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

[spiderhellian]

Been doing a lot of old reading. Kind of hilarious to see the responses to Our Lady of Birds asking the thread to pre-register their predictions to what the Master might do next to demonstrate how terrible the thread is at reading the Master's motivations and intent. Obviously no one predicted his fillyfication scheme but even beyond that it was wall to wall being totally off base and complete lack of ability to imagine her as anything but a windigo-fueled slaughterbot determined to douse the lights.

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Hahahaha what was this? Does seem funny (and sad) in retrospect.

 

[DelightedOne]

Reach 6/7 Stains Upon The Soul before the end of Turn 10, then achieve a Harmony victory

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Why the fuck do I actually like that idea?

I surprised myself with what I felt when I read it. Still would rather have a clean Harmony Victory but that is very interesting.

 

[Arrkhon]

Why the fuck do I actually like that idea?

I surprised myself with what I felt when I read it. Still would rather have a clean Harmony Victory but that is very interesting.

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Because it showcases the utter contempt for the way the world is and desires for fixing it going far beyond the reasonable
The real fun trick is going for Harmonic 7/7 stains

 

[DelightedOne]

Because it showcases the utter contempt for the way the world is and desires for fixing it going far beyond the reasonable
The real fun trick is going for Harmonic 7/7 stains

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*Points at you* Wolf Follower. Got it.

Since 7/7 Stains automatically achieves the Mother of Wolves Anti-Victory I'll assume that is a joke.

 

[Arrkhon]

*Points at you* Wolf Follower. Got it.

Since 7/7 Stains automatically achieves the Mother of Wolves Anti-Victory I'll assume that is a joke.

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It is a joke, on Wolf Divided that is
I am sure that with enough Harmony support we could blunt the edges of whatever we birth enough that they would count as perfectly reasonable members of community and the same would apply to their kids as well, potentially even leaving us with something that could help with the Worms

 

[Sveta08]

It is a joke, on Wolf Divided that is
I am sure that with enough Harmony support we could blunt the edges of whatever we birth enough that they would count as perfectly reasonable members of community and the same would apply to their kids as well, potentially even leaving us with something that could help with the Worms

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Ha
Ha
Ha

I do not think you understand what the Wolf is.

 

[Shaper47]

The Wolf is no doubt way better then Harmony but Mother of Wolves ending is still an era of darkness.

For Velvet going Mother of Wolves is a failure, a victory yes but still a personal failure.

 

[Rafuki22]

The Wolf is no doubt way better then Harmony

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Harmony is better than the Wolf because the only thing worse than the Wolf are the Worms.

And saying that the Wolf is with no doubt better than Harmony is like saying that the honest omnicidal supervillain is better than the secretive maybe ignorant president, which is like...no he isn't, at all.

 

[Shaper47]

Harmony is better than the Wolf because the only thing worse than the Wolf are the Worms.

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You say you disagree and yet your words support that Wolf is better the Worm calling Harmony.

 

[Rafuki22]

You say you disagree and yet your words support that Wolf is better the Worm calling Harmony.

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Answering was a mistake, goodnight.

 

[DelightedOne]

You say you disagree and yet your words support that Wolf is better the Worm calling Harmony.

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Once again doing my corrections to keep the truth on the thread.

Saying the Wolf is better than the Worms and that Harmony is better than the Wolf means that in a scale of worst to best case scenarios we have: Worms, Wolf and finally Harmony.

Not whatever you tried to do to someone else's words... again.

 

[Shaper47]

Even on the off chance Harmony is better then the Wolf which is wild guessing not based on anything solid because we don't know anything about Harmony.

We still have to face the issue of the Worms before reaching a Harmony victory. Because aiming for a Harmony victory increases the chances of defeat via the Worms.

 

[DelightedOne]

I think we are all tired of needing to say Harmony isn't evil(check the Son with that name if you want evil) but since I have what is basically a Dedication to it, let's go again I guess.

Using the description of the Mother of Wolves "Victory"

The last way to safeguard ponykind is to simply douse the lights. No lights, no Worms, no End. This is a "victory" only in the sense that it is a victory against the Worms. Ponykind would, by definition, also lose.

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We reach the reasonable conclusion that the Wolf isn't really something good.

On the other hand we have extensive ooc knowledge about Harmony and know it is good through it, there is also all Harmonious actions/events/signs we have seen. Velvet herself has no idea of Harmony's morality but we can paint a pretty good picture of it with what we know.

Besides the total lack of proof of the Harmony Path increasing the amount of Worms in the World we have no knowledge of the Worms being an obstacle in this.

There is also the tiny detail of Harmony wanting the World to keep going out of care and love and the Wolf wanting to End it out of pain and hatred. 1+1 anyone?

 

[Shaper47]

Besides the total lack of proof of the Harmony Path increasing the amount of Worms in the World we have no knowledge of the Worms being an obstacle in this.

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Now this is just plain false.

 

[DelightedOne]

Now this is just plain false.

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How? I would be happy to listen to your arguments.

 

[Shaper47]

How? I would be happy to listen to your arguments.

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Aside from the Master mentioning it (and the talk giving us a Lantern scrap from the revelation of the truth).

There's the entire Luna interlude we're it revealed that the light of Harmony via the dreamlands is calling the Worms (equivalent to a light in the darkness).

