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

The very air feels different, and you know that it is not the mountainous height. There is a certain quality to it that is simply hard to describe. A faint smell that might be akin to the slightest tinge of several different perfumes at the same time, just enough to feel pleasant but not enough to actually be a bother. Or perhaps it is the impression that everything looks just a little bit brighter and shinier, which might be because everywhere you look is spotless clean, or because of all the marble and gold that is so abundant in the architecture.

Really, it is not a single thing that you can point a hoof at, but Canterlot has this feeling about it that is unmistakable.

You had almost forgotten about it. Truly, it has been a while, several years perhaps...

The train finally starts slowing down, and a small smile comes to your face as you try to guess what the next stage of Rarity's excitement will be like.

It started this morning. Well, technically it had started yesterday when you heard her scream after you left the boutique, but you really only started taking note of it this morning.

You picked her up not long after the sunrise. The next train to Canterlot wasn't due for a while, and your ticket allowed you passage to any train heading to Canterlot, so even if you missed it there wouldn't be much problem. But you didn't specify when in the morning you would come by to pick her up, so you figured that there would be no harm if you arrived early and helped her pack if needed.

Unnecessary, you realized as soon as you got there.

Rarity was already waiting outside of her boutique, with a grand amount of luggage by her side and bags, the metaphorical kind of bags, under her eyes. But as much as she may have looked tired, she most certainly didn't act like it.

"Darling, you wouldn't believe how hard inspiration struck me yesterday, after you left," was all she gave you for an answer.

And you politely nodded away the fact that she probably did not sleep a wink last night.

But you did ask her as a joke, while your servants carried her luggage to the carriage, if she did not have her beauty sleep. To which she seriously replied that she very carefully considered it, before weighting it against the amount of work that she would be able to do otherwise as well as the fact that she would be able to sleep in the train, and deciding for the latter. The confidence with which she said that last part giving you the faint impression that she knew exactly how much time traveling to Canterlot took, down to the minutes.

Well, you could see that she certainly was committed.

And true to her word she slept like a log during the trip itself, only waking up just now as you gently prod her.

Which brings you to the present and, as you had been hoping to witness, the next stage of her excitement as she slowly opens her eyes and sees Canterlot staring back at her from beyond the window of your train cabin.

You see several different expressions pass through her face as she processes the scenery before her. First an enchanted glow comes to her eyes together with a dumbfounded smile as she looks out through the window, then an even wider smile, hoofs on her cheeks and all, with a sound that you can swear is a squeal. Her heavy breathing lasts far less than you thought it would, however, and soon enough she settles down on a more determined expression.

Confident, brave, hopeful. You can practically hear her thinking "this is it, Rarity!" in the privacy of her head.

You give yourself a nod at that, cogs already turning inside your head as a discreet part of your mind takes in her resolve as particularly good news.

After all, despite her already excited state, she still has no idea of what you truly intent to do by bringing her here. She did stay up all night, probably making the final touches on a few of her own clothes, and she did bring a respectable amount of luggage. But as far as she knows, and as far as you have told her, you are simply bringing her to a sort of noble excursion, the general idea that you gave her while your servants worked on carrying her trunk was that you wanted her help while you conducted official business on the Royal Castle.

As it stands, she doesn't even suspect that you will also work towards making connection, making her connections, while you are here. So, seeing her face this whole situation as a challenge, instead of a tourism trip, is already a particularly good indicator that she will have her wits about her.

Which is great, because despite your intentions you… don't really have a plan on how you are going to do it. In all honesty you are hoping that you will identify an opportunity when you see it, and that Rarity will be able to follow up on your lead.

The train comes to a complete stop, and you make your way out of your seat and towards the door of the cabin where the two of you are.

"Shall we?" you say as you open the door with a glow of your horn, realizing that the mare is still entranced with the sights of the train station.

"Oh, right!" she answers, with the clear tone of somepony who had just snapped out of a reverie, before following you.

You make sure to pass by Ponpon's cabin to double check that she knows where you are all heading, then you make your way out of the train with Rarity in tow.

"Rarity, you're gawking," you say in an off-hoof manner, not really being able to hide your smile.

"I am most certainly n-! By Celestia, would you look at the gems on that mare's necklace!" Rarity tries to answer you, only to interrupt herself with yet another excited cry.

The two of you are inside of another carriage, this one being much larger than the one you have in Ponyville. But you are alone with Rarity this time, as Ponpon and the rest of your entourage will be bringing your things after they are unloaded from the train.

