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

- - -

It feels a bit like talking to yourself, and a lot like simply knowing that there is somepony right behind you, looking straight at the back of your head.

You think about choosing your words carefully, but in the end the choice is practically laid out before you. There is no reason to lie, and no proof that any lie won't be seen through when you think about it. You will just omit what is honestly unimportant and say your piece.

"I have located a way to the Dreamlands, and I am confident that I can show others how to get there," you start, "and I believe… No, rather, I am sure that Princess Luna is also active in there. I stumbled upon some dreams that have been… it's hard to know what word to use. Dreams that had suffered an intervention? Whatever it was, I haven't seen the Princess directly, nor have I ever felt her magic before, but I know that it was her doing."

You think back to your travel through the dreamlands, a soft tremor running through your body as you try to remember enough, but not too much.

"There are also things in the dreamlands… things I have never seen before," you hesitate, "I don't even know how to begin to describe them. They seemed to be made of solid smoke, and were trying to make their way into dreams, and…" you look at the other five ponies, each looking at you with a different expression between incredulity and curious attention, "whatever they were, whatever they are, take my advice for it. They are dangerous, or at the very least they are extremely wrong."

Wrong, that is the word you should have used from the start. No other description would have done any amount of justice. You force the memories to go somewhere else, not wanting to dally on it, and continue your report.

"Apart from that, I've also located two of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. One of them is a white unicorn named Rarity, and I believe I am starting to get on good terms with her, but nothing too deep," you try to sound as neutral as possible on the matter, "the other is another unicorn, a purple one, Twilight Sparkle, who if I recall correctly was the leader on the Nightmare Moon situation. But I just met her in passing."

You see Copper raise an eyebrow and give you a curious nod.

"Apart from that, the only thing of interest is that I've acquired a curio that seems to be strong with Heart. I'll be studying it soon, to see if it yields any useful knowledge."

And with that, you finish your report, a sigh of relief leaving your lips before you realize it, as the pressure of the woods seem to lessen around you. The dark trees seem a little straighter now, the leaves a little bit more noisy. You no longer feel like you are near the center of someplace that isn't supposed to have any center at all.



Snap.



The six of you hear it, your heads turning towards the source of the sound, at the same time as some other part of your brains seem to wake up. A light buzz inside your heads, or at least your own, that isn't enough to annoy you, but is more than enough for you not to be able to forget it is there.

You think you hear the sound of a hoofstep, muffled by leaves, and you swear that you can almost see a shadow or a silhouette, but whenever you think you finally have your eyes on your Master, you realize you are looking at the bark of a tree, or the shadow of a stone, or something else with large wings.

"Follow," you hear, in that same un-same voice, heavy with secrets.

And without a word, the six of you stand up and head deeper into the Woods.

The forest grows progressively darker around you as you walk, and soon you cannot see any further than your own snout. You stumble through roots as often as you make straight steps, and the sound of brushes being forced aside and of short grunts and yelps of your fellow compatriots making their way near you soon fills your ears. The buzzing of the Woods itself seems to grow stronger as well, and you swear that you can feel something landing on your body a few times, but it is gone before you can swat it away.

You are sure that you would have lost yourself, being deeper in the Woods than you have ever been before, if it wasn't for the sound of your Master's voice guiding you.

"The news you bring are of both good and bad tidings", the voice comes from the blinding darkness, always just a few steps ahead of you. It has a curious property that doesn't seem to quite cut through the buzzing of the Woods, but rather that it use its cacophonous chorus to its advantage.

"Comet Feet, results must be presented whether if the base material is useful or not. Expand your search elsewhere if you believe to be adequate, or become yourself the only instrument that we will need. Do either, or seek a third choice, but soon will come the day when conflict will be the only solution."

A snap of a twig, dry and echoing, comes from a few hoofsteps ahead, marking the direction you must go. You nearly fall on your face as a root that wasn't there entangles one of your legs, but you quickly shake it off.

"Starry Dancer and Copper Secateur, expand your webs. There are agents of law in Ponyville who, despite being paltry themselves, serve as alarms to more dangerous foes. And we are still far from having followers on every corner and shadow of the town itself, so continue your strides in that direction."

"Windy Flakes, you too must present results. Our gatherings will soon see greater numbers and frequency, as more minds begin their searches for the truth. It won't do for us not to have a suitable location for such."

A leaf that feels like both paper and fur brushes against your face, making you close your eyes in reflex, and it is only several steps later that you realize you are no longer tripping over roots, and that the moonlight is bathing you once again.

"Jade Whistle and Velvet Covers… the six of you must look carefully now, but this knowledge will also be relevant to the next step you two in particular must take."

You blink a few more times, the soft moonlight somehow coming as a glare for a few moments, until your eyes adjust, and you can take a proper look at your surroundings.

