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.
Our protagonist, Velvet Covers, is part of the Velvet family of minor nobles - minor nobility was explicitly part of the background we chose for this quest.
Twilight Sparkle's parents are, according to MLP canon, named Twilight Velvet and Night Light.
It could be a coincidence, or it could be a useful connection. Being noticed by Shining Armor could lead to finding out.
Our protagonist, Velvet Covers, is part of the Velvet family of minor nobles - minor nobility was explicitly part of the background we chose for this quest.
Twilight Sparkle's parents are, according to MLP canon, named Twilight Velvet and Night Light.
It could be a coincidence, or it could be a useful connection. Being noticed by Shining Armor could lead to finding out.
Didn't we choose our name? i mean, I wouldn't put it past a clever QM to take something like that and use it to tie the character to the rest of the setting, and it would be really interesting to be even distantly related to Twilight, but still. I doubt there's only one family named Velvet in the world.
Didn't we choose our name? i mean, I wouldn't put it past a clever QM to take something like that and use it to tie the character to the rest of the setting, and it would be really interesting to be even distantly related to Twilight, but still. I doubt there's only one family named Velvet in the world.
The voters did choose the protagonist's name. They did not choose which part of it, if either, would be the family name for the minor noble family she's part of, only that she be from a family of minor nobles.
If @BirdBodhisattva chooses to take advantage of the name the voters chose to make Twilight's mom a relative, then I look forward to the revelation.
I doubt it will come into play seeing how pony names seem to be random combinations most of the time. I mean yeah occasionally you get family units that actually pass down the family name but even if we take twilights family into account her brother's name doesn't take anything from either of their parents. honestly if anything I see our character's name as someone named smith. A somewhat common name that might be shared between two people who are unrelated in every way.
If Twilight's family does have a family name that name would probably be Twilight, that is what was passed down from Twilight Velvet to Twilight Sparkle after all.
I doubt it will come into play seeing how pony names seem to be random combinations most of the time. I mean yeah occasionally you get family units that actually pass down the family name but even if we take twilights family into account her brother's name doesn't take anything from either of their parents. honestly if anything I see our character's name as someone named smith. A somewhat common name that might be shared between two people who are unrelated in every way.
-Filthy Rich, businesspony, married, mainly involved in sales and retail. Grandfather was involved in the founding of Ponyville, from a commercial perspective, together with the Apple family, who has an apple orchad operation south of town. Has a good hoof-full in the town's economy thanks to said background, and to family competence. The two families have an interesting deal involving first-rights and sales of zap apple jam, a rare magical culinary luxury.-
The report file you have about him, that you read years ago when you came to Ponyville, flashes through your mind, and curiously the very last line of the report comes to focus from your memory.
-Threat to Velvet Family operations in Ponyville: Low.-
"Sweetheart, are you… oh, letter from Velvet Hill?" you hear your husband ask, cautiously, as he sees the offending pile of shredded letter float towards the trash bin.
"Yes Storm, dad sent me another one of his… pointed letters," you answer with a scowl, trying not to think about it and instead floating a comb towards your mane, and concentrating very hard on it.
It's hardly a guarantee that any pony with "Velvet" in their name is one of the Velvets, but only in the same sense that it's hardly a guarantee that any pony with "Apple" in their name or the name of an apple variety is one of the Apple Clan. If a character named Candy Apple shows up in the narrative, it's entirely sensible to wonder if they're one of Applejack's relatives, and it's just as sensible to wonder if Twilight Velvet might be one of Velvet Covers' relatives.
"The Velvets"/"the Velvet Family" is explicitly a thing:
And that "Velvet" part gets reused in names:
It's hardly a guarantee that any pony with "Velvet" in their name is one of the Velvets, but only in the same sense that it's hardly a guarantee that any pony with "Apple" in their name or the name of an apple variety is one of the Apple Clan. If a character named Candy Apple shows up in the narrative, it's entirely sensible to wonder if they're one of Applejack's relatives, and it's just as sensible to wonder if Twilight Velvet might be one of Velvet Covers' relatives.
they might be related but I personally don't think so. I just feel it's like saying that everyone with the last name Johnson is related to each other just because they happen to have the last name Johnson. Sure there might be a connection, and if there is well then neat, but unless the QM says that twilights mom is part of the family I'm just going to believe the names are coincidence.
Come to think about it, maybe we attracted a Hunter's attention? It would be weird mechanically since it was a success but it might work narratively if they wonder how we got to that position.
Hopefully getting more lore will not slowly turn us into a monster without us knowing it. I don't want to get too much lantern or grail and start wanting to eat people or minds. Moth might mean we turn into a literal moth or something.
