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

[DelightedOne]

Selene is getting us some preliminary Smiles Befriending progress by mass mind controlling the population of Equestria to love freedom. The irony is lost on us.

Click to shrink...

That's more using Selene's dreamwalking to help spread the Word of the Lionsmith. If it was mind control it would be the same effectiveness as Mareinette's assistance.

But indocrination does look like mind control so can't really blame you for jumping to that.

 

[ses]

That's more using Selene's dreamwalking to help spread the Word of the Lionsmith. If it was mind control it would be the same effectiveness as Mareinette's assistance.

But indocrination does look like mind control so can't really blame you for jumping to that.

Click to shrink...

Accessing pony's subconsciouses via dream Inception is mind control lmao. What else would you call putting messages in your subconscious via dreamwalking?

 

[DelightedOne]

Accessing pony's subconsciouses via dream Inception is mind control lmao. What else would you call putting messages in your subconscious via dreamwalking?

Click to shrink...

Propaganda in dreams? Dream shaping? Oneiric proselytizing? The Lionsmith's guide to politics 101? Planting the seeds of rebelion in case we need to stage a coup against Daybreaker?


It is not as if she is forcing ponies to accept it. Mind control gives you no choice, propaganda on the other hand is just trying to convince you to believe. If ponies do or not depends on a wide variety of factors(the main one which we are trying to avoid right now).


I really don't want to sound like Shaper but... "This is Selene slander."

 

[ses]

Propaganda in dreams? Dream shaping? Oneiric proselytizing? The Lionsmith's guide to politics 101? Planting the seeds of rebelion in case we need to stage a coup against Daybreaker?


It is not as if she is forcing ponies to accept it. Mind control gives you no choice, propaganda on the other hand is just trying to convince you to believe. If ponies do or not depends on a wide variety of factors(the main one which we are trying to avoid right now).


I really don't want to sound like Shaper but... "This is Selene slander."

Click to shrink...

Propaganda inserted into the subconscious isn't mind control! They're not being forced to love cocks! The pretty spiral is just showing them the Truth! I love Master because he explained it so well!

 

[swarm]

It sounds like advertising

 

[DelightedOne]

Propaganda inserted into the subconscious isn't mind control! They're not being forced to love cocks! The pretty spiral is just showing them the Truth! I love Master because he explained it so well!

Click to shrink...

I see this is a issue of values that will not be solved with words.

So let us observe what exactly Selene is asked by our resident Edge Name and discover who is right.

It sounds like advertising

Click to shrink...

I did have to resist putting "the next stage of capitalism" there, so I agree with you.

 

[spiderhellian]

Ahhhh, but spending thousands of words arguing over issues of values that will not be solved by words is one of this thread's constant delights.

 

[Shaper47]

Selene is just doing a much much bigger version of what her brother Evil is doing.

 

[swarm]

Big brother and propaganda\advertising sounds familiar

 

[DelightedOne]

Selene is just doing a much much bigger version of what her brother Evil is doing.

Click to shrink...

Well... Can't exactly argue with that.

Evil is changing the culture of Equestria, but so will Smiles(because we are befriending him) but the difference is that Smiles is doing something that can benefit ponykind if something goes wrong like Daybreaker appearing, Velvet dying or Biedde managing to reinstate Colonel worship. Curiously the term "innoculate" is used to describe what he is doing, which implies it will not do much if it isn't triggered. Considering rebels need a cause it is likely his efforts will only properly give results if there is a corresponding push from Biedde's side.

Unfortunately, that is likely to happen, but with any luck we will have reached Glory by then. So that will be another chapter of the story.


Meanwhile Evil is just making Equestria worse because his daddy said so.


Damn, I missed talking about this Quest. Even the one I found to wait this one doesn't quite make the cut.

 

[Shaper47]

Meanwhile Evil is just making Equestria worse because his daddy said so.

Click to shrink...

There's some more nuance there but that is pretty much how it's going.

Evil is doing what his daddy and mother say which is to innoculate the wake/world from Harmony.

Which is a way* to deal with the Worm threat**.

Selene is putting a much heavier hoof on the scale here. Though not for a path as dark as her brother's.

* A way that sucks to be sure. With nasty side effects.

** So debatably a necessary evil. I mean when Cenobites would be a merciful fate in comparison and the entire world is a stake it's not really a time to be gambling.

 

[DelightedOne]

Evil is doing what his daddy and mother say which is to innoculate the wake/world from Harmony.

