Equestria! A land of peace and harmony, where any species and everypony can coexist. A place where anyone can find something in which they are truly special, be you an earth pony who tends to the land, a pegasus who tailors the weather or an unicorn who performs great feats of magic for the good of all. And all of that under the benevolent leadership of the alicorns, the princesses of the land, ponies with the gifts of all three races who can move the very sun and moon every day.
That is, as far as you know, what everyone can somewhat agree on when it comes to the nation where you were borne. That is the gist of it, the general idea, the underlying theme based on which everyone lives their lives.
But that's the thing about it, its just an idea isn't it…?
But in all honesty, is that how things really are? How things should be? After all, one does not need to go too far for part of those ideas to reveal themselves as facades.
After all, for example, Equestria is full of dangers (and someponies might even say "horrors") that immediately dispel the notion of safety everyone has grown accustomed to. Great beasts roam the untamed lands, some of which, like Ursa Majors, are the easiest to comprehend, being "simple" (even if unstoppable) monsters of rampaging destruction. But that's not mentioning others that are far more subtle… Some even downright intelligent and malevolent like the Changeling threat, and many, many more.
Likewise, as soon as any one of those things start causing trouble, ponies are almost always helpless to fend for themselves. No pegasus knight or unicorn mage can compete against most of those threats, with only the timely intervention of some sort of hero, or maybe even a Princess, being enough to turn the tides.
Ponies, one needs not think long to realize, are soft, innocent creatures, living in a hostile world and kept safe by a very specific number of individuals.
And yet, they live with honest conviction of the idea that they exist in a peaceful land of magic and harmony.
Idea.
An idea, you have learned, is something very powerful. It can creep into a pony's mind and plant roots that can sometimes reach into the very soul, roots that will shape your very being if they are planted when you are young enough.
Roots that require a great amount of effort to pull out, once you realize they are there, and just how wrong they are.
- - -
You wake up in the morning. Today is a very special day, but for some reason the first thing that comes to your mind was how this all began.
It was… years ago. The whole town was abuzz with the latest news, and it would be no exaggeration to say that literal festivities were popping all around at the drop of a horseshoe, parades forming spontaneously on the streets as ecstatic ponies brought out their instruments and joined each other in songs. Food was practically being distributed for free by merchants and bakers, and everywhere one went the repeated cheers could reach even the ears of the most inattentive creature.
"A princess! A new princess has appeared! A pegasus became an alicorn! Hail princess Cadance!"
The story spread like wildfire, and you couldn't help but to overhear bits and pieces of it, slowly forming the bigger picture as you went into a bar. You weren't about to turn down free drinking, after all, especially as you had just left your work after a long day.
Apparently, from what you heard from several ponies around you, a certain pegasus named Cadance had performed some deed. The details on what exactly were a bit confusing, something about a potion and whatnot. But the bottom line was that in the end she turned into an alicorn. Horn appearing in her head and magic coming to her like second nature.
Nopony was really sure of the details. Some insisted that princess Celestia transformed her, while others said it must have been some sort of personal merit or magic, but the most important part was there: a new Princess had presented herself to help rule Equestria. A new all-powerful, immortal alicorn had come to watch over the land alongside the Princess of the Sun.
"But isn't everypony being a bit too hasty about the whole thing? I mean, I hear this Cadence mare is quite young, maybe too young! And besides, is having another Princess really a good thing?"
You were startled out of your drinking, and your innocent eavesdropping from the background chatter, by a mare sitting by your side. It took you a few moments to realize that she was talking directly to you, and not just to herself or the ambient in general.
"What do you mean 'is it really good'?" you asked back, turning to look at the mare, and realizing by the slight blur in your vision that maybe you had a bit more to drink than you should have in such a small amount of time, "she's a Princess now. I mean, look at Princess Celestia, she has ruled Equestria for as long as history goes, and everything is fine. Why would having another Princess be a bad thing?"
The mare looked at you, taking a sip from the mug she was holding, and for some reason gave you a smile. "Well, I asked you if it was something good, you asked me how could it be something bad," she said, with an amused back-and-forward tone, "and it's true that things have been the way they are for a really long time," she took another sip, inching towards you slightly before continuing to talk, "but the point is... is Equestria itself the way it was supposed to be?"
You couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at that.
The mare sitting right next to you looked normal, a light pink (even if a bit hard-looking and curly) mane against dark red fur, drinking something that might have been just as strong as the drink you were having, sitting in a bar that occasionally erupted into cheers as someone hailed the name "Cadance" or threw bits at the bartender while saying something about serving another round for everypony.
She was a totally unassuming, normal earth pony mare, except for the slight weirdness of what she was saying.
"I mean, we live in a world that is so full of mysteries, so filled with unexplainable things… Is the way that Equestria currently looks like, the way that Princess Celestia keeps it, truly the nature of the world? Or maybe… it is just kept like that through constant effort?"
Her eyes met yours for longer, now, that same pleasant smile on her face. And when she found what she was looking for in your gaze, she began to talk, and her words resonated with whatever it was that she realized was inside you.
What did she see inside you?
[This defines the "aspect" of the cult you will join, which CANNOT be changed without great pains. The cult's philosophy, as well as what it can offer you, will be based on this. Your initial affinity will also be aligned with your cult's, since that is where your initial interest came from, but that can be changed easily as you learn more about the world and pursue the other aspects.]
[ ] She spoke about this world, Equestria, and the many other worlds that ponykind knows to exist, and the secret passages that connect them. Figuratively, when referring to other countries, and literally, speaking about far away realms that most ponies believe to be only fairy tales. (KNOCK is the principle of openings, and of finding hidden passages and portals. It entails secrets that both locksmiths and burglars share, even if they do not realize it.)
