Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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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!

Kaelor said:
PSA for whoever needs to hear it:

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.
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(Quote slightly edited to avoid spoilers)
 
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Greymere said:
And where are you getting :our Sacrament will give us a Winter scrap' from?
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Every visit to the Wolf/Regrettable action gives us a free Winter and edge scrap.

Greymere said:
Getting four scraps out of two actions? Considering your obsession with the Wolf, visiting them four times with two Mansus actions seemed right up your alley.
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I'm not that bad! 😭

Greymere said:
Anyway, like I said, we don't have a reason to rush for Winter 5, so it doesn't really matter than we don't have Neighnia's option right at this very moment.
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Looks at us not having anything that can stop the Master who we are just about to betray.

Looks at the enormously powerful summon behind the Winter Sacrament barrier.
 
[X] Velvet Axe
[X] Hissy Fit

Due to being Scottish, the DoA will either absolutely hate being called Hissy Fit and desire to punch us in the face, or will find it absolutely hilarious that this random foal just roasted her and decide she's a decent kid with a bit of spine.
 
Shaper47 said:
I'm not that bad! 😭
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You kind of are...

Shaper47 said:
Looks at us not having anything that can stop the Master who we are just about to betray.

Looks at the enormously powerful summon behind the Winter Sacrament barrier.
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We... don't actually know that? And it assumes that passing the Winter Barrier will just straight up give us something instead of, say, unlocking another Mansus expedition? And that we'll even have enough time to do any of that because we are currently on a very short time limit with a lot of other things on the to-do list?

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Also @Pittauro come to the Velvet Axe side! You know you want another honorary daughter! :V
 
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[X] Velvet Axe
[X] Cora

I like the idea of Silky making her feel welcome like this, Antisocial or not.
 
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Talon TigerDino said:
[X] Velvet Axe
[X] Hissy Fit

Due to being Scottish, the DoA will either absolutely hate being called Hissy Fit and desire to punch us in the face, or will find it absolutely hilarious that this random foal just roasted her and decide she's a decent kid with a bit of spine.
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Considering Bird specifically said don't make it mean, I'm going to assume the former. And it'll be said kid she wants to punch in the face, not us.
 
Also, imagine the rest of our family's reaction. Imagine Hills wanting to meet this new Velvet who he's never heard of—and getting a face full of angry scottish snake lady with a giant axe—or Steppes going right along with the charade because of fucking course he would. Or our adventurer brother, if we ever get around to contacting him. You know, the one who probably does a lot of expeditions.

Better yet, imagine the—ironically—humanizing aspect of having a Velvet running around in Canterlot, assuming we move there, who isn't all sneaky and secretive. Sure, she's a very angry Scottish mare, but that just makes the other nobles and political parties who will definitely be trying to mess with Velvet—as the only person in the world the Alicorns agree can be trusted—be less worried that she's doing sneaky stuff.
 
Ericwinter said:
Also, imagine the rest of our family's reaction. Imagine Hills wanting to meet this new Velvet who he's never heard of—and getting a face full of angry scottish snake lady with a giant axe—or Steppes going right along with the charade because of fucking course he would. Or our adventurer brother, if we ever get around to contacting him. You know, the one who probably does a lot of expeditions.
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Steppes: Whaaat? You don't remember our long lost sister, Velvet Axe? For shame! You got along so well when we were children.

Hills: What in Tartarus are you talking about.
 
Greymere said:
Steppes: Whaaat? You don't remember our long lost sister, Velvet Axe? For shame! You got along so well when we were children.

Hills: What in Tartarus are you talking about.
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He's a mob boss with apparently no small amount of power. I would one hundred percent not be surprised if Steppes went and altered records specifically to make her seem like a part of the family. Though maybe not their generation… you know, that cousin idea doesn't seem too far-flung, actually. Steppes probably had a few… indiscretions, in his youth. And Her Lores honestly fit her right into the family, too. Knock/Edge? That just screams criminal activity. If only she had some Moth, as well…
 
What I'm wondering about is what we can do once we have a bit more edge (I.e. higher then DoA's). Could we teach DoA to raise her edge lore level?
 
Shaper47 said:
What I'm wondering about is what we can do once we have a bit more edge (I.e. higher then DoA's). Could we teach DoA to raise her edge lore level?
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It's kinda hinted that she actually has more Edge, and just can't use all of it because of her chains. Also, Names are just generally a lot more knowledgeable and powerful than they appear in the Wake period, since any more than a fraction of themselves being embodied would cause some… issues. I doubt we could teach her about her Lores any more than we could teach Baldomare if we got to Seven SH or Lantern.

The sheer hubris of that is… not actually startling, from you, but still. A little wacky. :V
 
Ericwinter said:
I doubt we could teach her about her Lores any more than we could teach Baldomare if we got to Seven SH or Lantern.
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Eh, there's a pretty massive difference between lore level three and lore level 6.

