Dear reader! Whether you are new here, archive-reading and whatnot, or you are already someone who has been with us for quite a while, I would like to say a few words that I believe are best kept close to mind.
-This is an MLP quest. And more importantly, none of us are gratuitously cruel. So good things will happen on this quest, and I hope that enough good things have already happened to prove that.
-This is also a horror quest, so bad things will happen. Bad things might happen to good characters if you are not able to protect them, and you most certainly will not be able to intervene if you lack the tools to do so.
-And finally, this is a quest in which you jostle with powers greater than yourself, with all that it entails.
Please, do keep those things in mind as you go forward. But ultimately, this is also a quest in which it is hoped we all have fun! So if any of the above points is not exactly your cup of tea, or somehow make the experience as a whole "not worth it", then this quest might not be for you. Which is fine! Individual tastes are a thing, so don't think any more about it if you don't want to read anymore. And regardless, I hope you have a lovely day!
Readers should take their own mental health into consideration when voting and not subject themselves to triggering narrative elements like rape or constant mental torture of a friend just for the Greatest Good of a world that doesn't exist.
If those are fine for you or Regrettable is even more triggering, then GREAT! More power to you. But you aren't a bad or selfish person for picking the option that keeps the characters you've emotionally connected with safe. [REDACTED for spoiler warning]
This is a high intensity quest that doesn't hold back when it comes to horror and negative consequences. Take care of yourself.
Something I noticed recently -- none of the updates in Chapter 16, so far as I can tell, have involved any rolls.
I guess it makes sense? It's mostly been narrative development (some of which are a culmination of really long-developed threads) and a lot of the interactions are with characters (Celestia, Shining, the Father) where diplomacy isn't really handled 'normally', for good reasons. In other cases, we just have more tools to avoid the risk of rolling a die (the Wrong Key). Maybe it's always been like this, and I just don't recall? But certainly Velvet Covers has come a long way from having to roll Winter to write a letter!
But to answer the main thought it's worth noting that the actions this turn haven't really been... actions, In the usual sense. Most of it thus far has just been the introduction to the Bureau, the Woods exploration which is far below our skill level, and Mayor Mare which we had basically already won the requirements fo.
I mean, I'd say that'd be a good thing? Yeah we'd probably get lower level loot, but also having a three-circle ritual site we can use without suspicion is pretty valuable by itself.
I think it was the research lab of a relatively powerful cultist, or at least someone researching them, so I'm guessing it will have space for all the ritual circles. Because that is a key component of a hermit cultist, is it not? We're considering the same idea with the castle of the royal sisters after all.
The author does not intend to (and should not be interpreted as intending to) break the site's Terms of Service or site rules at any point.
None of the above subjects are condoned, glorified or encouraged by the author, and their presence in this story is purely for narrative purposes.
If you do not wish to be exposed to any of the subjects cited above, you should STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.
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[X] Plan Too Many Plans + Rarity Wildhoof
-[X] 3 personal actions -[x] You are under attack!
--[X] Deny it
-[x] You are wounded!
--[X] You don't have time for this.
--[X] You either don't care, or you don't have enough bits to care.
-[X] (Servants) Ask for a specific Lore artifact (Edge 3) -[X] (Steppes) Help with negotiating with Hills
-[X] (Rarity) Fleeting opportunity: The Wildhoof Club investigation -[X] (Fluttershy) Clean Jade's old house
-[X] (Jade) Memory of Light -[X] (DoA) Make Wrong Keys
-[X] (Selene) Knock
-[X] (AotL) Grail: Twilight -[X] (Knock) Explore the Woods
-[X] Fleeting opportunity: Twilight Sparkle -[X] Fleeting opportunity: Mayor Mare
-[X] Teach our family Lores
You are Stormchaser, and right now you are in the large living room of your house, concentrating on something important.
And you are not alone.
"Give it to me straight, Ponpon. What exactly does this entail?"
The head maid answers you by furrowing her brow, pursing her lips as she re-reads the letter you gave her a few minutes ago.
And frankly, her expression is already enough of an answer to your question.
Less than an hour ago, you received a letter from your wife. And that by itself was already a little bit odd.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with Velvet writing home, she even said she might do it every now and then just to get the fillies into the habit of writing her back. But still, this is just her second week at work, and she left for Canterlot just yesterday. Her writing a letter so soon is strange, and the fact that it arrived so quickly is even stranger.
It arrived quickly because it came by pegasus courier. And for all that such a quicker (and more expensive) method of communication isn't unusual, it is also widely understood that ponies don't use it unless it is really necessary.
Although, as soon as you read the letter you immediately understood why she was in a hurry to write home. And you immediately called the head maid to figure out what you should do next.
"Well, sir, I know this sounds obvious, but what this letter means is that…" she narrows her eyes, almost as if she is talking to herself. Slowly folding up the letter and giving it back to you when she is done. "There will be some changes around here."
You nod at her, seeing that the head maid is still clearly trying to put her thoughts in order. So, you patiently wait.
And you can't blame her for needing a few moments to think. You also needed a few minutes to yourself after reading the letter. And crucially, you are acutely aware of how little you understand about this to begin with. So, for the head maid who has an entire life's worth of context and knowledge regarding this matter, your wife's letter is obviously a lot more impactful.
After all, the courier-delivered letter, hastily written by your wife, just informed the two of you that…
That the estate is about to receive an unexpected guest very soon. No, not a guest, a new resident. And to your honest disbelief, that new resident is nopony less than your wife's own brother.
The younger one, mind you. The one you know isn't a pegasus, and that your wife never talks about by sheer virtue of never having met the pony in her entire life.
"First of all, sir, let me preface by saying that I don't know why this is happening. Or rather, why it will be him of all ponies. Because Velvet Pride… No, I misspoke. Because Lord Velvet Pride is Lord Hill's own son," she begins to explain. And you give her your full attention. "If the Velvets were a larger family, with branches and lesser houses, I maybe would have expected a distant cousin to be given this task. But here? I was hoping for a paid administrator at most. So learning that Lord Hill is sending his own son is just… well, it's a bit of a shock."