Click to shrink...

As one of the voices in his mommy's head I feel the need to say we never had any control over Evil and didn't even chose to make him in the first place.

So we can't be blamed for anything he does. Paranoia and Ash? Yeah, we fucked up with them.

 

[Shaper47]

As one of the voices in his mommy's head I feel the need to say we never had any control over Evil and didn't even chose to make him in the first place.

So we can't be blamed for anything he does. Paranoia and Ash? Yeah, we fucked up with them.

Click to shrink...

I think it's subconscious, kinda like our lore knowledge.

Like, we have Moth lore knowledge so subconsciously Velvet keeps secrets.

We have Edge lore knowledge so subconsciously we are ready to fight.

We have Grail lore knowledge so subconsciously we are desired.

We have an understanding and kinship of Agony knowledge so subconsciously we spread our shadow to have our son's cast the world into darkness.

Part of being in a horror setting I guess.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

It's less Velvet's subconscious and more the active influence of the Wolf Divided, here. Carcass just blasted Velvet so hard it stained her soul in order to make Evil.

 

[OurLadyOfWires]

That was the best possible future. Silky Stream knew that.

The world was in peace.

Ponykind, and all of its neighbors, was safe.

The Mansus was still accessible in her dreams.

So yes, that was the best possible future. By every possible metric, and by everypony's standard. And that made her very, very happy.

Even though she was already so old that, very soon, she would no longer be a part of that future.

It felt like yesterday, when she was still a filly. It felt like she just got her cutie mark last week, and that she still had so much to do. Granted, she knew she had already done plenty, and that she taught her foals well enough for them to keep up the good work when they are gone.

Yes, Silky Stream taught her foals, and she watched as they taught her grand-foals. And if she looked really hard, and took some liberties that could be mistaken for arrogance, she thought that she could see the effects of her hard work around her.

"Well, I didn't make nearly as much of an impact as mom did," she mused out loud. "Or Selene, or any of my other sisters. But they work in such a grander scale that…"

She trailed off, letting her mind wander as a smile slowly formed on her lips.

"It's alright. How is it that Cherry always says it? Ah, of course. Our kind is meant to build the canvas, but your kind is meant to paint on it," she said to the empty room. And not for the first time, she couldn't help but come to the same conclusion she always did. "And I'm awful glad that I get to paint on it. Being an immortal sounds so dull, really. I'm glad I just get to do one thing well, and then pass the torch to the next generation."

She thought about that, and then she thought about other things besides, and at some point she just started thinking about nothing at all. Letting the empty room, and the sound of a nearby ticking clock, keep her company.

Until finally, a knock came through the door.

"Mother? Are you awake?" one of her daughters, her daughter, walked into the room, her voice a familiar whisper.

Silky considered pranking her. Pretending to be asleep or dead or something else besides. But she decided against it. Not today, she thought. Not today.

"Yes dear, I'm awake. Is everything ready?" she answered.

"Yes, mother. The Salon is ready and the Visitors are in place. We are ready to begin when you are."

Silky Stream, the elderly mortal matron of the Velvet family, gave her daughter a small nod as she got up from her seat.

Because today, she would add her last brushstroke to the grand painting that is Equestria.



- - -



The preparations for that day were… extensive. In a sense, Silky Stream could say that she had been preparing for that day her whole life.

And of course, that day wouldn't have been possible if she had worked alone. After all, no great work can be done by a single pony.

Her mother, and the other immortals who loved her so, laid out the groundwork. They saved the world from the hate of ice, and the wrath of fire. They negotiated this bright future into existence. They brought about this land where the New is enthroned and the Old is honored.

And most importantly, for Silky's work, her mother brought back the season of Numa. That fog-chocked season, that only lasts an entire day, when the world was the most open for suggestions.

Her daughters, and the other mortals who followed her, set the stage. The work and works they have done is beyond counting, and their achievements were sometimes as small as a hoofshake, or as grand as a new life. But each and every one of them was important. Each and every one of them was another step, oath or bargain that led to that day.

As for Silky herself…

Well, the groundwork and the stage can only be put to use if the main actress is present.

"Everything looks wonderful dear," she said, to her daughter's delight. "Perfect, even! I couldn't have asked a better pony to prepare this feast."

Silky Stream said that as she gazed down at the Salon, the fine dinning hall of the Velvet Castle, all propped up and ready for a grand meal.

The walls were adorned with banners and tapestries, of glories past and future.