Raising lower lore levels is much easier.

Edit

Also hubris is a cowards word. We can totally try to teach our new daughter new things, that's what a mother does.
 
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Also, the best part about naming DoA Velvet Axe? It means that Silky will have totally inherited Velvet's best feature. Namely, the ability to not give a single flying fuck and adopt demigods.
 
Well, the Bird once said that if the Velvet herself will change, than there is a chance that her sacrament options will change too, sooo...

I guess we now have a legit reason to go to the therapist :V


However, @BirdBodhisattva does our sacrament implies actually killing ponies, or we could, i dunno, wath plants die or something. Because that "whelp, i just killed 2 creatures resembling ponies, guess it's time to kill 3 real ones this time))0))" seems really... Unfitting for us, lets phrase it like that. Is this because we used sacrifices?
 
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GreatStarCat said:
However, @BirdBodhisattva does our sacrament implies actually killing ponies, or we could, i dunno, wath plants die or something. Because that "whelp, i just killed 2 creatures, guess it's time to kill 3 more))0))" seems really... Unfitting for us, lets phrase it like that. Is this because we used sacrifices?
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It explicitly says Somepony, somewhere, will die. And the thing you're missing is that the whole point of Sacraments—and just growing in Lores in general—is to grow more connected and understanding about that Lore, while Winter is very much the lore of death. Abandoning her friends doesn't seem very like Velvet either, but that's still our Moth Sacrament.

Basically, as a big and deliberate move, Sacraments seem likely to be one of two things. Either expanding what you're already good at, if your personal traits are in line with that Lore anyways—and Velvet already vibes really well with Knock/SH—or losing whatever traits are holding you back from Vibing so we'll with the Lore. We're decently Mothy, sure, but we're also generally loathe to let go of things, which is a major aspect of Moth. We have killed, this once, but it also took a lot to push us to this point, and we're not liable to do it again without massive incentives. Pushing past our "weaknesses" and accepting those aspects make sense as necessities for growing further in our knowledge of those lores.
 
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Ericwinter said:
It explicitly says Somepony, somewhere, will die. And the thing you're missing is that the whole point of Sacraments—and just growing in Lores in general—is to grow more connected and understanding about that Lore, while Winter is very much the lore of death. Abandoning her friends doesn't seem very like Velvet either, but that's still our Moth Sacrament.

Basically, as a big and deliberate move, Sacraments seem likely to be one of two things. Either expanding what you're already good at, if your personal traits are in line with that Lore anyways—and Velvet already vibes really well with Knock/SH—or losing whatever traits are holding you back from Vibing so we'll with the Lore. We're decently Mothy, sure, but we're also generally loathe to let go of things, which is a major aspect of Moth. We have killed, this once, but it also took a lot to push us to this point, and we're not liable to do it again without massive incentives. Pushing past our "weaknesses" and accepting those aspects make sense as necessities for growing further in our knowledge of those lores.
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I will note that in the personal Winter Sacrament's case, it is quite rooted in fear. "You'll never stop being afraid of it," and all that. Hopefully that means that removing our Fearful malus might help change that sacrament to something less onerous.
 
Imagine being the Daughter of Axes and this upset mortal tugs at your ear and starts on about respect and life and how she'll "Summon you again if you leave to your desert to sulk".

Ugh, parents :rolleyes2:
 
So, completely random off topic thought, but I have to say I really hope that we can Confidante Shining Armor eventually, especially if we get any credit for Twilight's rescue or something. Mainly because I highly suspect that his Lores are probably Heart/Edge, and those are, hilariously, the perfect combination for a mystical therapist. Which, aside from being useful for us, is actually a really nice thought for the Royal Guard Captain, as well as the love interest of the Alicorn of Love.
 
Ericwinter said:
So, completely random off topic thought, but I have to say I really hope that we can Confidante Shining Armor eventually, especially if we get any credit for Twilight's rescue or something. Mainly because I highly suspect that his Lores are probably Heart/Edge, and those are, hilariously, the perfect combination for a mystical therapist. Which, aside from being useful for us, is actually a really nice thought for the Royal Guard Captain, as well as the love interest of the Alicorn of Love.
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Didn't Bird say before that Shining Armor wouldn't be treated as a normal contact (i.e. able to be Confidant-ed) because he would always ultimately 'belong' to Cadence?
 
Greymere said:
Didn't Bird say before that Shining Armor wouldn't be treated as a normal contact (i.e. able to be Confidant-ed) because he would always ultimately 'belong' to Cadence?
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Maybe? That sounds very vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure.

On the other hand, he also seems to be in the dog house recently, IIRC. Something about failing to really be there for Cadence in this whole mess. It probably won't be too bad unless we purposefully mess with that, but we also never expected half the shit that's happened so far. And if we managed to get Cadence as well, we'll probably still be close enough.
 
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