You nod at Ponpon, still keeping your silence as the maid speaks her part. Although she can easily tell by your expression what you want to ask her next.
Why?
Why is this strange?
What would normally happen instead?
Why is this worrying?
"Because Lord Pride is the next in line. Or rather, he is the officially recognized next in line. Crown-granted nobility only applies to a single pony, so for all that the rest of their families are lords and ladies, such as Lady Velvet, they really are just orbiting the real title-holder of the family," she explains. And you think you vaguely remember what she is talking about, from a conversation you had with your wife so many years ago. "However, the next in line is a big deal, so to speak. Because if a title-holder is what gives the rest of their family their status, then the next in line naturally carries more importance because he will be the source of that authority. Even if it only after he formally inherits the title."
You listen to her, and you think you begin to understand why she is so disturbed. After all, even though Princess Celestia all but ended the future of the noble families, the things Ponpon is explaining to you have been in practice for the last several centuries.
So, even though this pony will not really inherit a noble title, the entirety of noble society and culture has treated him his entire life as if he would. The entire system in which you live, even, is still operating under these ironclad traditions that Ponpon is explaining to you.
After all, from what you gather, Princess Celestia's decision was intentionally made to avoid a shock, so to speak. Its delayed effect means it will still be several years before the first noble family truly loses its title. So, it is no exaggeration to say that most of the noble world is still acting as if nothing had happened.
Hay, you suspect that some nobles even hope the Princess will go back in her decision at some point. After all, nopony knows what the future holds.
Consequently, you think you understand why this Pride stallion is such a big deal, and why Ponpon is reacting the way she is.
"I think I get it… but him being the next in line, what difference does it make besides status?" you ask.
And you watch as Ponpon's expression sours slightly before she begins to answer.
"For starters, sir, he technically outranks the Lady." She says that, and the pang of concern you have inside of you immediately grows heavier. "Because even though she is his older sister, and even though she has lived here for so many years… well, those are things that a pony would only consider out of common courtesy."
She says that, and then she lets out a humorless chuckle as she remembers something.
"Or rather, those are things that would matter under commoner's courtesy, and noble courtesy is an entirely different world."
She speaks with a tone that makes it very clear she is repeating a bad joke. Perhaps something that she heard more times than she wanted to in other places.
You do know she already served in Canterlot, after all.
"But by outranking you mean… what, that he can order her around?" you ask, realizing just how out of your depth you are. "Can he, I don't know, decide to hire or fire somepony who works with us? Do you think he can cause some trouble when it comes to the fillies?"
Your tone slowly becomes heavier and heavier as your imagination begins to run wild. Because you know your father-in-law, Velvet's father, is a… you know he is a very unpleasant pony. Your wife hates him, and that is more than enough to put you squarely against him. But the main problem is that your father-in-law also has power over your wife.
After all, no matter how much she hated him, she still did what he told her to do. Any letter he sent was almost always obeyed, with the sole exception being when he said something about Silky. And a single word from him was enough for her to go all the way to Canterlot, be it because he wanted to reprimand her or for anything else.
So to hear that this Pride pony outranks your wife? Well, you always understood that nobility is like a lifelong job, so to speak. A job that you are born into, since noble titles are technically a vote-of-confidence from the Princess that your family can do something. So, when Ponpon says "outrank," the only analogy you can fall back to is a literal employment scenario, and that this Pride pony is quite literally a supervisor of sorts.
And you don't like to think that.
"Well, that's the problem sir. That's where it gets messy. Because since he outranks her, he can technically do anything that he can get away with. And if a problem arises, the only way to solve it is, well… going to the pony who has a final say on the matter."
"And that would be Velvet Hill himself," you say, understanding what she means.
"Precisely. The problem is that there isn't a black and white rule about any of this. Noble families run on tradition and understandings as much as they run of ego and feuds. And the only thing that is certain is that the title-holder has the last say. And when a pony becomes the next in line, he realizes both that he has the title-holder's favor, as well as that he will be the one calling the shots when the time comes."
Which ultimately means that Ponpon can't answer your question.
She can't answer your question because there is no answer. She can't tell you how this Velvet Pride might act, and what he can or can't do, because there are no clear or well-defined lines.
And what is more, given Ponpon's expression you can see she has experience with this kind of thing… her frown getting so heavy that she can't help but put it into words.
"So when the next in line is an idiot? Or an entitle brat? Or when he holds too much sway over the current family head? That's when things get ugly. And I've already heard about more than one spoiled mare who thought she was a Princess, or a young stallion who thought he could do whatever he pleased, just because he was daddy's favorite."
She lets out a sigh, and you begin to wonder what you should do next.
Because you realize you have no idea of what any of this means. You only have your common sense to go by, and the knowledge that your house is about to receive a relative that might very well hate your wife. But, as Ponpon pointed out, that is the limit of your knowledge. Your common sense is very much commoner's sense under these circumstances.
You don't know what else might happen. You don't even know how this battle might be fought, if they do decide to go against each other. You don't know what dangers might await you, and that in turn means you don't know how to keep your family safe.
"Good grief, Ponpon. Everything you are telling me really is…" you feel your wings flutter slightly as your thoughts begin to run off on their own. "I can't help but remember something my wife told me, a few months ago. Remember when she took her friend Rarity to Canterlot? When the search for Princess Luna was still going on? She mentioned to me, after she came back, that she spent several hours teaching Rarity about noble etiquette and whatnot. And even then it was barely enough for her friend not to commit some sort of gaffe or mistake."
"It really is a… whole different world, sir," she says, her voice obviously sympathetic.
"I realize that. It's just that I never hoped I would have to dive into it like this."
And then, of course, there is the matter of your daughters. After all, your wife is a born and raised noble, who was groomed and educated into nobility from birth. But Silky Stream? The fact that you live in Ponyville means that she grew up detached from that world. And the fact that your wife hated her upbringing meant that she barely passed anything down to your daughter at all. The few tutors that came from Canterlot, years ago, were hounded by your wife whenever they were teaching your daughter. Plus, what little education she was giving Silky on that matter all but stopped in the year you two decided she would start studying in Ponyville.
