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.
Oh dear. We're going to need to deal with this, aren't we? Spoiled Milk--yes, I will insist on calling her that--seems like the exact kind of person we don't want getting her hands on our daughter, and perhaps even one of those preferable sacrifices I was mentioning earlier. It's almost a shame we're already happily married or I might consider trying to poach her poor husband for ourselves. Not just because he's rich--though that would certainly be a bonus--but honestly because as i recall Filthy Rich was actually a pretty nice and cool dude if you ignored his EQG version. Ah well, i suppose I can settle for simply freeing him the clutches of a clearly gold-digging and horrible mare.
Luckily we've done a good amount of work to prevent our daughter from becoming a bully, we'll probably only need to help her in her efforts to bridge the gap between the two groups she's friends with.
And as for Spoiled Milk, I would like to set up something where she drives herself out of the picture rather than getting directly involved. Luckily, her disdain for Ponyville may be a boon in that regard. Setting her up as the strict and controlling mother who refuses to let her daughters have fun exploring the town and interacting with all the ponies within it, making her an incredibly easy figure to rebel against perhaps?
I'm not sure how exactly we'd go about it, and obviously we'll be dealing with our cult efforts as well, but I think a gentler hand might work much better for this particular annoyance. (We also don't have the magical know-how to forcibly send her into the woods whenever she sleeps, which would make it much easier to get rid of her. Just drive her mad)
Yeah. Maybe intimidate her socially to back off? Throw our family name around a bit, while acting passive agressive. Also, does anyone know what out cutey mark is?
Well the thing is, I don't actually mind her immediate goal, that of getting our kids to be friends. And if we're going to start throwing around influence like that, I would prefer we build up some that actually belongs to us, or at least be more clever about it. For example, the biggest point of conflict I can see is that Silky also appears to be friends with the Crusaders, and trying admirably to at least build peace between them and Diamond Tiara plus Silver Spoon, if not outright make them all friends. Normally that would be a problem... if the Crusaders weren't each tied to a motherfucking Element through sisterly bonds, whether they be adopted or blood. That's not even considering that said Elements are Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Dash, of course, isn't particularly important here--though as a future Wonderbolt and the fastest Mare alive she's got some worth beyond just being an Element--but Rarity and Applejack? Rarity is an inevitable talent in Fashion, an extremely profitable industry, and Applejack is essentially in charge of the Apple family and their business, ironically a connection we should poke at anyways since we're both in the farming business. Depending on how we played it we could easily mediate profitable deals between ourselves, Filthy Rich, and either or both of them to play noble patron, financial sponsor, and benefactor. Or something. We could also tap Twilight--something the others wouldn't think of but I have zero qualms doing--to poke at Canterlot in certain ways as Celestia's personal student, probably the greatest non-Alicorn mage alive, and so on. Milk might try to mess with that regardless, but I'm sure we can push Filthy Rich into working with us regardless.
Eventually we'll want to remove her entirely, but that can wait for a bit.
Hmm. Now, I know nothing about Spoiled Milk (and goddamn, you just know fate hates your ass when you get a name like that) but she may very well be a good patsy for deflecting suspicion onto in the future if our cultish activities get too out of hand. Whether that outweighs actually keeping her around versus meddling to make sure she doesn't infect our daughter with her bullshit attitude ... I suppose we'll see as time goes on.
Hmm. Now, I know nothing about Spoiled Milk (and goddamn, you just know fate hates your ass when you get a name like that) but she may very well be a good patsy for deflecting suspicion onto in the future if our cultish activities get too out of hand. Whether that outweighs actually keeping her around versus meddling to make sure she doesn't infect our daughter with her bullshit attitude ... I suppose we'll see as time goes on.
She would be the perfect Pawn, really. Totally willing to go along with our Cult bullshit if it gets her closer to the spheres of power--as is shown to obviously be her desire--but not important or interesting enough to actually depend on as a Disciple or refrain from getting rid of if necessary. Hell, we could even use her as a lever to control Filthy Rich if we manage to get her on side, but that would take a little more effort.
...For some reason I feel sorry now. I wasn't too forceful just now, was I? I can do that sometimes, and I don't want to end up dominating this quest with my personality.
Can she actually keep tabs on the lives of every single filly in her class, and steer them into the proper path as an educator? That remains to be seen.
And for that matter, you have absolutely no doubts that every single question you made about her, and the scrutiny you are giving to this, is completely reasonable and called for. This is your daughter's teacher you are looking into after all!
You don't see any such blur, however, you barely see any pegasus fillies at all. In fact, the only pegasus you did pass by was a rather desponded-looking orange filly, who was talking to an equally sad-looking yellow filly. They probably had a bad day in school, you think as you walk by them.
Actually, they look really sad. By the heavens, you do not miss your filly days. That time can be extremely complicated…
You are suddenly interrupted by a growling noise that surprises the two of you. And your face immediately turns red when you realize the sound came from your own stomach.
