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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I wonder if this will affect Luna in the future?

I imagine she would be happy ponies do not fear the darkness anymore.

But she is still the warder against nightmares.

Fighting terror is still her job. And terror is transformed.

🤔

Ponies will begin actively using darkness as a weapon against monsters?

...I think there is something that could be said along the lines of-

"The wake would change but as it stands everything that could be changed is as The Wolf would want it."

Followed by someone saying "Jesus christ how horrifying."
 
zxzx24 said:
But she is still the warder against nightmares.

Fighting terror is still her job. And terror is transformed.
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Easier to get traction when you're fighting abominable things from beyond than when you're fighting people's random insecurities and subconscious fears. Skulls are skulls, a self-evident truth, collecting such is in it's own way reassuring both to the masses and the champion.
 
quantum lurker said:
Regardless of Baldomare's neutrality, its pretty nice of her to summon us over and come down to explain stuff to us.
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I wouldn't call Baldomare truly neutral here. She might be a Lantern name, and Lantern is the principle of harsh truths, but it also makes her biased when unknown or irrational is concerned. Not liar, but certainly biased.

Venerable Ro said:
Easier to get traction when you're fighting abominable things from beyond than when you're fighting people's random insecurities and subconscious fears. Skulls are skulls, a self-evident truth, collecting such is in it's own way reassuring both to the masses and the champion.
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....
Is it a Warhammer reference?
 
So I was reading Scurry this weekend (excellent web comic, I really can't recommend it enough), and I came across some imagery that immediately made me think of Mother of Wolves.




To be clear, I don't think this is exactly how things would go down if we hit Mother of Wolves, but the vibes are similar enough that I wanted to share.
 
Venerable Ro said:
you're fighting abominable things from beyond than when you're fighting people's random insecurities and subconscious fears
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Phrasing it differently: At least you can find these particular abominations and punch them in the face (until you run out, in which case the Ash is now the Ash of ponykind's enemies), unlike the fear of darkness and the unknown (IoTH aside)?

Though the equivalent of an Arms Race would definitely not be the greatest of things to happen, now it may not be entirely unjustified given recent happenings..
 
Venerable Ro said:
Easier to get traction when you're fighting abominable things from beyond than when you're fighting people's random insecurities and subconscious fears.
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In some ways yes. In others no. No it is not easier to get traction.

Let us for a moment consider that we are trying to teach someone to be brave. To face the unknown with courage, and perhaps even compassion.

The dark is scary, but... it cannot hurt you. Whats in it can hurt us, but the darkness itself isn't harmful. (moth was often used as a weapon, but im not dusting off "the lores are bad" for this.)

I still don't much like the dark personally, but learning to combat that first most fundamental fear is... important. To be brave on must be afraid after all.

Perhaps bravery will be transformed but...

I think there will be a lot more fear in the world. And a lot more of what fear brings.

It is an old, old quote. But it is a true one.

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
 
spiderhellian said:
I'm reminded that Eclipse is going to become an interesting place, sooner rather than later. Would really like to use our Director social there next turn.
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That might be the best choice, especially if that gives the opportunity to nudge him in the right direction(Lore knowledge) and getting Midday Dew to join our alliance with Fair Trial could give us more influence when we meet the rest of the important ponies and help stabilize the overall connection of the organisations(and Ash will leave him alone if he is on our side).
Potentially making Celestia calmer since the ponies she chose are actually helping each other and working to make Equestria a better place.

Oh, almost forgot, if we are doing damage control due to the RA sending the Bureau to investigate crimes could help, since most of the "meaning" of that action is to calm the population as the world becomes a worse place.
 
BirdBodhisattva said:
You also realize that her expression is not judgmental, but that you can't feel any warmth from her either. Because she looked at you, just now, and apparently she saw everything she needed to see. After that, she does not give you any more attention than she is giving to the surrounding scenery.

And realizing that doesn't make you feel good. But it also doesn't make you feel bad either. It is not that she resents you, or that she is judging you. She just doesn't care. She already understands everything so there is no need for her to pay attention to you anymore.

She doesn't hate you, you know that for sure. She doesn't hate you, even though she knows far more than you do, and even though she can see everything around you with a clarity that you will never be able to understand. Despite all that, she still doesn't hate you.
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You know. @BirdBodhisattva for a pony? Creature? Whatever she prefers. That is nominally incapable of either lying or of self delusion.