So, Silky Stream might technically be a Lady herself, but you and your wife both know that she really isn't one in practice. By Equestria, the two of you intentionally raised her so she wouldn't have to suffer through that.
But now that you are faced with the prospect of a miniature Velvet Hill quite literally living under the same roof as your daughter…
"And then there is also Selene…" you mumble to yourself, pressing a hoof against your temple. "And also their little friend that has been sleeping here and…"
You feel something cold growing inside of you, as the seconds go by. A mixture of nervousness, and dread, and perhaps even anger at the things you are thinking about.
Because you don't mind receiving guests. You don't mind receiving your wife's family, like when her uncle came over, or other "ponies" such as Baldomare and Axe. Your wife is a noble, your home is as large as a hotel and staffed with maids to boot, so you understand that is what nobles do. In fact, you even enjoy it when they are good company, as they mostly are.
But this Velvet Pride? You can't think of him as family. You can't even think of him as a guest. And the more Ponpon tells you about the ugly side of nobility, and the more you remember everything your wife has been through, you can only think that…
That a strange, bastard of a stallion is about to invade your home. And that this damn culture of blue blood being better than red might give him the impression, or perhaps even the legitimacy, to start making your family's life worse.
Inside your own home. In the place where they are supposed to be happy.
"I'm afraid so, sir," Ponpon says, her tone also dry and distasteful. "I always told the maids here that this estate is nothing like the places in Canterlot..."
You take a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds to try and calm yourself down. You then exhale, slowly, thinking back to the very last line of the letter.
"But Velvet did write that we shouldn't worry, didn't she?" You say, although you immediately double back to correct yourself. "No, that wasn't it. She told us to have trust that things will turn out alright."
You open the letter once again, reading that last line and realizing how particularly she worded it. And as you read those words once more, you can't help but think that she really means it. Or rather, you have the impression that she knows about something that she decided not to write you about, and not that she is just being optimistic for its own sake.
"Still," you say, putting the letter away for good "better safe than sorry. So, what happens next Ponpon? I realize there are a lot of noble politics involved. But what about the practicals? What do we do now?"
"Well, sir. The first thing that will happen is that servants from Canterlot will come to prepare for Lord Pride's arrival. His personal butler will probably be in that group as well, and that will be the first temperature check we will get. Because if he arrives and demands the Lady to vacate the master bedroom, then we will know there will be problems and…"
The maid trails off for a few moments, and you are surprised by the sudden aggressivity in her tone.
And she notices your gaze, clearing her throat and calming down a few moments later.
"But leave that to me, sir. This is maid business. And I also must prepare the estate for their arrival to begin with. I expect the moving party to arrive in two days or so, at the latest."
"I see… By the way, thank you Ponpon. And I really mean it. This is a side of Velvet's life that she avoids, so this whole situation really is something I don't know anything about," you say, and Ponpon's expression finally softens up a little at that. "But if you don't mind me asking. Is there anything I can do? Anything at all that could help Velvet?"
Something about your tone makes her smile, but you don't have time to think about it before the head maid gives you her answer.
"Definitely, sir. If you could talk to the fillies and explain them what is going on… Better yet, if you could talk to them and let them know the best thing they can do is avoid the newcomers, at least for the time being. I think that would cover a lot of our bases."
You thank her for her advice, and the two of you immediately go your separate ways. With Ponpon taking out a small bell from her dress, ringing it to round up all the maids in the estate, and you going to search for the fillies so you can talk to them.
And with that new storm coming up on the horizon, the week goes by in a flash.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Lady Velvet Covers, and right now you are having a very important meeting at your home.
Yes, yes, your week at the Lunar Bureau came and went, and the number of ponies you have on staff is ever so slowly increasing. Shining Armor finally has his own assistant at the Secretary, and the two of you finally narrowed down the ponies who would have the know-how to maintain the equipment you have on the underlevels. But that really isn't important right now.
Right now, you have family matters to take care of.
Right now, you, Stormchaser and Ponpon, as well as a select few ponies of your estate's staff, are gathered in your office. Putting you up to speed about what happened throughout the week.
"The transfer team arrived in the middle of the week, ma'am," Ponpon says, practically speaking for everypony else present. "But considering none of them live in Ponyville, having the servant's quarters be filled with ponies overnight will be our new norm."
You narrow your eyes slightly at that. A few small concerns about convenience and privacy appearing in your head, only to be crushed by a thought train that takes far more precedence in your mind: one of your daughters has been sleeping at the servant's quarters, despite your gentle suggestions that she can move up to one of the guest rooms at any time.
You will have to keep a close eye on that.
"Furthermore, Lord Pride himself is scheduled to arrive this Monday, two days from now."
"Monday?" you ask, raising an eyebrow. The implications of your question obvious.
Because everypony knows you will be gone by Monday. You are sure that everypony who needs to know, which includes your father, knows you are only at home during the weekends from now on.
"That is another thing I wanted to mention to you, ma'am," Ponpon continues, her tone becoming ever so slightly curious as she speaks. "As I was discussing accommodations with Lord Pride's butler, he was also very quick to settle on housing the Lord on one of the annex buildings."
You let out a curious "oh?" at that, nodding for your head maid to continue.
"In fact, most of our efforts this week were spent refurbishing the place. The estate carpenters even took down a few interior walls and changed a few things to make it more suitable for the Lord. And I won't be surprised if a more thorough renovation is ordered in the coming months."
Ponpon pauses for a few moments, as if wondering how to put what she has her mind into words.
And when she finally speaks, you can't help but think her tone is oh so close to what she sounds like when she is gossiping.
"I even overheard one of the accompanying servants let slip that… that the Lord might go back home during the weekends himself."
Ponpon gives you a meaningful look as she says that, and you immediately understand the implications of what she is saying.
"If I didn't know any better," you say, "I would also think he is avoiding me. Or that he has been instructed to avoid me…"
Your trusty head maid gives you an exaggerated, almost theatrical shrug.
"Us servants can only guess, ma'am," she says, to which you let out a short laughter.
After that, she presents to you other matters and concerns that appeared throughout the week. Some of which had already been resolved, and that she was informing you just for the sake of it, and others that are still very much in the air.
