The ritual ends like a fading light, the Knock-bridge between your minds and Princess Luna's dream winking out like a closing eye, the chaos of Moth in the air blowing away in the Wood-breeze like a light mist.
You are back in your body. You no longer have wings and an older sister, you no longer stand before a great and forbidden door, you no longer are something large and winged that flew away and hid in the shadows, as those doors burst open, observing from a distance from that moment onwards, but observing all the same.
You are yourself once again. You are Velvet Covers now.
But will Velvet Covers ever be the same, after this?
The feeling of your coat against the black dirt comes back to you, slowly, and you realize that you are sitting. You take a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill your lungs, and a slight movement of your forelegs reminds you that your hoofs are on the very edge of the ritual circle.
But of course, you remember where you are now. You and your compatriots are all here, gathered around it, in the complete darkness of the gathering place of your cult.
You start hearing things, several things at once, and it seems that everypony else is starting to recover from the experience you all just shared. The sounds that you hear are all… understandable.
Somepony, far behind you, is breathing is gasps, as if about to panic.
A stallion that you do not know seems to be weeping.
You definitely hear the sound of somepony emptying the contents of their stomach.
Whispers, directed at nopony in particular, reach you from near and far. You hear all of that, and many other telltale signs of willpower barely being kept, of self-control barely being held. Of regret and realization, of curtains and windows being open wide only to reveal a light that cuts. Sounds of pain, but not pain of the body, and perhaps not even pain of the mind, but pain at the realization that the world itself does not quite fit how it should.
Although something strikes you as strange. The entire cult is gathered here, so why do you hear… so little? You expect a sea of murmurs to erupt at any moment, you expect at least one follower to break and gallop away, but the sounds of gasps and moans are few, and they are not growing in number or volume as time passes. But why?
Why, you might add, do you think you hear peaceful breathing?
"Come closer…"
You hear a voice, that voice, coming from the topmost edge of the circle, in the part of it where you know that the Mansus-lines converge with the tip of the Glory-circles. Your horn feels slightly off as you think about that, a memory whose origin you can't pinpoint making you think that the place around your forehead is somehow stained with black dirt.
You hear hoofsteps approaching the edge of the circle, stopping right behind you and your compatriots. They are the ponies that you have heard, of the cult's outer circle, and they appear to be shaking. You think they number in less than ten.
But what of all the others…?
"You… all of you, who are awake. You are the ones who made it to the end," your Master says, but there is something terribly wrong about its voice, something you had never heard in it before. "The others… would not have been strong enough. The revelation would have burned them, and Lantern or Winter would have claimed their minds from thereafter… I sent them to the Woods…"
You realize what is wrong about its voice. And although it should be normal, as your Master is surely great in Moth, it somehow feels strange. Maybe because it seems to be too real. Too honest.
You realize that you Master sounds... confused? Not shocked, not afraid, not surprised, but something maddening close to those three. Something that perhaps might see better justice if it is described as "in deep thought".
But a kind of deep thought that you would attribute to yourself, or to anypony else who lives and breathes and worries. Not to… whatever… your Master is.
"We called those things 'Worms'…" the voice finally continues. "And long ago, truly long ago, when the world still had its correct shape and form, even then they already tried to crawl into it… They come from Nowhere, and even back then they tried to burrow through the black dirt of the Woods, or tried to crawl out through secret passages in secret places, dark corridors where the wrong kind of light exists."
You swear that you her the sound of something, coming from the middle of the circle, as if somepony just sat down with the full weight of their body, like one might do when falling back in a dejected manner. You swear that the voice seems to come from an angle as if its owner is looking up, like one might do when remembering something long past.
You swear that, whatever is in the middle of the circle, it almost sounds like a regular pony.
"But there were protections back there. Wards and traps, barriers and thresholds, even the very powers that be would defend Equestria against the worms. And back then the worms would merely inhabit and consume. Those who were foolish enough to leave the wards behind, those who tried to brave Nowhere, would merely be taken, and become ever more dead, forever…"
You swear that you hear something grim about that voice.
