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.
Hm, it's not like we have any idea of what's actually correct to give him though.
Unless telling him about Snakemare will result in a greater degree of caution than just "difficult"?
I actually don't even want to include the first line of 'you should go for her' or 'you shouldn't pursue her'. Leave that to him to decide. Just include she's difficult, she's a snake-pony, she's lonely, when she's coming back, and maybe the gifts for practicality.
The way I see it, Axe doesn't want ponies to know that she's a snake. She didn't let the CMC see it even when she used her snake form to transport them about, making them close their eyes. It's definitely not our place to spill those beans.
The way I see it, Axe doesn't want ponies to know that she's a snake. She didn't let the CMC see it even when she used her snake form to transport them about, making them close their eyes. It's definitely not our place to spill those beans.
Is it because she really doesn't want people to know she's a snake, or is it because she's worried about trying to explain how snake-mare to fillies, when she already figured she was getting in trouble with Velvet over this?
Honestly, I don't want to mention the snakemare thing because of that running joke that Selene was the only one to notice Axe is a snake and has failed to convince anyone else of this.
Does he? Or does he just want to pour out his heart to his sister and get advice? My ideal advice for him is 'Here are the complications. Here are the facts I can give you without really breaking trust. Decide for yourself if you still want to pursue her'
My understanding of the update is that he's so overwhelmed that he's temporarily forgotten about the gap between them (but will remember it in time); he doesn't actually view her as her sister yet.
Besides, in the "difficult" option, it doesn't preclude Velvet going "...and I suspect that is at least partially because Axe is from a land of different customs to us with the differences in experience that applies"?
(@BirdBodhisattva or does such a line need other reveals to go through?)
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 stand up to 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!
Hello I'm brand new to this site, was recommended here, and when i caught up on the latest chapter With the poll I didnt see a link or any where for me to vote, The lay out of this site is still very confusing to me so if you could please explain where I can go to vote.
P.S. this is one of the single greatest fics i have ever read, please keep up the good work.
Hello I'm brand new to this site, was recommended here, and when i caught up on the latest chapter With the poll I didnt see a link or any where for me to vote, The lay out of this site is still very confusing to me so if you could please explain where I can go to vote.
P.S. this is one of the single greatest fics i have ever read, please keep up the good work.
Hello. You vote by copying the option you want and including it in a post with a X between the [].
As this update is a plan vote, my recomendation is to check the plans the other players have proposed so far. To do so, press the button that says "New tally" under the reply box, that will show you what everyone has voted so far.
This vote is an aproval vote, so you can pick more than one option as long as you put all your votes in the same post (the tally only sees your latest post with a vote).
Once you know which plans you want to vote, copy them (their name and the x between [] before it is enough for the tally to count them), close the tally without posting it (with the x on the top right of it) and post your vote.
Check the thread discussion to see what people's arguments for each plans are.
Hello I'm brand new to this site, was recommended here, and when i caught up on the latest chapter With the poll I didnt see a link or any where for me to vote, The lay out of this site is still very confusing to me so if you could please explain where I can go to vote.
P.S. this is one of the single greatest fics i have ever read, please keep up the good work.
Hi, to vote here you basically just copy one of the options shown in the update (or in some cases a plan made by other players including multiple actions/options from thr update, or rarely even write-in options), with an X between the []
The forum has a tool included to tally the votes you can use by clicking on "thread tools" "vote tally" , close to the top-right corner of the page.
I quote a random example of someone voting. If you're voting for a plan, you just need to copy the first line (usually the plan name)
Why doesn't the pro-Love plan take the schedule? It seems like an obvious choice to me, we definitely need to summon her next turn and it will give him a hard date to plan around/encourage him with.
[X] Plan Encouraging and Information
-[X] "Go for it!"
-[X] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[X] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[X] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[X] "The thing you need to understand about Axe is that she is… exotic. She is not… an earth pony mare."
-[X] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
This plan gives Pride the all information he needs to make an informed decision, while still encouraging him to go for it even with the context of the new information.
edit: I'll approval vote for just adding the schedule too. Copying the plan from below:
[X] Plan Velvet is Pro-Love and Pro-Schedule
-[X] "Go for it!"
