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

[Steady Gaze]

Oh, I forgot about the decision of how much to disclose to Pride. I also don't have a strong opinion, but I say we humor him (though how much is another question). I'm not sure how old he is, but crushes are a part of growing up, and you do need the chance to fail to learn the ways of romance. And we don't take the opinion hit for trying to shoot him down immediately.

 

[Shaper47]

God we were so close to having her in our circle, such a saddening fucking shame.

Click to shrink...

I know right, such a waste.

I kinda want Velvet to create a winter reagent in the form of a painting of Starry as a memorial.

Though given how Secret Histories works we could always just find another Starry and make her our friend. But I don't really think doing a Job is a good idea.

One question I do have is where did Starry Dancers soul go?

Are we going to see her silent figure in the bleak plains?

There's also the idea of choosing to spend "quality" time with our new son and having him to hunt us.

Click to shrink...

Hmm, I wonder if that focus could be used to have Ash attempt to help us in our Mansus actions?

Mechanically he can give debuffs, so why not buffs?

It probably wouldn't take effect past the Blank Door but for exploring the first areas it might help.

What scent will you give it? Who has earned your focused hate?

(The character picked here will be actively hunted whenever they enter the Mansus)


[Pick one]

Click to shrink...

How about Midday Dew?

 

[Sveta08]

Have a... story? A prediction? A guess? Another History?

.... Ah! That's the right way to put it.
A Pathway

---

The stench of it still clung to your throat.

Still felt like a pebble stuck in your hoof. Still clung to your coat in a way that would never come out. No matter how hard you scrubbed.
No matter how firmly you held Stormy, or how soothing his words would be when you woke up.
No matter how right it was to see and hold Selene when she finally woke up. Even when she called you Mother for the first time.
Even when Silky began to grow and show her age in ways she shouldn't, but that her heart refused to let her back away from.
No amount of pride, or fear, or love, or compassion would coat that raw, acrid taste.


You are Velvet Covers. And you just woke up from what you wished was a dream.


You still tried.

It didn't matter it was too early to begin the day. That once all was said and done at the Bureau you would be tired because you started the day too early, that didn't matter.
Sitting here, dwelling, thinking... wasn't going to help.
Doing something wasn't going to help either. But you could at least try.

Brush held by magic worked its' way through your mane. Cleaning. Straightening what was there. Cleaning what wasn't there.
Ash
He wasn't underhoof here. But you could still feel it. Still smell him. Still hear the space that would have been his voice.
The latest in a long line of mistakes.

.... no.
Consequences. Not mistakes.

You tried to push him from your mind.
Tried to not remember the thing like joy he felt, showing you his gifts.
To forget what you asked of him to do.
The feeling of him up against your legs, leaning like a doting child.

One that coated the walls around the Manus in wounds made the wrong shape and suffering that tasted like a smile with too long teeth.

You failed.
But you still tried.

---

It was a coincidence.
Or, it would have been if you still believed in such things.
Maybe it was an escape you needed for longer than you could remember. Maybe it was a more recent escape than that.
Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

But you needed a minute.
A meal.
And a drink.

Normally, you only take a modest meal. Something easy on the stomach, fairly filling, and something that won't bother you even as the hours wind long. Filling, hearty, good food you could say. And the chefs in the capitol are second to none, baring save perhaps the princesses own attendants. Granted, considering your position, they may very well be one in the same? A question for another time.
No, normally breakfast is a simple affair. Something to eat, move on, and keep you going.

Today, it was a goal.


But it was the tea that made you pause.
Not the meal that you asked for. Not the pause of the attendant as they took your request and ran off with it. Not the gleaming shine of the ware that it came in on. Not the price you are sure every single piece of it would afford.
It was the tea. Or rather, the drink.

Two drinks. Your own request after all.
One your traditional blend of tea, long since perfected by the staff here after having Pompom share with them her secrets.
The other, what you could best describe as a 'morning constitutional.' Something to settle the nerves, to calm the mind, to help wash a way the ichor that wasn't in the back of your throat. More a remedy than a drink, tea or not.

But, it was red.

A very specific red.
Not the right one in taste you could soon attest. Apparently it was a mix with cranberries to try and make the taste more appealing.
But it was the right shade. It was at the right time. It was when your mind was busy and your hooves working.

A coincidence.
Surely.

But it was a seed of an idea.
Or not even a seed. But a potential. A question not thought to be asked, suddenly seen in the light.
A disgusting question. But maybe...

---

It took the rest of the week.

The hours between in the wake full of work that was surely important. Full of requests that were more critical than the last and that all needed you to see to them. Every moment a part of every day that carried on end over end over end. Useful moments. Distracting moments.

But it took until the end of the week for you to return home.
Moments stolen from the people who truely mattered to steal away. A few words proved all it needed. Telling the guard you will be headed home early. Telling your servants you will be home late.
An unpleasant reflection of when you brought her here.

You walked to the annex. It was the place she was kept. Where she made herself at home.
You walked with confidence, if not fear. Till reaching the cellar door.