Come to think about it, maybe we attracted a Hunter's attention? It would be weird mechanically since it was a success but it might work narratively if they wonder how we got to that position.
Eh, Hunters, as they appear in the original game at least, are explicitly meant to investigate and punish occult crimes. Certainly we'll get the mundane authorities looking our way for this, taking over a military base tends to throw up red flags, but aside from a single moment there was no visible Lore used, and even that was more of an accident. Most of our accomplishment was just sheer chutzpa and actually being a noble. If we'd, say, conducted a ritual to get the job though, it'd be a different story.
It's possible that the Changelings are a less-extinct counterpart for the Carapace Cross in the same way that Ponies are the counterpart of Humans for this crossover - it wouldn't surprise me if there were Changeling infiltrators who went fully native in ancient times and managed to have kids born transformed, their descendants forgetting they were ever anything but Ponies but still with the hidden potential to change back by pursuing Moth Ascension.
Just to put a matter "to rest", although I dislike butting in on readers conversation.
The call for silence was indeed explicitly narrative, and the only mechanical Winter in that was the +1 Stewardship bonus you got from it.
But it had a slight relationship to Winter, even if minute, and you did roll past a 105 CD.
So, I'll just point out that,
-Level 2: Sometimes when your breath exits your mouth it is as cold as a midnight chill, and you know that it is because you have learned certain words. This might happen because the words wish to be spoken, or this might be because your body wishes for you to be silent.
@BirdBoddhisattva Do we get stat bonuses from feats? Like, for instance, spending a week using Stewardship to organize the Royal Camp which is getting volunteers from all across Equestria?
About this, most bonus will come as opportunities, scraps of Lore and the likes. Feats might be possible, but as stated before you didn't go above and beyond your usual skills. Sure, it was the equivalent of "a great week of work", and your sheer wiles made it so that "everyone actually obeyed you", but that's the result of your scarily high roll. Velvet didn't really go too far away from her comfort zone for a permanent stat upgrade.
Although, your overachieving work has been noticed.
I usually "commit" on what the 1 and 100 will be before rolling the dice, so I'm not stuck with an "oh damn, what now" situation if one surprises me.
A Noble 1 would... not have been pleasant.
They turned on each other at a 27, so who might they have turned against in a 1?
Plan Outreach
-[X] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of MOTH (This is a free action to summon "The Attention of the Laws")
-[X] A measured commitment: Give everything a once-over, sign everything in stacks. The farmlands wont just crumble and burn if you miss a few numbers this month.
(6 personal actions and 1 servant action. Might be noticed by those closest to you. Will not be noticed by the family head if you do not do this often.)
-[X] You seek the Princess of the Night, and perhaps you are the only pony in Equestria who can access the Dreamlands, bar your compatriots (to whom you showed the way). She is bound to be there. And even if she is not, she is bound to sleep, and everypony has a door.
--[X] Invoke the power of the MOTH to Protect You From Nightmares. -[X] You are a noble, albeit a lesser noble. But the crown has called for every stallion and mare for help, and it would be very noble of you to join in the searches. Offering your help to the search parties will surely give you useful insight, on their progress if nothing else.
-[X] Help Comet Feet
--[X] He is out of town in… whoever knows where. Reach out to him, he could definitely use some company.
-[X] Help Starry Dancer
--[X] She seems somewhat rattled. You all are. Lend her an ear, or perhaps a shoulder.
-[X] Help Jade Whistle
--[X] She might not be as quiet and disconnected as she seems. Get to know her better.
-[X] Of course you love your family very much, but you could always spend a bit more time with them.
--[X] Just another pleasant day that you will spend with them. Perfect for cooling your head off.
-[X] There are books that could be of use. You should start looking for them.
--[X] In Ponyville, and its… great assortments of libraries? (no extra cost)
----[X] [Servant Action]
- - -
You know a lot of things. Granted that nopony knows everything about anything, but you do pride yourself on your knowledge and education, even if just a bit.
However, you can say with a fair degree of certainty that you do not know the first thing about bombs.
You have never seen a bomb. You have never seen anything explode, bar the occasional magical mishap you have witnessed years ago, and you have never even witnessed the strange contraption called a "Party Cannon" which you have heard that exists in Ponyville.
However, you can't help but shake the feeling that, right now, you are holding a bomb.
"Can we?" the bomb whispers, repeatedly trying to force its way out of the tight grip of your foreleg, "can we? Canwe canwe canwecanwe?"
This "bomb", of course, is your daughter.