-[X] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[X] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[X] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[X] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
(Do note that this only makes sense if the planmaker has voted for the full version of the plan themselves and posted accordingly, which is not the case for this particular plan.
If in doubt, feel free to check the tally, it's the safest way to be sure.)
Likewise, finding vote counts are done through the tally, though scrolling a bit down beyond the frontrunner might be a good idea sometimes. Might I also suggest voting for
[X] Plan Velvet is Pro-Love and Pro-Schedule and Pro-Sanity
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
when you are done reading the discussion? This plan gives Pride all the safely actionable information we can, and does not risk problems from DoA unnecessarily either.
Top right of the page "thread tools", then "vote tally"
If you scroll down you can see it.
You can also make a new tally, changing a few options if you want, like how the votes are separated(line = each line is a separate votez for example, while block considers the sub-picks -[] as part of the main vote), from where to start the count, and a few more.
This is the most recent tally:
Adhoc vote count started by Pittauro on Jan 9, 2024 at 7:23 AM, finished with 259 posts and 42 votes.
[X] Plan Velvet is Pro-Love and Pro-Schedule
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[x] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
[X] Plan Encouraging and Information
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[X] "The thing you need to understand about Axe is that she is… exotic. She is not… an earth pony mare."
-[x] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
[X] Plan Velvet is Pro-Love and Pro-Schedule and Pro-Sanity
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
[x] Plan Covers is pro-Love
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[x] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
[X] Plan Covers is pro-Love, No Gifts
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[x] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
[X] Plan Encouraging and Information, WITHOUT TELLING HIM ABOUT THE KEY
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[X] "The thing you need to understand about Axe is that she is… exotic. She is not… an earth pony mare."
[x]Looking for Love in all the wrong places
-[x] "To put it simply, I don't think you should go for it."
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
[X] Plan Not Encouraging and Information
-[x] "To put it simply, I don't think you should go for it."
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[X] "The thing you need to understand about Axe is that she is… exotic. She is not… an earth pony mare."
[X] Plan Stupid Ideas Make the Best Stories
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[X] "The thing you need to understand about Axe is that she is… exotic. She is not… an earth pony mare."
-[x] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
-[x] "She is quite the adventurous spirit. Why do you think she was out of the estate for all those days?"
-[x] "Axe owes me a favor. So yes, I can arrange for a meeting. What? A date? Well, call it whatever you like."
[X] Plan Velvet is Pro-Love, Pro-Schedule and Pro-Communication
-[x] "Go for it!"
-[x] "Any gentlepony knows that mares love gifts. And I would be delighted to help make any packages from you reach her."
-[X] "Her schedule? Yes, I am aware of it. Don't worry, I can guarantee she will return in…" (Turn 19)
-[x] "She is… a difficult mare. In fact, I never met a mare that is so hard to deal with. And I have two fillies!"
-[x] "I… I hope you don't tell her what I'm saying. But to be honest? She is a very lonely mare. She has… things going on."
-[x] "Whatever you do, do not think of her as a damsel in distress. However, she is on a quest of sorts… she is looking for something that is very important to her."
-[X] Write in: find a way to introduce Pride to Stormchaser on a more personal level. Remember how good Stormchaser was with Comet back at the club? He's got a way when it comes to talking to other stallions about being in love.
Omake: In Which The Something of Dreams are Learned
WormArchon said:
[] Dream and Worms. There is a light on the horizon, one more familiar and comforting than the brilliance of the Glory. You are not the only one drawn to it. (Learn the first steps of dreamwalking, the secret of Nightmare Moon, the threat that still looms. This is a dangerous choice, for different reasons)
Your first instinct is to ask of Glory, for its Light still calls. That allure is what stops you, you fear that if you were to learn more then you would do nothing save gaze upon it for the rest of your nights, and your days would be spent listlessly waiting for the next opportunity to see it.
Your second is to ask of the Wood and the House, to cast aside listless gazing and make steps to actually achieving that brilliant promise. That too you reject, for the fear that you would be likewise consumed.