It was open.
She was waiting.

All it would take would be walking down those steps. Decending down into a place that was her home as much as it was hers.
So you pushed past the scent. Past the feeling of something not quite dead and not quite gone. Deeper down where the world was velvety red and the world was awash in a scent too sweet to be anything but rot.

You walked even when you felt her gaze on you.
Walked until you found your seat. Till you could sit. Could look back up to her.



"[Grail]!"



The creature spoke with the same warmth they always seemed to. Spoke of a joy in meeting them again, and of welcoming Velvet back once more into the little place she had made her own. There was an offering of a drink, or perhaps a request for a visit. Such things by her lips were always too similar.

But of course, they both knew Velvet could not accept a drink. Of her reluctance to visit. It was a joy. And it was a question. The same question given by the tilt of her skull. The same question that always was asked in kindness. Not in offense, but in sincerity.
And Velvet...

"I... have a child."



"[Grail]..."



She agrees with you once more. A wistful sort of word, remembering the brief image she stole of the child on the eve of her summoning. A beautiful child in her own words. One too precious for this world.
As much as you wish to not have her even remember Silky... you shake your head.

"No. I.... I have a son."


And the change is... slow.
Her skull straightens, looking back down at you. Reconsidering your words. Reconsidering what that means.
Velvet black and red robes shift as she moves. Moved to think. To listen.
To taste.
What you want.

And it's impossible. To see the change on a skull. To feel skin tug back into a smile. To see empty eyesockets filled with pride and glee. But you know that is true when she looks back at you. You know with the same certainty that you know the sun will rise and the moon will set. It's absolute. And she...

Is proud you would ask.



"[Grail]"



The sun has risen by the time you leave. What you have learned is...
A different path



Velvet Covers has learned the Ritual "A Mother's Love"
This is not a Regretable Action. This is a Regretable Action

 

[Venerable Ro]

Well.

And here I thought I was the one in charge of mad ideas. I'm not sure what to even say, though I commend your, innovation.

 

[Sveta08]

What can I say?
There has been a good bit of talk of Mareinette lately, and now with a new son...
Well, she does have a thing for foals and Velvet's blood. I just put one and one together.

After all, people keep saying they want to get rid of the wolves. Who am I to deny them... a potential avenue for that?
Children are children after all!

 

[Greymere]

This update reminds me...

@OurLadyOfWires Last time we directly asked if there was any possibility of ever removing the Stains, I think you said that we/Velvet didn't have a good enough understanding of what the Stains even were to try and figure it out (since iirc it was when we were still at 1/7). Since we're now at 3/7, do we have a better idea about the removability of the Stains? Completely impossible, possible but not within the scope of the quest (e.g. as Hour-Velvet), technically possible but extremely difficult?

Edit: Also if we mark a prey for Ash, can we specify that we just want him to harass them instead of kill them? I.e. Give them wounds or lasting debuffs, but not taking that final step to actually kill them. Prolonged agony is one of the Wolf's domains, after all

 

[Iustus Vitea]

-snip

Click to shrink...

You know, I'm not that opposed to the idea...

Also, I fucking called it. Ash has become the Wastes, while thats not quite a new Wolf-themed Moth Name it is a Will of the Wastes like there once was a Will of the Woods.

Also also, it is now confirmed that the Master is dead beyond any artifice to bring them back/preserve them.

Now for the vote, let's tell our brother of Axe's action this turn, we'll let him interact and fail on his own merit.

I'm in favour of picking Feast, the effect is diffuse and so the harm is lesser. We'll lesser in instance if not total amount.

As for killing either Copper or Windy? Not this turn, not until we know what Windy is doing and have raided Copper. If there is an attack this turn then I don't believe it'll be delayed. If there isn't then we can check up on either of them next turn before going after them like this.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

What can I say?
There has been a good bit of talk of Mareinette lately, and now with a new son...
Well, she does have a thing for foals and Velvet's blood. I just put one and one together.

After all, people keep saying they want to get rid of the wolves. Who am I to deny them... a potential avenue for that?
Children are children after all!

Click to shrink...

"Wolves aren't foals, silly. They are not good eating at all, all dulling Winter and disagreeable Edge. And to counteract the doings of an Hour are beyond even one so Great as I."

 

[Gyldir]

How about Midday Dew?

Click to shrink...

Eh, too big a risk of harming him without him coming to us.
That chance was @ the wedding.

We should contact him coming turns, though.

 

[Greymere]

Anyway, I'm going to advocate for picking Feast for Ash. While it will definitely affect everyone, it also will definitely not kill anyone since there aren't any Wounds being inflicted. However, more importantly, it means that everyone who enters the Mansus will receive a temporary debuff.

Remember how Paranoia's malus applied twice over on Baldomare's summoning, once for Copper and once for the cadre? We could be looking at another -10 to -20 malus for Copper's rituals, if the Ash-malus from Feast also compounds.