Now the thread generally agrees that Harmony doesn't have bad intentions though it's unknown if Harmony is calling the Worms out of ignorance or if they consider it a lesser evil for their plans.

But Harmony calling the Worms is pretty much an accepted fact alongside Harmony generally being Good/having good intentions.

 

[DelightedOne]

Aside from the Master mentioning it (and the talk giving us a Lantern scrap from the revelation of the truth).

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You mean this one?

A light has been shed, distant as if at the end of a tunnel, pinprick-bright like a star in the night sky. But still, it brings with it the revelation of purpose. It is unkind in its finality, seeing that there is nothing to be done but change and hide, or be consumed, but it is the only light you have. Gain one scrap of Lantern Lore.

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Yes we did get knowledge that Harmony is to blame for the Worms coming and I didn't deny it.

"Thirdly, we may embrace what is new, and embrace Change. Harmony is to blame, for all of this, but it has power, and it has made covenant with the alicorns. It is passive and bright, but although it may not act it is still a power that be. We know not how it thinks, or if it thinks at all, but it has enough of a sentience to have communed with the outsiders, even if only to decree that they needed to enter by birth. The alicorns might be the only path to Harmony, as their scions, or there may be other paths we do not know, but if we reach for Harmony… we may be able to change it, and teach it to hide, as much as we may allow it to change us so we may better bend it to our will."

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(Curious how the Lantern scrap mentioned change and hide and the Master refered to the Harmony Victory as Change)

What I said was that there was no proof the Harmony Path(as in, trying to reach the Harmony Victory) would bring more Worms to the World, but I understand the confusion.

 

[Shaper47]

What I said was that there was no proof the Harmony Path(as in, trying to reach the Harmony Victory) would bring more Worms to the World, but I understand the confusion.

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From my understanding, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, the actions taken to reach the Harmony Victory generally seem to involve making Harmony/Harmony's influence stronger thus increasing the light which brings more Worms to the World. Increasing the influence of the lores thus decreases Harmony's influence and thus decreases the light bringing the Worms. While the Wolf actions straight up bring darkness to the world and massively help keep the World safe from the Worms.

Now it's maybe possible to somehow aim for the Harmony Victory while avoiding strengthing Harmony, we just need to key and door afterall. But I'm really doubtful that that's the case. It just feels like the equivalent to aiming for a lore Victory while not learning any of the lores.

 

[DelightedOne]

From my understanding, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, the actions taken to reach the Harmony Victory generally seem to involve making Harmony/Harmony's influence stronger thus increasing the light which brings more Worms to the World. Increasing the influence of the lores thus decreases Harmony's influence and thus decreases the light bringing the Worms. While the Wolf actions straight up bring darkness to the world and massively help keep the World safe from the Worms.

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Well, neither of us has a point on that since we have not taken a single step on the Harmony Path yet(or maybe we did but the Wolf and Velvet's ignorance did not allow us to understand it). So I guess we should take it to find out who is right.

Or maybe we will find out with Jade's research this turn, hard to know with our QM.

Now it's maybe possible to somehow aim for the Harmony Victory while avoiding strengthing Harmony, we just need to key and door afterall. But I'm really doubtful that that's the case. It just feels like the equivalent to aiming for a lore Victory while not learning any of the lores.

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A lore victory only really requires the Blood of the Outsider trait doesn't it? We could have just gone the artifact route and climbed the Mansus like that(I think that is what Bird expected at first).

Though the Branding Door did require one Realization if I'm not mistaken.

And yeah we just need to find a Path, find a Door, find the Key and finally join the Key and the Door to open it to win.

I think you are right about a Harmony Victory strengthening Harmony itself but it feels like something the would happen post-Victory, like the lores becoming mainstream again because there is a new Hour for Glory, the Wolf dousing the Lights for Mother of Wolves and the old Hours being restored for Moon. Like the final result instead of the actual intention.

 

[Shaper47]

Though the Branding Door did require one Realization if I'm not mistaken.

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The Moon doesn't even require that.

I think you are right about a Harmony Victory strengthening Harmony itself but it feels like something the would happen post-Victory, like the lores becoming mainstream again because there is a new Hour for Glory, the Wolf dousing the Lights for Mother of Wolves and the old Hours being restored for Moon. Like the final result instead of the actual intention.

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Hmm, disagree with you here. Like, yes a majority of the changes will appear after the Victory but the seeds are sown during the passage there.

We've already given Harmony a Victory with Caddy that strengthened Harmony afterall.

Luna being around but not hidden via Moth for instance would probably have been a Harmony Victory.

The Elements being a thing would be Harmony Victory.

It's kinda a self forfilling prophecy. If we were aiming for a Harmony Victory we'd be strengthing Harmony because we were aiming for a Harmony Victory. You get what I mean right, it's a playstyle thing.

It probably just doesn't feel this way because of Harmony's starting position on the board in comparison to the other players.

 

[Sveta08]

I am, frankly, tired of this argument.

I am going to be kind and give doubt. As, I do not know if it is from ignorance, or misunderstanding, or reading comprehension, or from willful misattribution, or if it is born of simple misunderstanding, or what have you. I have my guesses, but I do not know.
But I am frankly tired of this deadlock.

Here. Have the blasted passage.