Your third is the diagram. Something of its colors and symbols speaks to you, feels like it would give context for events occurring just beyond the edges of your awareness.
It is duty in the end that decides you. Once Dreams were the domain of Luna, and if there is anything that could pull Celestia back from the edge she has teetered on it would be progress in finding her sister. It is a faint hope, but one you feel compelled to follow.
Velvet nods as you make your decision.
"Stay close, follow my lead. There is danger there for me that Celestia and Luna banish with their very presence, but I do not know if you will be the same. Even if you do, then you will not see, will not know."
And with that she takes off, galloping away with her back to the Light.
You race to follow her. Your legs are longer than hers, and she is wounded while you are whole. Despite this you find yourself struggling to keep pace.
As the light of the Glory is left behind, another light begins to tint the sky. It is a soft light, diffuse and enveloping, welcoming in its gentleness, and in its shifting hues you detect touches of something familiar.
And then, suddenly, you are at the Crossroads as Journey gives way to Destination.
The place of Dreams, it turns out, is a museum. Or possibly a gallery. A museum/gallery of gemstones, each the size of a heart, each occupying a plinth in neat and ordered rows lining the opulent halls. Emblazoned on each stone is a symbol, no, a Cutie Mark. Part of you wonders what might happen if you were to hold one of the gems up to the light. Would you see a glimpse of what is beyond the gem, the dreams of the pony it belongs to?
Your thoughts are interrupted by Velvet Covers. She is approaching one of the nearby gems, a puzzled look on her face. As she approaches the row of plinths seems to stretch out, warping and shifting so that the object of her direct attention now stands alone before her. You're not entirely sure, but the plinth and gem now seem oddly... wooden?
"Cadence, could you tell me what you're experiencing right now? Where you are, what is around you?" she asks.
She listens to your description of the gallery with rapt attention. With her regard no longer on the gems, their plinths move back into their orderly rows, the wooden aspect fading.
"Fascinating," she mutters to herself.
"Velvet, is something the matter?" you ask. She starts slightly, jarred from her contemplations.
"My dear Cadance, for all that I have climbed high and learned much, there is still so much I do not know. This is my first time traveling this place with company. To me the dream realm is a city, endless and folding in on itself, its streets lined with doors emblazoned with Cutie Marks. Only now, with you present, the Cutie Marks engraved onto gemstones embedded in the doors. How interesting. I wonder how Luna perceived this realm, and how it would appear to us if we were to travel with her? Something to discover when she returns." she says.
"When she returns?" you ask. She said those words with such thoughtless confidence.
"Soon," she says. "There are but a few more obstacles, and they will be overcome."
For the second time this day you find yourself deciding that enough is in fact enough when it comes to the mysterious Velvet Covers. It is time to put your hoof down. Literally.
She jumps at your stomp, abruptly jerked from her musings.
"Velvet, if you know anything about the whereabouts of Princess Luna I need you to tell me right NOW."
She cringes before you, suddenly small and cowering. Her head whips around, eyes darting about in terror.
"Keep it down!" she hisses. "I told you that this place is dangerous!"
Her words are partly true: she is indeed afraid of something here.
She is also afraid of you.
"Follow me. Do as I do, move as I move, and once you have seen I will answer your questions."
She does not move like a pony as she stalks through the dream. At times it is as if she has too many and too few limbs, too long and too short, as she scuttles from shadow to shadow, darting between plinths and down allyways (in a museum?). At others she stalks, scenting the air, wolflike in her meine and movement.
Eventually she pauses, sniffing at a gemstone. The gem is not damaged, but there is something off. A residue on the stone, and on the plinth-
"Are those bite marks?" you ask.
She nods, then darts away before anything more can be said, melting into the shadows. You are left alone among the dreams of Equestria. Glancing around you see that this plinth is not the only one to show signs of being gnawed upon. There is a trail of sorts, one that stretches off in the direction Velvet went. Worry begins to roil in you stomach.
Then Velvet reappears, melting out of the shadows only short distance away. She paws at the ground and then grunts in irriration. There is something there, under her hoof. Some sort of residue?