Otoh, I would be fine approval voting for Stalk, if people would prefer the consequences to be more severe but technically avoidable if you're good enough.

 

[Pittauro]

You are more than a little worried about how her expression is so… not sad, and not hurt, but she looks confused. Maybe even lost. And you can tell from her tone of voice that she doesn't even know what exactly is making her feel this way. The way she is speaking makes it very clear that she is still trying to grasp why she is feeling bad about this whole situation to begin with.

Click to shrink...

It's a very weird situation to end up in, yeah.

"My sister was actually a demigoddess all along". They don't teach how to deal with that in school!

"Mom, I… did Selene…" she starts, then stops, as if afraid to even ask what is on her mind. Still, after a few more moments, she gulps down something dry and asks you what is on her mind. "Mom, did Selene change? Is she really the same Selene she was before… before all this?"

Click to shrink...

She's basically wondering if what they had before was a lie.

In the end, the only possible answer is the truth.

Selene was hurt very badly, and while with us she slowly recovered. She is now grown up and healthier, but she changed basically in the same way Silky changed compared to a few years ago... just more.

And of course, you do realize that in the grand scheme of things Silky's concerns aren't really that "big". A strange answer from her sister here, an unexpected brush off there. And of course, the fact that Selene has just made herself absent for long periods of time now, whenever she gets the chance. You do realize that those are all the worries of a filly who can't spend as much time with somepony she loves now. You know this shouldn't be a big deal, and that growing up even means going through these kinds of things, more often than not.

Click to shrink...

and I'm now reminded of just how... less often I'm hearing my friends nowadays...

Curse you Bird! I'm not here to think about real life!

Of course, you don't feel the need to tell her what you really think about this particular subject. There is no need to tell her why, for example, she isn't called Velvet Stream.

She doesn't need to know that you wouldn't want Selene to change her name to that even if she asked.

She doesn't need to know that the Velvet legacy doesn't deserve them. That it never will. And that you won't let them tarnish their beautiful names and their peaceful lives even if that is the last thing you do.

Click to shrink...

I think it's up to Selene and Silky if they feel it's a legacy both honoring.

After all, there is at least one "Good Velvet"... for a given value of good.

(we're trying our best!)

"Cantrip? Please, raise your head. I don't really mind Soft coming up at a time like this, but is there anything you need?" you ask.

Click to shrink...

She's going to ask about Axe, isn't she?

And the answer you gave him was that…



[Pick one]

[] [PRIDE] You will tell him everything you know. (Reveal to Pride all of Axe's actions, for the next three turns)

[] [PRIDE] You will tell him a little bit, but also that he should ask her the rest himself. (Reveal to Pride what action Axe will take this turn only)

[] [PRIDE] You will not tell him anything.

Click to shrink...

I... have no idea what I want to do here!

Because the one thing this place cannot do, that the Woods could, is block out the light of Glory. And throughout your entire journey in this place, as your legs sunk deeper and deeper into the ashes until you could almost feel it on your belly, the Glory has been shining down upon you. The Glory has been shining down upon you, and you have been marching towards it.

Click to shrink...

We replaced a dark woods with an hellish not-desert... but the Glory still beckons.

In fact, as you look more closely, you soon realize that the source light is a horseshoe-shaped sigil, imprinted on the dark-blue stone of the stairs. As if a pony made out of light had left a part of herself there, to help illuminate and navigate the way forward.

But of course, you immediately realize who did it… in fact, you almost climb up the stairs to meet her. You almost make your way up to the Blank Plains, so you can meet her in her lodge.

Click to shrink...

Baldomare leaving a beacon for ponies to follow... she's surprisingly nice.

Is this meant for us, or for everyone who might come after?

However, the single, most important, and most horrible thing you have learned from this place is that…

It is alive.

The Ashen Wastes are alive. They are alive, and they can think, and they have been watching you this entire time.

They have been watching you with bated breath. They have been watching you with an eagerness and glee that you can't describe or comprehend. And most of all, they have been watching you with anticipation. Waiting for you to notice it. Waiting for you to finally stare back at it, as it has been staring at you this entire time. Counting the seconds until you realize that every last mote of ash, and every last crashing wave filled with torment, is a part of this single… great… vast entity, that stretches as far as your eyes can see.

Click to shrink...

Just like the Master was the Will of the Woods, Ash seems to be the will of the Ashen Wasteland...

does he then kill people by dragging them out of the dreamrealms into the not-desert not-ocean?

Ash…

… has…

… a present…

… for its…

… Mother…​

A chill runs through your spine as you piece together that last word.

Click to shrink...

Truly, those actions couldn't be more Regrettable.

To velvet, motherhood is the best thing that ever happened to her. Stormchaser first, and Silky Later, and finally Soft Sweeps and Selene, gave meaning to her life.

and the Wolf ruined that for her, by corrupting something so pure. As those monsters born of her regrets call her Mother too.

Within the salty taste of those bones, you find a memory.