"The worms could not take over, in that far past, they could not… become with the memories of those they claimed. But it seems that they can, now. That they have learned how to do it, somehow."
The confusion is almost palpable now, and it is maddening in its silence. You feel like there should be the sound of leaves rustling, or the buzzing of wings against the night, but instead you hear nothing, you feel nothing. You don't even feel lost and, considering that you know you are in a place close to the Woods, that in itself is almost frightening.
But then, the confusion slowly begins to wane, disappearing from the air like stale air would slowly leave a recently opened room. Becoming less corporeal, less memorable, until you wonder if it had been there at all to begin with.
"But there is something else to be learned in all of this, which the most attentive of you may have noticed," the Master seems to be regaining her balance now, its voice becoming sharper and harder, its tone returning to a guiding and teaching one, to the tone better suited to a leader of the faithful, "the alicorn Luna knew too little. She was witness and victim, and her crime was ignorance, both in the past and today. The fate that befell her long ago will be the same that shall befall Equestria if the alicorns keep to their work, but we know now that even the alicorns are young. They were invited into this world, they were borne here, and as it is proper for the law of birth they came without knowledge of wisdom. They are no better than foals when it comes to certain realizations."
The voice is back at its feet. It was never sitting in the first place, the confusing echo you heard from the middle of the circle was surely a lie. You Master is walking now, between the sleeping ponies and through the small crowd of those who remained awake.
"She will always be a detestable outsider, her arrival heralding that of other unwelcome guests, each greater and more abominable than the last, but… she was also made a pawn. She is a pawn of Harmony. She has made covenant with the very cause of Equestria's danger. However…" There is mischief in the voice, now, "pawns may change hoofs, and she has seen what the ultimate result of her actions will be, if she keeps to them. And as well as changing hoofs, pawns may even become other, greater pieces, if they advance sufficiently…"
You think you see eyes go over you, over all of you, and you think you would see a curious glint about them, if they were the kind of eyes that permitted the presence of light.
"The alicorns arrived after the God of Chaos had wrought its destruction, after the world already was as it currently is, and as such are merely employed as guardians of the status-quo, as nurturers of this current and sickening order of things. We must seek older sources, reach for greater knowledge, and above all else we must understand what the fires of Harmony are in the first place, as an initiate might toil to understand the Glory as he ascends ever higher. Perhaps it knows not what it is attracting, or perhaps it does, and to be consumed is its very intention, but before we may know how to best protect Equestria, we must first understand what causes its danger."
There is purpose in the voice now, a course of action forming in its words, like the forgotten footprints of a predator might form a trail under the light of the moon.
"We are practitioners of Moth, first and foremost. We are adepts of secrets and chaos, and of change above all else. Changing Equestria might seem like a daunting task, but it has already been changed once, before, or else we would not face the current threat that stands before us. And much less daunting, surely, will be to change a single mind… especially one whose body has been borne by the laws of this world, and one whose mind has drunk from the same fears that we have. The alicorns have a link to the fires, and though there might be other links and paths she is currently the closest and most readily available."
The voice seems conclusive now, and you think you hear an old and dry oak falling on the ground, the sound coming from far away.
It almost sounds like a hoof, stomping the ground for emphasis.
"We must have the alicorn. We must steal her, like a predator might steal a hatchling in the middle of the night. Windy Flakes," the voice turns towards the unicorn, who seems to be unusually still, "this place is no longer suitable for us. It is heavy with our hoofsteps, and marked with our traces. End it and consecrate our new lodge. The weaker among our followers will be awake by nightfall, and ready to heed our summons in a few days' time, once you are finished with preparations."
The voice grows more distant as it speaks, and the very atmosphere seems to be following it. Going deeper into the darkness, into a place where you cannot follow. The sound of rustling leaves and of the shearing of scissors growing lower and further away, growing wrong and more alien with every passing moment.