The mosaic walls were shining bright, dripping here and there with the cold drops of the outside mists of Numa.

The great dining table was ready, with eight honored chairs (four on each side), eight guest chairs (one for each companion), and one humble chair (at the center, to make a proposal) all laid out where they should be.

And then of course there was the feast itself. Nine dishes and nine drinks from nine cultures, each of them a joy to the senses (and worth a small fortune) prepared by a deft hoof.

The proper things, in the proper manner, in the proper order.

Velvet, help us all.

"Well then, it is time to begin," Silky said, to which her daughter answered with a respectful bow as she took her leave.

With that, Silky Stream sat alone upon the humble chair, at the edge of the long table, and she looked down upon the seats to her right and her left.

Then, she took the small bell in front of her, which was waiting next to her own plate.

And then-

Ring, ring, ring.​

-she invited the guests.

From eight separate entrances came eight honored guests, each of them with a companion by their side. The expressions on their faces were an array of emotions. Some of them were amused, some of them were disgusted, but none of them were surprised.

None of them were surprised because, in the end, they had all been invited. All of them knew what to expect.

And Silky Stream knew these honored guests very well. She had known them since she was a filly, the eight immortals from the old world.

Of course, Silky Stream also knew their companions well… after all, she quite literally made them. Granted, making them companions had been an effort in itself. But that was not the time to look back at old victories.

No, that was the time to host a feast.

And given the honored guests presents, she was the only one in the whole world who could do it.

"Welcome, everypony," she said, before anypony else could truly react.

And then, she began her magnum opus.

Silky Stream has activated her skill [VIOLENCE IS FORBIDDEN AT THIS TABLE]​

Spoiler: Skill

[VIOLENCE IS FORBIDDEN AT THIS TABLE] (Esoteric Trait): During an Event, you may pick a Trait of a willing Guest. For the duration of the Event, that trait will be nullified (treated as nonexistent). This may be applied even to Traits that are archetypal, Hours-sponsored, or that are otherwise usually considered "untouchable."

Because Silky Stream wasn't just there to host a feast. She was there to make a proposal.

So of course, she had to ensure that…



[IMMATERIAL] has been nullified.

… that her guests were properly present.



[ANTISOCIAL] has been nullified.

[IRRATIONAL] has been nullified.

[SHE IS JUST A PAINTING] has been nullified.

… that her guests were able, and willing, to speak.



[HE WILL NOT RELEASE ME] has been nullified.

[CRIMINAL] has been nullified.

[MARRIED TO A MORTAL] has been nullified.

… that her guests were allowed to choose for themselves.



[OH HATED FOE] has been nullified.

… and of course, that no violence would take place at her table.



She said that, and she watched as the impossible happened.

Because upon her invitation, and with nothing but her words, the eight honored guests sat around her table. Four guests of Order on one side, and four of Change on the other. All of them from the far past, and all of them joined by companions from this future.

And with that, at long last, her work could begin.

"Thank you for coming to this, my last tea party," Silky Stream said, using the one and only privilege she had as a mortal.

After all, her honored guests would not have come if they knew there would be more tea parties, and more invitations. They would not have suffered each other's presence, if she had joined them in eternity.

But she would not have received her cutie mark if she didn't know how to bring ponies to her table. Even if it was, quite literally, the last thing she did.

"Now, the reason I called you all here is very simple, my dear friends," she said to the table at large. "You all belong to the past, and this world is galloping towards the future. However, that does not mean you need to be left behind."

She said that as she poured herself a cup of tea, not needing to look up at their familiar faces to know how they would react to her words. She knew them too well.

"So, I have a proposal," she said.

She said that to her friends, and she said that to her foals, and she said that to the whispering mists coiling outside.

And, impossibly, they all listened to her.

By the end of that day, the past was married to the future, the old was made new, and tomorrow turned just a little brighter.

And the last story that Silky Stream told would echo throughout the world for the rest of time.





Author's note:

Spoiler: A/N

The wrathful cries of a newborn, and the sleepless nights that follow, are not something I would wish upon my worst foe. Even if there is a certain joy attached to it.
Still, as they slowly subside, I finally find the time to come back here.

I hope you are all doing well! Please enjoy a short omake as I reheat my writing engines.

And as for inspiration, it comes from the quote from Narnia: "Violence is forbidden at Aslan's table."
I quite enjoy the parallel of how highly Silky is thought of, in this future, for her to be compared to that other figure.