It is the memory of a pegasus. One that could never quite think straight, ever since she was struck in the head by an empty bottle, wielded by an uncaring parent. One that was never quite wanted, as she went from foster home to foster home, always being kicked out for being too slow, or perhaps too quick in all the wrong ways. One that never quite fit in the world created by ponykind, but that still tried with all her soul to earn the love she so desperately craved.

One that never really had any friends... until she did.

One that never really had any reason to be proud of herself... until she was taught that the insistence she carried in her heart was a virtue, not a vice.

One that never really had anyone who loved her... until she was adopted by a fatherly forest

Click to shrink...

...

...

Starry?

[Pick one]


[] [ASH-GUARD] Feast!
-"The treacherous ground of the Ashen Wastes will burn and torment every single pony who enters the Mansus."
-All ponies who access the Mansus will receive a small and temporary debuff.

[] [ASH-GUARD] Stalk.
-"The shifting waves will lie in wait, the sightless eyes will watch with bated breath, until its prey is right before its jaws."
-A reasonable number of ponies who access the Mansus will risk receiving a lasting debuff, or a wound if they are unlucky.


[] [ASH-GUARD] Starve...
-"It understands your hate, and it will be all the more gleeful to obey because of it. It will not attack any prey… that is, until madness and hunger subjugate it, and its impulse take over."
-A very small fraction of ponies who access the Mansus will risk receiving a wound, or they might die if they are unlucky.



Beneath and around the walls of the Mansus, there is only Ash.

What scent will you give it? Who has earned your focused hate?

(The character picked here will be actively hunted whenever they enter the Mansus)


[Pick one]


[] [ASH-PREY] Copper Secateur
[] [ASH-PREY] Windy Flakes
[] [ASH-PREY] Somepony else (Write in)
[] [ASH-PREY] No prey

Click to shrink...

probably Feast and Copper? then again Windy is an unknown and that might make him WORSE.

As a side-note, we now have a potential card to play for a Copper truce. We can actually hold mansus privilege hostages.



... Poor Starry. She didn't deserve this. Her blood is on Velvet's hooves.

And really, poor Woods. They couldn't understand Velvet until they pushed her too far...

I was hoping for a seed to have survived... but apparently not.

I don't suppose we could recover the burnt seed and restore it with a Redemption of the Forge @OurLadyOfWires ? You know, make Starry's death not have been in vain?

 

[Pittauro]

Velvet... velvet loves her family and the horrible nightmarish thing that we have just walked through is our son in every way... She would never let her son starve. To stalk and watch, that Velvet would allow, harry those who climb the steps to Glory, but never allow yourself to come to harm my son.

Click to shrink...

are you mad?

Ash is an abomination. It's the corruption of Velvet's most sacred value, those of family and motherhood.

There's NOTHING Velvet hates and is disgusted by more than her "sons", except MAYBE herself for "giving birth" to her.

A pity our son can't hunt in the Wake or at least can't hunt in the Wake yet.

In the good old days the Woods could spread into the Wake so why couldn't Ash learn to do the same?

Of course our Personal Knock Sacrament would be very useful here in opening the door for our Son to enter into the Wake.

Click to shrink...

Why would you even want that?!

Agreed, everyone had their imperfections, their sins. That alone does not make them unworthy of love, not to Velvet Covers.

Click to shrink...

we must have been reading very different stories.

There is NOTHING Velvet would hate more than her "wolf sons". Nothing she regrets more.

Though we really should social our sons sometime.

Click to shrink...

or, and here's a better idea, we should NOT.

I say Stalk. Keeps pony cultists on their toes, discourages them heavily, but not lethally so. And, well, I don't want more Starrys happening. God we were so close to having her in our circle, such a saddening fucking shame.

Click to shrink...

The sadder part is that, not only she considered us a friend, AND we betrayed her first (by leaving her in prison)...

but also, she might have very well have been the one that might have bridged Velvet and the Master's goals.

I could see a path not taken, where she, who understood the Fatherly Woods much better, might have come up with a compromise...

And to think it was a head injury the whole time. Something likely fixable by the Forge's Redemption.
What a damn waste.

Click to shrink...

or maybe incision, if it counted as a mental malus.

We even considered it, once...

but it removes a lot of plausible deniablity if Velvet and company are the only ones not suffering from it

Click to shrink...

eh, until the Bureau knows of us they wouldn't understand, and later we can maybe tell them we developed a ritual or realization that allows us to extend protections to our allies or something.

I really do wish we'd had a chance to talk to Axe about our brother's infatuation before this, even Pinkie Pie would probably be somewhat offput by a near-stranger discussing her possible love life with a comple stranger. To say nothing of the reticent Axe.

Does she want privacy, does she want a chance to do anything and everything unrelated to her prison, does she want to sail for Ys-as-yet-Unbuilt? We haven't any idea at all! I really do dislike blind guessing, we have such a poor track record with it.

Click to shrink...

I suspect Axe might take any subtle encouragement of giving our brother a chance as an attempt to turn her into an Alukite

She's unlikely to take it well.