The place is too large to be a clearing, so perhaps "opening" would be a more adequate term. The Woods are all around you and you can see it in the distance, but its borders are far away. You have the impression that this is the imitation of a gap in a forest in which you would find a lake, but as expected you see no such thing, only black dirt covered in leaves.

The Mansus itself is also far, you can see its floating stairs and connected floors in the distance, the Glory itself a pinprick against the darkness of the night. You are farther away from it than you think you have walked, although you know such a thing means little within this place.

But one thing is for sure. You know you will never be able to find your way back here again, unless your Master guides you once more.

"The secrets that you are learning, although there was a time they were not secrets, are undeniable, and there is a cause for that," you look around, and realize the voice is coming from underneath a large crooked rock, twisted and twice as tall as Comet Feet, the shadow underneath it not allowing you to see any trace of your Master.

"If you drop a rock, it falls to the ground," the voice continues, as the wind gains strength around you, pushing leaves towards the air, "if you scrape the correct branches of wood or hit certain rocks in the proper way, there will you see sparks that may start a fire."

The wind continues to grow in strength, leaves and dust and feathers and other things spiraling around the six of you in a dizzying pattern as your Master's voice speaks faster and faster.

"But there were times when the falling of rocks was beyond the comprehension of ponies, and the mysteries of fire were a secret of power. And much like the ponies from long ago struggled to master them, so to do you struggle to master the things which surround you within this place. But the Mansus has its laws, and they are as undeniable as gravity and fire… and due to the Mansus' connection to ponykind, those laws can be invoked in the Wake. The six of you do it every time, whenever your knowledge of Lore proves to be useful."

The wind slowly dies out, and you can see that the leaves formed a curious pattern on the floor around the six of you. Almost like a circle, but with each leaf carefully positioned in relation to each other, each branch and feather a line or inscription that you think you can write down in a way that will almost make sense.

"And even greater laws may be called upon in the Wake, if you but learn how to invoke them properly. This circle that you see around you is the very cornerstone of such a ritual, and it is enough to invoke only a single aspect of Lore. The six of you will learn to use it well, but for the two of you, Velvet Covers and Jade Whistle, there are greater tasks that involve this knowledge…"

The voice disappears from underneath the shadow of the crooked rock, this time appearing to come from nowhere at all, almost like a whisper.

"Jade Whistle, ensure that your followers are adept in performing this simple version of the ritual, for you and your followers will be called for when the time comes."

"And Velvet Covers… the knowledge that the alicorn Luna is active in the Dreamlands is most troubling, for it reveals that her mind is recuperating, and that bodes ill for us. In order to gain access to her dreams, however, we will need to perform a ritual capable of summoning two aspects of Lore. The patterns of that ritual are written in the very walls of the Mansus, should you reach it beyond the Woods. Or, you might find it written in books of old, transcribed by ponies who echoed down into ink what they could not understand. Whichever source you seek, it is instrumental that you secure that knowledge soon, lest the alicorn once again stokes the flames within herself, and the sight of her becomes blinding for us."

And with that final whisper echoing in the air, the voice disappears, gone from the edge of the Woods in which it seemed to dance for a little while, leaving the six of you alone.

You are not sure how long the six of you poured over the intricate pattern of leaves and dark sand, but you know that it will no longer escape your memory. The same way you know that as soon as you leave that place, a gust of wind will cause it to disappear as if it had never existed.

And after the six of you are done communing among yourselves on your next steps, you each go your separate ways. There would be no way to leave that place, except by going back into the Woods that surround you, and that would surely entail in each of you becoming lost.

And becoming lost, you know, is something one must do alone.



- - -



You wake up in your room.

Except that you don't.

You can feel it, the soft cushion underneath your body, the weight of your covers over you, the warm feeling of your husband next to you. Your whole body tells you that you are in your bed, and that you will see the same thing you always see every morning as soon as you open your eyes.

But something else, in your mind, tells you that you're not there.

Something else tells you that the life you are about to wake up to is but a dream, and you are not fully asleep yet to reach it.



"You saw them, didn't you?"



You hear a voice. That voice. Contemplating, wise, but with a tinge of curiosity that you are not used to hearing it carry.



"The things in the dreamlands, you saw them shuffling around, didn't you? Thirsting for the light that comes from ponykind, lusting for that spark of warmth. They are not from… around here, as you might have noticed. Quite abominable indeed…" you almost think you hear a chuckle.



Yes, you did see them. But what are those things? Why are they in the Dreamlands?

Where the hell did they come from?



"Oh, you mean you didn't realize it? You didn't notice it?" the voice seems almost surprised, "well, it does make a bit of sense actually… It would be asking a bit too much for you to do."



What do you mean you didn't realize? Didn't notice what?!

Hey! I'm talking to you!