"We shall reconvene shortly, and you will each be told what parts you must play then. For now, we must allow the Histories to settle down, for they have surely been rattled tonight, and they will writhe even more before the sun sets again."
And with that, the voice finally disappears, its presence leaving this place forever. And right when your Master leaves you, you hear something that you never thought you would hear inside of this room.
You hear a match being struck.
Without warning or source, a lit candle appears in the very middle of the circle. Nopony is close enough to it to have placed it there, and no glowing horn is in sight, hinting at who might have been responsible for this. But for the first time in many years, light is visible in this place.
The candle's light is constant and unfading, and it seems to have a spark of Lantern on its very center.
You feel the Woods receding from around you, the final whispers of its presence, the ones that did not accompany your Master's exit, disappearing under the scrutiny of light and attention. And for the first time ever, while in this place, you feel worn bricks underneath your hoofs.
You see small and cramped walls around you, dimly illuminated by the candle. You see the faces of your compatriots around the circle with you, and a few other shocked ponies that you do not know nearby.
And you see a great crowd of sleeping ponies behind you, some of them even piled on top of each other.
But none of that really matters to you, right now, for you have seen too much. Your mind is abuzz, and your life, the way you see the world, will never be the same.
- - -
- - -
- - -
What might change? What has changed?
The Opening Lessons:
-You accepted what had to be done, and aided in delivering a blow against a demigoddess, and in that there is a lesson of EDGE. Gain one scrap of EDGE Lore, if the lesson is embraced.
-A great power of MOTH was called upon, and you paid special attention to how it was called for. Though you did not understand what language was being whispered by your Master, if that was a language at all. Though you are not sure if what you saw was real to begin with. Gain one scrap of MOTH Lore, if the lesson is embraced.
The Deep Observations:
-You went deeper, and deeper, and deeper. You went down, and down, and down. And that has revealed to you that passages are not only roads or bridges or dreams, and also that roads and bridges and dreams are always passages. Taking note of this observation will award you with one scrap of KNOCK Lore.
-It was only a glimpse, but it was a glimpse through the eyes of something old, while you felt her feelings and thought her thoughts. There was something different about ancient Equestria, as if it was closer to something that is not quite as abundant today, and you felt it firsthoof. Taking note of this observation will award you with one scrap of SECRET HISTORIES Lore.
The Terrible Revelation:
-You have learned how the world will end, how all the worlds end, and you shall carry that knowledge for the rest of your life. But whether if you will carry it as a scar that only marked you, or as a burden that pains you, is up to you. Gain two scraps of WINTER Lore, unless you deny this revelation.
And in the end… after bearing witness to the ritual-
[] You realize that you had a smile on your face: Princess Luna is weak, but she still bears immense power. She is like a spoiled child, unaware of what she could do if she had the will to, so perhaps the term "Princess" really is fitting, after all. You will take her power, or you will take her, and then you will take what comes next. Everything between here and there will become means to those ends.
-You will learn from the Opening Lessons.
-You will take note of the Deep Observations.
-You will accept the Terrible Revelation.
-You will receive an additional EDGE scrap of lore, for your ambition, as well as +1 Martial and +1 Intrigue, for they will be sorely needed.
-Any action will be permissible, and everything you did, up until now, has been an act. But you are really good at acting.
-This quest will receive the "Villain" tag.
-And there will be no love within you.
[] You realize just how right your Master is: Your Master is right, and it is a blessing that you have met Copper Secateur and, through her, been induced into the cult. You must defend Equestria, no matter the cost, and only by furthering your cult will that be possible.
-You will learn from the Opening Lessons.
-You will take note of the Deep Observations.
-You will accept the Terrible Revelation.
-You will be personally loyal to your Master. Thoughts of betrayal will be much harder to harbor, even if you are required to do more questionable things. The alternative if you fail is too horrible, after all.
-Your loyalty will make itself shown through every small act, and every small word. You will grow in the eyes of your Master more quickly and will be more rewarded for your efforts.