"But this butler of his," you ask at one point, "did he give you anything accurate regarding authority? Is Velvet Pride coming here exclusively to administer the farmlands, or does he intend to do more? You mentioned renovations and whatnot, but what about our ponies," you ask as you look at the other members of the staff, "will he be able to reach them? Can he, say, fire somepony if he feels like, just because?"
"Unfortunately, that will have to be cleared out by the two of you, ma'am," is the only answer Ponpon can give you.
All in all, this meeting you are having goes on for a long while. It began as soon as you arrived at the estate in the morning, and it perhaps went all the way to midday.
But finally, it eventually comes to an end.
"Aright everypony, I think I understand what is going on," you say, after the last order of business was settled. "That being said, is there anypony who wants to say anything else?"
You then begin to look at everypony who is in your office, one by one.
"Stormy, do you want to make any comments?" you ask, to which your husband shakes his head after a few moments of thought. "Ponpon? Tip-Tip? Anypony else in our staff?"
You continue asking them, one by one, until you are finally ready to declare this meeting done.
"I see. That being said I would like to thank everypony for your hard work. I won't say that everything is about to change, or that we have a storm ahead of us, because at the end of the day it is… just my brother who is moving in. This is just a noble moving from one place to another. And even though we have… experiences on what might happen, there isn't really much we can do about it but live one day at a time."
You say that, both for their benefit as well as your own. Because who knows, maybe this is the last weekend you will have as their effective boss and employer. Maybe you are about to experience the unpleasant realities of noble intrigue, living in a home where an influential pony is very eager to make your life worse as subtly as possible.
Or maybe, just maybe, things will turn out for the best. Even if it takes time, or perhaps a bit of effort.
"But what I will say is that I am thankful. For all of you," you say, addressing the part of your staff who is present, as well as your husband. "You are the reason why I can think of this place as a home. You are the ponies that, day in and day out, make sure everything is not just good, but also… welcoming. Pleasant. Maybe even cheerful. So, whether there are changes waiting for us or not, I just want to say that I appreciate you all."
You see a few nods here and there, slight smiles appearing on the faces of some ponies, while others simply don't know how to react. After all, most household servants are taught that the lack of criticism is a compliment in itself. So, being directly thanked like this can be only strange to them.
Strange, perhaps, but you sincerely hope it isn't bad.
"That being said, whether there are some changes on their way or not, they still aren't here, and we still have two more days before anything happens. So…" you say, talking to Ponpon and then turning to face Stormchaser. "Stormy dear, I had a bit of time to think over the week, and I was thinking we should throw a little party tomorrow."
"I… hold on. A party? What do you mean?" he asks, clearly confused at the sudden change in subject.
"You know. A party. Smack in the middle of the garden, using the entrance hall and whatnot. I mean, I was thinking about how big the estate is, but how few ponies in Ponyville have ever even seen it, given how far it is from town," you recline back into your seat, your tone becoming almost casual as you do. "So why not? I'm sure Silky's schoolfriends will be thrilled to explore it, at the very least. It would also be lovely to have the staff bring their families, and the farmhoofs as well. What the hay, why not just invite as many ponies as we can? Make it a town event of sorts and empty the pantry?"
You say that last part almost as an afterthought, but you immediately realize you actually wouldn't mind doing that.
And if nothing else, you casually glance towards the cook and see that his eyes are positively shining with that small comment of yours.
The joys of having a cutie mark based on cooking, you suppose.
You say all of that, and then you look at Stormchaser, expecting him to say something. But much to your surprise… or perhaps, to none of your surprise, your husband is actually thinking about it. His expression becoming more and more accepting as the seconds stretch by.
You then look at Ponpon. But for all that you thought she would at least try to present some kind of counterargument, even if just for the sake of playing Nightmare Moon's advocate, she actually doesn't say anything at all.
More than that, she even nods at you.
"Then it's decided," you say with a smile.
Because you weren't lying when you said you thought about it. You really did. You even discussed it with Cadance during one night after work. And for all that you initially mentioned it with her in order to get her opinion, for the sake of her political savviness and how that might be seen by your coming brother, the two of you inevitably started talking about how nice it would be for the sake of its own fun.
I think it would be wonderful, you recall her saying with an honest smile. Even if this thing with your brother wasn't happening at all, I still think you should do it. Everypony deserves a break, especially in these times.
"Can somepony call for Silky?" you ask, looking at the general direction of the gathered staff. "I realize this is sudden, so we definitely have to figure out how to spread the word. And I really meant it when I said I at least want to invite her school."
Tip-Top immediately gets up and leaves with a short bow.
And just as you are about to dismiss everypony, an excited voice comes from one of them.
"Excuse me, my Lady," you hear, turning to face an extremely excited cook, "were you being serious when you talked about emptying the pantry?"
Your casual nod is enough to get everypony, the cook first of all, out of their seats and off to work.
- - -
The preparations for this impromptu event were as sudden as they were successful.
In fact, you are only slightly befuddled by the fact that, apart from giving permission for this and that, you almost weren't involved in them at all. It makes sense in hindsight, of course, given how several ponies on your staff have already worked in Canterlot, so they already had experience in preparing events and whatnot.
And given how less demanding both you and the intended guests are, the fact that they were a few years out of practice did not impact them in the slightest.
You are only vaguely aware of the fact that, so far, you have not spoken to anypony in your brother's reception staff. Least of all the butler that Ponpon mentioned a few times. Still, their aid was neither requested nor required, according to Ponpon.
And to put it in as few words as possible, you don't really care about them right now.
You have never seen this many ponies in your house before. In fact, you are not sure your estate has ever received this many ponies, period. You are vaguely aware that there was a celebratory ball of sorts when the estate was built, several years before you even moved in, in what must have been the one and only time the main hall was ever used for its intended purpose. But you are sure that ball did not have even half as many ponies as you see right now.
The usually placid central garden, that stretches from the entrance gates to the main building, is filled with life. With dozens of chairs and tables that were placed on the grass being occupied by just as many ponies. There is an ever-present hum of conversation coming from all directions, punctuated by laughter, all under the constant din of music.