[ ] She spoke about knowledge, and about how some realizations can be so shocking that normal ponies might even shy away from trying to discover them. She wondered aloud about how could the ponies of Equestria claim to know so much, and yet not even be able to answer a question as simple as "from where does a Princess comes from?". (LANTERN is the principle of knowledge, and of its light that is both illuminating and unkind. It entails secrets that are held by oracles, even if they do not realize it, and scholars, even if they later regret it.)
[ ] She spoke about change, and its necessity. After all, it is not enough to keep a tool sharp for it to be useful, sometimes it is necessary to smelt it down and forge a new one. And about the fact that, surely, that must also hold true for greater principles. Perhaps even the world itself, no? (FORGE is the principle of transformation, fire and destruction, and of reshaping on all levels, be them physical or spiritual. It hold the secrets that both blacksmiths and rebels share deep down in their cores).
[ ] She spoke about conflict, and about how even in a place as "peaceful" as Equestria it is inevitable. The friendly competition that allows fillies to grow into adulthood, the clashing of interests that occur in daily life, and even combat itself, although Princess Celestia seems to insist on bearing the brunt of that last one on her own shoulders. But what rewards might be reaped from conflict, if it is so natural? (EDGE is the principle of violence and cunning, and of strengthening through confrontation, no matter what shape it takes. Its secrets are shared by soldiers and merchants, and any creature who sees itself as a predator.)
[ ] She spoke about life, and how it inevitably leads to death. About stories, and how they inevitably lead to endings. And how all of that was so very beautiful. But whenever you tried to recall her words, you realized she didn't speak much at all. (WINTER is the principle of endings, cold, beauty and silence. It encompasses all things that have already ended and waits patiently for all things that will end. But one knowledgeable on its ways might figure out how to work around endings, and perhaps death itself.)
[ ] She spoke about life, and its unceasing energy and continuity. About how all creatures, ponies most of all, seem to be dancing a grand dance in pace with the heartbeat of Equestria itself. Neither her words nor her smile stopped for even a moment, and during the whole conversation her hoofs kept beating against her mug. The rhythm was almost hypnotizing. (HEART is the principle of life, preservation and protection, as well as of the dance that must never cease. It is known, even if subconsciously, by any creature that knows happiness and perseverance in the face of adversity, and it is put into practice by dancers.)
[ ] She spoke about how dry and dull Equestria truly was, even if nopony was willing to admit it. About how nothing new is ever created by ponykind, only maintained, and about how the world itself seems to have forgotten about what can be learned from the satisfaction of desire. Your eyes almost didn't leave her while she spoke, to the point where you almost didn't listen to what she was saying. (GRAIL is the principle of desire, seduction and thirst. It knows about all things succulent and treats both charisma and seduction as the most pleasant of tools.)
[ ] She spoke about secrets, about how the world hides its own in the most unusual of ways, and about how those secrets change and transform while the world isn't looking. She didn't talk in circles, but she didn't talk in a straight line either, and at the end of it you were left with the irrevocable impression that something was in the wrong shape. Although you couldn't tell if it was the world, or yourself. (MOTH is the principle of unreason, secrecy and change. It understands chaos by understanding nothing at all and can only be learned by following your own whims. But inevitably, it leads you to where you truly desire to be.)
[ ] She spoke about the history of this world, and how it looks sometimes more like a knot than a straight line, and about how sometimes it even contradicts itself. It is a commonly held belief that the present can go towards many futures, but is it also possible for the present to be connected to many pasts? (SECRET HISTORIES is the principle of the world itself. It is the study and knowledge of the frailty of cause and effect, and of the secret places where more than one possibility took place.)
After that you kept in touch with Copper Secateur, the somewhat unusual mare with which you had spoken on that fateful night. At first it was just the atypical meeting, the normal chit-chat over a hay sandwich that usually marks the beginning of a friendship. But not long after, she invited you to a "party", a small get together with several other ponies, in which you had some very interesting conversations.
Then, another invitation, this time to a much more "selected" group. Only a fraction, you would later realize, of the very same ponies that Copper Secateur had invited to that party. And this time, she spoke freely and in depth about certain things that were wrong with Equestria, and the world at large. The very same things that had peaked your interest on the first time that you had met her.
One of the ponies she had invited left, then and there, and you never heard of him again. But the others, together with you, she later invited to a meeting of a "group" she was part of.
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Hello everyone, and welcome to my humble attempt at a Quest. I'm a long time lurker, but never really started a thread before, so I'd appreciate your patience and understanding as I learn how things work.
As you may have noticed, this will be based on a show that is terribly famous, but also on a certain game that is not quite as widely known.
Still, for the purpose of this quest, it takes place in an AU, loosely based on both universes. Canon will not be strictly adhered to, but will be mentioned a lot. Yet, keep in mind that all that happens will be from your character's point of view. Your beliefs of certain truths might prove to be false, or certain events might later reveal themselves as not quite... how you thought they had played out.
Still, this is the general gist. You are have been recruited into a cult, a few years ago, and this cult believes that the way Equestria currently is very unaligned with how it should be.
The problem is... that you have seen evidence for that. The world around you is crooked, and your cult works towards making it right, whether if your personal aspirations align themselves with that or not.
Posts will not yet be "separated" for editing purposes. And Character Creation proper will be right on the next post. So voting can begin without any further ado.
Considering this is a single choice with 9 options, post your votes based on preference, with the lowest number (1 first, 2 second, etc) being the one you prefer the most. Vote to as many options as you like, including none!