"Do not worry, for you will learn. You must learn, in fact, if you are to understand. But just so you know…" you can feel a smile creeping on the voice, "the alicorns are ancient beings, and they know things that they sometimes choose to forget. Old things. Secret things. But if we reach the dreams of the alicorn Luna, though our goal in there will be another, we might just come upon such tidbits of knowledge, don't you think?"

"So do work towards it, Velvet Covers. You do have potential."



You feel a push, a soft sensation on the middle of your chest that seems to reactivate gravity. Your body suddenly feels far heavier upon your cushion, the blankets over you feel heavy enough to almost be smothering you.

And your husband is snoring, you realize with an annoyed thought as you finally open your eyes.





You have walked deeper into the Woods than you have ever before, and found a secret place that you will never reach again. That is the nature of the Woods, and this realization has somehow opened your eyes. Gained 1 scrap of MOTH Lore.

MOTH Lore is now level 2!

Maybe your Master is satisfied, maybe he is disappointed, maybe he just wishes for you to see. But regardless, the secret he whispered in your ear was like a small candlelight in a dark room. Gained 1 scrap of LANTERN Lore.

Your Master is now willing to whisper scraps of the second Level, you may now learn any Lore up to level 3 under her… him?

You and your fellow advisors have planned your actions beforehand, so arranging meetings or joint actions will not be a problem. You have also taught them all the way to the Dreamlands, though with stark warnings about its dangers.



- - -



Last turn's shopping list


Last turn's available bits: 7

[ ] BOOK – SECRET HISTORIES Level 3, buy for 30 bits (not enough resources)
[ ] BOOK - SECRET HISTORIES Level 2, buy for 15 bits (not enough resources)
[ ] BOOK – Guide for TWO places for expeditions, buy for 15 bits (not enough resources)

(Books not bought will be lost, other items will be available through the following turns, but have a chance of being sold to somepony else every turn)



---



POSSIBLE ACTIONS



You have four personal actions, and one ponyservant action.


Specify which action will be carried out by your ponyservants. They will apply ONLY your status bonus, as they will follow instructions or carry your name and influence, but they will not apply personal bonus (bonus given by Lore, personal items, personal Characteristics or of any other nature).

This turn's available bits: 127 (minus items you decided to buy)

Monthly revenue: 120 bits/month

[ ] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of [SPECIFY LORE] [THIS IS A FREE ACTION]



[ ] On what must be done (searching for instructions to the Ritual that allows for two aspects of Lore)

-[ ] You have your vague instructions, but the most straightforward is that the Mansus itself, somehow, keeps those instructions within itself. You have never reached the structure itself, deep within and beyond the Woods, but it looks like the time has come.
-[ ] There are old books in this world. There are grand libraries, and then there are restricted archives, and then there are forbidden archives. Go to Canterlot, the place with the greatest concentration of those three, and try to find something there.
--[ ] Go alone, that book certainly wont be lying around, so there will come a time when you will need to be subtle. (costs 20 bits in transportation)
--[ ] Try and take Twilight Sparkle with you, she is Celestia's personal student, right? Her library card is bound to get you deeper than yours. (low chance of success since you are only acquaintances with her. Will cost 40 bits in transportation if successful, 20 bits if failed as you will go alone.)
-[ ] WRITE IN (a variation of those above, or another alternative entirely)



[ ] On furthering the cause

-[ ] There are books that could be of use. You should start looking for them. (may involve random expenditure of bits). All sub-choices not suspicious.
--[ ] In Ponyville, and its… great assortments of libraries? (no extra cost)
--[ ] In the great libraries of Canterlot… the ones that are open to public access, that is (20 bits in transportation)
--[ ] In the many small bookshops that dot the side streets of Manehattan (35 bits in transportation)
-[ ] In all honesty, the Cult lacks an appropriate place for gatherings, at least when it comes to lesser meetings to discuss small matters, or to simply stash certain things. Scout for a suitable place, or other buildings that might be for sale. Not suspicious.
-[ ] Although you are personally judicious about such habits, you are still a noble. Searching for "peculiar items" to "add to your collection" is certainly not out of place… right? Suspicion depends on how strange the item bought is.
-[ ]Copper Secateur may be in charge of finding suitable candidates, she even was the pony who first introduced you into the Wildhoof Club, but you could use followers of your own.
-[ ] You are the highest authority from your family in Ponyville, and have countless earth pony farmers working under you. The next logical step it to scout for those who would be loyal to you and your cult. (Scout out for cult candidates within your own employees). Highly suspicious.
-[ ] There is somepony in charge of the "heavy lifting" within your cult, of course, but you could do with a few strong hoofs at your personal disposal. Go looking for such contacts. (Low chance for success in Ponyville, according to Comet Feet) Moderately suspicious.
-[ ] There are bound to be, among all of those large, strong earth ponies, some who wouldn't mind a way to make some extra bits on the side. Reach out to them. (Scout out for ponies willing to get their hoofes dirty among your own employees. Low chance of success in Ponyville, according to Comet Feet). Highly suspicious.
-[ ] You really shouldn't, but needs must. Every single ledger from the farms east of Ponyville pass through you, it would be a simple matter to have some "administrative mistakes" make some bits disappear from the coffers and appear in your pockets. Highly suspicious.
-[ ] You cannot expect to succeed working alone, that's why you are in a cult. Take some time to help one of your colleagues. Who knows, you might even learn something from them.
--[ ] Help Comet Feet
---[ ] It can't be that there isn't a single pony in this town that's not willing to get close and personal. Help him look for them one more time.
---[ ] He might just go deeper into the Lore of Edge, and attempt to become a one pony army. Help him.
--[ ] Help Starry Dancer
---[ ] She has the keys to the mayor's office, now its time to help her get the keys to the mayor's ears.
---[ ] She is supposed to get on the good graces of the law enforcers and guards, and somehow picturing her doing it alone worries you.
--[ ] Help Copper Secateur
---[ ] What she did when she first met you, the whole recruiting dance, seems to be something she does often. Accompany her during one such night out and see if you can be of use.
---[ ] She can't be expected to be recruiting for the cult all by herself forever, help her train those who will multiply her efforts.
--[ ] Help Windy Flakes
---[ ] He needs help acquiring a rather expensive establishment, but bits are not the only currency that matters. Put some favors on the table and promise to pull some strings in the future, but help him get that business.
---[ ] Violence IS a solution. Call Comet Feet, and accompany Windy Flakes on a "visit" to the owner of that fine establishment.
--[ ] Help Jade Whistle
---[ ] She mentioned she got a team together, a fledgling and untested team, help her make sure that they are on par to their task.