You eye the mare as she continues to act almost like a filly, her face nearly glued to the carriage's window as she gawks (yes Rarity, you are gawking) at the streets outside.

Until she finally notices the amused attention you are giving her, her cheeks taking a rosed tone as she slowly inches her way back to the center of her seat.

And you see her eyes go a little wider suddenly, some sort of realization coming to her, posture changing as if a bucket of cold water had just been poured over her.

You see her look around herself, this time with a little more attention, taking in the rich interior of the carriage. She looks at everything for a few seconds, the dark wood gleaming with polish, the fancy cushion of the seats, the windows emblazoned with your family's symbol.

Until she finally looks at you, sitting opposite from her.

She seems slightly shocked all of a sudden, which makes you raise an eyebrow.

But you have known her for a little while now, and you think that this means…

"Velvet darling, I don't think I have properly thanked you for all of this so far," she says, her words coming out as if she was suddenly conscious about a lot of things.

Yes. You think that she has just realized that this whole situation isn't a dream. You think that the reality of her being here is finally beginning to settle in her mind.

"I mean, I know how I gush about Canterlot all the time, but I never really meant that I wanted you to do any of this so… thank you," she finishes, her expression honestly embarrassed.

And maybe just slightly uncomfortable.

Which, of course, will not do.

"Well, I would like you to believe me when I say that I am bringing you here because you are my friend. But if it puts you more at ease, you can just think that I'm bringing you here because this whole thing would be absolutely tedious otherwise, so you are helping me out far more than I am doing anything for you," you finish with a wink.

Being thankful is fine, as much as you don't think you are warranted any gratefulness from her part. Everything you are doing, almost everything you have in your life, in fact, is just by virtue of you having been borne in your family, so you are not really at ease with her feeling gratitude towards you. Not that you will ever let that show, of course.

But you really hope she knows that you are doing this because you are her friend. The time you spend with her isn't some privilege you are entitled to because you were borne a noble, instead it is something that is far more precious to you.

"Besides, we haven't even started day one of our visit here, so we can thank each other once this is all over," you finish.

And you can see her confident smile return with that.

"By the way, can you tell me exactly what it is that you will be doing here? You already told me about the letter and the efforts to locate the Princess, but is there anything more specific?" she asks, deftly changing the subject once the matter is settled.

"I don't know either," you answer honestly, "I did send a letter ahead letting them know we will arrive tomorrow, but I'm as lost about this whole thing as you are…"

You see her tilt her head at what you just said.

"We will arrive… tomorrow? But we are already in Canterlot."

"Oh, right, how can I explain… Well, travel around Equestria can be slow sometimes, after all Ponyville is the closest city to Canterlot and it did take us a few hours to get here by train. So it's common practice for the day you arrive to be reserved for settling in and all that," you try to explain it as briefly as possible, making sure not to go into details about hierarchy and order of arrival and all that, "unless the matter is urgent, of course. And that's good, isn't it? Refreshing as your nap was, I'm sure you'll prefer to be well rested for tomorrow."

You see her nod at your short explanation, and at the part about being well rested, a short "ohhh…" escaping her lips as you talk.

"But you are coming here to help in the search for a Princess. Isn't that the sort of thing that would be considered urgent?"

"Maybe. But it's not like we will find Princess Luna in a few short hours following our arrival," you answer with a shrug.

"Fair enough…"

You can see her thinking about the whole situation. As much as this whole thing is obvious to you, you ought to remember that this is really being Rarity's first time interacting with the higher workings of Equestria.

You make a mental note to be a bit more mindful, and maybe to give her a lot more of hints and tidbits of information whenever you have the chance. You can see that she has the wits to take in all of it, but there are is no small amount of pitfalls and subtle traps, or plain old conventions and cultural workings, that you should make sure to coach her through.

"It's the sort of thing you will have to get used to," you say, leaning back a little more on your seat.

To which she lets out a short laugh.

"As much as I'd love to get used to it, it's not like I'm a noble. It just so happens that I'm lucky enough to be accompanying you, Velvet."

"Be that as it may…" you say, with a tone that sounds like you are conceding her the point.

Little does she know, you think privately…

Approaching the Royal Castle, even you must admit, is an experience on its own. You have already been to the Royal Castle before, but not nearly enough times for you not to feel a little excited yourself.