"Firstly, we may reach for Glory. The Mansus is a reflection of the world, as the world is a reflection of the Mansus, so if we acquire dominion over the Mansus we may be able to influence the world on a more general, intimate level. The very peak of the House is a goal as old as time, of course, but we are now sure that if we reach it then our goals might be fulfilled. That perhaps we may have the same… agency, as that place may have granted in the past."

"Secondly, we may reach for the Moon, instead. It is a long-lost knowledge now, but the Moon was once a reflection of the Sun, of Glory, and all that it bathed. Within the Mansus, that is. It seems, however, that said reflection is still one of the Mansus on its old form, from an era when the Mansus itself was different. There is a path, to the Moon, and if we find it and tread it then we may be able to rescue that image, and make it real."

"Thirdly, we may embrace what is new, and embrace Change. Harmony is to blame, for all of this, but it has power, and it has made covenant with the alicorns. It is passive and bright, but although it may not act it is still a power that be. We know not how it thinks, or if it thinks at all, but it has enough of a sentience to have communed with the outsiders, even if only to decree that they needed to enter by birth. The alicorns might be the only path to Harmony, as their scions, or there may be other paths we do not know, but if we reach for Harmony… we may be able to change it, and teach it to hide, as much as we may allow it to change us so we may better bend it to our will."

"And finally," the voice grows… heavier, "we may simply douse the flames. Better to have a cold world than have no world at all."

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Four paths. Four Victory conditions.

Now, I'm going to presume this, and similar like it, have caused much confusion. Not because the passage is unclear, but because our use of things it talks about is unclear. So let me be very clear.
Harmony, is a thing. The Harmony Victory condition, is a different thing.
Glory, is a thing. The Glory Victory condition, is a different thing.
The Wolf, is a thing. The Mother of Wolves, is a different thing.
And as much as we have dealt with the moon, we haven't dealt with The Moon past finding the walk to it's step.


So, now that we might not be talking past eachother...


The Harmony Victory, is not about simply frolicking willy nilly waiting for the worms to consume all. I do not believe any potential reading of anything we have found would point to that. Harmony itself, may have been ignorant to the plight the worms pose (once) and thus, been, as the Master put it, bright. This attracts the Worms. The path of Harmony as a victory path, seems to have been focused on both learning about Harmony, and teaching Harmony about the other ways, that things might be made to change to avoid the Worms, or combat them. Again, it's a giant box that even the Master did not know what it's extent of its potential was.

So. Harmony by being ignorant and itself was luring worms. The harmony path seems to be focused on either learning to harness Harmony's power, or to teach Harmony.
So when people keep arguing about Harmony, I want to rip out my hair. Because Harmony as a thing and Harmony as a victory path are separate things.


Hell, it's... Harmony, like The Wolf, like Glory, is a semi-pseudo-sapient thing of power. Actual, functional, useful, and with costs associated with its use. Each having victory conditions as they are built upon the precept that having power gives options and opportunity to do something. How?
The Wolf, cross the line seven times.
Glory, Rise.
The Moon, remember the world and the world will remember.
Harmony, teach and be taught and the change that brings.


It's... It's power. It's always been. And it's always been a question of uncertainty and costs.
The Wolf is Absolute Power and Absolute Cost
The Glory is Known Power and Known Costs
The Harmony is Unknown Power and Unknown Costs

It has and has always been. And I'm so sick and tired of this argument every month. It means we can't focus on fun, engaging, or genuinely interesting things and keep getting caught on... blasted finger pointing and name calling. This one's Good and you're Bad for opposing it... That one's Bad and you are Good for opposing it...

So tired of this argument

 

[Shaper47]

I'm pretty sick off the argument too to be honest.

Especially since it's all talk instead of action.

Investigate the ward, social our children. These are the things that would give answers to end this dead horse of a debate.

 

[DelightedOne]

The Moon doesn't even require that.

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Uh, it actually does. A Sacrament needs a Realization after all.

To even begin this journey, to even begin mapping out the phases of the Mansus-moon, you require a Secret Histories Sacrament.

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I think we should just stop comparing the Paths, they seem to be too... divergent for that. Huh, Sveta kinda said some of what I wanted when I was writing... so that is what is like being moth'd.

It's kinda a self forfilling prophecy. If we were aiming for a Harmony Victory we'd be strengthing Harmony because we were aiming for a Harmony Victory. You get what I mean right, it's a playstyle thing.

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I honestly read the story as Harmony had a guaranteed Victory... till the Moth Name decided to play. Then Velvet became the Linchpin(*gasp* that could be her name as an Hour)and now everything depends on her and if it is not her, the Worms win. I'm not sure if my interpretation is correct though.

Thank you for the talk, it was very fun. Now goodnight because I'm starting to see blurred.

 

[Sveta08]

Then Velvet became the Linchpin

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I mean, the chapter is called "When the linchpin cracks"

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

Just throwing my own hat into the pile. But for the record-

[] You became a linchpin, around which every possible answer rotated. Not the map, not the world, not even Luna herself knew where she was… until you circled it with your feathered pen. Gain 1 scrap of SECRET HISTORIES Lore.

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-the "linchpin" analogies have been planted into the quest for, uh, a very long time now.

Also,

this argument

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insert "he's right you know" Morgan Freeman meme here.



Anyways, I hope you are all doing well. Haven't caught up to thread yet, and there's some cool stuff I still gotta threadmark. But more on that later.