Although to be honest, you also realize some of the things you are seeing just occurred independently. Because sure, the chairs and tables are from your estate, and the constant stream of ponies bringing food from the kitchen is thanks to a few rotating hoofs of your staff. But the music? That really came out of the blue. A few ponies from town just up and appeared with instruments, and before you realized it the small stage that had been prepared on the side had a respectable line of volunteers waiting for their turn to perform.
And then there is also the fact that, despite your cook's passion and fervor, you can also see that not all the food is yours. You saw one of your daughter's friends arrive riding a literal cart filled with apples, and at least four other families had similar ideas, even if they did not bring nearly as much as the Apple clan.
That, and a lot more, makes you think that even though that was just a vague comment of yours, this really did turn into a town event of sorts. And even though only twenty-four hours have passed since you made the decision to host this, word of mouth spread like wildfire. Because apparently (and thankfully) even half single day is more than enough time for a small town like Ponyville to get excited for something.
And that genuinely brings a smile to your face. It reminds you that when ponies come together, things simply work out. And that for all that you are too a part of it, it still makes you glad to see how well you all can function as a community.
But of course, that doesn't mean you are just standing in a corner feeling content at everything around you. Far from that.
After all, you are still the host of this event!
"SPIN!"
"SPIN!"
"SPIN!"
"SPIN!"
To anypony else, the small crowd of foals yelling at the top of their lungs, the full population of Silky's school, would have been intimidating.
But to you? Oh, seeing something like this makes you feel alive.
"SPIN! SPIN! SPIN! SPIN!"
"Alright alright! Fillies and gentlecolts!" you excitedly yell over the crowd, catching the attention of almost everypony nearby. "You know the rules! You know what to do!"
You shout those words, and then you look up to the direction where all the foals are screaming at.
You look up to the figure of your poor, dear husband. Who is currently sitting on top of a cloud, blindfolded, as the cloud is spun by a pair of pegasi who are perhaps having too much fun.
"SPIN-SPIN-SPIN-SPIN-SPIN-SPIN-SPIN-SPIN!"
"For our hide-and-seek competition, Mr. Stormchaser here will have one hour to look for everypony! Make sure you have your ribbons on you! If he yells the color of your ribbon, you have to give it to him. But if at the end of one hour you still have it, then you win!"
The roaring, raucous crowd of foals, each of them with a colorful ribbon tied to somewhere on their bodies, yells in delight. Some of them confirming that they understand the rules, others just not being able to control their excitement.
"Any part of the garden is fair game! Any building is fair game, but only the ground floors! Anywhere within the walls is also fair game, but if you leave for the farmland at large you will be disqualified! AAARE THERE AAANY QUEEESTIONS?!"
You wouldn't be able to hear any questions even if you tried, over the noise. But still, you are pretty sure everypony is set.
"Then on your marks! GET SET!GO!"
You fire up a small magical flare, and the crowd of foals immediately dissolves in every possible direction.
At the same time, the cloud where your husband was being spun comes to a slow halt. But still, it takes your poor, beautiful husband almost a full minute before he can even reach for the blindfold. Let alone stand.
"Are you alright Stormy?"
"I-ah… m'alright an'… time to search thos'foals an…"
Still, he heroically takes off his blindfold, and begins his task.
"That's my stallion," you say with a smile. "And don't forget what I told you!"
He gives you a crooked, slightly disoriented nod.
But when he sets off, you already get the slightest hint that he knows exactly where he is going.
He still isn't ready to do it while still wearingthe blindfolds, you can tell.
But for today's purpose? He seems to have caught on to more than enough.
And of course, just like the two of you agreed beforehoof, he is not the only one who will take a step forward today.
- - -
Finding your daughter before your husband does is trivial, and she is only surprised for half a second as you scoop her up and place her on your back.
Then, while your husband is flying around the party and searching the rooms of the building, you get into the game yourself. And as your daughter holds on tightly to your neck, holding back her giggles, you begin to teach her all the best hiding spots. Both the ones that ponies forget to check, as well as the ones that ponies simply don't know how to look for.
Enough for a filly to at least stand a chance, if she ever finds herself in danger. Enough for your daughter not to suspect she is doing anything but having fun, during the short hour that the hide-and-seek goes on.
And when your husband finally finds sneaky Selene, the second-to-last filly that still hadn't been located, you finally allow the two of you to be discovered.
None of the foals still had their ribbons on when the hour is finally done. But that just means you have to announce that the prize, a very large cake, would have to be shared by everypony. Naturally, none of the foals seem to mind.
After that, the merry day goes on.
- - -
You realize that you could do something a little… directed, during today. You realize that, since you have such a large parcel of town right here, you could also try to pursue one or another goal.
Hay, you even have experience in doing that. And you vividly recall how the last party you have been to, back in Canterlot, turned out to be a goldmine of influence for Rarity, as you and your uncle went around searching for a suitable investor.
So, you know you could do something like that here. Maybe you could put yourself into an even better light. Maybe you could make sure that some ponies… understand, that a new noble will be coming to town, and that his words are not necessarily your own.
Maybe you could even poison the well of Velvet Pride's influence before he ever gets the chance to drink for it. Or perhaps you could do something else entirely.
However…
You won't. Because you simply don't want to.
Not here. Not right now. Not in a party you threw for your daughter's schoolfriends, so she can have a few more days of fun before tomorrow arrives. Because even though there might be a storm coming, you don't really feel like preparing for it.
After all, if you obsess too much about preparing, you just might lose sight of why you are doing it to begin with. If you spend all your time building a wall, you might just forget that you are building it to protect your family.
So, just for today, you will enjoy yourself.
And after you are done having an unusually cheerful conversation with Jade Whistle, with the mare actually wearing a smile on her face as she watches the many foals play around, you then decide to…
[] Go meet some new ponies. There are a few faces in the crowd you have not met before. Most of them are related to or accompanying your daughter's school friends, but a small number of them are not. (Make at least one new random acquaintance)
[] Go talk to ponies you already know. After all, just because you haven't been in touch, it doesn't mean you aren't interested in how they are doing. (Raise your social bond with a single random pony you already know)
[] Just soak in the atmosphere. The laughter, the music, the hoofsteps of ponies as they dance. You really could get used to this. (Gain one scrap of Heart Lore)
- - -
Eventually, the day comes to an end. As does your weekend.
