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

[angelsadvocate666]

I'll note, just as an observation, that a malus could still be devestating just due to it also affecting their Mansus rolls. Like, -5 would be an entire level of application, or -10 a level of knowledge. Velvet has almost always passed her Mansus checks because she's utterly bullshit, but the few times she failed weren't pleasant at all. Well, except the very first failure on understanding the Blank Door, that just meant we had to try again, but others could and probably would eat the health cost she could have paid instead.

 

[Solace2117]

[X] [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)
[X] [ASH-GUARD] Stalk.
[X] [ASH-PREY] Copper Secateur

I'm picking stalk cause I like what it represents are far as attempting to reach Glory. Starve is the terrible for a few, but a bit random. FeastI is everyone suffers a little bit. Stalk seems to be more you could be hurt, but can also avoid consequences and sneak through.
I understand why some don't want to have Ash hunt Copper. The fact remains we're already at war with her. I'm skeptical at this point we can step it back. If we're going to fight her anyways we might as well use the advantages we have.

 

[Shaper47]

[X] [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)
[X] [ASH-GUARD] Stalk.
[X] [ASH-GUARD] Starve...
[X] [ASH-PREY] Copper Secateur

 

[spiderhellian]

@Venerable Ro I really love your depiction of the Wolf and of Softy. I had never thought of it like that before.

That said, there is no guarantee that ponies that would be against us would be the ones targeted

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Wait a second, who's coming into the Mansus?

It's people who are or were in the cult. Most of whom now work for a Foe.

I'll note, just as an observation, that a malus could still be devestating just due to it also affecting their Mansus rolls. Like, -5 would be an entire level of application, or -10 a level of knowledge

Click to shrink...

Yeah, Paranoia saved our bacon with Baldomare. A small malus on everyone in the cult could be meaningful.

 

[Steady Gaze]

[X] [PRIDE] You will tell him everything you know. (Reveal to Pride all of Axe's actions, for the next three turns)
[X] [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)
[X] [ASH-GUARD] Feast!
[X] [ASH-PREY] Copper Secateur

 

[Bakkasama]

@Venerable Ro I really love your depiction of the Wolf and of Softy. I had never thought of it like that before.


Wait a second, who's coming into the Mansus?

It's people who are or were in the cult. Most of whom now work for a Foe.

Yeah, Paranoia saved our bacon with Baldomare. A small malus on everyone in the cult could be meaningful.

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I meant that, while all the ponies affected would likely be working to a faction opposed to us, they would not necessarily be the ones that oppose us directly. For example, Paranoia saved our bacon before because he affected Copper and her Cadre, so one of their rituals had a malus to its rolls. Ash can potentially help us as well in a similar fashion but if Stalk or Starve are chosen, while some of the ponies who suffer the malus would probably be part of Copper's faction, they may not be the specific ponies participating in the ritual and thus the ritual would not suffer that malus.

Edit: Admitedly, that depends on how the ponies hunted by Ash are chosen. If, for example, the ponies that visit the Mansus more often were more likely to be chosen (due to going through the wastes more often), then Stalk or Starve might be better, because it would mean that the ponies more likely to become rivals are the ones more likely to suffer a big debuff. That said, since we don't know how they are chosen, a small debuff that hits everypony who is not on our faction is more reliable than a bigger one that might hit those that could actually become a problem eventually.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Y'all are paying too much attention to mechanics and not enough to narrative. This is, again, if we've somehow forgotten, a Wolf-son asking us for directions. More than directions, this is a chance, for once, to make a decision on conduct.

If we tell him Feast, then that's what he's going to do, and that's what every gorram random pony who wanders in here is going to experience. "Small malus" they say, "horrible wrench in the eventual attempt to rehabilitate/launder the Lores" says I. We already know that Midday Dew is dreaming (and having none too fine a time of it) and possibly more of his staff besides. If they keep coming back screaming about the Ash that Hates or summat like that we will eventually have Problems.

Similarly, if we do [Starve], then the Dice will go and kill, storms, Apple Bloom or someone else at random, because that's how this quest works. Or we'll just start getting reports of ponies dead without cause in mysterious circumstances and our Bureau won't be able to do a thing about it.

[Stalk] is the best of a series of bad options. It's not going to get anyone killed and it's not going to encourage Ash's worst instincts. If, in the future we're able to introduce the concept of nuance to our furry little problem it will also be important to have set consistent expectations and examples.

@Venerable Ro I really love your depiction of the Wolf and of Softy. I had never thought of it like that before.