 

[ses]

I honestly read the story as Harmony had a guaranteed Victory... till the Moth Name decided to play. Then Velvet became the Linchpin(*gasp* that could be her name as an Hour)and now everything depends on her and if it is not her, the Worms win. I'm not sure if my interpretation is correct though.

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Thank you! Someone else points it out! [When Histories Change] is explicit that canon wasn't derailed until the end of Turn 4! If the Inner Circle and Velvet had gotten hit by a truck and isekai reincarnated to Earth on turn 1 everything would have played out the same as in the show, including the flashforward to Princess Supreme Twilight Sparkle a lifetime later and that's a constraint that ALL background changes to the worldbuilding must adhere to.

The light of Harmony attracts worms? Why should it need to hide? We already know what happens to those who are drawn to light...

IN GIRUM IMUS NOCTE ET CONSUMIMUR IGNI

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

IN GIRUM IMUS NOCTE ET CONSUMIMUR IGNI

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"The Worms and Windigos can't catch if you're ON FIRE."
- Harmony's Treatise on Defense Against Omnihostile Entities, Page 1

 

[IronHydra]

At this point, I feel a need to see a "In Which: The Harmony Meets The Glory"
Where our timelines/histories merge for a meeting between the different versions of the cast, how Princess Alicorn Twilight reacts to her Wounded and Broken self. And Harmony Spike realizing he doesn't have a doppelganger.

Luna and Selene, the other Mane 6 meeting their counterparts and knowing something went wrong, that they never became the proper bearers of Harmony. Cadence and Shining seeing the things that don't add up.

And then there's only one Velvet, showing that her being void from the Harmony bunch that there might be a reason as to why things seem so much worse.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

You are Princess Cadance, and right now you are... fine.

You are not the impossible and unreachable idea that is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. But you are not just Cadance either.

Right now, you are exactly what you need to be. You are exactly who you need to be. Right now, you are fulfilling the role that Ponykind needs you to fulfill, and you will keep doing so until these dreadful times are finally over.

Because you are a Princess. You are one of the few ponies who have the strength, and the duty, to carry Ponykind on your back. And so you shall.

Even if... even if it gets a little tiring, every now and then.

Even if you have to make a few personal sacrifices.

"Even if it's... a bit lonely," you say to yourself, as you close your bedroom door behind you.

It is late evening already, or perhaps early night. You aren't really sure, and you know by now that looking at the clock will only make you more depressed. Because it will be yet another reminder of how much you had to do today, and of how little time you have before everything starts again tomorrow.

Of course, you aren't complaining. And not just because you can't complain. You are not complaining also because you know you are doing something good. After all, it may have taken you a while, but you think you are finally getting a hang of this. Of this complex and indescribably tense activity called "ruling". You are probably not doing it nearly as well as Celestia used to, but you are confident that with every passing day, the goings of Equestria as a whole are getting a little calmer, and doing a little better, because of what you are doing.

By the sun, you wish there was an instruction manual for all of this. And at times, you don't know if you should be going around the cities more, or if you should spend more time giving audiences in the throne room, or if you should just be doing less and hope your appearance of calm slowly bleeds down to everypony else. But still, you are no longer at that desperate early stage where it felt like everything was on fire, including the feathers on your wings, and you were just making everything worse.

Yes, you are sure of it. Ponies are calmer now. The troubles that reach you are less tragic, and easier to solve. And you feel like everypony is collectively coming to accept that the dust has settled, and that they can trust this new status quo.

And as long as everypony continue to do their part, everything will be alright.

...

Or at least, that is what you will keep telling yourself. That is what you will keep telling yourself, until you finally believe it. That is what you will keep telling yourself, whenever there are other ponies nearby looking at you.

...

But this is not one of those times.

"Shining...?" you say out loud, towards the royal apartment that you call your home. Your voice loud but cracking, like a pained whimper. "Shining dear, are you there?"

However, no answer comes to you. No dashing white stallion comes from a nearby door, with a confident smile and an understanding pair of eyes, for you to lean on. Nopony arrives that can keep you company.

Of course, you already knew that. You already knew Shining Armor wasn't here, even before you called out for him. You already knew, because he told you in advance, that he would have to go to Manehattan for a few days for work. Something about having to supervise some kind of fallout, of an accident that nearly turned into a disaster. You aren't sure of the details, but you know it wasn't grave enough to reach the throne room.

Still, more importantly, you knew your Shining Armor wasn't here. You knew you would be alone, calling out to an empty house.

And yet, you couldn't help but try, and hope against hope that something would have happened for him to be here.

But unfortunately, even if to nopony's surprise...

"... another cold night, then," you say to yourself. Not even bothering to stop the frown from appearing on your face.

You don't bother to stop your wings from sagging down on your sides, until the tip of your feathers are dragging on the floor as you walk. And you don't bother to be organized and clean, as you quite literally unclip your horseshoes as you make your way to your bed, leaving them behind like a lonely set of golden hoofsteps on the carpet.

And honestly? Maybe this is for the best.

Maybe it is good that your Shining isn't here tonight. After all, it is probably exhausting for him to have to cheer you up every night. It is probably tiring, maybe even annoying, for him to have to deal with you and your problems, after an entire day of dealing with his own troubles at work.

Maybe you deserve to suffer through these sad and lonely nights, every now and then. Because what kind of Princess wallows in self-pity like this? Not the good kind of Princess, that is for sure.