"Taunted? Problems with a friend? I honestly don't know what you might be talking about, Miss Velvet. I recall that Silky Stream started out a bit shy, but that was just on her first few days in class. Nowadays she shows excellent social skills for a filly her age. And well, just between you and me," she takes a quick look around, as if checking if she might be overheard, and continues with a lower tone of voice "there are two fillies in her class who are rather… problematic. A few cases of light bullying on the fillies who don't yet have cutie marks, some unfortunately normal things for their age. But those two seem to have become a lot more tame after Silky made friends with them."
[By taking the time to talk with Soft Sweeps, you have learned your daughter has been making some strange escapades after school]
[By taking the time to talk with Cheerilee, you have learned that your daughter is, in fact, not evil]
[And by having decided to take immediate action, you will be able to quickly address the heart of the matter. The following is the culmination of your decisions.]
So that's why you thought you remembered the place.
-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.-
Filthy Rich starts talking about his daughter, and regular school-related things. The usual things-we-have-in-common talk to form a bridge between you and him. And soon enough, he starts slowly turning the conversation towards the matters of sales and business in general. You make sure to give him an interested look as you sip from your tea, quite agreeing with the taste of it, and entertain him with a bit of your time.
It's the least you can do, after all he has been so graciously receiving your daughter in his house for some time now.
who knows, we might even actually work with him at some point. Does he already have someone he sells the zap apple jam in Canterlot, for example? We'll see.
Few things better to tie two businessponies together that having their daughters be friend in this case.
They seemed to be well behaved fillies, all right. It wasn't hard to recognize Diamond Tiara as the pink filly, especially since she has a cutie mark that is practically the same as her name, and you quickly recognized Silver Spoon as the grey one. But you didn't expect to find Sweetie Belle there with them, although that was a pleasant surprise since she is your friend's little sister.
And she recognized you, from the one time you met, so she didn't have any problems with coming with you. You took her home, her parent's home that is, as it seems she doesn't live with Rarity, and went on your way with your own daughter.
"In fact, considering how much she cares for you," you continue, a mischievous smile forming in your face, "I'd say she is practically like an older sister to you."
"She is?"
"I am?!"
The two ponies look up in surprise at that.
"Yes, and I am very disappointed that you would treat your older sister like that," you continue with confidence, "she is supposed to be your role-model for heaven's sake."
"Well then, make sure to ask Soft Sweeps if you want to go to a friend's house in the future. And don't be shy about asking her advice either," the maid throws you a pleading, almost betrayed look at that, "I'm sure she'll know exactly what to do."
Although I don't think metadata is an interesting subject, I just feel it's important to say that the world is happening around Velvet Covers, and that things are more prone to have good outcomes when you focus your actions, turns and efforts on it.
Specifically on this case, had you waited two or three months without addressing the issue, you would have been called to school by a note from Cheerilee, due to the fact that your daughter had been "causing problems" with other fillies. But thanks to your interest on it, using two actions of a turn no less, you railed your daughter away from becoming a bully herself due to bad influence, and into situation where she is trying to mediate a friendship between the bullies and the CMC.
Emphasis on "trying".
We are still, all of us, slaves to the dice and the Wolf. But please, do not disregard the importance of the weight that your decisions carry.
That was cute, and I'm glad to see that we nipped a potential issue with our daughter's behavior in the bud.
I have a feeling that nice little things like this will be harder to come by as our time with the cult goes on. We're no Grail or Edge cult, but we will find ourselves staining our hands eventually.
That just means we should enjoy these moments while we can.
Or we'll end up leaving/betraying the cult. That IS an option if we find ourselves being asked to cross the moral event horizon.
I'm fine with what we've been doing for now, But I can't help but imagine directing a cult/secret service group for Celestia, or maybe becoming Princess Twilight's researcher on cult magic...
I'm half tempted of stopping this friendship just to spite her.
HERE is a pony I wouldn't mind to use as test subject for some of our rituals. Maybe we can change her attitude with a Grace or Winter ritual? Alternatively we could try and help/train Filthy Rich to stand up to his wife.
eh, we'll see. I think we'll need to meet her to make certain she doesn't interfere with Tiara and the Crusaders though. We could intimidate her, or we could go with diplomacy and make her notice that the crusaders are the little sisters of NATIONAL HEROES!
maybe there are a few better than her, but she just lack experience. Give her a few more years and nobody (other than maybe Starlight Glimmer and Starswirl) will be able to keep up with her.
And that's if we don't end up introducing her to cult magic...
Completely agree with everything else you said by the way.
The only problem is that she's still the mother of DIamond Tiara, our daughter's friend. We need to be carefull not to get too far or she might take it out on her, and Diamond is still a small filly. Her mother is awful, but she's still her mother.
You would know more if you were the Intrigue advisor, in charge of conversions, or you may learn more if you hang our with Copper Secateur. But for now you are the cult's resident dream-wandering bookworm.
To be fair, dream-wandering and reading books is pretty much the best way to get anywhere in Cultist Simulator. Well that and going on adventures to find said books, but we've got a few other ways to do that here.
The only problem is that she's still the mother of DIamond Tiara, our daughter's friend. We need to be carefull not to get too far or she might take it out on her, and Diamond is still a small filly. Her mother is awful, but she's still her mother.
Well of course we'll be careful! What kind of Moth cultist do you take me for?