And maybe this is a cultural thing, typical from an earth pony farming town, or maybe it's just because your estate is a bit far from the city. But as soon as the sun touches the horizon, everypony starts to say their goodbyes. And maybe after ten minutes of waving hoofs and listening to honest thank yous, your estate is almost entirely empty.
A few of your servants stayed behind, starting to clean up everything quickly and efficiently, but even they were done and gone within the hour.
And so, you prepare to call it a day yourself, and you head back to the main building with a vague plan of reading something before you head to bed.
That is, until you realize you are being followed.
But you know you are not in danger. In fact, you immediately know who it is. Although it is curious, now that you know the smell of a pursuit, to feel that familiar scent with the additional hint of a follower.
Still, you halt on your tracks almost immediately, and you turn to face the pony you already know will be a few paces behind you.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Soft Sweeps?"
You are somewhat surprised to see that she is wearing her maid uniform. Because she wasn't wearing it during the party, but it seems that she decided to put it on as soon as it was over.
She never told you, but you think she feels comfortable in it. And you can't help but think that she wears it the same way a foal might drag around a stuffed toy or a blanket they particularly like. Of course, you are not judging her. It is good that she has things that can help her ground herself.
Besides, you think she looks cute in it.
"I, uhm… actually yes, Mrs. Velvet," she says, clearly hesitant. Mulling over her words as if unsure if she should really say them or not. So you give her a calm, encouraging smile to soothe her concerns. "You know when… do you remember a few weeks ago when we… talked? When you said it was alright for me to stay here, if I wanted?"
"Of course, dear. What about it?"
"You also said that I could… ask for help if I needed? That I could, uh, ask you about stuff if I didn't know what to do?"
You give her another nod, and you realize the mare is blushing slightly as she continues to speak.
"About that, t-there… there is something I would like to ask you. I-It's something silly, really, not really important. B-but if you have the time, maybe you could…?"
You don't even let her finish that sentence, waving for her to follow after you as head back into the main building.
"Of course I can, Softy. Anything you need. Come on now, let's find someplace we can talk."
You see a small, cautious smile appear on her face as she follows after you. And the two of you are in the empty living room a few moments later.
…
The large fireplace is not lit, but there is more than enough moonlight coming in through the windows for the two of you. It also isn't cold at all, and in fact the night is even a bit warm. So, between your dresses, and the fur on your bodies, you two are more than enough comfortable to just sit on the sofas and talk to each other.
"I, uh… it really isn't a big deal, so I'm sorry for taking up your time but…" she says, more to herself than to you, but you decide not to speak up. Because hiccups or not, she is still taking to you.
And that is more than enough for you.
"But do you remember how I told you that… that there is this group in Ponyville? Of ponies who, um… need somepony to talk to?"
You notice how she very carefully avoids the term "support group". Or perhaps even "mourning group". But you definitely don't blame her for not being ready to call it what it is.
"Yes, you did mention it to me," you say.
"So, the thing that we do is, well… we talk. We sit in this big circle, and we just take turns talking about, uh, a-about whatever we need. A-and you don't need to talk if you don't want to, of course. But still, we encourage each other to try."
You give her a slow nod, encouraging her to go on. Because you had already read about those kinds of groups… about that kind of group therapy, that is. So, you understand how it works, even if only in theory.
And given how this is indeed a kind of therapy, you also understand Soft's hesitation to even talk about it. Because there must be several conflicting feelings inside of her, right now. And admitting that you need help, or even that you are already seeking it, is not really an easy task. After all, talking about what you are trying to do will almost always invite you to think of how much you haven't achieved yet, even if you have already done so much.
So, you patiently wait for her to continue.
"And I think it's really hard, to… to talk, whenever it's my turn. Because everypony talks about what they managed to do that day, o-or how they are going… or about… and it's still a bit hard, to talk about my family, you know? So I, uh… I haven't really talked much. I mostly just listen and stuff…"
"That's still very good to hear, Softy," you speak up, realizing how she is slowly talking less and less. Trying to cheer her up even if just a little bit. "Besides, it's just natural for a pony to listen before they try to speak up. Listening to other ponies helps us put our mind in orders, don't you think? It helps us figure out the words we might want to use ourselves."
You watch as Soft's slight frown turns into a small smile, and you see her nod to herself as if agreeing with you.
"Right, right… you are right, Mrs. Velvet. That makes sense… and I think it makes even more sense, because," you watch as she gulps down, as if embarrassed of what she is about to say. "Last session? The last time we met this week? I-I finally volunteered to talk, when it was my turn."
Your ears perk up at that, and you don't even need to try to get a smile on your face, because you are already beaming before you realize it.
"That is wonderful Softy! I am so glad you did it," you say, with genuine honesty.
"I, uh… thank you, Mrs. Velvet," she says, still embarrassed. "But here is the thing I wanted to ask you about… if you don't mind?"
She doesn't even have to ask if you mind or not! You give her a hearty nod to go on as you incline yourself forward to hear her better.
"Here's the thing, Mrs. Velvet. It was hard, to start talking. I was scared, at first, to share the stuff that everypony talks about. But when I started talking, it actually… it actually became easier? Because everypony there… even me, Mrs. Velvet. Everypony there is really in a lot of pain. A-and I can tell that they are putting up a strong front when it's their turn to talk, but they really aren't alright."
You listen to her speak, and you can tell that as she talks about it, she slowly becomes more and more energetic.
"But as I was talking, I just felt that I should address that? So I started talking about, my fa-… uhm… I started talking about stuff. B-but I didn't try to pretend it didn't hurt. Because it did. And I knew they all felt the same. And as I talked more and more about that they just… they all just listened? They actually looked like they were paying attention?"
Her embarrassment decreases, and you can tell the smile she has on her face is timidly growing.
Maybe it's because she is talking about something that, deep down, she feels a bit proud of? Maybe she realizes that she took a good step forward? That she is making progress and that, as hard as it may have been, this is actually good?