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I'm glad you liked it! It's always good to hear I've inspired a bit of contemplative thought. The Wolf is a wonderful monster, but with the right perspective he can also be a tragedy. To be honest a great deal of it was just Softy, I had little to do with it. I was surprised and gratified to discover the effect blending those two colors had, the gold was completely unintentional but definitely added something intangible to the moment.

 

[Alan975]

Small malus" they say, "horrible wrench in the eventual attempt to rehabilitate/launder the Lores" says I

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Good on you there, it hadn't even crossed my mind how this might affect our sides eventual view on the mansus and lore in general. Even disregarding that some might already know that The Woods were a thing.

....ya, best not to let Ash eat ponies on a larger scale. What if reports of a "dream prowling monster" came and Celestia got it in her head to investigate?

 

[Sveta08]

Narrative consequences!

 

[Venerable Ro]

Narrative consequences!

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I'm honestly glad we didn't take Midday's option at the Wedding, we have a terrible track record with mentoring Lantern unicorns.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

...I don't see how the narrative consequences of Stalk aren't worse. Thats a permanent debuff or a wound right there. You think people won't think worse of the Mansus if they wake up with gaping wounds after a night's sleep? Or if they're driven a little bit insane? Hell what about random civilians waking up with claw marks on their flanks?

Feast is a mild and diffuse malus that is significantly better in consequences then the other two, it'll probably look like a supped up nightmare to the uninformed and we already know thats what the Ash Wastes are to everyone who enters them.

Baldomare told us so (or rather the Baldomare revelation chapter did).

Also, I feel like you guys are wildly blowing out of proportion the population of Ponies that are going to be affected and would cause Celestia to investigate. For one the majority will be from Copper's cult who won't go reporting shit, then there are the normal people who will only visit once or twice in their lives and will think it a really bad nightmare because of the Changeling mess and finally Midday's crew. Their reports are the only ones to be concerned with and personally I think Celestia will be significantly more pissed about injuries and madness then nightmares. Plus that is way off. They've just made a Lantern 0 reagent.

 

[Sveta08]

-snip

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We are looking at it in different avenues of effect.

You are looking at it in terms of the problem that is created for the ponies effected.
We are looking at it in terms of the problem that is the expectations set for Ash and how Velvet would respond.

Strictly speaking, the mild consequences of Feast is the least likely to cause a great deal of problems. It is a mild issue, but only a mild issue.
However, we are looking at it in the far more... nebulous problem of telling Ash to embrace his violent nature and harm all who cross his domain.
The notion of, the last son where his birth would hurt, we were willing to tell them to embrace his malice.

There are consequences more than just the choices.
Even if they don't change any dice. Any number. Anything you can see
Yet.


And consider.
If, if, someone finds out. What will be looked at more favorably?
A harm visited upon any and all. Or a harm visited only on those who do not know how to hide.
Neither is good, but we don't have an option that says "No."

 

[Venerable Ro]

...I don't see how the narrative consequences of Stalk aren't worse. Thats a permanent debuff or a wound right there. You think people won't think worse of the Mansus if they wake up with gaping wounds after a night's sleep? Or if they're driven a little bit insane? Hell what about random civilians waking up with claw marks on their flanks?

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It's the difference between the Wastes (and the rest of the Mansus by extension) being perceived as inherently dangerous/malicious things and them being perceived as places that have dangerous things in them.

Since Midday is presumably some sort of scientist he's going to automatically gravitate towards seeking repeatable and reproducible results. Which, the Lores provide. If he's even remotely clever he'll figure out how to Dream, and how to teach other ponies how to Dream.

So there they are, and what they find will determine what their reaction is. [Feast!] by description and design implies a constant, aggressive, malevolent attention, not just an inhospitable environment like an actual desert. Ash, enthusiastic soul that he is, will make sure they know it's an attack.

On the other hand, monster attacks are monster attacks, even if these are eldritch dream monster attacks. Monsters are an idea that can be understood, and oddly enough are probably less alarming than an entire evil dream world. There's room in there to wedge some blarney, especially since Ash won't bother ponies who make it to the Mansus proper.

As a further note, Baldomare has put up that beacon, which will raise the idea of helpful/beneficent/ambivalent Mansus influences provided we haven't poisoned the well by letting Ash be everyone's first impression of the Lores.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

-snip

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By your logic would Starve not be the best option then? Velvet refuses her Son completely then.

Also, the RAs won't stop hurting after this one they will just hurt less. But it's the fucking Wolf so it will hurt.