More seriously though, this is part of why I prefer diplomacy over intimidation. If we can make Spoiled Milk believe everything is to her benefit, there shouldn't be any problems. Of course, if she does try to abuse our daughter's friends, any of them, well... Cultist's gotta do what they gotta do.
Yeah. Maybe intimidate her socially to back off? Throw our family name around a bit, while acting passive agressive. Also, does anyone know what out cutey mark is?
Aye. Taken word for word from our dear resident penguin (I assume its fine to call you a penguin?).
And aye, nowhere else has it been said they are not moths, but as you well typed butterflies sounds better than "winged insects" by ponies who quickly glance over it.
But it is indeed quite moth-y to be hidden in plain sight.
I can guarantee that your character is absolutely sure all her worries are perfectly warranted, and that she surely is not a mama bear or anything like that.
I can guarantee that your character is absolutely sure all her worries are perfectly warranted, and that she surely is not a mama bear or anything like that.
...interesting that our cutie mark implies we have a talent for cultist magic. It implies that normal magic (namely, the cutie mark's) CAN interact with the magic of the Lores at times.
There's potential there, though it would take a supremely learned and talented unicorn to discover it.
Namely US and/or Twilight
well, either that or access to the secret knowledge the princesses are BOUND to have.
I can guarantee that your character is absolutely sure all her worries are perfectly warranted, and that she surely is not a mama bear or anything like that.
[X] Make Sure Your Daughter Isn't Evil -[X] Purchase Last Turn:
--[X] BOOK – HEART Level 1, buy for 7 bits
-[X] Before this month starts, you will perform a ritual to draw the attention of LANTERN
-[X] On what must be done (searching for instructions to the Ritual that allows for two aspects of Lore)
--[X] You have reached the Blank Door, but have not crossed it out of caution. However, you could see the patterns you seek written in the wet grass and on the glowing bushes, and you might yet learn them if you but inspect them more closely. Reach for the Blank Door again. (CD 70, WINTER. Will trigger another "cross" or "do not" subvote if test is failed.)
---[X] LANTERN should be applied to increase our chances of understanding this object. -[X] There is too much you do not yet know. You must further your knowledge.
--[X] The matters of GRAIL intrigue you, petition your cult's Master for a lesson (currently willing to teach all Lores up to level 3, gives a scrap of Lore WITHOUT triggering a test)
-[X] Your personal life, or at least the non cult-y part
--[X] Of course you love your family very much, but you could always spend a bit more time with them.
---[X] Raising a daughter is hard, even one as perfect as yours, and you think you might have heard a thing or two recently. You should consult Cheerilee to see how she has really been doing.
---[X] Raising a daughter is hard, especially when she is a cute little noble filly, and you think you have seen Soft Sweeps act strangely as of late. Try and find out what this might be about.
-[X] On furthering the cause
--[X] Although you are personally judicious about such habits, you are still a noble. Searching for "peculiar items" to "add to your collection" is certainly not out of place… right? Not suspicious. Suspicion might arise if you later decide to buy the item, depending on its individual suspicion level.
---[X] Ask your servants to do this.
- - -
You stand up from where you were sitting, the sensation of Mansus-stone against your coat not exactly cold, but not warm and inviting either. A sliver of Wake logic comes to your mind, wondering how that sensation could be if the Glory is like a sun, and it shines down on all of the Mansus. But you quickly wave that thought aside, for this is not the Wake, and the light of the Glory is not like the sun. It illuminates, it reveals, and it cuts, but it brings no warmth.
You stare at the Blank Door, that sorrowful arch before you, and slowly walk towards it. You have been sitting there for a while, but now is time to take action.
"Sorrowful?", you ask yourself, "why did I think that this Door is…". You eye the Blank Door curiously. Could it be that it, or perhaps the Mansus itself, is whispering things to you, much like how it made you know that this entrance, this threshold, is the Blank Door? Does this entire floor, perhaps, has some sort of influence, perhaps akin to how the Woods causes your thoughts to turn and twist and dance?
Whatever it is, you are determined to learn the truth.
You approach the Blank Door, coming so close that, much like the last time, the tip of your snout nearly touches the shadow of its arch. You close your eyes, and try to just… feel.
There is something about this entrance that just seems to be… so intensely familiar, so old and buried deep inside of you, like a secret whispered in your ear when you were a filly, forgotten after so many years have passed. Like the smell of your favorite place, that doesn't even exist anymore.
You realize that you should be feeling frustration about this, about the fact that you are so close to remembering something, and yet you are failing to truly reach it, but you feel nothing.
You only feel some sort of serenity that…
You open your eyes with a start and look down, tension filling your whole body and clearing your thoughts with a jolt as you realize one of your hoofs is raised, as if you were about to step through the Door. You slowly put it back down, and retreat a little for good measure.
What was this just now? Was the Door calling you in? Was this some sort of compulsion, or some kind of trap?
Or is this perfectly natural, and you are simply fearing something that you do not understand?
You take a deep breath once more, switching your focus. Perhaps you shouldn't give too much attention to the open passage itself. With this in mind, you move to the arch that makes the Blank Door, the ancient Mansus-stone construction that seems to have stood here since time immemorial.