Canterlot is a city built on the side of a mountain, and several architectural particularities inevitably follow that quirk. Surprisingly though, physical space in Canterlot is not exactly at a premium, thanks to the sheer industrial capabilities of earth ponies.

However, this does not mean that anypony can simply dig at the wall of the mountain whenever they want to make space for themselves. No, this is another thing that makes Canterlot what it is, the purposeful way in which it is built and expanded.

Habitable surface on the city will only come to be if it is deliberately carved, so whenever more space is needed, entire districts and levels will be carved out from the side of the mountain in great public projects.

But those newly expanded areas are not made available as "empty space", they are instead occupied with purpose and design in mind, with the end result being that the city as a whole grows in a planned manner, not being subjected to the haphazard growth that normal cities often suffer.

And you can see that clearly as your carriage makes its way towards the Royal Castle.

You pass by the great habitational rings, dotted with parks and fountains, houses built out of marble and the white rock of the mountain itself. Your carriage then passes by the great rivers of meltwater, that feed the grand waterfall and the valleys around the mountain itself, their calm yet steady streams spinning great watermills of the industrial district you go through.

Then the bustling economical centers give way to the small mansions as you get closer and closer to the castle itself, the eternal struggle to show off means and status causing the noble families to compete for the regions closer to the Royal Castle itself. Small mansions packed "tightly together" (by noble standards, that is) at first, followed by the larger and more impressive manors, their gardens sometimes larger than entire blocks on the lower parts of the city.

And finally, you arrive at the Royal Castle itself.

You do not mind at all, and Rarity even less so, the fact that you are asked to leave your carriage and proceed through the walkway after you are through the gates. The Royal Castle, after all, is a sight to behold.

Great towers adorned with gold and gems point towards the sky, with rich and colorful stained glasses on some of their windows. Entire platforms jut away from the mountain, supporting beautiful edifices and statues of heroic ponies, as well as gardens and other lovingly maintained places.

But its beauty, however grand, is also marred by the signs of the recent… happenings, involving Princess Luna. Some of the towers have scaffolds next to them, signs of repairs or outright reconstruction still visible even a full month after the occurrence, as much as great amounts of effort have obviously been poured to have the Royal Castle back to its original splendor as soon as possible.

Other small details also come to mind as you look with more attention. You had heard, for example, that Princess Luna was gifted an observatory upon her return, but you see no signs of any particularly tall tower with a telescope on top of it…

"Your accommodations will be in this building, my ladies," the armored mare who had been accompanying you snaps you out of your thoughts, "I will take you to your rooms, and will make sure that your entourage finds you as soon as they arrive."

You could see Rarity's ears perking up when she was called a "lady", but you simply nod at the royal guard.

"I will be making a short visit to some relatives after we are settled, we did send word that we would only be arriving tomorrow, after all, and our belongings have not yet arrive on our second carriage," you say to the royal guard, to which she nods curtly, "so if Rarity here decides she would like to take a stroll around the capital herself, could you kindly have that second carriage summoned for her?"

The armored mare gives you an affirmative answer, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Rarity, however, shoots you an outright questioning gaze.

A gaze that you simply answer with a wink. But you privately wonder what exactly she balked at. Was it because you just said you would leave her for a while, or because you just told her she would have a carriage at her own beck and call?

Whichever it is, you are somewhat curious at what she will do this afternoon without you.

And the part of you that is dreading to visit your family grabs at that curiosity even more tightly, willing the afternoon to pass quickly so you may return to the company of a friend sooner rather than later.

Whatever hesitation Rarity had, it dissolved quickly enough.

You accompanied her to the rooms the two of you will be staying in, and then you double-checked that the royal guards knew that they should send your servants that way when they arrived.

And then you simply told Rarity that you had to pay your home, your Canterlot home that is, a visit, and that you would (hopefully) return before nightfall. But of course, you also said that you fully expected her to do whatever she pleased in the meantime.

The part of her that thought she would be with you all the time was convinced of otherwise without much effort.

However, the part of her that outright refused to accept using the second carriage, when it arrived, required a little more convincing.

But after some careful wording, as well as some subtle hints that she "would make you look bad" if she just walked around, finally did the trick.

You must privately admit, though, that the last part was a bit of a lie. You couldn't care less about your image, truth be told. But you can't build a proper image of Rarity if she is seen walking around the noble part of Canterlot like some common pony. Word might not spread quickly about such mundane matters, but if you were successful it would still take as little as bumping into a single noble with a particularly good memory for stupid gossips to start flourishing later on, and that would not do.