"Hush… just a little bit more…" you whisper back, willing her to stop prancing with your quiet tone.
You and your daughter are in the pitch-dark corridor of the second floor, right in front of the door to your own room. Well, Silky Stream is in a pitch-dark corridor, you can see just fine, but she knows the house well enough to know exactly where she is.
The two of you are here right now because your husband is still sleeping in your room, on the large bed beyond this very door. The same husband who arrived only yesterday, late at night, several days later than he said he would. The same husband who nearly collapsed at bed as soon as he arrived, obviously exhausted after heavens knows how much work he had to do thanks to the recent uproar in Canterlot.
The same husband who, today, is…
"How much longer? Moooom?!" Silky whispers in your direction. You smile at her impatience, and you note that at least she is still whispering, but she sure could use a little more of composure for this kind of situation.
Well, you can't exactly blame her either, you were also giddy yourself when you woke her up earlier this morning.
"Just a little bit more, Silky…" you whisper in her ear, feeling her trembling in excitement.
And then you hear the signal you had been waiting for, the soft chime of the clock on the main hall. The exact indication that Stormchaser has slept at least six hours now.
"Ok, he's all yours," you let go of Silky, and lightly open the door to your room with a flick of magic.
"DADDY!" your daughter practically explodes through the door, banging it open and flying straight into the large mount of covers shaped like her father's sleeping silhouette, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!"
You walk into the room a few moments later, hearing the satisfying mixture of surprised whimpers from a recently-awakened stallion and your daughter's excited shouting as she repeatedly jumps on top of him.
"WAKEUP DAD! WAKEUP WAKEUP! ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY DADDY, LETS GO LETS GO!"
The prancing continues, and it gets quicker and more frantic with each passing moment. You have the impression that your husband reoriented himself under the sheets so your daughter will at least be jumping on his back now, but that makes little difference for the overexcited filly.
And as much as he clearly does not want to get up you calmly walk towards him anyways.
"Happy birthday dear" you whisper to the defeated mount of sheets, knowing that he can still hear you clearly even over your daughter's clamoring, "and I think we both know she won't stop until you're out of bed," you say with a smile.
"Can't my birthday present be…" he interrupts himself with a loud "ack!" as Silky probably lands a hoof somewhere more delicate, "five more minutes…?"
"No," you answer with a charming smile, which you know he can't see anyways, and then you turn your back to the two of them to head out of the room, "Silky dear, make sure daddy gets downstairs soon, alright?"
"Okay mom!" she answers, without breaking stride from her prancing.
You close the door behind you, ignoring the faint impression that your husband is calling for your help, and head downstairs.
- - -
"You honestly thought we would forget, dear? Preposterous!"
"Yeah daddy, prep… preposterous!"
Stormchaser nearly chokes at your daughter's attempt at imitating you, but soon enough he gulps down the cake he was chewing on.
"Well, I mean, I forgot about it. Besides, you know I don't really mind all of this," he says, trying to sound convincing in his lie.
Keyword being trying.
"Take note Silky," you say, changing your tone to something that sounds mockingly serious, "once you are a happily married mare you will celebrate your dear husband's birthday, no matter what he says."
"Right!"
You see your husband smile at that, a nearly imperceptible blush working its way through his cheeks, and you smile back at him.
The three of you are on top of a hill, one that is right next to your estate. This is a place you had found out about years ago, being an elevation that is right next to the very last bit of farmlands that surrounds your family's property. You had visited it once, long ago, with a prospecting team to see if there was anything worthwhile available to mine, although mining next to a farming operation is highly discouraged, but you earmarked it due to its beautiful view.
You have already been here before with Stormchaser and Silky, of course, but it still is one of your favorite places to be.
Especially during a picnic!
"Daddy, do you like the cake? Do you?" you daughter does the equivalent of jumping up and down while sitting still, "mom said I couldn't go to the bakery because I'd want to eat the place, but I told her what flavors to pick!"
Your husband nods profusely, in the middle of stuffing his mouth with another piece, and that is more than enough of an answer for your daughter.
"But whatever happened for you to take so long, dear?" you ask him, floating a napkin towards his face, "you usually don't take that long during your trips. And I can't remember when was the last time that you got home so late."
"It's just," he starts with his mouth still full, gulping down mid-sentence, "just boring work stuff dear. Nothing really important to share with you."
He might have said that, but you still see a small frown in his face as he wolfs down on his piece of cake. You still see a slight… shadow in his eyes.
You let out an inaudible grunt, this just will not do! You get up from where you are sitting around the picnic basket and sit down next to him, giving Silky a slight wink for her to follow your lead.