You don't know. Or at least you don't know for sure. But still, seeing Soft Sweeps talking with more energy makes you glad.
"But it wasn't just that. As I was talking, one of the ponies raised his hoof. We, uh, we don't encourage ponies to interrupt somepony who is speaking. But he raised his hoof anyways. And the pony said he agreed with me? That the stuff I was saying made sense?"
She probably doesn't realize it, but you can see she is puffing with pride a little bit. Not in an arrogant or self-centered way. But still, you can tell she is remembering that event with a tone of joy.
"A-and even after we were done. After we were done for the night and heading out, a few ponies… actually, more than half of our group. They came up to me and asked if I could speak again next time? Mrs. Velvet, t-they even thanked me?"
That small blush returns to her face, and you can't help but laugh a little bit. Thankfully, your laughter diffuses some of her embarrassment, and the young mare joins in with you, chuckling for a few moments.
"S-so the thing I wanted to ask, Mrs. Velvet… i-if you don't mind, is… well, what do I do? Or rather, what should I say next? B-because starting to talk is already hard, but I'm also afraid that… What if I mess up? W-what if I don't know what to say, or just say something boring? B-because what if they don't feel that same connection next time? What if that was just, I don't know, beginners' luck? I-Is that even a thing?"
She begins to talk faster and faster, her own nervousness finally taking the best of her. So you raise a placating hoof, and the young pegasus immediately falls quiet.
Still, you can understand what she wants your help with. More than that, you can tell that she wants to succeed on the next time. And of course, since you can tell how much she wants it, and how much that will boost her own confidence, you are more than eager to help her.
Especially when she looks at you with those honest, earnest, expecting eyes. Because you can tell, from those eyes of her, that she trusts you. That she trusts you to see this vulnerable, hesitant side of her, without judging her. That she hopes… that she needs you to be there for her. To make good on the promise you made her.
So, you are honestly glad that she is asking you this. That she is finally taking this small leap of faith, and trusting you to be there for her.
Because you will always be there for her.
You will always love her like a daughter.
And so, to help her you will…
[] Tell her a small secret of Lantern, to help her shine the light.
[Blindness]
[] Give her a pep talk of Grail, to encourage her further.
[Blood]
[] Teach her the patience of Winter, so she learns how to pace herself.
[Ice]
[] Tell her that she should follow her heart, and speak about whatever comes to mind. You believe in her, so you are sure that whatever she feels inspired to do will be better than anything you suggest.
[???]
You have successfully taught your family about the Lores.
Stormchaser is now a "Disciple", having attained Secret Histories Level 3 and Knock Level 1.
Stormchaser is now "reasonably competent" in identifying the occult. This will keep him safer when he is away from home, but by no means is a guarantee.
Your other daughters have also benefited, but not in a way you can easily quantify.
Further lessons, that will benefit everypony at the same time, will require all your Lores to be at level 4.
Vote options are unrelated. Vote by approval, not plan. Six hours moratorium.
You know. This says something extremely profound about Velvet Covers character I think.
Idealism? Cynicism? A mare of two parts tying to tie them together somehow?
I know not what. I think we will see as we go forward.
...I wonder what the Baldomare would think?
Would she regret not walking her path with Illiopony? Or would she wish that he knew nothing of the lores. That he had stayed far away from it and the pain and peril it brought him.
[] Tell her a small secret of Lantern, to help her shine the light.
[Blindness]
[] Give her a pep talk of Grail, to encourage her further.
[Blood]
[] Teach her the patience of Winter, so she learns how to pace herself.
[Ice]
[] Tell her that she should follow her heart, and speak about whatever comes to mind. You believe in her, so you are sure that whatever she feels inspired to do will be better than anything you suggest.
To clarify, are we going to get any scraps from this choice at all? Or is it a secret? Because a Grail scrap would be really useful right now, but I want to get ahead of any morality VS practicality arguments if I can.
[] Tell her a small secret of Lantern, to help her shine the light.
[Blindness]
[] Give her a pep talk of Grail, to encourage her further.
[Blood]
[] Teach her the patience of Winter, so she learns how to pace herself.
[Ice]
[] Tell her that she should follow her heart, and speak about whatever comes to mind. You believe in her, so you are sure that whatever she feels inspired to do will be better than anything you suggest.
[] Go talk to ponies you already know. After all, just because you haven't been in touch, it doesn't mean you aren't interested in how they are doing. (Raise your social bond with a single random pony you already know)
[] Just soak in the atmosphere. The laughter, the music, the hoofsteps of ponies as they dance. You really could get used to this. (Gain one scrap of Heart Lore)
I think I'd go for one of these two? A bond one step higher means it's that much easier to get another Confidant, and our personal AP is worth it's weight in gold atm. Otoh, getting another Heart scrap means that next turn we could very easily hit Heart 4 as long as Marinette is capable of calling An Imminence. Which I feel like she should, since she is both Grail AND Heart major.
A lovely scene, and what a perfect and absolutely Velvet Covers way for the teaching of our family to come through. The tidbit of a future Stormchaser we saw last turn makes me excited for him to be developing further.
It does feel frankly bizarre that there was a spontaneous town-wide party that passed with zero mention of Pinky? It's plausible that Velvet just doesn't know her ergo doesn't notice her, but it's hard not to read something into it. Even if that's just "Pinky is not in Ponyville".
Voting-wise, going towards a confidant makes sense, for either AP or Moth sacrament purposes. (Though do we have the AP even for one more step?) The former makes me think Filthy Rich, and the latter makes me think Cherrilee...
I'm admittedly curious (especially given the above) what an acquaintance might be, even if it feels hard to justify.
[] Tell her that she should follow her heart, and speak about whatever comes to mind. You believe in her, so you are sure that whatever she feels inspired to do will be better than anything you suggest.
I'm very worried about this option. It sounds nice... But we know of something that is in her heart. And I think that should make us worried about what she might be inspired to do. Alternatively, Winter seems reasonable, if only for the stability boost like we saw with Selene?
To clarify, are we going to get any scraps from this choice at all? Or is it a secret? Because a Grail scrap would be really useful right now, but I want to get ahead of any morality VS practicality arguments if I can.