[ ] There is too much you do not yet know. You must further your knowledge.

-[ ] The matters of [SPECIFY LORE] intrigues you, petition your cult's Master for a lesson (currently willing to teach all Lores up to level 3)
-[ ] There is something about this… thing, and you must learn what it is (pick a single artifact to learn from its Lore, and check it for hidden abilities).
--[ ] HEART Level 3 – A heavy rug, or a blanket, that might have healing properties. (Expected CD: 50 + 0 = 50, for level 0 scraps of Lore)
-[ ] It doesn't have to be just during a leisure evening weekend, you can fit a few minutes of reading even when walking between rooms if you really get into it! (Pick two books to attempt to learn a scrap of Lore. Consumes books).
--[ ] KNOCK Level 1 – "A handbook that tells the tale of a thief" (Expected CD: 50 + 10 = 60, for level 1 scraps of Lore)
--[ ] FORGE Level 1 = "A cooking manual, with a surprisingly in-depth chapter on how to repair broken kitchen utensils" (Expected CD: 50 + 0 = 50, for level 0 scraps of Lore)



[ ] The Mansus is a place of contradictions. It exists, and yet it doesn't. It is frightening, and yet it calls to you. Only through exploring it will you learn its secrets.

-[ ] The Woods
--[ ] Explore the Woods, and its many whispers
--[ ] There are other places connected to the Woods, but that are not in the Mansus proper. Look for them.
-[ ] You have studied the Lores, and are now more knowledgeable than before. It is time to climb even higher in the Mansus.



[ ] Your personal life, or at least the non cult-y part

-[ ] Of course you love your family very much, but you could always spend a bit more time with them.
-[ ] Go into town and try to meet somepony interesting.
-[ ] Bits are the engine of Equestria! You have been working your hooves off for years now and should write to your parents and request an increase of your share of the family's grants.
-[ ] You do know "your place" in the family, but bits are still important. A letter asking for a one-time gift will surely be better received than one asking for a permanent "raise", right?
-[ ] Much to your own satisfaction, you now have a personal life outside of your maids, immediate family and business related meetings. You could choose to spend some time with… (SPECIFY if it will be "a social call", "a step forward to converting said pony" and if "you are willing to spend bits on this")
--[ ] Rarity, who bears the Element of Generosity
--[ ] Twilight Sparkle, who leads the bearers of the Elements of Harmony
--[ ] Cheerilee, your daughter's school teacher
--[ ] Mayor Mare, the de-facto ruler of Ponyville
--[ ] WRITE IN (arrange to take your daughter to meet some of your younger acquaintances, or plan something else entirely)



[ ] You haven't forgotten about it, you just put it on hold until a more convenient time. (Purchases done here will arrive/be completed at the end of this turn.)

-[ ] nothing interesting is on hold



[ ] On invoking the Lores (Rituals and practical occultism)

-[ ] Single Lore invocation of [SPECIFY LORE] -[ ] Double Lore invocation (not learned)
--[ ] To be performed your cult's gathering place, where it is discreet but the cult will know of your actions.
--[ ] To be performed at your own home, where the cult will not know of your actions, but you probably will be discovered or leave traces of it.
--[ ] To be performed on another location (you do not yet know or own any such location)



[ ] Others WRITE IN (anything, but I will have to consider it, and it might make the voting period a bit longer)



There will be at least 24 hours for voting.