"Oh my dear cute sweetheart," you sit next to him, leaning against his side and resting your face against his shoulder, "don't be like that."
You feel him groan slightly at that, hearing you change your tone of voice into the cuddly-spoiling variation that always gets you what you want from him. He already knows what comes next, you grin at the thought.
"You're always such a big strong stallion, and also a caring and huggable dad," your daughter lands next to him, hugging him by the waist as if on cue, "but you don't have to be like that all the time if you don't feel like, especially not with your two favorite girls."
You see him frown at that, his smile turning into something else as he tries to resist your wiles.
But you know him too well to be dissuaded just by that. You've been married with him for too long.
"I just don't think it's important that I talk about work here and…"
"Not talking about work is fine, keeping certain parts of your life separate is fine, but you clearly brought a bit of those rainclouds back home. And I mean in here," you lightly touch your hoof against his chest, and you feel him sag a bit at that, "so don't worry, and just let us help you get that weight off from your shoulders, then."
"Yeah, nothing daddy says isn't important," Silky says helpfully, the side of her face still pressed against her father in a tight hug.
You see Stormchaser's mood slowly crumbling, and a tired expression finally surfacing from beneath his bravado.
You smile at that. You know he was happy with your and Silky's surprise, the whole birthday idea. You know he wouldn't fake that sort of thing for his own daughter, but you also realized that he has been carrying something heavy for a while now.
And it's not fair that he bends mountains to take care of you and Silky, but don't get anything in return.
You love him. So of course you will always take care of him.
"Well… like I said," he sighs, but takes the two of you in with a wing-hug, "it's just boring work stuff. But with the whole uproar in Canterlot, everypony seems to think that…"
And so, he begins to talk, and you and your daughter just stay there listening to him. It isn't anything major, in the end, just the piling up of small problems, the constant addition of those little unreasonable things that might happen when he is away from home. Just the coupling of several little unfair situations, one after the other.
So you can see why he was resistant about letting it show, you can see why he didn't think that sort of thing was even supposed to bother him. But you know he is wrong in thinking that way.
You know that it's the small things that eventually smother you, that it's the small problems of life that slowly creep up behind you, until you are surrounded and drowning in them.
So, it makes you honestly glad that you can be there for your family to help them with these small things, much like how they are always there for you.
And after you are all done eating, you head back home, your daughter practically dragging her father by the neck when you get close to the door, not wanting to wait any longer to show him the present that she asked you to buy for him.
You have completely recovered from the stress caused by the Ritual's experience.
Having spent a good amount of time with your family, after acting only in a slightly strange manner as of late, your family and close servants are completely unsuspicious of you, currently.
- - -
- - -
- - -
Stallions sure are a hooffull, you idly think to yourself.
They sometimes can be extremely simple creatures, of course, but it is precisely due to their simplicity that they are sometimes hard to maneuver around.
You have years of experience with your husband, and the fact that he had been completely smitten with you from the very first day you were introduced to each other helps a lot, so he doesn't exactly count. In fact, you think as you recall the first few weeks of your arranged relationship, it was him who practically put his heart out to get you interested in him…
But regardless, although most stallions can be easy to read and understand, the simplicity of their single-mindedness also makes it hard to get them to soften up. Sure, most of them react well enough when you are charming or something like that, but when those few and straightforward doors aren't available you are usually left with a brick wall that won't budge, no matter how hard you bang your head against it.
And you can think of one such stallion, also coincidentally a pegasus, who has been worrying you as of late. Of course, you could technically disregard your worries and see him as no more than a work acquaintance. But in your personal opinion that is not really an option anymore, not after what you all saw in Princess Luna's dreams.
You can no longer see the cult as a mere pastime, or an intriguing avocation. No, the six of you are all in this together now, and although you honestly do not comprehend your Master well enough to have a final opinion on him, you realize that he is at least as invested in this as you all are. Probably a lot more, in fact.
You might not be able to get a read on your Master, at least not yet, as you are not even sure if he is a pony to begin with. However, you most definitely can get a read on Comet Feet.
Something about him, several things in fact, have been worrying you, and you have been acting upon said worries, as much as he strikes you as the kind of stallion that is especially hard to get close to.
To this end, you have been leaving a few marks and signs on the dark trees of the Woods, scribbled messages in the spots your Master has taught the cult to look for, places where thoughts and visions can linger for more than a single night, although they always turn to dust at the end of every moon cycle.
You have not been the only one either. Several trees were already marked, the signs that more of the recently induced have found their way into the Woods, the telltale hints of increased coordination and of the execution of more subtle actions. But you, for your part, left messages specifically for Comet Feet, and hoped he would deign to answer them.