On the matter of someone finding out; we were damned the moment we brought Evil into the world, damned again when we didn't decide to end ourself and banish him. Then damned again when we called Paranoia like that. This last RA was the worst one yet (and while I would choose it every time that fact does not change). Velvet Covers' sins are such that we won't be looked upon favourably regardless of what we chose here.

And I would like to once again reiterate, Stalk will proc on innocents.

-snip

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I feel you're making a weird distinction here. If in Stalk Ash is a malevolent dream monster then in Feast he is a malevolent desert, both are something already not looked favourably upon but known. The idea that a eldritch inhospitable desert will be stranger/more unsettling to Ponies then a fucking Wolf-shaped eldritch predator hunting them in their dreams is just bizarre to me.

Plus the Ash Wastes are already a terrible presence Stalk won't change anything. You guys are making the mistake of thinking Velvet's pov, who is protected from the consequences of her RAs, is the one everyone else will share. We know from Selene's visit to Soft that even with our favour there is something pressing down on her. Stalk in my eyes is both a malevolent presence and a dream monster.

 

[LieutenantSpirit]

By your logic would Starve not be the best option then? Velvet refuses her Son completely then.

Click to shrink...

Starve is a harsh lean toward the Wolf itself. Telling Ash to Starve is Velvet allowing her hatred for her Son to take over. While Feast gives us the most consistent mechanical "benefit," I much prefer Stalk for how it is neither an embrace or a refusal. It's a middle-of-the-road reaction to something we don't want to do anything with.

Also, Stalk inflicts a "lasting" debuff, not necessarily a permanent one. The average dreamer will likely not have the means to remove it early, but "lasting" should mean it eventually goes away.

 

[Pittauro]

[x] [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)

[x] [ASH-PREY] No prey

[x] [ASH-GUARD] Feast!

I might change my mind about prey. I like none of the guard options, so I'll just go with the "least harm" one.

 

[Venerable Ro]

-snip

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On the contrary, to address your last point first, I've been operating outside of Velvet's perspective this whole time. Velvet, knows what Ash is.

Velvet knows where he came from,
Velvet knows why he exists,
Velvet knows what existed before him,
Velvet knows what she DID.

Even if she's never going to be physically harmed by Ash, even if her son would never harm his mother, Velvet will never know peace when she walks the Wastes.

But other ponies aren't Velvet, other ponies don't have the same, context, to the Ashen Wastes. So let's consider those ponies.

The three options, one would reasonably assume, are mutually exclusive. If Ash is feasting he isn't starving, and if he's stalking he isn't doing the other two. Therefore, if the Wolf stalks and his prey creeps by unharmed then by definition they haven't suffered Ill effect. This means that the assault described by [Feast!] isn't happening. Thus, for that hypothetical contextless pony they have simply evaded a monster in an otherwise unpleasant (but only unpleasant) environment.

And then they're free, so to speak, to seek fortune and enlightenment further up this dream-structure. Monsters imply only the presence of more monsters and dangers of the like. You can sneak around a monster and carry out treasure.

On the other hand, if the environment itself is evil, then not only is it to be mistrusted but everything in it and all its fruits are likewise to be mistrusted. Including the higher heights of the Dream, because why would the Wastes outside be the only malevolent territory?

That's what I'm getting at, the difference between adepts (us and our associates) being presumed capable dream-adventurers familiar with evading the monsters, and us having no good explanation for why the evil realm of evil doesn't trouble us. One option is to be admired/envied/imitated, and the other is to be shunned and/ or persecuted.

Or to put it another way, if you found a mysterious old book somewhere in the ruins of Jurassic Park you'd be cautiously intrigued, if you found a mysterious old book in a cursed Egyptian tomb you probably wouldn't even touch it given the choice. And by extension, a stranger telling you about a mysterious book found in Jurassic Park simply has an interesting story to tell, whereas the stranger who's been in yon cursed tomb probably can't be trusted and you definitely don't want anything to do with that book.

 

[Bakkasama]

I'm honestly glad we didn't take Midday's option at the Wedding, we have a terrible track record with mentoring Lantern unicorns.

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Nah, we were caught on the blast radius of Twilight's terrible track record with having mentors not being involved in eldritch horror. We only have one unicorn student to her two scary teachers, so we are clearly not the ones at fault.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

-snip

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I feel you failed to grasp what I meant. The environment is actively malicious to everyone but Velvet and her favoured. That's what is missing from her pov. Hell even in her pov getting to the Stairs ended with her belly deep in the ash. Selene even when favoured by us was able to sense something, the wolves will go after all who enter the wastes this we know because this the Baldomare (chapter) told us. And why would they think the Mansus evil just because of Feast or Stalk? The White plains are such a departure from the Wastes that you'd have to do some very fancy mental gymnastics to justify it. Also, there is the very large, very obvious, bloodfall that's coming out of the Mansus. If the concern is people thinking the Mansus evil then we are way past that.