All voting will be in plan format, INCLUDING the decision of what was bought last turn.

- - -

The bell mounted over the door chimes softly as you enter. The sound itself is unfamiliar, since you usually come and go when the place is still closed and the bell is not properly set, but not unfamiliar enough to surprise you.

"Velvet! Lovely to see you today. Come to take your daughter's usual dose?"

And the place's owner, Windy Flakes, immediately greets you, three sets of chairs floating with the soft glow of his horn. As usual he is alone, has a smile on his face, and, despite his polite tone and pleasant words, sounds like he is trying to be marginally insufferable on purpose.

"That too," you answer, wondering as always if it was just a good natured question or something else, "but I'm here for other things as well". You look around, the ingrained habit of not wanting to be overheard coming as second nature, "Jade Whistle mentioned she'd have it ready by today?"

You know the unicorn runs his shop alone, but there is still no reason not to be roundabout when it comes to discussing certain subjects.

"Have 'it' ready…? Whatever you mean by it?" the unicorn looks at you slightly puzzled, setting the floating chairs down and rubbing his chin.

What the hell does he mean with…

"You know… that?" you say with a bit more of intensity, "the thing we talked about last time we met? That she said she'd make sure she would have set up and all?"

Windy Flakes narrows his eyes, as if trying his hardest to remember.

"Oh!" until his eyes finally lighten up, "you mean the secret underground room where she carved the sigils for us to do our occult rituals? Of course, how could I forget!" he says with a brilliant smile, making your hair go on edge and your eyes jump to the entrance door. "Why, we needed to dig out a whole new room down there. But earth ponies sure can be industrious when they set their hoofs to it."

You reel at his cheeriness, your eyes going wide for a few more seconds as you wait for the front door to be bust open by a wide-eyed passerby pony that definitely heard everything. It takes a few moments for your heart rate to go back down, and your expression turn into a scowl.

Of course he is pulling your leg.

"Well then, you know the way," he says absentmindedly, going back to arranging the place for another day of work.

And you don't even deign him with an answer, making your way to the back room.



- - -



But Windy Flakes was not joking about how industrious earth ponies are, that much is for sure.

You can see a bit of his own intent. The underground storage has not been through an overhaul by any means, and it is clear that he has no intention of failing when it comes to moving this whole operation somewhere else, but a good amount of work has still been put here.

The small corridor you reach, as soon as you finish your trek down the stairs to the underground, is now lit by a small candle. You can see up ahead a door that wasn't there last time you were here, surely to prevent the deeper parts of the storage, where the cult meets, to be touched by any kind of light, especially that candle's. But another addition, the one you came here for, is right beside you.

You open the simple wooden door with a flick of magic, and a small room reveals itself to you. It's only large enough to barely fit the circle, its lines practically dug into the ground with painstaking precision. Being a unicorn you can't rightly imagine how much effort that must have taken for Jade Whistle, her being an earth pony, but that's just another reminder that the three pony races are truly equal, horn or no horn on their foreheads.

A small hole dug on the wall reveals the supplies you need, as well as some basic instructions that, although you learned all you needed in your dreams, you still double-check. A few more candles and a mirror float your way, as is proper when invoking Lantern, and you set about your task.

Thinking about it rationally, you can't help but realize how strange this whole affair is, in perspective. Here you are, a grown mare who already has a daughter, in a dug underground room underneath an ice cream parlor, setting about candles and mirrors for a "magic ritual" that doesn't involve even the slightest glow of your horn. By all logic you shouldn't be there, and by all other arguments this so called ritual shouldn't even work.

But after you are finished, you can't help but to notice that your own image looks just a bit more detailed in your own eyes. You can't help but to see that the candle outside of the room, after you leave, seems to be just a bit brighter. The whole world does, in fact.

And as you make your way back home, the rising sun having barely lifted from the horizon, you can't help but to admit that whatever you did in that room undoubtedly worked.





- - -
- - -
- - -





[But who is with Rarity today?]

[Rolling…]

[That's quite a high roll actually]



You know those eyes. They are the eyes of somepony who is pleading. The eyes of a pony who can't directly say what she wants, but in all other aspects is begging you to confirm what you just said, to reaffirm that it is not a lie or a colorful prank.

That what you said really is true.

"And…" she asked again, hesitantly, "are you absolutely sure you won't need my help, Mrs. Velvet?"

You are sure that a crueler pony would have smirked at that. But to be honest, this whole thing is actually making you worry a bit.

Soft Sweeps is practically teary-eyed before you. She has the hoof trembling of somepony who had just been released from some terrible fate, and you think that the mare would have broken down and hugged you if not for some personal resilience from her.