"Everypony who ever entered the Mansus has passed underneath you, right? Well then, what sorts of things have you witnessed through all these years?"
You close your eyes, summoning up the jolt of inspiration you have been saving in a corner of your soul for this exact moment. You do not dare to whisper the words, not here inside the Mansus, not while under the light of the Glory, but you still reach deep within you to bring forth the Lantern you saw in the candles and mirrors and whispers of the ritual you made not long ago.
And when you open your eyes once again, you place a hoof on the cold arch of the Blank Door, bearing with you a wordless question.
But to your absolute surprise, you are given a wordless answer.
"Ah…" you whisper softly.
And a tear slowly falls from your eye, uninvited, falling down through your cheek and then to the ground.
"This is..."
You were dead.
It finally happened. After all the struggles you have been through, after all the pain and tears, and after all the laughter and happiness, you were finally dead.
It was confusing, at first. You almost didn't understand what had happened. You remembered the flashes of something that happened far away, or perhaps long ago. Blurs of pegasus appearing from the snow-topped trees, marks of Edge and Forge in their flanks and murder in their eyes. You vaguely remember an earth pony running through the snow, knowing that fear and cold would claim him before his pursuers ever could. You think that the earth pony might have been you.
And then there were the crossroads. You did not know how you got there, and the dark mountains beyond the horizon frightened you with their distance, but the straight path right before you seemed inviting enough, so you followed it. And then there was the dark forest, in which you followed a siren call whose voice you couldn't rightly recognize, but that seemed somehow soothing.
But that all seemed so… distant now. You couldn't even remember ascending the great staircase that was behind you, as if the first memory of your whole life was of seeing this door before you.
As if that was also supposed to be your very last memory.
It was only then, before that arched door, that you realized you were dead.
Stories came to your mind. Whispered lessons taught by unicorn elders in their dark libraries, cheerful songs performed by pegasus around their sky-borne fire-clouds, memories that were odd because you were an earth pony so you should never have heard them. But still the stories came to you all the same.
About a House where the Sun resides, a Sun which is magnificent and bright, unlike the one that is seen while you were awake. About an edifice that most ponies will only ever visit once in their entire lives, during one of their dreams, and where ponies who seek true power fight to rise ever higher and learn about the secret ways of pain and metal and music. About the place from where everything came, once, and that is always right next to us, like a mother is to her foals or like a shadow is to a hunter.
About the very last door a pony will ever cross. The Blank Door.
About the Door you were about to cross.
Was this the end? Would you miss the loved ones you left behind, although you could not remember their faces? Would you simply cease to be?
Would it hurt?
You realized, although you did not know how, that the answer to all those questions was "No". You might have died, but what about it? You were just returning home. Like how every story must end in order to have meaning, you were just about to write a final period on the long story of your life, so it could be lovingly rolled up in a scroll and preserved for eternity, next to every other story that was ever written.
You were just about to walk out of the stage, and allow others to play their roles, knowing that you participated in the grand dance of life, and that you now deserved to rest.
This would be your conclusion. And as soon as you walked through that threshold the mark on your flank would turn blank again, and your horn would be gone if you had one, and your wings would be sheared away if you had them, and your connection to the land would dull and end if ever you had such a connection, and you would be like how all ponies once were before they stepped out of the Mansus in the very beginning.
And it would all be so very beautiful.
A tear, the very last tear you would ever shed, fell down from your eyes and through your smile, as you took your step through the Blank Door, and into the Blank Plains, and into your conclusion.
[You have divined the secrets of the Blank Door, it will no longer cause you a WOUND, as a price for your ignorance, upon passage]
"This is… the afterlife… This is the place where all ponies went after they…", you say without realizing, much like how your hoof step forward without conscious thought.
You step through the Blank Door. Fearlessly now, wordlessly, bearing with you the same knowledge that every pony who came before you possessed, carrying with you the realization that is given freely to the dead.
There is no way to truly describe how you should do it, you simply know. It is a silent knowledge, a wordless knowledge. A Winter knowledge.
You step through the Blank Door, and leave your cutie mark behind, together with your horn and the fire that burns within you, and you realize that the Blank Door in turn takes away from you the fears and hopes and confusion that you carry, like a servant might undress you of a heavy coat as soon as you return home.
Like that. Exactly like how you should feel when you return home.
The Blank Plains stretch before you eyes, and they are beautiful.
[Blank Door successful crossing action – Wandering the Blank Plains]
It seems to stretch on forever, a great plain, grass fresh from some recent rain blowing in a soft breeze, dotted with hills and bushes.
There is light here, and you know you would be feeling peace if you could feel anything. In fact, you almost feel like you should worry, as your body doesn't seem to be responding like it normally would. For a moment you even feel like you are a passenger behind your own eyes. But you know what you must do, and you whisper softly inside your head, asking for your hoofs to move and for your body to explore, and soon you are wandering through the plains.
There are no worries here, there is no panic to be felt inside your head, and there is no emptiness either. There are only the Blank Plains, and the endless directions to which you can wonder forever.