Regardless in Stalk we're hiding from evil monsters in an evil land to get to enlightenment. In Feast we're a pilgrim passing through a dangerous place to get to enlightenment. The difference is immaterial in the face of the Glory because, and this is important, none may advance past the White Plains unless they want what lies beyond. Celestia is just as likely to forbid persual in the face of the very obvious mind control in either case.

I don't think that's happening in any case but if that's a concern there.

As for people thinking bad of us because we can easily pass through, well you see there is a simple solution to that:

We lie.

That is if it even comes up, Velvet's protection extends to both Ponyvile and Canterlot currently, it stands to reason the Dream one will be just as diffuse.

(I also fail to understand the cursed tomb metaphor because those things only proc on the person breaking in and lead to a terrible fate. Nothing to do with trust, now if they turn said person into a crazy axe murder it'd be an easier position to understand. Also, curses have failed to stop explorers or the adoring public yet)

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

Mostly the knowledge he's working on some long term winter project, and this scene:

(Because we do know, with that text, what he meant by beauty!)


The nature of having lots of competing demands on actions and bits is that we make decisions with imperfect information. But imperfect information isn't the same as none.

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She ended up being a repeat visit to his office to make something "beautiful." Some even call it, "the little death."

[X] [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)
[X] [ASH-GUARD] Stalk.
[X] [ASH-PREY] Copper Secateur

Now now Ash, don't be a glutton, and don't give in to self-hatred. Just be a normal wolf and stalk your prey when you're a bit hungry. Proper portions are critical for a healthy diet, and your father sure as hell won't be giving you any guidance on these things. I don't vibe with purposeful pony sacrifice, though, so I will allow you to devour Copper Secateur, as a treat.

 

[Cochimetl]

I don't vibe with purposeful pony sacrifice, though, so I will allow you to devour Copper Secateur, as a treat.

Click to shrink...

You know what? You're right. Copper has done almost as bad to others. There's no moral high ground for anyone here.
Changed my vote.

 

[Venerable Ro]

-snip

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I suspect we're both talking past each other, as sometimes vexingly happens in online discussions. I tend towards the abstract so it's probably my fault for not making myself clear.

Let me try and address the points. In regards to "wolves" plural I could not for the life of me find the description of the Wastes in this thread, though I do dimly recall "the wolves gnaw around the walls of the Mansus, ect ect etc". In Baldomare's inspiring portrayal of Virgil we see one wolf (for a given definition of "see") at the conclusion of the dream/vison/incident. Whether that was one of the lesser wolves, Evil himself, a vison-thing, or Ash being really bad at hugs, there's definitely a monster present.

Which means, to me, that [Stalk] will simply add another, worse-but-not-lethal, monster to the pack of monsters already present. A narrower spectrum to draw conclusions from.

As to the point about the oppressive atmosphere, I do not believe that Luna's visit with Soft is representative of the Waste's atmosphere because I do not believe that was the wastes.

You look around you, and you realize that you are in a desert of sorts. It is night, or at least there is no sun to speak of, and it is somewhat cold. And everywhere you look, you see nothing but sand and dunes. Furthermore, as you try to walk you can't help but feel that the very air feels murky, as it is trying to weigh you down.

Click to shrink...

After all, the only reason you are here… the only reason anypony would ever be in a place like this… is still shining down on you.

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...

There was no Glory in Soft's dream, there was nothing but the Ash beneath their hooves and the Wolf-taint in the air. I personally believe Luna was sensing a combination of the influence that revived and sustains Soft, along with the focused attention of her brothers.

So then, since I assume that the Wastes don't feel spiritually oppressive by themselves, and because it's already filled with monsters, then the choice is whether to add a monster, or add the aforementioned spiritual oppression.

I personally am against the opression because I think it will make a bad first impression of the Mansus as a whole and the Invisible Arts by association in a way that dangerous eldritch monsters by themselves will not. Monsters, I feel are an immediate sort of danger, like a rabid bear, and won't stop you panning for gold and being happy for finding said gold.

Assuming, of course, that you manage to survive/evade the rabid bear-monster to get your gold.