I feel like she actually does a lot of lying. To herself and to others.

"Too old, not my time." She said. Turning away from how she has changed.

And now here doesn't feel quite right either...

Perhaps it's because she is so rich in subtext?

spiderhellian said:
Does Baldomare hold the Lantern Heirloom?
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She was probably referring to the Key of Days. An incredibly potent relic of immense importance. That... doesn't do anything anymore.

Roaming_Guardian said:
Hey wait a minute, doesn't that necessarily imply that the Master itself was an unnecessary 'appendix' to the Mansus?
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He was. The wood is no longer needed to hide the glory from pony eyes. The Dreamlands and harmony serve that purpose now.
 
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zxzx24 said:
She was probably referring to the Key of Days. An incredibly potent relic of immense importance. That... doesn't do anything anymore.
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Hm? I'm confused by this.

First, why would Baldomare be holding onto that artefact?

But more importantly... When we just learned about Heirlooms, why expect a joke about holding onto dusty old heirlooms to be about some other thing that is also powerful and old and passed down, rather than the Heirloom itself?
 
So not only did we allow Luna to have one more month of fillyhood to recover from the Nightmare Moon ordeal and we are working to get rid of the Worms, but now ponies will be less afraid of the dark and thus more likely to play night if you ignore all the dangerous things hiding in it that they are afraid of. Clearly we are best mom :V
 
Depictions of the Mansus
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    • Here we go another of my art works, this time a set of three.
    To show the Mansus through the Ages in the Was, Is and Will be fashion.

    @BirdBodhisattva Here you go another creative work. This story really inspires me to draw and animate, even if they are pretty bad drawings it's still fun to do so thanks for sparking that in me.

    Edit: Also realising that the Wolf is kind of experiencing a version of Worm death without Worms, constant agony just getting worse all the time forever as it digs itself deeper and deeper into the blades hoping for it all to end.

    Edit 2: Realised it may be unclear what the text in the As it Is picture due to compression so ill restate it here.
    The Sanguis Swamp, The Well of Blood and The Den of Wolves (I was tempted to make the Bloodfalls a location as well but 3 per Floor)
     
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    • Kaelor said:
    So I was reading Scurry this weekend (excellent web comic, I really can't recommend it enough)
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    This actually looks great! I'll definitely give it a look.

    zxzx24 said:
    You know. @BirdBodhisattva for a pony? Creature? Whatever she prefers. That is nominally incapable of either lying or of self delusion.

    I feel like she actually does a lot of lying. To herself and to others.

    "Too old, not my time." She said. Turning away from how she has changed.

    And now here doesn't feel quite right either...
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    Good, good. Very good.

    Have an Insightful rating.

    BritBiscuit said:
    @BirdBodhisattva Here you go another creative work. This story really inspires me to draw and animate, even if they are pretty bad drawings it's still fun to do so thanks for sparking that in me.
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    I actually think this is delightful! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

    And I don't think they are bad at all! Of course, there is room to improve. But I think that about my own writing, so I really think it's always more subjective than not.

    But much more importantly, you created this because you felt inspired! And that is what this is all about. So I'm glad something I made inspired you to create! So please, absolutely keep it up!
     
    I still don't regret this and I don't think I will either unless rolls to conspire to somehow turn this into a gigantic mess in the future. Regardless, Pony Kind has lost its fear of the dark and what it represents, the unknown for the known now. That's, in my eyes, better. There is no greater horror out there then that which your mind can conjure. We have given them certainty, horrific certainty yes but it is one nonetheless. And monsters can be fought, irrational fears cannot.
     
    Iustus Vitae said:
    I still don't regret this and I don't think I will either unless rolls to conspire to somehow turn this into a gigantic mess in the future. Regardless, Pony Kind has lost its fear of the dark and what it represents, the unknown for the known now. That's, in my eyes, better. There is no greater horror out there then that which your mind can conjure. We have given them certainty, horrific certainty yes but it is one nonetheless. And monsters can be fought, irrational fears cannot.
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    Unless the fear of the known also involves much more fearworthy actions from the monsters.
    Like if the timberwolves start to Attack Ponyville instead of staying in the Everfree forest.
     
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