"Too close" she mutters. "I'm going to have to scout ahead."
Eventually she returns, and in silence she leads you down twisting corridors and across a bridge. There she gestures for you to pause, and then points.
And you see it. A distortion, a wrongness, in the act of battering itself against one of the plinths. It is wrong, an affront, something vile. You take a step forward to confront it and under the weight of your presence it burns, leaving the same residue you saw earlier.
"What is that, what does this have to do with Luna?" you ask. You will not be distracted.
She points up. You follow her hoof. There is no roof above you, the vaulted ceilings you had seen out of the corner of your eye gone. Your gaze travels up, and up, and up, into the inky blackness above. It first appears that the void is empty, but then you spot it. A wrongness, writhing towards the light of the realm of Dreams. Then you spot another, and another. And then, in the far distance, you see more. Vast leviathans, comprehensible in their size only due to their distance.
"The one who inducted me into this secret world called them Worms. I do not know their nature, or where they are from, but I know they are drawn to the light of Harmony. Your very presence destroys their lesser kinds, as do the doors into the dreams of Celestia and Luna. A thousand years ago one of their greater forms, a herald and scout of sorts, laid a trap for Luna, and from that infection Nightmare Moon was born." Velvet pauses for a moment, to let you digest what she has said. Mutely you nod for her to continue.
"My erstwhile teacher identified four paths to combat the Worms. The first would be to make contact with Harmony, to teach it to hide its light. The second would be for one to rise high enough, become strong enough, to stand against even their greatest forms. The third was cryptic, I still do not fully understand it. They spoke of a house of the moon, and that it might be able to restore our lost gods. The fourth would be to snuff out the light of harmony, and live in the cold and dark of the aftermath. A lesser existence, but better than that"
"I haven't got a clue how to proceed with the first and third options, the second option is currently barred," her voice hitches for just a moment, "and the fourth path is unacceptable. I'm at a bit of an impasse."
The scope of what she has said washes over you. They are coming, and there is nothing that can be done. Nothing, save extinguish Harmony itself, whatever that means. The world seems to spin around you, falling away until the things in the distance are all that you can see.
You wake thrashing and screaming.
You have so many questions for Velvet. You are afraid to ask.
- You have gained 1 Dread.
- Enemies sheet has been updated with the Worms
- You have learned something that might drive a pony to Regrettable deeds.
So you finally discovered the quest's big bad. Its taken a while, but you finally got here.
Each level of Dread acts like a point of sanity damage that can't be healed by normal means. Furthermore having Dread can limit you from taking certain options. Most pertinent right now is that each round you'll have to pass a check with a CD based on the number of Dread you're suffering from in order to be able to ask Velvet further questions. With only 1 Dread that check won't be too hard, but it grows rapidly.
ToasterLad said:
Did we recruited an Horse CIA director or the fina boss
You want to tell Celestia that "her little champion" is secretly an occultist of some variety, who has been withholding knowledge about Luna. Oh, and there are eldritch abominations from the void that are being drawn to the light of Harmony and are at the very moment gnawing on the dreams of ponykind.
That will go great.
I note that there are a few very important questions we're currently missing answers for.
1. Such as, what does Velvet know about the return of Luna.
2. Who is Velvet's teacher?
3. Should we be worried about them?
4. What did Velvet do?
A course of action that is open to you. You might lose the ability to learn more from Velvet directly, but I'm sure whatever Celestia and her mirror can extract will sate your curiosity.
Aclockeater said:
You want to tell Celestia that "her little champion" is secretly an occultist of some variety, who has been withholding knowledge about Luna. Oh, and there are eldritch abominations from the void that are being drawn to the light of Harmony and are at the very moment gnawing on the dreams of ponykind.
That will go great.
Gnawing on the doors to the dreams of ponykind. If they had their teeth in the actual dreams of ponykind it would already be game over.
HammurabiSpy said:
I note that there are a few very important questions we're currently missing answers for.
1. Such as, what does Velvet know about the return of Luna.
2. Who is Velvet's teacher?
3. Should we be worried about them?
4. What did Velvet do?