So, that was something else she had better get used to.

But that was earlier today. Right now you have… other things to worry about.

The gates of your family's mansion open before the carriage. Your family's crest, and the stallions pulling the carriage, being more than enough to let you in without further ado.

You are being expected, you know. The letter you had sent ahead of you being both an indication that there ought to be chariots and servants waiting for you at the train station, as well as to signal that, as customs dictates, you would be coming to pay your respects.

You hear the gates being closed behind the carriage, and a bundle of memories come back to you in a slow and unpleasant trickle.

Early memories of a strict upbringing, the tutors not managing to be nearly as demanding as your father was, although you still had a good relationship with him back then.

Flashes of the ever-increasing weight of demands and expectations as you grew older, with two new ones being invented whenever you failed one. Four particularly disappointing attempts at entering the School for Gifted Unicorns coming to mind, under the disapproving gaze of your parents.

The echo of years bound to your bed with nothing but books for company, and even that only on the days when your leg didn't decide to simply cramp up for no reason, until the family's physician arrived and…

The carriage stops moving, and the doors are opened from the outside, you walk down the short steps and see a trio of maids is waiting for you, the large doors of the mansion itself open behind them.

"Lady Velvet Covers," the one in the middle says respectfully, and with a short bow, "the Master, Velvet Hill, is expecting you."

You nod and signal for her to lead the way.

But for all the finery of their uniform, the elegance of her curtsy and the pleasantness of her tone, you still can't help but feel a… heavy atmosphere as you walk into the mansion.

You wonder if these three maids are happy working here. You wonder if any of the servants you pass by are.

You recall Soft Sweep's history, and you wonder which of the maids around you are the ones who were kind to her.

You hope that the answer is "all of them", but with the weight that the walls around you are putting in your heart you can't help but think otherwise. This place, you know from experience, is… not a place where kindness is common.

Not long after you finally reach the great hall, the one that has less than two fireplaces and several comfortable sofas, cabinets filled with books, and all other pleasant material objects strewn around. But even with all the windows being opened, you still feel like there is some sort of shadow covering the place, as if you are walking here in the middle of the night.

You pass by a few… not exactly familiar sights, but you pass by a few things which you recognize anyways, even if only in part.

A large painting can be seen over of one of the fireplaces, your family painted on it.

Or rather, the Velvet family painted on it. You see your father, your mother and a young colt between them. There is no sign of you in it, or in any other picture in the great hall, whatsoever.

Over the second fireplace there is also something equally large, but here you see a woven tapestry showing your family's genealogical tree.

You let out an exasperated sigh at that, and you make a point to stop to give it a better look, the maids accompanying you stopping as well without a word.

You eye the names with contempt. Velvet Horseshoe, your great-grandfather, is the first name on the very top, and his painted picture dominates a good part of one of the walls nearby. A stallion known for his political capabilities and, above all else, his ruthlessness.

A few places down is your father's name, the father who raised you as he would raise his own successor, until you disappointed him one too many times.

Next to his name is your mother's, that seems to be misaligned almost as if it had been added as an afterthought. Your mother, who saw all of that happen and simply watched.

And what you don't see is several other names that should be there.

Your older brother is nowhere to be found, even though he is your father's firstborn. You idly think that you can remember the day in which your father finally convinced you that he was less important than you, simply because he had wings instead of a horn. You think you remember believing him, that having been in your younger days when you were still daddy's little girl.

Other family members, as well, are nowhere to be seen. But most of them were unicorns, and you can't exactly remember who they were or what happened, you can only recall that there were once more names there, and now there are less.

This is the Velvet family, you think. Merchants and manipulators who bought their way into nobility generations ago, and who are the very embodiment of what a pony with means can do if he is ruthless.

You eye the place in the tapestry where your name should be, and you cannot find it either. You see the name of Stormchaser's family written on the side of the tapestry, with a list of other families who married into the Velvets, and you can't decide if you feel offended or satisfied by the fact that your father had your name taken away from the thing.

Well, he did make it abundantly clear, through actions and demeanor, that after he had given up on "raising you properly" you amounted to no better than coin, one that he thankfully was able to use to buy a marriage.