You pass through the lights that once were distant, and see that they are glowing bushes with glowing leaves. You notice that they are placed in auspicious formations, and you commit those formations to memory. Two concentric circles, joined together by signs and sigils, which in hindsight are as obvious as the sun and the moon, as the motion of night and day, as simple as drawing a small circle, and then a larger one around it.
So easy, so clear, so peaceful.
You know you have what you came for, but you feel no need to return either. Your cutie mark might be waiting for you, behind the Blank Door, together with your magic. But you know that, waiting there with them, are also your fears and pains and reasons to be happy. So why rush to return all that?
You have hugged your daughter enough times, haven't you? You have been happy and sad enough times, haven't you? And who knows, one day you might even meet your daughter again here, if she also learns the secret paths into the Mansus. So why bother returning at all? Eternity exists in here, so there is no harm in staying for however long you wish. There will be no harm at all, of any kind, ever again, if you never leave the Blank Plains.
You look towards the plains, that seem to go on forever, and spot a particular light coming from a particular hill. You realize that it is not the Winter light that surrounds you, or the glowing of the trees and leaves. Instead, it is the light of Lantern, so, out of curiosity, you head there.
The journey is not long, for that kind of thing is of no concern here, and neither it is arduous, for you cannot feel your body, and that is good. You merely keep whispering the curious whispers about that place, which you soon realize is a wooden lodge, and the hoofs of your body keep walking.
Until you are right in front of the wooden doors, colored like calm and peace thanks to the Winter light that bathes it.
"Oh my, a visitor? Just a moment dear!" you hear a voice from within the lodge. A voice! Can you believe it? There aren't supposed to be voices beyond the Blank Door, so why are you talking, silly?
The doors soon open, and a mare who looks to be your age, wearing glasses and with her mane tied into a bun behind her head, appears before you.
"By the Glory, a dead? No, wait, you are alive?!" she says, a smile forming in her face, and her hoofs soon ushering you in, "come on in dear, come in! It has been ages since I've had a visitor. I didn't even know ponies could reach here anymore!"
Her hoofs feel funny against you, where they touch your body. They feel like warmth and life, but most of all they feel like light and secrets. This mare seems to be quite somepony if even her touch feels like that, especially since you aren't supposed to be able to feel anything at all.
"Sit down, will you dear? I know you can't drink in the state you are, but allow me to get us some wine," she guides you towards a sofa, which would feel comfortable if you could feel, that sits before a fire.
You look around as the mare quickly excuses herself, taking the scenery in. You see various trinkets, some filled with memories and others filled with power, laid around over the fireplace and other cabinets. And your eyes finally wander towards the corner of the room, where another pony, with a smile and empty gaze and a blank flank much like yours, is sitting on a cushioned armchair.
"And here we are, what shall we toast for?" the mare finally returns, carrying a bottle of wine and two cups, "well, if you don't mind I'll toast for my first conversation in a long while. Shall we?"
She quickly sits next to you, serves the two cups, and clinks hers with the one she laid in the table before you.
"My dear, you have no idea how… Actually, where are my manners? I am Baldomare, and that there in the corner is Illopony, my dear beloved," she says, pointing to the blank pony, "and I take it this is your first time through the Blank Door, right?"
She drinks from her cup, looking at you curiously.
"Well, I know how you feel, or rather how you don't feel. My oh my, are you going to feel confused when you wake up. Oh, but just a piece of advice, try not to go insane when you wake up, alright? The Blank Plains have this effect on everypony" she gives you a light tap on your head, "don't worry, you're not an unfeeling monster or anything. It's just… how the dead feel, and you're alive right now, as you will be once you wake up, so don't think you simply up and forgot about everypony you love or anything."
She takes another sip from her wine.
"A lot of good ponies went mad, thinking like that. Other simply gave up from scaling the Mansus…" she seems thoughtful as she speaks.
"But that's neither here nor there. No, it is you who are here! And you seem to be new to all of this, so why don't I tell you a little something to get our conversation started?"
She then leans close to you and whispers a secret of about the nature of mirrors that tickles against your ear. You find that funny because, again, you know that you are not supposed to be able to feel anything, and yet you do.
"It's a shame you can't really answer me. I'd love to know about how the world is going ever since this whole mess started. But here, let me tell you a story about how…"
Baldomare speaks happily to you for a good period of time, and everything she tells you seems so very interesting. But then she says something about time and sunsets and the need to leave, so she quickly takes you by the hoof and escorts you back to the Blank Door.
She is gone before you finish crossing back through the threshold, and your mind is still numb with peace and cold for some time, even after you regain your cutie mark and your voice.
So you quickly make your way back into the Wake.
- - -
You wake up in your bed, alone. It is still night, and your blankets feel heavy over your body.
And you feel cold.
You feel cold.
Not the sort of cold that you might feel from being in the rain, but a particular kind of cold that seems to come from deep inside you. A chilling in your soul.
You feel a tear coming down through your cheek. You remember everything perfectly, and this is not the tear of realization from when you realized what the Blank Door is, nor the tear of peace you felt while witnessing a dream that was not yours.
No, you know that this single tear is coming down through your face because you are afraid.