On the other hand, I would liken the spiritual oppression option to be something analogous to a nuclear reactor spill, it may not come and chase after you but it's a corrosive influence and you don't want to take away anything that's been affected by it.

Because the evil/radiation will probably cause you or someone else harm even if you carry whatever away from the original source of contamination.

This is what my book analogy was rooted in, Jurassic Park was just dangerous because of monsters, a cursed tomb of whatever provenance can be expected or at least assumed to cast its influence over anything associated with it.


This is all a long-winded way of saying that I want to avoid obstacles to rooting our Bureau openly in both the Wake and the Mansus in the long term, employing Lores in accordance to living Equestrian interests and not old dead Hour-grudges. Because I'm full up of Moth-Audacity, and the first principle of The Moth was subversion.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

Let me try and address the points. In regards to "wolves" plural I could not for the life of me find the description of the Wastes in this thread, though I do dimly recall "the wolves gnaw around the walls of the Mansus, ect ect etc". In Baldomare's inspiring portrayal of Virgil we see one wolf (for a given definition of "see") at the conclusion of the dream/vison/incident. Whether that was one of the lesser wolves, Evil himself, a vison-thing, or Ash being really bad at hugs, there's definitely a monster present.

Click to shrink...

When Baldomare talks about the result of the RA she makes mention of what inspired people to invent before. How it was the Woods and the fear of them that caused people to pursue knowledge but now, now it will be fear and nightmares and wolves that do so.

As for Soft, that chapter makes mention of how while Selene can't sense a sun she can tell there is something beyond the sea Soft is gazing at, or was it that there must be something because she is staring? I can't remember the specifics. The general description of Soft's dream, the fact that parts of the Wastes are obviously different in structure and the body of water that could be an ocean of blood or the painted river makes me think that Soft's dream is connected to the Wastes if not the Mansus.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that I want to avoid obstacles to rooting our Bureau openly in both the Wake and the Mansus in the long term, employing Lores in accordance to living Equestrian interests and not old dead Hour-grudges. Because I'm full up of Moth-Audacity, and the first principle of The Moth was subversion.

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Okay I will be entirely honest with you...I don't think we'll manage to start Lore laundering before Luna comes back and Celestia is dealt with at which point it won't be needed.

In the short term we have the Frangiclave, Level 6 book, Copper/Cult remnants and Windy. In the long term we need to find Discord and then get ready to kill him, find a way to open the lock once we have the key in hand and god knows what else. In the middle we have to deal with the Celestia issue. Initially it was an issue because we needed to launder the Lores so we don't get smote when it comes out we know them however that's only an issue if Daybreaker is on the table. I personally believe we'll knock out Daybreaker before we get seriously started on Lore laundering which is going to be need something like three turns minimum to get going.

 

[Venerable Ro]

Initially it was an issue because we needed to launder the Lores so we don't get smote when it comes out we know them however that's only an issue if Daybreaker is on the table. I personally believe we'll knock out Daybreaker before we get seriously started on Lore laundering which is going to be need something like three turns minimum to get going.

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Oh I'm not in it for the laundering, that was just a good starting point/excuse.

The Moth Showed The Way.

Consume A Thing From The Inside

Steal its Skin For Your Own

Become Something New In The Place Of Something Old.

Snip Snip Snipsnipsnipsnipsnipsnipsnipsnip

SNIP

I don't want to launder the Lores, I want to steal the Lores. The Hours are gone (aside from the Wolf and he doesn't care anyway) and we're well on our way to stealing/hiring/adopting the remaining Names. We are to be the first of the new Long, and after that a Name ourselves assuming the Plan holds.

The Lores could be, would be, should be, whatever we say they are, a shiny new vessel for to sail to tomorrow with all of yesteryear's calcific barnacles scraped away.

We just have to sing our fellow ponies a rosy enough story.

 

[Greymere]

I don't want to launder the Lores, I want to steal the Lores. The Hours are gone (aside from the Wolf and he doesn't care anyway) and we're well on our way to stealing/hiring/adopting the remaining Names. We are to be the first of the new Long, and after that a Name ourselves assuming the Plan holds.

The Lores could be, would be, should be, whatever we say they are, a shiny new vessel for to sail to tomorrow with all of yesteryear's calcific barnacles scraped away.

We just have to sing our fellow ponies a rosy enough story.

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I mean you can call it "stealing" the Lores all you like, but functionally you're talking about the exact same thing we are when we discuss laundering the Lores. I.e. making the Lores a palatable enough idea that the Crown/Bureau will be willing to use them.