[] Go meet some new ponies. There are a few faces in the crowd you have not met before. Most of them are related to or accompanying your daughter's school friends, but a small number of them are not. (Make at least one new random acquaintance)
[] Just soak in the atmosphere. The laughter, the music, the hoofsteps of ponies as they dance. You really could get used to this. (Gain one scrap of Heart Lore)
[X] Just soak in the atmosphere. The laughter, the music, the hoofsteps of ponies as they dance. You really could get used to this. (Gain one scrap of Heart Lore)
Eh, my issue with going for the social bond is that A, it's random, and B, we don't actually have any good friends right now. Unless you still count Twilight. And yes, if we got lucky and it landed on on of our Friends that would help fill the gap, but that's still *another* AP away from getting to Confidant. At minimum. And there's only two out of nine options for that.
Personally I would like to just let Velvet relax and get a scrap to boot, but there is admittedly the possibility of finally meeting Pinkie or Rainbow Dash if we take the random acquaintance.
I'm pretty sure I'm locked in on the Heart scrap, but the Soft Sweeps vote is interesting. It almost sounds like she'll be starting up a little proto-cult the same way the original protagonist of CS did, by speaking of occult-sounding topics to whomever would listen with whatever scraps of Lore they had. In that vein, I think I'll take the Grail option. It should boost her confidence, and the excesses that Grail tends towards feel like they're pretty easy to spot if Soft overindulges.
Eh, my issue with going for the social bond is that A, it's random, and B, we don't actually have any good friends right now. Unless you still count Twilight. And yes, if we got lucky and it landed on on of our Friends that would help fill the gap, but that's still *another* AP away from getting to Confidant. At minimum. And there's only two out of nine options for that.
Oh my goodness a free lore scrap just begging to be snatched up. On the other hand, a free social upgrade can also be really valuable, because those take Wake actions to upgrade whereas we often get scraps through our free Mansus Exploration each turn.
Just to be clear, @BirdBodhisattva , could the social upgrade hit a maxed relationship and this be wasted, or no?
[] Just soak in the atmosphere. The laughter, the music, the hoofsteps of ponies as they dance. You really could get used to this. (Gain one scrap of Heart Lore)
Heart Lore! Heart Lore! Heart Lore! With this a Level 4 Influence from Mareinette will get us HEART 4 BABY! I never thought we'd manage it in time, but here we are!
"A-and even after we were done. After we were done for the night and heading out, a few ponies… actually, more than half of our group. They came up to me and asked if I could speak again next time? Mrs. Velvet, t-they even thanked me?"
Aww, she's starting a cute lil' Winter cult for the people who lost somepony
If she wasn't powered by the Wolf I'd vote to teach her that, but Lantern and Grail don't seem right for that situation. Also this probably determines one of her affinities. Hmm.
Pride might have orders to avoid us? Hah. Well, let's see how it goes. Maybe one week we might need to pay a visit him on the weekdays. After all, we might need to have a talk. But that's in the future, let's talk about the present.
To be honest, given that Twilight "CURRENTLY HATES YOU (or at least that is what you tell yourself)", I might be willing to take upgrade option. Otherwise, realistically speaking, we can't really upgrade any of work acquaintances, even if they would otherwise count, they are in Canterlot (which to be honest I doubt too), so our options are Twilight and friends of our daughters.
First option should be self-evident why it would be useful. The second... The second one will give us an "in", I guess? Like, sure, our daughters are in that group, but really, they are still children. If (or, more realistically, when) their company will get into trouble, increased relationship will help us be seen as trusted adult. I guess, I am not sure fillies will follow normal chart.
However, only if we are currently in Ponyville, which there's a good chance that we are not.
On other hand, I guess it might help Silky later, when Selene will get awakened, maybe?
Plus, as Ericwinter has pointed out, Confidante isn't max level, not quite.
Well, I guess Heart scrap seems fine, even if meeting Dash or Pinky looks good too.
As for Soft vote, it seems it might be the vote on what, effectively, will become her affinity, unless she is like us now, omnilore genius. Which she might be. On one hand, I don't like Winter, because it is the closest to Wolf of the option given. On the other hand, I don't really, like "blood" or "blindness" either, really, and "ice" seems to be quite positive in comparison.
"Follow her heart" is either the best, or the worst option, because one might say that it is simply right for parent to let their kids grow in the direction they choose. One also might say that Soft's Heart might not be hers anymore, as that one has stopped, and we replaced it with stolen and bound pieces of the Wolf, and that she has asked us to help her. To be honest, I am not exactly willing to risk it.
If we could, I would have suggested Knock. Wounds are not nice, but they are probably nicer than Lantern, and I don't want to give her Winter or Grail.
And after you are done having an unusually cheerful conversation with Jade Whistle, with the mare actually wearing a smile on her face as she watches to many foals play around, you then decide to…
Well darn, Jade is actually smiling. That's amazing. Wonder if hat's a hint to how well her job went this turn. Or maybe she's just glad that the Cult is done and she doesn't have to hide In a basement or something.
[] Tell her a small secret of Lantern, to help her shine the light.
[Blindness]
[] Give her a pep talk of Grail, to encourage her further.
[Blood]
[] Teach her the patience of Winter, so she learns how to pace herself.
[Ice]
[] Tell her that she should follow her heart, and speak about whatever comes to mind. You believe in her, so you are sure that whatever she feels inspired to do will be better than anything you suggest.
Hmm. You know, it occurs to me that these are the major Lores possessed by our Confidantes, which Is interesting. Also the invisitext is... worrying. Because I can't help but think it's referencing Hours. Which would mean Lantern is almost certainly related to the Colonel, and Grailalmost certainly to the Red Grail. And... I think Winter is the Sun-in-Rags? I think the last one is probably just sticking with her Heart affinity though.
To quickly summarize an answer to this and others:
-Upgrading a social bond will pick one of the following. Applejack, Filthy Rich, Cheerilee or Mayor Mare.
-Attempting to meet somepony new will warrant you at least one new acquaintance who is currently in Ponyville. I will stick to ponies I deem "relevant" but my list is WAY larger than what you might think. To be clear, this does not guarantee "pink pone get".