"Yes, Soft Sweeps, I'll be going out with Silky and there's no need for you to come with us…", you say once more, and watch as she lets out a long sigh of relief, tension clearly leaving her from underneath her maid uniform. "And Soft Sweeps… is everything alright? Is Silky Stream being a hoof-full or someth-"

"Not at all Mrs. Velvet!" the mare quickly interrupts you, causing you to raise an eyebrow, "I have no problems at all taking care of the young miss. Not. At. All!"

The mare quickly gives you a full bow, wings spread and all, as she hurriedly stammers about something she has to go take care of, since you have "so graciously" relieved her for the day, and is out through an open window before you can so much open your mouth to answer.

She literally flew off, still in her maid uniform and all.

"That's… actually worrying…" you say out loud, blinking a few times before forcing yourself to shrug at it. Whatever it is, it's not something you will be able to take care of right now.

You turn around, and start heading to your room, after all you have to get ready to go out.



- - -



You are starting to get accustomed to Ponyville, or at least with the center of the town. You have already walked these streets enough times, between your book-sorties, leisure walks and regular cult-going, that they aren't that strange to you anymore.

In fact, when you stop to consider it, this place is probably more familiar to you now than Canterlot was. When you think back to it, the only thing you remember is spending a lot of time practically locked inside your own house, watching chariots pass by the streets from the window next to your bed.

Thank heavens you had books for company…

"Mom! Look, look!", you hear Silky Stream shout, and you look up to see her zip straight ahead of you, doing a long loop in the air and reorienting herself.

It's not exactly comfortable to have a flying daughter, especially when you can't run well and your husband is not in sight. But you get a lot less nervous now than you used to, whenever you see Silky flying, and she is actually turning out to be quite a good flyer.

Granted, she's not flying that high, she doesn't fly any higher than your magic can reach at least. But for all the worried part of your mind cares she might as well be a black dot obfuscated by the sun, and both out of instinct and rationality you always keep a bit of energy at the base of your horn, ready for some flash-levitation magic in case she comes falling to the ground.

Just in case.

"Did you see that?! I'm learning to do loops!" she says excitedly, flying down towards you, beaming with pride.

"That's my little acrobat. You'll be flying circles around your father in no time," you say with a smile, straightening her wind-ruffled mane with a bit of magic, "but where did you learn that? I haven't seen your father teach you that one yet."

"It was with the other foals in school! They dared me that I am too young to do any upside-down flying, so I went up the school roof during recess and showed them I can!" she says, all smiles.

And you smile in return. You are sure that quite a few red flags passed you by just now, and that you just heard a few things that if anypony else had told you it would have resulted in quite a few glares, harsh words and other consequences.

But you just can't get mad at your daughter. Not when she's showing so much potential!

"And everypony was really impressed!" Silky went on, "especially Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. Oh, they are two girls I've been talking to, and then-"

You feel good about this. All of this. Walking with your daughter on a sunny day, hearing her talk about her studies, and making friends in school, and all the other little things you know that makes all the difference. You know very well what a gilded cage feels like, and you will make sure that your daughter is as free as a bird.

You are especially glad about hearing of those two fillies. Their names were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, right? They surely sound like good little girls, with whom you absolutely would like your daughter to be friends with.

"-so miss Cheerilee said we will all be working together for the next assignment!" your daughter finishes, practically prancing at this point, her little wings threatening to swoop her up and away.

"That's wonderful Silky," you nod back at her. Despite your idle thinking you really were paying attention to what she said, "and look, there's the place I said we are going today," you point at the Carrousel Boutique, that just appeared before the two of you.

You see her eyes light up at the colorful (and aptly named) building, but you give her another satisfied nod when she doesn't simply flash ahead to explore it. You're not so sure, though, if she would have the same willpower if you took her to that strange cake-shaped bakery.

The same soft bell rings when you open the door, and you let Silky Stream go in first. You hear her let out a small impressed "whoa" and she immediately, albeit slowly you note, flies towards one of the elegantly dressed mannequins.

Another small swell of pride goes through your chest. As much as she might be energetic, it is still good to see that she has a taste for refinement. She will also turn into a proper lady, no doubt! With these thoughts in mind you go deeper into the boutique, your daughter surely wont touch a thing while you aren't looking.

And not long after, you hear a worrying, gasping sound coming from deeper within the store.

Is somepony… chocking?

"Rarity I… really don't think… you need to do th-… is!" you hear what definitely is a choking pony, gasping for air as she tries to speak between ragged breaths. A few, several, chilling scenarios run through your head as you wonder what the hell is going on there.

You stick closer to one of the several veils that separates the different fashion-themed areas of the store, your heartbeat suddenly quickening as adrenaline starts to flow through your body. Your casual walking turns into alert stalking in a fraction of a second, and you slowly inch your way towards the source of the sound.

"Oh darling, I told you it's the least I can do! Besides, Pinkie already told you she throws a party for every new pony in town, right? What's wrong with me taking a few measurements of one of my best friends?"