 

[BunnyLord]

[x] [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)
[x] [ASH-GUARD] Stalk.
[x] [ASH-PREY] Copper Secateur

I think we do need to take a look at what Windy is up to next turn though, at least to give us some context as to whether or not to consider him a threat and to what degree.

 

[Greymere]

I think we do need to take a look at what Windy is up to next turn though, at least to give us some context as to whether or not to consider him a threat and to what degree.

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At this rate, all Velvet's going to end up doing next turn is RotTs and working on the SH Sacrament.

 

[Venerable Ro]

I mean you can call it "stealing" the Lores all you like, but functionally you're talking about the exact same thing we are when we discuss laundering the Lores. I.e. making the Lores a palatable enough idea that the Crown/Bureau will be willing to use them.

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Well yes, but it's more fun in a funny Moth suit.

And a Very Large Hat!

We should get a hat, we're the Commissioner, we deserve a hat.

 

[Iustus Vitea]

The Lores only change when an Hour rises, or rather it would be better to say the Lores only change when an Hour does/bides it so because the Lores are Glory light refracted by the Hours. Doing anything before that is public relations work that'll quickly become unneeded.

 

[Pittauro]

Okay I will be entirely honest with you...I don't think we'll manage to start Lore laundering before Luna comes back and Celestia is dealt with at which point it won't be needed.

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Side note, I think we MIGHT launder the lores before then.

I see two ways of doing it.

The first one is, as mentioned before, putting lore books in the Canterlot Cave expedition site after we take everything of value from it, and then we pretend we're a genius at it and share them with our agents.

Second is to make the Bureau personally loyal to us enough (and ideally Celestia shows herself as more unstable to make it more palatable) that we at some point judge introducing Luna, and have her reveal that her sister is prey of a similar problem as she was when she became Nightmare Moon, and that's why she has not yet revealed herself, and that she needs the help of the Bureau in saving her, and we have her vouch for the lore powers.


_____

...side note, I'm still really sad about Starry Sky. We played a good game thus far, but we definitely made our share of mistakes.

I'm particularly wondering what could have been if we had healed Starry, or used her to mediate and reach common ground with the Master... or even if/how we could have played things differently with the Master in general.

I already said I believe a Master as Cadance' child was not necessarily a BAD thing... well, if not for HOW it would come to be (basically rape, though she'd never knew about it unless we or the Master told her)

I still believe an Alicorn Master COULD have been redeemed. It would have been an epilogue thing, and by then we'd have likely dealth with Glory AND Worms AND Harmony, and so there's a good chance they would have been satisfied...

Indeed, when I look at the Ashen Wastes... I realize even more the truth of things: nothing good comes of the Wolf.

I now really believe that, all things considered, the world would have been better off if we had gone with Cadance "rape" rather than Master Death.

Still regrettable, but not regrettable.

Well, IF we can eventually remove the stains, purify the Wolves or something like that, it might still be worth it... but seriously

1st regrettable action: Velvet chose to survive. We didn't really get a say in that one, so I won't count it against us.

2nd regrettable action: Destroy the Tribal Door and plant the seeds of Paranoia among ponykind instead of spending a couple turns killing 2 random criminals.

If we judge by the consequences and not the personal cost to us (as it would have taken us AT LEAST 2 or 3 actions to find targets, kill them and hide proof of it) it would have been FAR less damaging to the world and Equestria if we chose that.

Soft Sweeps doesn't count. A seed planted is not a tree grown. She's alive, and while suffering in her dreams she's still MOSTLY happy with her current life. Better this mixed happiness than death. She's only a problem if we nurture that seed too much, which means every regrettable action will lower her quality of life until it fully corrupts her and eats her from the inside.

So let's avoid that.


3rd regrettable action (or 4th if you count Soft Sweeps, which I don't): Sacrifice the Woods, getting nothing but Ashes in return. Doom Starry to the worst possible death (or second worst if you count the Worms).

And also erase the last trace of the Moth, which is at least bittersweet EVEN if we ignore the other consequences.

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All of the above to basically say that I fully and completely regret each of the (two) regrettable actions we actually took, and I'll be even more against it next time we're offered the option.

First time was fine. It was that or death.

Soft was fine. A seed planted is not a tree grown. She's the potential for bad stuff, but not bad yet.

Paranoia and Ashes? They're our greatest mistakes thus far, and while we've made up for one of our other ones (having taken part in Luna's mental torture) by nurturing her back to health and sanity, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to make up for our two biggest regrets