Oh, who are you kidding? You aren't really a Princess. You aren't worthy of calling a Princess and you know it. You are just a substitute. A mockery, even. And you don't deserve any of this.

You don't deserve Shining Armor. He's too good for you, and you always knew that. You always knew that, and you would never have caught his eyes if you didn't have a horn on your head.

You don't deserve any friends either. Because look at what you do. Everything you touch dies. Everypony you care for gets hurt. Just look at your track record!

You didn't notice something was wrong with Celestia, and the Catastrophe happened.

You didn't take care of Shining Armor, and he lost his horn.

And the one normal friend you ever made, who didn't think of you as a Princess, almost got assassinated because of you... but at least... at least you had the courage to do what was right, for her. After all, given how everypony who deals with you gets hurt in the end, you at least had the courage to cut her off and-


"-have you been avoiding me, Cadance?"

"AHHH!!!"


You nearly jump out of your skin. Because one moment, you were lying on your bed, trying not to cry into your pillow as you waited to fall asleep.

But now, out of the blue, you are... well, you were flying. Your wings flapped you up out of instinct, and you almost hit the ceiling of your bedroom. Still, that's not the point!

Right now you are on one of the corners of your bedroom, pressing your back against the wall. Your heart hammering inside your chest, out of surprise and disbelief and maybe a bit of panic. And your wide-open eyes are focused on the mare that is sitting on the chair next to your vanity.

Because what in Equestria is she doing here?!

"W-w-wha-? How did y-?! Velvet Covers?!" the words push each other out of your mouth as you try to say them all at once.

Because sure enough, Velvet Covers is right there. She is literally right here with you! Sitting on the cushioned chair, with a hoof under her chin as she wears a slightly intrigued expression, looking at you as if her presence was the most natural thing on the world.

But how? How did she get here?!

You have explicitly told your guards not to let her in. You told your entire staff you did not want her to contact you anymore.

And oh, what the hay. Yes, you have been avoiding her.

"Yes, it's me. In the fur. Now, again, have you been avoiding me?" she asks.

So how did she get here? And how did she know?!

Did... did Shining Armor tell her? No, that's impossible. You didn't tell Shining about this either. Cutting your friend off was a decision you made entirely in your heart of hearts. It was the only way you could think of to keep her safe.

Because she has her family to take care of. And she somehow has Princess Luna taking care of her. So, you don't need to know anything else, you don't need to fly into somepony else's cloud. And you do not need one of the few ponies you care about getting hurt because of you again.

"I-I... I mean..." you say, or you try to say, fighting against your panicked breath as your mind attempts to figure what to do next.

But you can't really think straight. Hay, you can't even see straight. And even as you try to take a better look at Velvet Covers, a part of your mind insists that she is not really there.

"I... no? I haven't?" you say, or rather you lie through your teeth.

And the way she raises an eyebrow at you makes it very clear this was not a convincing lie.

Oh shoot. Shoot, shoot, damn. Are you that transparent? Is this how this all ends? One of the few ponies you ever cared for, that you ever loved even, is going to leave you because they caught you in a lie?

However, instead of calling you out on your very obvious lie, Velvet just... smiles?

Wait, what?

This doesn't make any sense.

No, really! This doesn't make any sense!

You are a bad mare. You are a failure of a wife, and a fake Princess, and everypony you love gets hurt. And now, you just got caught in the middle of your poor attempt of cutting one of your only friends off from your life. So why... why in Tartarus is she smiling?

Why isn't she crying? Or telling you that you are breaking her heart? Or yelling at you about how she knew this would happen all along?

"Is... is this a dream?" you say. Or rather, your blurt those words out before you can really think about them.

And again, to your surprise, Velvet answers by giving you an intrigued tilt of her head.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you this was a dream?" she asks.

And before you can even think to answer, she stands up.

She stands up, and something happens.

You don't know how to describe it. You don't have the words for it. But somehow, the strange veil she had around her, that made her hard for you to look at and that probably helped her get in here to begin with, disappears. The veil around her disappears, and you are suddenly acutely aware of her presence.

"Cadance, Cadance, Cadance," she says, as she slowly makes her way towards you. And for some reason, your eyes immediately focus on the lavish ruby necklace she has around her neck. Your eyes focus on her necklace, and then on the soft fur on her chest, and then on her neck, and finally on her eyes.

Your mind doesn't even register the strange perfume that you started feeling at some point. You are only vaguely aware that something smells good.

Your body, also, doesn't realize that your heart is no longer hammering inside your chest. Well, your heart is still beating pretty quick, but for other reasons now.

"Caddy dear, you look like a pile of stress on four hoofs," she says to you and by the sun when did she get so close?! "Would you like me to... help you calm down?"

A wave of something courses through your body. And you realize that the pain you are feeling on your hind is because you are still trying to push yourself away from her. Which in turn means you are practically forcing yourself against the walls at the corner of your room.

"I-I..." you try to say, but your throat feels so very dry. Still, through sheer willpower, you manage to force the words out. "N-no."

You say those words, and for the first time since this dream began Velvet Covers hesitates. The strange pressure coming from her lessens. And given how you haven't been able to stop looking into her eyes, you notice a hint of confusion in them as well.

She hesitates, and you can almost taste the unspoken question coming from her.

But what the hay. Who cares? This is a dream, so you might as well tell her.