You curl up in your bed, hugging yourself, and you realize you are shivering. What in the heavens just happened?! Did you die? Are you really alive right now? Did you perhaps leave something behind that you will never get back?
You mull over the feelings you had inside the Mansus, and you can't be sure if it was a mercy or a cruelty that you couldn't feel anything while in the Blank Plains. You couldn't feel pain or cold, but you could also not feel love, even for your own daughter.
Did you really, truly think, even if for just a moment, that it would have been fine for you to never see her again? Or your husband, or anypony else? For you to stay there forever?
For you to simply stay dead?
You recall the words of Baldomare, that pony who, despite the fact that she is living inside the Mansus didn't flare any curiosity in you when you met her, thanks to your unfeeling state. You recall how she said that this is natural, that this is how a pony feels after crossing the Blank Door.
That you shouldn't think you are a monster.
But that, you realize, is easier said than done, and you can't find any peace whenever you recall the thoughts and feelings, or lack of feelings, that you experienced within the Blank Plains.
The Mansus, you realize once more, is a frightening place, and you wonder what other sorts of things await if you decide to scale it even further.
You shake your head, hugging your pillow tight. This is not the time for you to think about such things, and this pillow isn't nearly enough to comfort you.
With shaking hoofs, you throw your pillow aside, and float your blanket away from you. And before you rationally realize what you are doing, you are already out of your room, your horn opening your daughter's door with a faint glow of magic.
The more you think about it, the more you manage to calm down about the experience you have just been through, and you are sure that you will commit it all to paper in order to study it better later. But right now you still feel cold and empty, and maybe just a tiny bit dead, and you are sure that you do not want to spend the rest of the night like this.
With another glow from your horn you slowly, gently, sequester the bundle of blankets that you know to be your daughter, and you silently float her back to your room.
You need company, her company, and although your daughter is smaller than your pillow, you also know that she has all the warmth in the world that you will ever need.
You have witnessed something, perhaps a memory from a long dead pony, perhaps a memory from the Mansus itself. But whatever it was, it was once a precious truth. Gained one scrap of SECRET HISTORIES lore.
You have braved the Blank Door, beyond which the lesser laws of the Mansus sprout in trees and grass, put into the proper configuration by the very winds. You have learned the secrets to enact a Ritual that allows for two aspects of Lore.
You have wandered through the White Plains, and have found the Lodge of the Sage Pony, committing the path that will take you there to memory. You may now visit the Lodge of the Sage Pony anytime.
Although she claims to not be the Sage Pony, Baldomare seems to know a great many deal of things. You have met Baldomare, and her beloved Illopony.
Baldomare has whispered a secret to you like a friend might whisper a gossip or like a pony might engage in small talk, but to you who knows so little that secret is precious. Gained one scrap of LANTERN lore.
LANTERN lore is now level two!
Servant search for artifact roll will follow shortly. As well as... what comes next.
Just found a potiental picture for our character, funily enough its from Fighting Herds, middle two pictures even look like she has something wrong with a back leg
Winter continues to be terrifying, definitely not something I'd want to introduce our friends to. While all the different Lores become uncomfortable? as you lose yourself further in them, Winter, Grail, and Edge always seemed to get there quicker than the rest.
I see this Long decided to take her dearly departed beloved with her upon her ascension, I hope we eventually find a way to speak with her. I'm sure we'd both learn a lot from that conversation.
With another glow from your horn you slowly, gently, sequester the bundle of blankets that you know to be your daughter, and you silently float her back to your room.
You need company, her company, and although your daughter is smaller than your pillow, you also know that she has all the warmth in the world that you will ever need.
Now I really want to see the scene of us waking up. What is Silky's reaction going to be? Is she empathetic enough to recognize how her mother needed comfort? Daring enough to probe for what is going on? Embarrassed enough to be offended instead? And what about Velvet; how will she react to whatever happens?
I really hope we see a paragraph or two covering this in the next update. It feels like it could be a significant character building moment.
You are Silky Stream, and you are about to wake up.
You fumble slightly in your half-sleep, under your blanket, and you realize that you are hugging something very large and warm. Like some sort of big teddy bear or a pillow that...
Oh, wait!
You open your eyes slightly, still feeling a bit sleepy, but you recognize that feeling, that special warmth mixed with a small bit of nice perfume. You're hugging your mom!
Or rather, almost being tackled by her. You are currently right between her forelegs, being pressed against her chest. Which is fine, after all you love your mom very much. You hug her back and press your head against her fur for a bit longer, slowly waking up more and more as the light of the sun grows stronger from beyond the curtains of her window.
Until a few dots start connecting in your head. You don't exactly remember coming to her bed during the night. In fact, you haven't done that in years, you've grown up enough that you aren't scared of the dark anymore, and you haven't had a nightmare for quite a while now. So this is strange... what exactly are you doing here?
You wriggle away from your mom, slowly, sneaking away from her hug inch by inch, freezing for a few seconds whenever you feel her move slightly. Until you can get a better look at her face.
Oh no... you can see it, even with the weak light of the blocked out sun. Your mom is sad.