I think the use of the word "better" is interesting, being a sort of value judgement. Who says the woods were better? In what way? Better in that it had a more vibrant ecosystem, or preserved the past, or had more interesting places to explore? I guess it can't be denied that some formerly living things are now ash.

Click to shrink...

better in that it wasn't of the Wolf, obviously!

How about Midday Dew?

Click to shrink...

...why?!

He literally did NOTHING to deserve it! IF we have to choose someone, it should obviously be Copper or Windy.

 

[DelightedOne]

Starry Dancer has been confirmed as dead. Her death was not a peaceful one.

Click to shrink...

Poor Starry, I suspected she wouldn't be fine but this... This is so much worse than what I imagined.

I am in favor of Feast. If you look at the actual effects, it doesn't kill anypony, and the debuff is "small" and "temporary". This is the option that actually does the least harm to innocents. It seems letting it go to town on ponies' dream bodies lets it retain the self-control to not kill in the Wake.

Click to shrink...

That's true, but it is a Wolf-thing so either all options are bad in some way or only one of them is the "Good" one(like Soft's cult focus choice).

I personally think Feast is the best one in this case, it feels like the one whose danger level is the closest to that of the Woods(it was the safest place in the Mansus after all) and there is no risk of ponies having a even worse impression of the Mansus. It also guarantees Ash won't kill.

The Prey... Windy Flakes. He is the only one we have no current information and was hearing the Wolf before leaving the cult, that is enough for me.
Why not Copper? If the leader of the cult dies it may splinter again, that means our manuscripts may be harder to recover or we will have more cults to deal with, both possibilities are bad.
No Prey is also fine.

 

[Shaper47]

..why?!

He literally did NOTHING to deserve it! IF we have to choose someone, it should obviously be Copper or Windy.

Click to shrink...

What does deserve have to do with anything?

Anyways killing or at least hindering Midday Dew is a way of sabotaging Celestia's learning of the lores. Given how Celestia getting enough lantern gets Velvet the bad end of bring daybreaked. This grants Velvet more time and prevents the rise of government backed competition.

Also why would we focus on killing Windy? He's an old friend of ours and after Starry do you really want to kill another one of Velvet friends that's not trying to kill her.

Negative:
-Scarred [MALUS]: -1 base Health;
-Murderer: "This one's hoofs have taken a life";

Click to shrink...

Huh, Murderer is a negative trait now.

 

[Greymere]

Baldomare leaving a beacon for ponies to follow... she's surprisingly nice.

Is this meant for us, or for everyone who might come after?

Click to shrink...

She is a Name of the Watchman, after all. She navigates and she illuminates.

 

[Greymere]

eh, until the Bureau knows of us they wouldn't understand, and later we can maybe tell them we developed a ritual or realization that allows us to extend protections to our allies or something.

Click to shrink...

Just blame credit the protection of the alicorns or something

 

[LieutenantSpirit]

The names of the choices might hold relevance, as Feast might empower Ash, or Starve might cause Ash to become weaker. This initial choice will also paint Velvet's reaction her new Son. Telling it to "Feast" can be seen as supportive whereas telling it to "Starve" is a heavy lean into the Wolf's hatred.

For these reasons, I prefer Stalk, as it feels somewhat like a "just leave me alone and do your own thing" kind of option without a heavy commitment one way or another. That, and a lasting debuff can act as a warning to those entering the Mansus unprepared, which has its upsides and downsides.

 

[Gyldir]

Anyway, I'm going to advocate for picking Feast for Ash. While it will definitely affect everyone, it also will definitely not kill anyone since there aren't any Wounds being inflicted. However, more importantly, it means that everyone who enters the Mansus will receive a temporary debuff.

Remember how Paranoia's malus applied twice over on Baldomare's summoning, once for Copper and once for the cadre? We could be looking at another -10 to -20 malus for Copper's rituals, if the Ash-malus from Feast also compounds.

Otoh, I would be fine approval voting for Stalk, if people would prefer the consequences to be more severe but technically avoidable if you're good enough.

Click to shrink...

And if we can learn to read the tells of the temporary effect, it could make it easier to find out if Somepony we meet is a climber

 

[Venerable Ro]

What can I say?
There has been a good bit of talk of Mareinette lately, and now with a new son...
Well, she does have a thing for foals and Velvet's blood. I just put one and one together.

Click to shrink...

So you did. Well then, as the man once said, "one good death deserves another."

You wondered, long after all was said and done, if this had been His plan all along. He was, after all, an Hour, or something close enough as to make no difference, surely even He wasn't totally mindless? Was it self-hatred, was it weariness, was it a natural conclusion to His own destructive nature, or did they genuinely surprise Him with the audacity of their scheme?

Only the Lantern-Mare knows, and Good Baldomare never cared to enlighten you on the Mad Wolf's thoughts.

Not that you cared to ask...

---

You are Velvet Covers, and you have done many things you regret, and a few things you Regret.

