
We actually did find Harmony in the mirror world, did we get Alicornhood or anything of note, nope.
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DelightedOne
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I blame my best friend for the urge to say "Bombastic side-eye" to this.
Alicornhood is so much more complicated to get than just finding Harmony I can't even properly articulate how wrong this sounds.
And that was not the proper Path to Victory, just a cool sidequest.
ses
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I'm sure that Smiles' influence wont have any explosive results when it comes in contact with Equestria. He's said he'd keep any fires to "a minimum" after all
...kinky
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