You feel a small knot inside your chest. This is bad.
You know your mom gets sad sometimes. In fact, you know she used to be sad a lot more, when you were younger and when she thought you weren't looking. She would never be sad around you, and you that is because you make her happy, as she tells you all the time. But your daddy told you once about this, about how she can feel down sometimes, and the two of you made a few secret promises so you could help your mom feel happier.
Like the promise you made to never talk about grandpa near her, and the promise you made to always behave and be a good filly, and the promise you made to never fly or run away too fast because you know that she can't run that well, even if she says it's no big deal. You made a lot of promises to your dad, and they all work! Your dad knows your mom really well, of course, and ever since the two of you started working together, you don't see your mom as sad as she used to be, when you were younger. You also know about other things that work, like when you and your dad surprise her with something, or when she comes back from book club or from an afternoon with her friends, or when she reads a good book. All sorts of things.
But right now, your mom is sad and you don't know what to do. And that makes you very worried.
"Mooom..." you press your hoofs against her chest, shaking her slightly and trying to whisper her awake, "mommy... Mooom!"
"Mmm? Wha... Oh, good morning Silky..." until she finally wakes up, blinking in confusion for a few seconds until she realizes where she is, and hugging you back just a bit more, "yes dear, what is it?"
You can see a smile in her face, but it's a tired smile, the kind of smile you usually see when she kisses you good night before going back to work in her office. Your mom didn't rest at all!
"Mom..." you start speaking, hesitantly, unsure exactly of what to say, "is everything alright?"
You can see her looking at you, the small smile in her face turning into something else that... you don't know what is. But she hugs you, burying your face in her fur this time. And although this is good, because you love your mom, you really can't help but feel a bit worried that you can't see her expression as she answers you.
"Everything is fine, sweetie. Why wouldn't it be?"
But, with your head buried in her chest, you can feel a slight tremor in her voice.
"Mommy, are you... sad?", you ask, feeling the strength of her hug waver for a second.
With that same tremor in her voice, only this time just a little heavier.
"Mommy," you insist, feeling the knot on your chest get a little larger, "what's wrong? What happened...?"
"Nothing happened sweetie, I just..." you hear something strange in her voice, something that you don't know what is and that makes you feel very bad. But you know you are worrying about her even more than you are feeling bad right now.
But why isn't she telling you what's wrong? Maybe the cause of the problem she is having is... you? Maybe you don't make her happy anymore? That thought terrifies you, so you hug her back, stronger now, and try asking one last time.
"Mom... you know I love you, right?"
You hear her breath in heavily, sharply, and she hugs you tightly. You almost think you felt her sniff a little bit.
"I know sweetie, it's just that... Mommy had a very bad dream, where she was in a far away place and she wouldn't ever be able to see you or daddy again and..." you hear her voice break a bit, and her chest is shaking even when she's not speaking now, "and mommy felt very scared and..."
You wriggle away from her hug, gently, making your way up between her arms and towards her neck, until you are level with her eyes.
And you can see that your mom is very tired, and very sad.
So you hug her neck, as strong as you can. Strong enough for her to know just how much you love her, strong enough for you to squeeze the sadness away from her, if you can. And she hugs you back, although you can feel her breathing heavily, and you think something wet might have rubbed against your mane. She simply hugs you back, you hope, because she knows just how much you love her.
"Me and daddy aren't going anywhere mom. I promise," you whisper in her ear, and you can feel her nod as she puts a hoof on the back of your head.
The two of you stay like that for a very long time, and you don't go to school that day.
@PrimalShadowyou are a very cruel person for making me do this.
Yes, this was a failure of explanation from my part. I believe chocolate12 helped to make it clearer.
The "Knowledge" buff (the +10 per level for rituals and hurdles) is not doubled, neither in the Wake nor in the Mansus. However, the "Application" buff (the bonus you get, that scales and can be seen in your character sheet) is doubled regardless of where you are. I probably wrote it at first because I didn't have the in-Mansus use of Application Bonus in mind, but they are very real as you can see.
Well this is interesting. Lantern Lore, so that's nice. We got to meet Teresa—who seems rather lonely, actually, we should fix that—which is even better. I'm just curious why we didn't get any Winter Lore? Also, @BirdBodhisattva question. Do our Lore levels align with influence ratings, or the actual Lore pieces from the game? It's a little hard to tell.
About a House where the Sun resides, a Sun which is magnificent and bright, unlike the one that is seen while you were awake. About an edifice that most ponies will only ever visit once in their entire lives, during one of their dreams, and where ponies who seek true power fight to rise ever higher and learn about the secret ways of pain and metal and music. About the place from where everything came, once, and that is always right next to us, like a mother is to her fillies or like a shadow is to a hunter.
About the very last door a pony will ever cross. The Blank Door.
This would be your conclusion. And as soon as you walked through that threshold the mark on your flank would turn blank again, and your horn would be gone if you had one, and your wings would be sheared away if you had them, and your connection to the land would dull and end if ever you had such a connection, and you would be like how all ponies once were before they stepped out of the Mansus in the very beginning.
And it would all be so very beautiful.