This, however, is not one of them. As you watch Soft Sweeps gingerly clamber up the stained staircases you're struck by just how much the mare has grown, how she's battled her traumas, how she's come to peace with them, and how she's preserved her wounds as a precious memory. No, you do not regret a moment, not even that moment, because it has led you here, to this time and this place, where you are so very proud of this mare, your Daughter.

But you're still a mother, and so there's no such thing as too much support!

You hop a bit further up the stairs and come alongside Soft, giving her a quiet nudge and warm smile. She smiles back first hesitantly and then with a glint of determination. She nods, after long nights of guilt, confessions, and forgiveness, there's nothing left for either of you to say.

.
.
.

The air grows denser and danker with a scent of old blood and older hatred as you climb, until at last you turn some ineffable corner or crest some imperceptible horizon. There He is.

THEWOLFTHEWOUNDTHESCARTHEREGRETTEDTHEHATETHEMALICETHEPAINTHERUINTHEBLIGHTTHEWARPTHEROTTHE--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.

It takes you a moment to realize, Soft Sweeps is hugging you, you're shaking, you can't see anything but her coat and the feathers of the wings she's also enveloped you with.

She smells like mint of all things, sharp and cool all at once.

Her gaze is searching, she's leaned her forehead right against yours, her gaze is searching and oh so filled with understanding.

I don't deserve a daughter like this.

You realize you've said that out loud as Soft raises an eyebrow.

"No, no you don't. Just like I don't deserve a mother as wonderful as you, just like he (she tosses her head towards her back) doesn't deserve either of us. Love's not about deserving mom; love's a sharp, brittle thing that'll slip out of your hooves and cut them apart. But it's worth it, it's always worth it, because the memories will never fade and you'll never doubt it was real. I'm your daughter Mom, for better or worse, that's my choice, and that's what love is."

"Choice."

She pulls back a little and stands from where you were both huddled on the floor. Her gaze is cool and her eyes are fierce as you steady yourself. The writhing, snapping, bleeding form far away and so massive as to seem nearby doesn't seem quite so terrible now.

Which is good, because Soft Sweeps is marching away from you.

Towards The wolf.

"You hear that Wolf?" She shouts over a rising earthquake-growl, "Choice! It's about choice! The one thing every thinking being is capable of, the one thing every being ought to have, the one thing that makes life Life instead of a sad imitation! The choice to love, the choice to hate, the choice to dwell on suffering or peace, the choice to covet your wounds or forgive them, the choice to die today or live until tomorrow!

Her voice softens-

"The choice you never got."

The silence is deafening.

The Wolf seems, almost confused; one (head?) staring at soft, the other slowly pulling itself free from the shattered section of stairway it had futilely impaled itself on. The only sound is the constant drip and deluge of rotting blood pouring from innumerable wounds.

"Choice." Sweeps continues, "the other Hours got a choice didn't they, a choice to climb or descend, a choice to seek and prolong their existence, even a choice to depart. You didn't get that, not at the beginning and you still don't have it now."

The Wolf has climbed to its feet, blood pouring down like a summer monsoon, its roar like a rabid earthquake.

"I AM THE WOUND AND THE ROOT, I AM THE FIRST REGRET AND THE FINAL RUIN, I AM THE WOLF, THE DIVISION!"

"You are, yes, you are all of these things. Because you were made this way, not because you chose it. You are also in pain, and suffering, and despair, because you were made that way, not because you chose them. That's not right, nothing deserves to suffer like this, be made to suffer like this."

"Not even you."

The Wolf is very close now, the endless blood has frothed up like an ocean save for the little hillock of Mansus-stone you're standing on, the waves caused by the Wolf wading through its own blood lap at your hooves. Two torn and ragged heads like mountains stare down on your left and right, their/its attention fixated on Soft Sweeps.

"WHY?"

Soft Sweeps stares unflinchingly back, "You saved my life."

As the Wolf rears back she clarifies, "Well, Mom saved my life, but she could only do it with your gift, so I wanted to thank you, and let you know that you've done at least one thing in the world that didn't end in disaster. You could have killed mom when she met you, but you didn't. I know you didn't mean for anything good to come of it, but thanks to that choice I'm alive today."

"So thank you for sparing Mom's life, and giving her the chance to save my own."

"YOUR "MOTHER'S" CHOICES KILLED YOUR PARENTS."

Soft closes her eyes for a moment as you cringe with an old shame. Then you startle as she reaches over and gives you a soft but firm wing-hug

"Yes, they did, and yes, they died. Sometimes I feel as if everything's going so well, and then I wake up some mornings and the pain is so fresh I feel as if I'm dying all over again. That pain is never going to leave me, but I never want it to. I choose that pain, those memories, to keep and treasure just like I treasure my mother. The pain means it was real."

A shriek of rage has you both covering your ears as the two heads of the Wolf begin tearing at each other.

"PAIN MEANS PAIN! THERE IS NO DEEPER MEANING, THERE IS ONLY THE BLOOD, ONLY THE HATE!"