And much to your surprise, just last night he did so.
Maybe it is paranoia, maybe it is just how his mind works, or maybe it is just a coincidence, but last night was the very last night of the lunar cycle, and you found his message during that small frame of time in which it would not last for more than a few hours as the first sunrise of the next cycle fast approached.
But regardless, he answered you, and carved on the black bark of that tree the instructions of where to find him. You set out on the morning of the next day, not wanting to lose the opportunity. He has wings, after all, and instructions to "stay away from town", so relocating every few days is certainly not beyond him.
You left your estate at first light. Your husband's birthday was a few days ago, and he is out of town again, but you left a note for Ponpon saying that your usual walk would take more time than usual.
You crossed the town, heading to the south-eastern road, the one next to the bank of the river that cuts off the Everfree Forest.
You headed onwards, as the houses that were farther from Ponyville became scarcer, and the looming forest, far as it may be, seemed just a little bit darker.
You passed by a small wooden cottage that seemed to have grown out from the ground, or at least that's what it looked like with its roof being literally covered in the outgrowth of plants and leaves. You saw a good number of critters nearby it, eating from bowls with fresh vegetables that looked like they had been recently placed. Whoever lives there sure looked like somepony who cares about the local wildlife… or who is simply too disconnected from actual society to be bothered about living so far from the city itself.
But you passed by even that small cottage, and went further away from Ponyville.
Your leg had already starting to ache for a while when you finally reach it.
It is a… place, that is for sure. You went out of the road after passing by the hollowed-out tree, you followed the nearly forgotten dirt path, you did everything the carved instructions told you to, although it was somewhat spooky for most of the time.
And you finally arrive at a… place. You are standing in front of an abandoned shack, its rotting wooden roof barely held by rain-punished walls, a single glass window with a broken hole in it gazing back at you like the empty socket of a dead skull.
You are sure that, normally, you would be feeling frightened about being here. But the messages left in the Woods are not only lines of carved text. The trees also remember bits and pieces of thoughts and visions, they shear away at your memory for every small chip you carve in their hardened barks. Walking here was almost like walking to a place you had visited when you were maybe a filly, the distant memories imprinted by Comet Feet lending themselves to you during every hoofstep of the way.
The place looks abandoned, and glancing up you can see that it is totally covered by the surrounding trees, with leaves and vines obscuring it from the aerial view of anypony who might fly over it. You also realize that you had your eyes closed for a while now, and a quick peek reveals that the wooden shack is almost completely untouched by sunlight.
You close your eyes again, for good measure, and take a quick look around the shack.
At first you think it is an abandoned woodcutter's lodge, since several of the trees that surround the shack seem to have been recently cut. However, you quickly realize that is not the case as you notice a few more things.
You quickly realize that these are signs of training.
You don't see a single tree that has been totally cut down, all of them had been struck, by something sharp you might add, but none of them had been felled as if sawed down for wood. The marks you see on these trees have been made with finesse, with something that you don't quite believe was an axe, but that you are not knowledgeable enough to precisely pin down.
Then you see trees that have been physically punished. You don't have any better words for it, seeing that these are trees with legitimate craters on their trunks. Some of those craters are shallow, or are simple cracks against the woods, but some are deep and speak of a terrible strength, the mark of a horseshoe clearly visible as if purposefully carved by a powerful hindleg kick.
And then you notice… other trees… You don't feel like looking at them, much less approaching them, but those trees seemed to have been…
You see markings that could only have been made by teeth or claws, deep and frantic gouges all over their surface serving as evidence that nothing but mindless hatred had been unleashed upon them. You avert your eyes before you start connecting the dots. There is a lesson here, but you have not come to learn about this, specifically, so you turn your closed eyes towards the forgotten building once again.
And then you realize Comet Feet has been looking at you this whole time, from where he is crouching down on top of the rotting shack.
"Velvet Covers…" you hear his voice, deep and clear, as he lightly jumps from the precarious roof and lands next to you, "were you followed?"
You can't quite place if he is in a bad mood, or if this is simply his usual disposition.
"Not that I know of," you reply politely, to which he simply nods.
You take another look at him, and you realize you never really appreciated how large the pegasus is.
He is built like you would expect an earth pony to be built, a large earth pony that is. He is a full head taller than you are, horn included, and you are pretty sure that your two forelegs put together wouldn't amount to a single one of his. His coat is dark, not exactly black but of some particular color taken to the extreme side of dark, maybe some deep dark green or the likes. His mane, however, cut short probably for practical reasons, is raven black.