A tear, the very last tear you would ever shed, fell down from your eyes and through your smile, as you took your step through the Blank Door, and into the Blank Plains, and into your conclusion.
You step through the Blank Door, and leave your cutie mark behind, together with your horn and the fire that burns within you, and you realize that the Blank Door in turn takes away from you the fears and hopes and confusion that you carry, like a servant might undress you of a heavy coat as soon as you return home.
Like that. Exactly like how you should feel when you return home.
The Blank Plains stretch before you eyes, and they are beautiful.
[Blank Door successful crossing action – Wandering the Blank Plains]
You know you have what you came for, but you feel no need to return either. Your cutie mark might be waiting for you, behind the Blank Door, together with your magic. But you know that, waiting there with them, also are your fears and pains and reasons to be happy. So why rush to return all that?
You have hugged your daughter enough times, haven't you? You have been happy and sad enough times, haven't you? And who knows, one day you might even meet your daughter again here, if she also learns the secret paths into the Mansus. So why bother returning at all? Eternity exists in here, so there is no harm in staying for however long you wish. There will be no harm at all, of any kind, ever again, if you never leave the Blank Plains.
"By the Glory, a dead? No, wait, you are alive?!" she says, a smile forming in her face, and her hoofs soon ushering you in, "come on in dear, come in! It has been ages since I've had a visitor. I didn't even know ponies could reach here anymore!"
more proof, to add to the vision of the Blank Door, that the Lores and the Mansus were once common knowledge to the ponies.
Well, more common at least. I wonder if Celestia has been suppressing the information... Maybe the Dream Realm is an attempt on the part of Luna to convert the Mansus to something less dangerous?
"Well, I know how you feel, or rather how you don't feel. My oh my, are you going to feel confused when you wake up. Oh, but just a piece of advice, try not to go insane when you wake up, alright? The Blank Plains have this effect on everypony" she gives you a light tap on your head, "don't worry, you're not an unfeeling monster or anything. It's just… how the dead feel, and you're alive right now, as you will be once you wake up, so don't think you simply up and forgot about everypony you love or anything."
good advice, really. It's not our fault, it's just the nature of its place. I think we would have been fine, but it's nice to get external confirmation.
You recall the words of Baldomare, that pony who, despite the fact that she is living inside the Mansus didn't flare any curiosity in you when you met her, thanks to your unfeeling state. You recall how she said that this is natural, that this is how a pony feels after crossing the Blank Door.
the clear implication here is that she's not a pony. Or at least not a normal pony. She most likely ascended to a higher plane of existence. I wonder how far ago she left the Wake for the Mansus...
You have witnessed something, perhaps a memory from a long dead pony, perhaps a memory from the Mansus itself. But whatever it was, it was once a precious truth. Gained one scrap of SECRET HISTORIES lore.
You have braved the Blank Door, beyond which the lesser laws of the Mansus sprout in trees and grass, put into the proper configuration by the very winds. You have learned the secrets to enact a Ritual that allows for two aspects of Lore.
You have wandered through the White Plains, and have found the Lodge of the Sage Pony, committing the path that will take you there to memory. You may now visit the Lodge of the Sage Pony anytime.
Although she claims to not be the Sage Pony, Baldomare seems to know a great many deal of things. You have met Baldomare, and her beloved Illopony.
Baldomare has whispered a secret to you like a friend might whisper a gossip or like a pony might engage in small talk, but to you who knows so little that secret is precious. Gained one scrap of LANTERN lore.
Also we might want to search for informations about her. I'm tempted to ask Twilight if she ever heard their names, but I'm a bit worried about her not knowing and asking Celestia, and the following reaction. I suppose we could ask our Master instead though, or we could simply wait for Baldomare to reveal more of her past to us.
It's not a game for everyone. Maybe give it a look on youtube to get an idea? Otherwise you could buy it, try it and get a refund if you don't like it.
If you're fine buying the keys from websites like Kinguin, Allkeyshop or G2A you can find the base game for about 3-4 euros right now by the way. The DLCs cost a bit more.
he changed it/clarified it a few posts ago. I don't remember if it was like this from the beginning and it was simply explained badly, or if it actually changed the rule itself though
"I know sweetie, it's just that... Mommy had a very bad dream, where she was in a far away place and she wouldn't ever be able to see you or daddy again and..." you hear her voice break a bit, and her chest is shaking even when she's not speaking now, "and mommy felt very scared and..."
the clear implication here is that she's not a pony. Or at least not a normal pony. She most likely ascended to a higher plane of existence. I wonder how far ago she left the Wake for the Mansus...
Teresa—that's her name—is a Name, basically a demigod just one step below the Hours in terms of power and influence. She's also a potential summon if you get good enough and know how. At least, that's how it was in the game.
Also I want to curse all of you as you cost me money as I actually bought cultist simulator this weekend and I can honestly say I have no god damn idea what I'm doing. I can usually get to the first step where I can form a cult but after that it's basically me just randomly throwing cards together and hoping it does something. then disparately trying to remember what I did to make something work. Overall I've spend $20 on worse and maybe I'll figure it out eventually... or just say screw it and look up what I'm suppose to do on youtube.