"I... I don't want you to get hurt," you tell her. Or rather, you confess to her. "Because I... I know that... Celestia, Twilight, Shining, and now you. Equestria as a whole, after I took the throne while Celestia was away searching for Luna. And even my... even my mother, when I was born, and my father before I became a Princess. Everypony I care for, everypony I try to take care of, gets hurt. So I... I don't want you to..."

Your voice gets caught inside your throat, and it takes you half a second to realize that was a sob. And even Velvet's expression becomes serious, or perhaps pained, as she carefully raises a hoof and... very gently wipes away something wet that was running down your right cheek.

But you don't really notice any of that. Your mind is still a little... frayed, or perhaps exposed. Because you just realized that this was the very first time you actually said this out loud. You always had this nagging impression, you always had this constant fear, that there was something wrong with you. Something that not even becoming a Princess could fix.

And now that you put it into words, now that this strange dream is letting you take a better look at yourself, you finally realize what it is.

There really must be something cursed about you. Because even when you came to this world, the first act you ever committed was to take a life of somepony you loved. That was the first thing you ever did, and you never really stopped, did you? You only got better at hiding it, at the same time this curse of yours got larger in scale.

You were, without a doubt, the very worst possible pony to ever become a Princess.

So, if you have to cut off the ponies you love to keep them safe, then so be it.

"Oh, Cadance dear. Do you really think that?" she asks.

And her voice is so empty of that strange pressure, and so filled with understanding, that you can only answer her with a weak nod. A weak, tearful nod, that only gets uglier and more wet the more you try to blink it away.

To which this dream-Velvet responds with a sight. A long and tired sigh, as if things did not turn out how she was expecting them at all.

Still, less than a moment later, she puts her forelegs around you, and brings you into the fluff of her chest for a hug.

You don't really have the energy to hug her back. In fact, you don't really want to hug her back. Because you know that the moment you hug her, this dream will probably end. The moment you hug her, this dream will end, and you will wake up to realize you were just hugging a pillow, and you will begin another day after another unpleasant dream where you learn yet another negative thing about yourself.

But you don't want any of that to happen. Not yet, at least. So, you stay where you are. Awkwardly bending down as you dream about being hugged by one of the few ponies who ever cared about you for who you really are. Feeling her gently stroke her mane as you slowly fade away into...

...

... into nothing?

Nothing... nothing is happening.

...

Why isn't anything happening?

This is being a very weird dream. Unless...

Oh no.

"Velvet..." you say, more than just a little bit awkwardly, as you try to look up without poking her with your horn. "This... this is just a dream, right? I didn't... I didn't just actually tell you that..." you trail off, realizing once again how awfully warm the ruby necklace on her chest is, that you are currently pressing your cheek against.

And a chill runs down your spine as you realize that the shudder you felt inside her chest just now was a chuckle.

"Pff. No. This is not a dream, Cadance."

And just like that, in less than a second, all the sadness and depression you were feeling turns into shame and embarrassment.

Because how the hay didn't you realize it? How could you be so deep into your own negativity that you didn't even realize that, well, that this was all real?!

You try to pull back from her. And then you try to escape her hug. And then you quite literally put your hoofs against her chest and push. But all of that is to no avail, and your dear friend's caring embrace remains as tight around you as a coffin of your own making.

"Caddy, Caddy, Caddy. How could you even think about something like that? How could you have such a low opinion of yourself, and not even try to share it with anypony?" she says, whispers into your ears really, with words as smooth as silk. "Why didn't you share any of this with me?"

Dear Celestia this is so embarrassing and her hug is so comfortable and why in Tartarus can't you let go of her?

"And to think you were really avoiding me, after you made me promise not to leave you? No, no, no. That just won't do. It won't do at all! But don't worry dear, I'm here for you now."

You are not afraid to say that you love other ponies. You are not ashamed of saying you love Shining Armor as a husband, and you are not ashamed of saying you love Velvet Covers as a friend.

But dear sun you have never felt so ashamed before.

"I know just what you need."

That is the last thing she tells you. That is the last thing she needed to say.

After that, you don't remember being able to tell her no anymore.



- - -


[You have successfully checked in on Cadance. She is alright now.]


- - -



But there is something about you, right now, that gives more options than usual.

So... what exactly did you do again?



[] Turns out, she just needed more friends.

Spoiler: A true true friend helps a friend in need

Stormchaser wasn't sure he would ever get used to this.

He wasn't complaining, but still it was something that just wasn't a part of his world.

For as long as he had lived in this house, he was used to arriving home from work through the window of his bedroom. Usually to the sight of his sleeping wife, and sometimes to the sound of breakfast being served downstairs. But still, as a pegasus, he was used to being somewhat free to come and go from his own house, with his wings.

But now, he has to land outside the walls, and come in through the front gate like everypony else.

Again, he isn't complaining. And he understands this is for safety reasons. But still, it is... something new.

Regardless, he can finally say that he is home.

It is early in the morning, and Stormchaser has just returned home from another couple of days at work. Like everypony else, he passes through the security station by the main gate, and makes his merry way to the central mansion.

A few servants bow down to him here and there. Probably the ones who have arrived recently with his brother-in-law. But still, he mostly ignores them, and makes his way through the entrance hall.

With a light skip on his hoofs, and the familiar happiness of a stallion returning home to his wife, he goes up the stairs, makes his way down the long corridor, and enters the master bedroom without knocking.