Soft Sweeps screams back, her voice cutting through the din.

"MY PAIN MEANS WHAT I DECIDE IT MEANS! NOBODY ELSE GETS TO MAKE THAT CHOICE FOR ME! NOT MY MOTHER, NOT STRANGERS WHO THINK THEY KNOW ME, AND NOT EVEN YOU! MY CHOICE, YOU HEAR ME? MINE AND NOBODY ELSE'S!"

The echoes of Soft Sweep's scream of fury seem to last for an eternity, a backdrop to the frozen tableau of two Wolf heads, their teeth in each other's necks, staring with one bloodshot eye each at the pegasus hovering right in front of them.

"MY CHOICE, my wounds, my memory. I will die someday, but not today. I will be my own worst enemy, but I will go on. Life is fleeting, but the pain means it was real."

The look on the Wolf's faces is indescribable, a bewildering mixture of fury, astonishment, and disgust spread across two titanic muzzles. Alongside an almost unnoticeable flicker of satisfaction?

"CHOICE? WOUNDS SALVED BY CHOICE? HATRED QUENCHED, BY CHOICE? PAIN GIVEN MEANING?
BY CHOICE?"

Mane blown askew by the Wolf's breath, Soft Sweeps nods firmly and with finality. "By CHOICE. Always by CHOICE.

"CHOICE." The Wolf, muses?

The Wolf stands still, in contrast to its previous frenetic self-savaging the stillness manages to be even worse, which you ruefully admit is in keeping with the Wolf's nature if not its habits. Soft hovers in equal silence, watching as the Wolf stares off into the distance.

Eventually, you're not sure how much later, something happens, something shifts to break the moment.

The blood begins to slow, the wounds, impossibly, seeming to run dry after an eternity.

HATRED IS KNOWLEDGE, FURY IS INSIGHT, WRATH IS CERTAINTY. I AM HATE AND HATE IS WHAT I AM. I AM WHAT I AM BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THAT BITCH MADE ME, NOT BECAUSE I CHOSE IT.

The Wolf is actually sagging now, to your amazement, sinking down to its haunches and then its belly as the inexhaustible flow of blood from its uncountable wounds runs out.

I AM THE WOLF DIVIDED, BORN OF MURDER, BORN OF BETRAYAL, BORN OF RUIN. I AM AN EVIL DAY.

The Wolf's two heads rest, one on its paws, the second on the first.

I CANNOT BE KILLED, FOR HATRED NEVER DIES.

A single vast eye peers up at a bewildered Soft, something indescribable in its unwavering gaze.

"I cannot be killed and so I must live. If I live, then I may choose. I choose. I choose something other than what she made of me."

The Wolf's eye closes, and slowly but surely something so ubiquitous you hadn't even noticed it, a heartbeat, comes to an end.

---

[An Old Wound Staunched] A (in hindsight extremely ill-advised) journey to the shattered stairs with your daughter has somehow lead to the peaceful ending of the Wolf Divided. You can't begin to fathom the implications of this, but you can already feel the dispersal of his influence on the Wake, and on you as well. [Stains On The Soul] have become [Fading Stains] and will likely prove surprisingly easy to wash away with time and the right care.

[Lone Wolves Wandering] Your sons are confused and directionless without their Father's rage goading them on, while still dangerous and driven by their natures they no longer have anything like their old power behind them. They still love their mother though, and may return for guidance.

[Hour-Mantling Ascendant] Soft Sweeps has seemingly done something out of the oldest legends, on par with The Colonel and The Moth. What this truly means for her is far beyond your meagre knowledge. Soft Sweeps gains [???], [???], [??????]

---

Bloody Zog, gotta love hyperfixation. where did my evening go? So much editing, so much Wolf-angst, so much never-to-be-sufficiently-damned color coding. Hopefully I got Soft Sweeps somewhat right, attribute any inconsistencies to her deepening understanding of Edge and Winter.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

I don't suppose we could recover the burnt seed and restore it with a Redemption of the Forge @OurLadyOfWires ? You know, make Starry's death not have been in vain?

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The fact you think we could challenge the artifice of an Hour

lol, lmao even

-snip

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Oh how we wish it were so. Anyways great omake, the colours must've been a pain. Also, I believe the Lantern Colours are wrong.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Oh how we wish it were so. Anyways great omake, the colours must've been a pain. Also, I believe the Lantern Colours are wrong.

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FUUUUUUUUUU...... Yeah alright I'm still editing. Thanks for reading!

 

[des-pair-2]

snip

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I like this, I really like happy endings like this.

Hopefully one day we can fix our mistakes.

 

[DelightedOne]

I like this, I really like happy endings like this.

Hopefully one day we can fix our mistakes.

Click to shrink...

*Harmony watching from the other side of room*
Yeah... One day...