 

[Spacemurica]

Did not expect Narnia of all things to be an inspiration. I love it

 

[Greymere]

Welcome back Bird!

I'm guessing this takes place in a universe where the Master didn't get Wolfsploded, since we don't have any other Moth Names around and kicking as far as we're aware. Or maybe one where Harmony unfucked the Ashen Wastes. Also... Cherenkolt married a mortal???

 

[ses]

Welcome back Bird!

I'm guessing this takes place in a universe where the Master didn't get Wolfsploded, since we don't have any other Moth Names around and kicking as far as we're aware. Or maybe one where Harmony unfucked the Ashen Wastes. Also... Cherenkolt married a mortal???

Click to shrink...

Not just any mortal. That's our son-in-law I'm pretty sure.

 

[Talon Tiger Dino]

So bittersweet, seeing a lovely future that will never come to pass.

 

[Steady Gaze]

Ah… how noblebright. It makes me think that some kind of "go back in time to the beginning of the quest and redo everything with your memories intact" due to some Secret Histories nonsense would be a very !!FUN!! effect.

The world was in peace.

Click to shrink...

The world was at peace.

Click to shrink...

The world was in a state of peace.

Click to shrink...

I forget whether OurLadyOfWires goes back through old pings or not when returning from a hiatus, but I have a lot of typo suggestions here:

@OurLadyOfWires I provide my usual list of suggestions (massive because of my backlog):

Click to shrink...

 

[DelightedOne]

Oh my glob it is happening!!!!!


*Realizes that it is an In which*

Oh, better than nothing I gue-

*Sees the title* *Sees how the first few paragraphs are worded*

Is this a Harmony victory sneak peek? Wait no it says the best possible future so it is more likely to be what we failed to do.

...

I am going to read this properly now.

"Well, I didn't make nearly as much of an impact as mom did," she mused out loud. "Or Selene, or any of my other sisters. But they work in such a grander scale that…"

Click to shrink...

Well, that's true, Velvet is the Linchpin, you are the Legacy she leaves. Other sisters? Did I spend too much time away and forgot something important?

Because Velvet and Stormchaser either adopted more fillies or Ainé was made and the Sons were genderbent. At least that is what comes to mind.

"It's alright. How is it that Cherry always says it? Ah, of course. Our kind is meant to build the canvas, but your kind is meant to paint on it," she said to the empty room. And not for the first time, she couldn't help but come to the same conclusion she always did. "And I'm awful glad that I get to paint on it. Being an immortal sounds so dull, really. I'm glad I just get to do one thing well, and then pass the torch to the next generation."

Click to shrink...

Old Silky is wise indeed. Why is it that the crazy kids either become dysfunctional or wise sages when they grow up?

Also mini-lore reveal? Or at least context to the proper order of Equestria.

"Mother? Are you awake?" one of her daughters, her daughter, walked into the room, her voice a familiar whisper.

Silky considered pranking her. Pretending to be asleep or dead or something else besides. But she decided against it. Not today, she thought. Not today.

Click to shrink...

She had a daughter for every lore? Interesting.

And would you look at that, Silky has multiple affinities, maybe even all!

And most importantly, for Silky's work, her mother brought back the season of Numa. That fog-chocked season, that only lasts an entire day, when the world was the most open for suggestions.

Click to shrink...

Someone got into Book of Hours I see.

Oh... Oh. We got the Names bad traits shown to us. Including Mareinette.
AND SHE NULLIFIED ALL OF THEM.

[MARRIED TO A MORTAL]

Click to shrink...

Did... Did what I think happened happen?
Also not surprised the Will of the Woods was Irrational.
ugh, the implications of these traits and scene are... I don't even know how to write this.

 

[ses]

Well, that's true, Velvet is the Linchpin, you are the Legacy she leaves. Other sisters? Did I spend too much time away and forgot something important?

Because Velvet and Stormchaser either adopted more fillies or Ainé was made and the Sons were genderbent. At least that is what comes to mind.

Click to shrink...

You forgot Softy, for shame

 

[DelightedOne]

No, I didn't. Silky currently has 2 sisters, she mentioned Selene and then mentioned her "other sisters" so the math isn't mathing.

So she got more sisters than Soft an Selene.

 

[spiderhellian]

Very, very, fun! What a delightful Omake. It has been awesome to see Silky's growth over the quest, such as in her engagement with Axe, and equally so to get this glimpse ahead — perhaps a what could have been, but a lovely flash forward all the same.