[] You nod, a grim understanding coming to you: Equestria is in danger, and something must be done about it. You have not reached the point where you think a line has been crossed, not when considering what you have just seen. But you will keep that line close to your heart, for you know that you will lose something the day you cross it, and it is not something you wish to lose if you can avoid.
-You will learn from the Opening Lessons.
-You will take note of the Deep Observations.
-You will accept the Terrible Revelation.
-You will remain in your cult, but you will be attentive to your actions. The decision of whether what you are doing is correct, or not, will be made by you later.
-This is the "neutral" option. Call it noncommitment or call it wisdom, but the pony sitting on the fence can see further and clearer than those on the ground.
[] You shake your head in denial. This, just now, was wrong: There are better ways to do this. YOU know better ways to do it. But it is undeniable that you do know no a lot, about almost everything else. Your cult has an established structure and is growing, and you have a position of power within in, but after tonight, you do not intent to stay forever.
-You will NOT learn from the Opening Lessons.
-You will take note of the Deep Observations.
-You will accept the Terrible Revelation.
-The seed of betrayal will be planted in your heart, and you will slowly allow it to grow. You will remain in your cult, but with a hidden agenda.
-This is the subtle option for betrayal, and you will play the long game. Whether if you will attempt to take over the cult slowly, turning those who are closer to you against your Master one at a time, or if you will aim at taking your Master down in one fell swoop will be up to you.
[] You loudly decry your master. A moment too late, a second after his presence is gone, but you are heard by everypony else: What you did tonight was wrong, and your Master either knew of the consequences, or he is not wise enough to be worth following. But regardless of what he is, you will actively oppose him.
-You will NOT learn from the Opening Lessons.
-You will NOT take note of the Deep Observations.
-You will accept the Terrible Revelation.
-You will attempt create a splinter from your cult. It will not be easy, but surely there will be some who will follow. You will choose whether if you will do it immediately, while the fright of the ritual is recent in the minds of the ponies who saw to its conclusion, or if you will do it later, albeit soon. But your intentions will be clear from the start.
-This is the unsubtle and fast option for leaving your cult, while keeping in touch with the esoteric.
-You will make an enemy out of your Master, but your actions will decide just how much of his attention and wrath you will attract.
[] You left. You broke. You galloped away, screaming, and you arrived home limping, your leg cramped with debilitating pain. No more of this. No more.: You do not want to have anything to do with this anymore. The ritual was too wrong, the memories of Princess Luna too vivid. The worms were too frightening.
-You will NOT learn from the Opening Lessons.
-You will NOT take note of the Deep Observations.
-You will DENY the Terrible Revelation.
-You will immediately break ties with your cult. A further option will be opened as to whether you wish too KEEP or FORGET your current Mansus Lore. There is no way to know how your Master, and the cult, will react.
-The quest will change very much indeed.
Regardless of your choice (unless you choose to flee), the following will also apply:
You have seen too much, you now know what exactly is at stake. And considering that "everything" is what is at stake, you are gripped by a sudden sense of urgency. You will receive +1 action per turn, as well as the option to "Neglect work to gain more actions", although those will inevitably draw suspicion.
Princess Celestia will now actively start hunting for whoever struck against her beloved sister. Delayed, as all efforts are being directed at locating Luna.
The Grand Galloping Gala has been canceled.
A vote-picking turn will follow, as your cult reconvenes to iron out the next and immediate priorities. By then the news of Luna's disappearance will already have reached Ponyville.
Write-ins have not been offered, but conversation is the basis of anything. If anyone wants to suggest anything, please understand that it must be somewhere between the thought of "accepted it completely" and "denied it completely", following the sliding grade of loyalty that is between those two points. And also, said write-in will be heavily scrutinized before being included into the voting pool.
This vote is extremely important. It will be the basis of how Velvet Covers sees the world and plans her actions. Said view might change in time, as more things pile over this and more knowledge is learned, but this particular foundation brick will never be truly removed.
There will be at least 48 hours of voting, with an additional 24 extension planned unless there is a clear majority established.