He is also… sharp, so to speak. You don't feel an Influence about him, to which you are thankful as it would have made talking somewhat harder, but you can feel the Edge about him. Comet Feet must truly be dedicating himself to pursuing it.
"Why are your eyes closed?" he remarks, his head turning quizzically as he inspects you with the same scrutiny you are inspecting him.
You chide yourself mentally for it, this is really something you must start being mindful about, and open your eyes, the clear image of the Pegasus turning into a badly illuminated version of himself.
"Pardon, but they weren't exactly useful in this darkness to begin with, were they?" you answer with a pleasant smile.
The stallion shrugs, and walks deeper into the forest, towards the patches where the trees are still unmarred and untouched. You take his reaction as an invitation to follow him.
"Well, here you are," he says as he walks in front of you, "you were insistent enough. What is it that you want?"
That is the question that you had been practicing how to answer for a while now. Most of your scenarios would have you simply playing it by ear, of course, but you did anticipate that Comet Feet might just be as direct as he is being right now.
However, you also recall that those were not the scenarios you had been hoping would unfurl.
"Well," you pick your words carefully, knowing that you should use preciously few of them to get a point across, "I was honestly wondering if you would like to discuss about what we saw on the Ritual…?" you look at his back while you speak, trying to fish for some sort of reaction that you could latch on to, "it was after all, quite the… experience."
"I saw the same thing you all saw," he answers simply, approaching one of the trees and passing a hoof over its trunk, taking a deep breath and pulling his hoof back.
Before you can even think to reply you hear a loud cracking noise, followed by the sound of frightened birds flying away in the distance. You close your eyes to make sure of what just happened, and you see that Comet Feet's hoof is now resting on a small crater on the surface of the tree.
He still seems composed, however, if only a little disinterested. You think about your options and try again.
"Yes, of course. But I was wondering how exactly… do you think we should go about with dealing with it? Since Master told you to stay away from town, I couldn't help but wonder if you had time to give it some deep thought and…"
You hear him sigh, but you can't be sure if it is just a deep breath or a sign of something worse.
He moves his foreleg for a few moments, and you only realize his hoof was stuck on the tree when he forces it out, the clear sign of a horseshoe imprinted on it.
Then he turns to you, and you realize his sigh meant he is rather annoyed.
"Look, I know that I've been sent here while things are happening, but that doesn't mean I'm doing nothing. And if you are here to pester me with ideas like Windy Flakes did, then I'll let you know that I'll just give you the same answer."
Your mind jumps to full gear as you try to take all of it at once. Did he think you meant he was just idling about while everypony else worked, and took offense in it? Would trying to apologize have any effect? And what about Windy Flakes being here as well, and what the hell did the unicorn tried talking to him about?
And most importantly, you can finally see a hint of… something in Comet Feet's eyes. It looks too much like confliction and doubt, but it could very well be annoyance or anger.
You've been quiet for too long now. Less than five second, sure, but you can identify a closing window when you see one, especially in a conversation.
"I promise you I didn't come to pester you about anything," you quickly say, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.
But you still have no idea of what direction to go, and you only brought yourself precious few seconds to think.
Heavens be damned, you decide to address your worries. If nothing else, you at least hope that honesty works here.
"It's just that... I personally am not sure of what to think, about the whole thing…" honesty, sure, but no need to be straightforward about it. Maybe he will open up if he identifies himself in your own worries, "I mean, I know I have to do something. We have to do something, but what direction should we aim for? I trust the Master as much as anypony else, but how far do you think we will have to go on this road?"
You see something flicker in his eyes, a change in his expression, but having your eyes open means you can't tell for sure with so many shadows covering the two of you.
You decide to press on, and hope for the best.
"Is there a line that perhaps we shouldn't cross, or-?"
"I think," you see his brow twitch at that, and he interrupts you with his deep voice, "that we should all be focusing on our tasks, instead of idling about into other ponies' businesses," he says, making himself very clear, before his expression closes once again and he turns his back to you, pointedly focusing his attention on the recently struck tree.
You saw it, you know you did. You hit a nerve that you shouldn't have, or maybe you struck a particular chord too strongly.
But there is a nerve to be struck to begin with, and you can clearly see that something is deeply bothering the stallion. You were right in your worries, but for today you seem to have hit a wall.
And from his reaction, you realize that you have nothing else to gain here right now, only to lose. Comet Feet is by no means threatening you, of course, but you can see that he will be as resistant to your questions as the trees before him will be to his hoofs.
But he is also a pony like yourself, and you know that he will eventually calm down, or that time will at least allow you for another chance in the future. So, you take your leave.