Until you hear Rarity's voice, answering in a perfectly normal tone, and your adrenaline immediately deserts you. You let out a long sigh of relief. Whatever were you thinking that could be going on in there?

You take a few deep breaths to recompose yourself, and once again casually walk to the source of the conversation.

"Excuse me, Rarity? Oh, am I interrupting anything?" you poke your head through one of the coat-hanger rich corners, and you immediately understand what is going on.

"Velvet Covers? Come on in dear, you're not interrupting anything at all!"

Rarity greets you with a warm smile, a stark contrast to the other pony by her side.

"And hello there Twilight Sparkle. Uhm... good afternoon?" you ask, unsure on how to properly greet her.

The purple unicorn seems… well, you settle on "distressed" for lack of better word. But a more accurate description would be that she is bound. Literally bound. She is wearing a corset, an extremely tight corset, with several measuring tapes floating around her. You can also see various rolls of fabric next to her, shades of purple close at hand for comparison, as well as several notes in fresh ink close to Rarity.

On closer inspection, the binding of the corset is still being held close by Rarity's glowing magic, so maybe saying Twilight is "wearing it" isn't as specific as saying she is being "forced into it".

"After… noon" she attempts to answer, and you're not quite sure how to react.

"There darling, all done," Rarity says, after unwinding one last measuring tape from Twilight's hip, and un-magicking the corset, "it was just your basic measurements Twilight, I told you it would take no time at all," she calmly continues, carefully writing down one last set of numbers on her notes.

Twilight Sparkle on her part, at least, seems too busy catching her breath to answer.

"Are you alright?" you ask her tentatively. She clearly is not used to that sort of thing.

"I am," she finally answers after a few more seconds, "just another thing I don't think I've done since I was a filly, that's all."

"Well, I'm starting to think that Rarity might be a bit overzealous when it comes to her dressmaking," you say with a smirk, "or at least I'm pretty sure measure-taking isn't supposed to be so… intense."

You manage to get a smile out of her, and the two of you look towards the other unicorn as she finishes some scribbling on one of her notes and starts putting away the rolls of purple cloth.

"I suppose you're right. And by the way, have you known Rarity for a long time? You two seem to know each other."

"Well, I wouldn't quite say a long time, but it's hard not to connect with her passion," you say, and see her give a short nod, "and I suppose you don't know her for that long either? I think I recall you saying you are from Canterlot when we met in the library?"

"That's right, we met during the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival, and it's… a bit of a long story," she says with a bit of an awkward smile. Of course, you know that "long story" very well, "but before that I was too busy studying in Canterlot at the School of Magic so…"

Your eyes go wide for a moment, did she just casually name-dropped the…?

"The School of Magic? You mean Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?" you ask, your tone going high to the surprised side, causing her to blush slightly for a moment.

Well, you do know that she is Princess Celestia's pupil, but that sort of thing is like a distant title like "being a noble" or something like that. As much as it seems obvious in hindsight, knowing that she went to that school strikes much closer to home on how incredibly talented she must be.

It strikes particularly close to home, in fact, since your parents forced you to attempt (and fail) the admission test multiple times, up until you were too old for the maximum age requirement.

"Good heavens, that school is for genius unicorns, isn't it? I've met unicorns in university that could do less magic than some of the youngest students in there," your thoughts finish escaping through your mouth before you can finally reign them in again.

But not before Twilight is clearly blushing furiously, wearing that embarrassed smile of somepony who doesn't know of how much they are capable of.

It once again strikes you how young this mare is, but you do believe you are starting to get a read on her.

"Oh darling, Twilight here is a genius, and don't let anypony tell you otherwise," Rarity suddenly joins the conversation, putting an foreleg around Twilight in a side hug.

The purple mare, on her part, honestly doesn't know how to react.

"Well, when you put it that way… But wait," Twilight's eyes suddenly light up, her embarrassment quickly forgotten, "did you say you go to university?"

"I, uh… well, yes. Why?"

"I've always dreamed of going to university!" she says, surprising the two of you with her sudden excitement, "I mean, I still dream about it, but I'm living in Ponyville in order to do research and all... But I mean, just think about it! The studying, all those advanced books, and you actually have to make a thesis to graduate, don't you?"

You look at Rarity, who seems as puzzled as you.

"Yes, but… isn't that the same of what you did… in the School of Magic?" you suppress the 'what you did your whole life?' part of the question, but you can see that Rarity picked up on it.

"Of course not! Up until now I've only ever studied and learned. University is the place where ponies actually expand on those subjects, where they create new things! Some of the best books I've read were based on the graduating thesis of those ponies."

The two of you look at Twilight as she keeps excitedly talking about the merits of "the pursuit of higher education", as she said, and you can't help to think that deep down that part of her is quite endearing.