!!!!!

And then he is immediately frozen into a shock at the sight that was waiting for him.

"Shhtormy! Tha-... that's my shtormy! That's my hushband! You see that Cadance! That'sh my stallion!"
"Velvet... I don't think I can drink anymore..."
"[GRAIL]!"​

There are mares in his bedroom. There are mares on his bed.

One moment, he was a calm and happy stallion who just returned home.

And on the next, he is now face to face with...

Well, with his wife.

And a Princess.

And a pink-purple mare, with a grape-like cutie mark, who he had never seen before in his life and who is completely passed out.

And fair Mareinette, who is the only pony who isn't out of place and who can do no wrong.

But still, still!

"Come join'us Shtormy! Haaaave a drink! We jusht got back from a girlsh night out! Caddy here neeeeded it. And we... we..."

"Velvet I think... I think I'm gonna... I think I lov-..."

His wife says that, and then the Princess of Love (who for some reason is still on his bed, half-lying on his wife) tries to say... something.

And then the two of them pass out. Joining the purple earth pony mare in sleeping away what looks like several bottles' worth of alcohol.

Leaving him there... completely shocked and...

"[MOTH]?"

Well, at least good Mareinette is still here. And she seems to be as awake and reasonable as ever. Why, she even just asked Stormchaser if he is alright!

"I am... fine, my Lady. Thank you for asking, I guess..." he says, not really being able to take your eyes from... "But, uh, are they alright? Did anything...?"

"[LANTERN]!"

Stormchaser expresses his concerns, but fair Mareinette immediately tells him everything is fine. She tells Stormchaser it is fine, and that they all just had a girls' night out, as his wife said, and that they didn't do anything Mareinette wouldn't have approved of.

Which can only mean, without a doubt, that they all had a night of reasonable and respectable fun, probably to blow off a bit of steam from their understandably stressful jobs. After all, Lady Mareinette can do no wrong, and neither can his wife. Or the Princess of Love, of course.

...

Stormchaser still doesn't think he will... tell Shining Armor about this, whenever they meet again.

"[WINTER]!"

Still, he can only watch in muted shock as Mareinette carefully covers his wife and an alicorn with a few of the available covers, before the mare herself silently crawls out through the nearby window after saying her goodbyes.

Leaving him... there.
...

... Stormchaser was absolutely sure he would never get used to this.



-Princess Cadance has been introduced to Mareinette. The two of them, it seems, have a lot in common.
-Through your invitation, and Mareinette's marinations, Princess Cadance has been introduced to the Lores.
-This is still a very shallow introduction, but this is the way to get this particular ball rolling.

[] Turns out, she just needed you to take off your dress.

Spoiler: See? No need to use just your eyes. You can touch it!

Shining Armor was happy to finally be back home.

The last few days were, for lack of a better term, quite dreadful. Literally dreadful. Because the reason he was sent to Manehattan was...

Well, at least nopony got too hurt. Paperflank is set to make a quick recovery, according to the doctors, and there were no signs of other similar jars as he wrapped up the Manehattan arrests.

Although he was not sure he would ever forget what he felt, when he entered that underground vault. Everypony told Shining Armor that was just an echo of what they felt on the day it happened. But still.

He wondered if that ice will ever melt, or if it has some magical property to it that will stop it from ever truly going away. Well, the specialists told him their spells were working, even if slowly, but he hopes they follow his instructions to the letter and seal away the meltwater as a cursed substance.

But that is neither here nor there. Shining Armor's work week was finally done, Manehattan was finally done, and he was finally back home.

Which also meant he was finally back to his wife!

"Honey, I'm home!" he said, as he closed the door behind him. It was a cliche saying, he knew, but still that was how he felt.

Because he loved his wife. He loved his Cadance! And he already felt better just from the fact he had stepped a hoof back inside his home.

However, to his surprise-
"Oh, shi-!"
"Wait, I can-!"
-he swore he just heard something from behind the bedroom door.

Well, it was already late at night, but he was sure that Cadance was still awake. So, his tired mind just confirmed to him that he had just heard his dear wife say something.

So, with a relaxed stride and calmly happy stride, he made his way to his bedroom.

And as soon as he opened the door, he saw-

"Shining! Shining dear, it is so good to see you!"

-he saw his beautiful wife.

He saw his beautiful wife, and nothing else.

"Cadance, love. I missed you so much!" he said, immediately giving her a kiss.

Although, he couldn't help but notice that...

"But you do look a bit out of breath," he noted. "Is everything alright dear?"

"Yes! I mean, yes. Absolutely. It's just that Velvet here was showing me her flank a-"
"I did no such thing and I wasn't ever here."
"-I mean, I was just... waiting for you, dear!"

He listens to his wife as he explains to him why she is out of breath, and why her mane is so disheveled, and he could have sworn that...

He could have sworn that something just happened.

But of course, there is nopony here but himself and his wife.

And he definitely didn't just see anypony sneak past him, and gallop down the entrance room and out through the door.

So, there is nothing else to do but get home, spend some time with his wife, and have a peaceful night of sleep.

"So, how was Manehattan Shining dear?" his wife asks, as if she was very interested in making him talk about anything else other than her.

And of course, Shining Armor is more than happy to comply.