You were not persuasive enough for Comet Feet to open himself to you, but you did manage to understand him a little better. He is clearly conflicted about something, although he did not tell you what.
You have also learned that Windy Flakes has been paying him visits. Something about pestering him with ideas?
Darn we didn't even manage to get past the first breakpoint. Such is the roll of the dice. But at least we can confirm that Comet Feet has some reservations about the cult.
Plan Outreach
-[X] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of MOTH (This is a free action to summon "The Attention of the Laws")
-[X] A measured commitment: Give everything a once-over, sign everything in stacks. The farmlands wont just crumble and burn if you miss a few numbers this month.
(6 personal actions and 1 servant action. Might be noticed by those closest to you. Will not be noticed by the family head if you do not do this often.)
-[X] You seek the Princess of the Night, and perhaps you are the only pony in Equestria who can access the Dreamlands, bar your compatriots (to whom you showed the way). She is bound to be there. And even if she is not, she is bound to sleep, and everypony has a door.
--[X] Invoke the power of the MOTH to Protect You From Nightmares. -[X] You are a noble, albeit a lesser noble. But the crown has called for every stallion and mare for help, and it would be very noble of you to join in the searches. Offering your help to the search parties will surely give you useful insight, on their progress if nothing else.
-[X] Help Comet Feet
--[X] He is out of town in… whoever knows where. Reach out to him, he could definitely use some company.
-[X] Help Starry Dancer
--[X] She seems somewhat rattled. You all are. Lend her an ear, or perhaps a shoulder.
-[X] Help Jade Whistle
--[X] She might not be as quiet and disconnected as she seems. Get to know her better.
-[X] Of course you love your family very much, but you could always spend a bit more time with them.
--[X] Just another pleasant day that you will spend with them. Perfect for cooling your head off.
-[X] There are books that could be of use. You should start looking for them.
--[X] In Ponyville, and its… great assortments of libraries? (no extra cost)
----[X] [Servant Action]
Hmm. Calling the spoiler "winning plan" makes it sound like it just won the vote since the last post. Consider calling it something else so as not to confuse archive readers.
Darn we didn't even manage to get past the first breakpoint. Such is the roll of the dice. But at least we can confirm that Comet Feet has some reservations about the cult.
It's fine. We know that we can keep reaching out to him when it all cools back down, and we've got a better idea of what might be required. Our successes are visible, but his should be invisible unless something's gone very wrong (because he solves problems), so he might feel that he's viewed as not contributing anything.
All we have to do is show him that he's appreciated, and... Well, I was going to say 'help him if he asks', but actually he might appreciate helping us out more. Maybe going up to the rest of the cult again to talk about some important task and saying 'this wouldn't be possible without Comet Feet' might make him happy?
Hmm. Calling the spoiler "winning plan" makes it sound like it just won the vote since the last post. Consider calling it something else so as not to confuse archive readers.
I think it's fine. Maybe the spoiler for the full vote, plus the parts of the vote that are being written out in the update underneath it, and then a line break?
I think it's fine. Maybe the spoiler for the full vote, plus the parts of the vote that are being written out in the update underneath it, and then a line break?
I think maybe I wasn't entirely clear? I think the spoiler for the full vote is perfectly fine; I'd just like to be called something other than "Winning Plan". Maybe call it "Previous plan" or "Turn plan" or just "Continued"; basically just something to disambiguate the fact that this didn't correspond to a new vote.
Huh. It looks to me like Comet... thinks he's being punished, maybe? The way he speaks seems more like he wants to be involved, but can't, more than worried about being seen as contributing. And Windy Dlakes is clearly stirring up some kind of trouble. I almost suspect he was trying to build up his own support for taking over or something, or at least wanting to go off and do some nasty things to some people.
I usually "commit" on what the 1 and 100 will be before rolling the dice, so I'm not stuck with an "oh damn, what now" situation if one surprises me.
A Noble 1 would... not have been pleasant.
They turned on each other at a 27, so who might they have turned against in a 1?
and so the nobles, sensing a weakened prey, fell upon their once (supposedly) beloved princess, and took power for themselves.
Of course the Earth Ponies and the pegasi (and, admittedly, plenty of not-noble unicorns) didn't accept that. This was as good as a declaration of war!
And just as the conflict was about to really ignite, a chill came from the North.
Hmm, he is pretty deep in Edge by now, from the look of it.
Might be that he needs conflict by now, in which case the laying-low-order could affect him rather badly.
And other ponies coming by and talking about their activities would only make that worse, as it contrasts his inability to act.