"Mommy? Ah, found you!"

Until you are all interrupted by your daughter, her eyes still looking around in wonder.

"I'm glad you enjoyed your stay so far Silky," you say with a smile, ushering her closer to you, "these are Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. And Rarity here is going to help us find a dress for me and you today."

Your daughter exchanges some well behaved greetings with the two mares, and Twilight stays for a while longer before she excuses herself, and Rarity can focus solely on the two of you.



- - -



You really don't see what all the fuss was about. Twilight, you come to the conclusion, clearly was just not used to it.

You are on top of a slightly raised one-pony podium, with several measuring tapes surrounding you, gently floating in blue auras. Granted, Rarity didn't bring out the corset on you, but you like to think that you're slim enough that it wont be needed, even at your (not at all important, thank you very much) age.

Silky Stream is calmly sitting on the other side of the room, watching as you are measured, posed and sometimes prodded by the white unicorn.

"Oh, this is going to be such a delight," she says, both to herself and to you as she brings out a few samples of cloth for color comparison, "clothing for younger ponies have really different focuses than for grown mares, not to mention that she is a pegasus, but I have some ideas that I think you'll find wonderful."

"I can't even begin to imagine how you'll pull this off," you say, with some honest flattery, "but I'll be sure to follow whatever you say is best. As long as Silky over there likes it as well, of course," you say, giving both ponies a short wink.

"Mom looks pretty in anything," your daughter replies, crossing her forelegs as if stating the obvious.

You and Rarity both let out a few short laughs.

"Now Velvet, I was thinking about something a bit shorter," she says thoughtfully, "something like a summer view. But how short are you used to having your dresses?"

You let out a small "oh" as the conversation inevitably reaches the point you knew it would. But, like you had concluded not long ago, you like Rarity. She is an elegant and refined mare, and clearly is extremely professional.

So what harm is there in sharing a secret among friends?

"Rarity, could you come with me for a moment?" you ask, stepping down from the podium, and going to a place with less… mirrors.

Its not exactly a secret, and its not something your daughter does not know about either. But it's also not something you see the necessity to parade around… You don't like to think about it as discomfort, but as having elegance about it.

"Is there a problem? Did you not like the summer idea or something?"

"It's nothing, really. Just something I'd like you to keep in mind, since we are still taking measures and all."

Rarity gives you a puzzled look as you turn your right side to her, and gently undo the subtle knotting that keeps the skirt of your dress firmly in place, over your flank.

"What is… oh dear Celestia!" she gasps, eyes wide and hoofs going to her mouth as honest shock overtakes her features.

You are only very slightly uncomfortable about her reaction, but to tell the truth you are far more glad that you're not seeing revulsion in her eyes, as you have seen… in other circumstances. That really goes to show that she has a good heart.

"Oh darling Velvet, how…? what…? Oh I'm so sorry about it, I had no idea!"

"Rarity," you say calmly, redoing the knots of the bindings with a flick of magic while you walk towards her, "it's fine. Really."

"But I mean, you don't even show any sign that-"

"Exactly," you interrupt her, "and since this doesn't change my life in the slightest, there's no reason to make a big deal about it. I'm just letting you know because you are my friend, and because this isn't the sort of thing I can omit to my trusty couturier, is it?" you say with a mischievous and well humored wink.

You slowly talk the shock out of her, as you see her surprise slowly turn into some other feeling, that finally seems to settle in the form of determination.

"Well then, in that case we'll go for an autumn look," she says decidedly, "two sets of long flowery dresses, and they will be fabulous!"

"That's what I wanted to hear," you smile, "although wouldn't Silky look cuter in a shorter dress? It might also help her when she definitely tries to fly in it" you say with a laugh.

And the two of you go back to the measurements, idly chatting as Silky Stream watches.



[The cost of beauty]

[Rolling 30 + 2d10 = 39 bits]





I gotta say, I'm surprised at the dice's interest in advancing both of those niches of friendship. Bumping into an Element bearer is a not a high chance on the list, yet you met Rarity on your first try back then. And now re-meeting Twilight herself on this second roll, which had a good chance of being "Rarity is alone" since it's a social action aimed at her (and Sweetie Belle) specifically, is…

Rarity is now a good friend of yours! You two go along well, and you have shared a personal secret with her, the bond between the two of you growing deeper.

Although you were not focused on it, you have spent enough time with Rarity to notice she would have affinity with GRAIL, as well as some other Lore...

Your bonds with Rarity will not grow any more with simple interactions. The final step of your friendship must be taken by sharing a real experience. [Taking Rarity on an expedition, or perhaps something else, might be enough. But whatever the path you attempt, beware of its dangers.]

You are no longer acquaintances with Twilight Sparkle, you are now friends! You think you are getting a better read on the young mare, with all things academic apparently sparking her interest.

Book and Heart-ifact studying, as well as Mansus exploring, will follow.