 

[Gyldir]

Bloody Zog, gotta love hyperfixation. where did my evening go? So much editing, so much Wolf-angst, so much never-to-be-sufficiently-damned color coding. Hopefully I got Soft Sweeps somewhat right, attribute any inconsistencies to her deepening understanding of Edge and Winter.

Click to shrink...

Cool omake.

Your winter is a tad pale, I made a post with the color codes used in the canon posts, in case you want the Bird winter color:

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

Example: Colorcodes gives Colorcodes Color ColorValue KNOCK 8000ff LANTERN fef809 FORGE f78000 EDGE b3b300 WINTER 08fbff HEART fc9997 GRAIL fe020e MOTH 7b8080 SECRET HISTORIES f700ff WOLF DIVIDED 630000 Worms 0a0103

forum.questionablequesting.com

 

[Venerable Ro]

Cool omake.

Your winter is a tad pale, I made a post with the color codes used in the canon posts, in case you want the Bird winter color:

Click to shrink...

Well first of all Winter can never be too pale. Secondly; thank you for that, and I'll probably use it in the future, but there's no way in this or any other history that I'm going to go digging around in that color coding again.

 

[spiderhellian]

Oh, Starry

Poor, poor, Starry Dancer.

---

Those were some awesome Apocrypha. Really cool ideas and excellently written!

 

[BritBiscuit]

I would say that Stalk and Windy are my choices. Stalk has a nice balance of harming a decent number of Mansus seekers and actually causing appreciable harm (a wound), this would hopefully make our loss to others reaching Glory delayed as there is more chance our rivals get wounded. Feast doesn't harm them enough even if it harms them guaranteed and Starve could just miss and harm random cultists and dreamers. Not the most moral of choices on my part but I feel Stalk is the practical one.

Windy would be my choice as whilst Copper is currently an active Foe and has launched rituals against us before, we do at least have a general location for her, if things do get desperate we always have the backup plan of rituals and Names to strike her down (even if its not as covert as other ways), Windy on the other hand is a total unknown and with his direction of Everything Ends, Everything Will End to Everything Must End, he is probably the most dangerous in the long term. Whilst he doesn't have the resources of Copper he still is the stewardship advisor so that will be rectified at some point and with his leaning to the Wolf ideologically it is both ironic and possibly beneficial to use the Wolf against him. If he is just getting into the Wolf, attacking him with a Wolf-son could possibly either put him off his path as he wouldn't want to die or make him accept death as his new God/Muse is trying to kill him.

Also side thought when there was that simile of the ash being like hooves sinking into Ash's fur, it made me think that because all Wolves are made of agony and hate, would Ash be in constant pain from the burning heat of itself and the jabs into its wounds by Mansus Visitors hooves?

Finally I understand why Baldomare made the Lighthouse sigil on the door or whatever but it is slightly out of character for her, she refuses to give people answers about Glory but she has basically handed a cheat sheet to people wanting to reach the Blank door, it is already accessable due to the Mansus nature and reaching it would be the same as any other door in the Mansus, an Adepts challenge. But Baldomare possibly out of a hatred for the Wolf or just pity for those would be victims of the Wolf has removed the finding the door part of the challenge and for possibly the first time in millenia has given aid to Adepts who haven't even reached her cabin.

 

[Lorrie]

I suspect Axe might take any subtle encouragement of giving our brother a chance as an attempt to turn her into an Alukite

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Nah the Crime of the Sky only applies to a child born of two immortals, not one of a union of a mortal and an immortal.

 

[Gyldir]

Nah the Crime of the Sky only applies to a child born of two immortals, not one of a union of a mortal and an immortal.

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Nope. In this quest Crime of Sky applies to mixed children, too.

 

[BritBiscuit]

---

[An Old Wound Staunched] A (in hindsight extremely ill-advised) journey to the shattered stairs with your daughter has somehow lead to the peaceful ending of the Wolf Divided. You can't begin to fathom the implications of this, but you can already feel the dispersal of his influence on the Wake, and on you as well. [Stains On The Soul] have become [Fading Stains] and will likely prove surprisingly easy to wash away with time and the right care.

[Hour-Mantling Ascendant] Soft Sweeps has seemingly done something out of the oldest legends, on par with The Colonel and The Moth. What this truly means for her is far beyond your meagre knowledge. Soft Sweeps gains [???], [???], [??????]

---

Bloody Zog, gotta love hyperfixation. where did my evening go? So much editing, so much Wolf-angst, so much never-to-be-sufficiently-damned color coding. Hopefully I got Soft Sweeps somewhat right, attribute any inconsistencies to her deepening understanding of Edge and Winter.

Click to shrink...

Great omake, clearly one of Soft Sweeps new traits is certified therapist for getting the being of pain to let go of it.
I would say that the only thing I dislike about it is the Stains becoming Fading Stains and that is just due to my personal headcanon being that they would become '[Scars on the Soul] An ancient being that some claimed as God once marked you, with the dispersal of its influence only the scars remain to forever remind you of the actions you have and can now no longer take.' but that isn't a critisism of the omake that is just personal bias.