And so, he begins to talk, and you and your daughter just stay there listening to him. It isn't anything major, in the end, just the piling up of small problems, the constant addition of those little unreasonable things that might happen when he is away from home. Just the coupling of several little unfair situations, one after the other.
So you can see why he was resistant about letting it show, you can see why he didn't think that sort of thing was even supposed to bother him. But you know he is wrong in thinking that way.
You know that it's the small things that eventually smother you, that it's the small problems of life that slowly creep up behind you, until you are surrounded and drowning in them.
So, it makes you honestly glad that you can be there for your family to help them with these small things, much like how they are always there for you.
It is... not good precisely, but rather it is grounding to see how dice rolls not only effect us and our future, but propagate outward entangling the lives and happiness of everypony in the world. If our husband suffered because of petty noble squabbling, it doubtless means hundreds or thousands of others did.
You have completely recovered from the stress caused by the Ritual's experience.
Having spent a good amount of time with your family, after acting only in a slightly strange manner as of late, your family and close servants are completely unsuspicious of you, currently.
And you can think of one such stallion, also coincidentally a pegasus, who has been worrying you as of late. Of course, you could technically disregard your worries and see him as no more than a work acquaintance. But in your personal opinion that is not really an option anymore, not after what you all saw in Princess Luna's dreams.
You can no longer see the cult as a mere pastime, or an intriguing avocation. No, the six of you are all in this together now, and although you honestly do not comprehend your Master well enough to have a final opinion on him, you realize that he is at least as invested in this as you all are. Probably a lot more, in fact.
Interesting to see the in-group forming this strongly. Since doubtless some of us are considering wether or not Comets... removal will be necessary. Interesting comment on the master...
You might not be able to get a read on your Master, at least not yet, as you are not even sure if he is a pony to begin with. However, you most definitely can get a read on Comet Feet.
You passed by a small wooden cottage that seemed to have grown out from the ground, or at least that's what it looked like with its roof being literally covered in the outgrowth of plants and leaves. You saw a good number of critters nearby it, eating from bowls with fresh vegetables that looked like they had been recently placed. Whoever lives there sure looked like somepony who cares about the local wildlife… or who is simply too disconnected from actual society to be bothered about living so far from the city itself.
And you finally arrive at a… place. You are standing in front of an abandoned shack, its rotting wooden roof barely held by rain-punished walls, a single glass window with a broken hole in it gazing back at you like the empty socket of a dead skull.
The place looks abandoned, and glancing up you can see that it is totally covered by the surrounding trees, with leaves and vines obscuring it from the aerial view of anypony who might fly over it. You also realize that you had your eyes closed for a while now, and a quick peek reveals that the wooden shack is almost completely untouched by sunlight.
You see markings that could only have been made by teeth or claws, deep and frantic gouges all over their surface serving as evidence that nothing but mindless hatred had been unleashed upon them. You avert your eyes before you start connecting the dots. There is a lesson here, but you have not come to learn about this, specifically, so you turn your closed eyes towards the forgotten building once again.
"Look, I know that I've been sent here while things are happening, but that doesn't mean I'm doing nothing. And if you are here to pester me with ideas like Windy Flakes did, then I'll let you know that I'll just give you the same answer."
Well he is starting to see the cult as... well a duty. He has taken the responsibility for their health and safety onto himself if I had to guess. Which is good.
Less good is him starting to view the peace loving, dopey, largely out of tune with edge ponies as meek and a burden.
"I think," you see his brow twitch at that, and he interrupts you with his deep voice, "that we should all be focusing on our tasks, instead of idling about into other ponies' businesses," he says, making himself very clear, before his expression closes once again and he turns his back to you, pointedly focusing his attention on the recently struck tree.
But there is a nerve to be struck to begin with, and you can clearly see that something is deeply bothering the stallion. You were right in your worries, but for today you seem to have hit a wall.
And there is the nerve. I did wonder if perhaps... well.
I frankly wondered if the pony he murdered was by intention or not? Using force to coerce someone can go wrong. Very wrong. Most people don't just become murderers at the drop of a hat, there is a scale of things.
Also hands down goal oriented pony. The next time we approach him it should be with a gift to help with his mission (bits or an artifact), or to just aid him directly.
All these interactions with our family is exactly why I didn't want to go evil or power mad.
This is so sweet and gives us a great reason to hold on to the sanity, and it makes any falling into the Lore mindsets that more heartbreaking which is also a plus.
I think, that going with the 'there are lines we shouldn't cross', right after learning that we stand against the end of the world, might have been the wrong approach to convince the pony who had to murder another pony for real state before even learning about the worms. They probably felt relieved that there was some justification to what he did