-You have shown Princess Cadance your flank. And she was delighted to see it is now healed and whole.
-You have revealed to Princess Cadance the existence of "The Forge's Redemption" Ritual.
-She will, no doubt, ask you for a favor come next turn.

[] Turns out, she just needed some happy company!

Spoiler: A surprise, for sure, but a pleasant one!

Velvet Pride was... well, he would never admit he was miserable.

But he was not happy.

And how could he be happy? How could anypony ever be happy ever again? How could a single pony in the Velvet Estate feel any positive emotion... when she is gone?

How dare the sun shine, or the moon glow, or the stars glimmer, when their light is not being reflected in her eyes?

In the eyes of that rare and radiant mare, whom the Princesses named Axe?

...

Like always, the news didn't exactly reach him. It is not that somepony told him she was gone. It was just that he had not seen her in several days now.

So, he waited. He waited, and he sulked, and he kept on living one day at a time. Keeping to his chores, and hoping against hope that he would see her sooner rather than later.

After all, his uncle Steppes has the right of it. Fair Axe is a free spirit, and she is not beholden to him. It is just like his uncle says, that he should try to tie her down before she runs away forever. But alas, he lacks the courage. He lacks the courage, and now he is paying for it.

So, like always, there is nothing he can do but continue his work, and try to make a better stallion out of himself, so he can be more prepared for when she returns.

If she returns... he hopes she will return...

But his sister has not given him any guarantees of it, and he dared not ask his pegasus niece if she knows anything else.

"Well, at least there is no shortage of busywork to keep my distracted here," he said, as he looked down at the unexpectedly large amount of paperwork the plantations have created for him to do.

However, before he can even light up his horn to pick up his quill-

"Master! Master Pride, somepony is here! It is urgent!"

-his faithful Cantrip quite literally bursts in through the door. Yelling for his attention.

Had it been any servant other than her or Subtle Glare, Pride would have immediately admonished them for their disrespect. However, he has a particularly deep trust for Cantrip, and the good maid has been nothing but kind to him. If he didn't know any better, he would even say that she is like a friend to him.

But he knows better, and he knows nobleponies like him can have no such things as friends, so he is content with having her serve as she does.

Moreover, he trusts Cantrip enough to know she wouldn't have burst into his office without good reason.

And since she just said somepony is here, he can't help but feel a surge of hope welling inside of him.

"What is it? No, who is it? Has the beautiful Axe finally returned to us?!" he asks.

But unfortunately, Cantrip replies with a shake of her head.

"No, lord. It is a messenger. A messenger from the crown!" she says. And his hopelessness is quickly smothered by a different sense of urgency. An agent from the crown? Here? Asking for him?! "A Royal Guard has come to the estate, and he brings word that a Princess is coming! Our estate shall be the host to Princess Cadance!"

His eyes go wide, but his strict training quickly takes over. And in but a moment, Velvet Pride is already up from his seat.

"That is... good sun, that is certainly news. Where is the guard? Did he bring a written letter? I must thank him for the forewarning. But how many weeks we have to prepare? I must set the servants to work immediately if we are to host a Princess here!"

"That... that is the thing, Lord," Cantrip says, as if something Velvet Pride had said was both expected and unfortunate. "The Royal Guard did not bring us a forewarning of weeks, or even days. The Princess of Love... has just landed in Ponyville. He was a pegasus of her entourage who brought her in her carriage. She, and your Lady Sister, are meeting your niece at her school. And they will arrive within the hour."

Velvet Pride's blood goes cold as he hears that. To think that he will be hosting a Princess? To think he will not even have a mere week to prepare his humble estate for such noble a presence?

He is shocked. Shocked! More than that, he is also at a loss of what to do. There is no time to prepare a feast. There is no time to have the pegasi turn the gardens into a localized spring at full bloom. There isn't even enough time to wash all the floors and furniture!

And there is no time to salvage whatever little standing he had with the crown, that he is certainly about to lose for being such a shameful host.

Alas, Velvet Pride can now only wait for his coming execution. At least his beautiful Axe will not be here to witness his downfall.

And somewhere, in the nearby town, a Princess is busy hugging a filly.

And as always, life goes on.



-Princess Cadance spent a few days in your home, taking some much needed time off form work, and rejoicing with your recently cutie-marked daughter.
-According to the mare herself, she will probably officially declare herself Silky's godmother one of these days.
-Yes, that is something she can do, just like that. She is a Princess! Who is going to stop her?

All jokes aside, and all insinuations that will never ever be either confirmed or denied aside, Princess Cadance is doing better now, following your brush with death.

All options will have that effect. All options will at least "Make Cadance better".

However, think very, very, very carefully about what option you will pick. The only option with no risks or possible drawbacks is meeting Silky Stream. All other options have consequences that you should think about, and that can be good, bad, both or neither. Read this entire line again.

Twelve hours moratorium. Not a high-stakes vote, but it was posted at an awkward time. Vote by approval, so pick however many you like. Also, there is a small chance I either change or add some options before the moratorium is over. You will be warned if that happens.

As always, I hope you are all doing well.

 

[Arrkhon]

Man, the Mareinette option is extremely appealing, not only does Cadence learns the basis of Lores and gets to make a great friend that will keep her from doing something really silly in future it also puts Mareinette herself closer to a fount of love that will help her with becoming a better person over time which a friendship with us wouldn't help nearly as much
Not to say we shouldn't befriend her on the next turn but this would still help in future