And you don't see Stormchaser or Silky Stream there either. Of course they wouldn't be, he would never allow the faces or names of pegasi to mar his family's mansion…

You shake your head and move along, his office is not far now, and the sooner you get this done with, the better.

The maids finally reach the tall doors of the central office, one of them entering it without knocking, probably to let your father know you that you have arrived. You idly wonder if he will have you wait, just to waste your time, or if he also wants to get this over with.

"Master Velvet Hill will be seeing you now, Lady Velvet Covers," the maid quicky exits the door, signaling for you to go in.

Well, that answers at least one of your questions. You take a deep breath, and make your way into the office.

Velvet Hill is a unicorn of dark brown coat, much darker than yours, and greying mane. His aging features causes him to look like he has a permanent scowl about his face, or perhaps he is always scowling and his age merely accentuates it.

There are several other tiny things about him, that make him look just a little more intimidating, that signals that he is just a little more dangerous than he ought to be, from his posture to the way he glares without appearing outright aggressive.

But most of all, what causes a lump to form in your throat is the fact that you know he does all of this by choice.

You know that he can be the most pleasant stallion you have ever met. You know that he can be an amicable pony or a supportive father.

But only when he wants to.

He can be the most attentive and strict of parents, if he believes his daughter has the potential to be useful to him. He can be caring and amicable, if he believes that such a thing will yield the most preferable results.

The same way you know he can simply order everything a pony has to be taken away from them, with a word or a stroke of his pen or even a meaningful glance, if he has the mind to do it.

He has his forelegs over his table, hoofs together and supporting his chin. But his eyes are looking straight into yours.

"Covers," he finally says, his tone somber and serious.

"Hill," you answer back, trying your best not to show your discomfort.

Not that you believe he can't see it.

"I will be in Canterlot for a while, and have come to pay respects," you finish saying, doing a light bow as you speak.

It grates on you. Much as you tried imagining, you had no idea how you would feel when you saw him again, and above all else you can feel that it grates on your nerves. After all these years, with the life you built in Ponyville, the happy life you built in Ponyville, you thought you would be able to do this sort of thing more easily.

But instead, it just feels harder and more wrong. Knowing how easy it can feel to love somepony and have a healthy relationship just makes everything in this mansion, in your family, feel a little more twisted.

"I have read your letter," he answers back, dismissively, but says nothing else.

Leaving you unsure of exactly what to do.

But you already had an idea in mind, and it might be something he will acquiesce if you word it properly.

"I will be spending a good amount of time in the Royal Castle," you say, slowly, making sure that you do not trip in your own words or reveal something that you really don't feel like bringing into the light, "might I ask if you have information that might be useful?"

You can see him scrutinize you a little more, clopping his hoofs a single time while he thinks.

"You would know what you have to if you didn't keep your underachieving head stuck in your little world," he answers, with the tone of disapproval that you are well used to hearing. You think for a moment that he will simply stop at that, but much to your surprise he continues, "but…"

[Princess Celestia's second attempt at rallying the nobility]

[Roll: 29 – 10 (dissent) = 19]

[27 -> 19, things actually got worse]

"But Canterlot is in a quiet state of uproar, among the high nobles at least. The few of them who actually pledged to help were chased or pressured away by their indignant peers," his eyes narrow, as if he was saying something obvious, "I hope you understand what this means, and that you will reap benefits for the Velvet family with this… work of yours."

His tone makes it clear, of course, that by "Velvet family" he means "myself".

You digest his words for a few more seconds, before cautiously giving him another short bow and signaling that you will leave. Seeing that he didn't say or order you anything, you quickly make your way out before he changes his mind.

The doors of his office close behind you, and you feel… perhaps the best word would be "unpleasant", but only because you honestly lack for a better word to use.

Your father, this place, everything around you, have too many memories attached to them. Too much time wasted learning all the wrong things, too much misguided hatred felt as if it was natural, and far too much pressure and control for you to ever be able to breathe a single breath in here without feeling like there is something pressuring your ribcage inwards.

However, you also realize that you are not feeling an angry sort of confusion like you know you would have felt years ago. Instead, the storm in your mind is borne from the more mature point of view you are warranted.

You did not simply lock away all your memories from this place or your early life. Quite on the contrary, you actually had the time to think about all of it over the years. You had the benefit of time, and the perspective of having a daughter and a happy family, to be able to analyze a lot of your memories and simply come to the conclusion of how… absolutely wrong a lot of things were.

You have had that perspective for years now.

However, even though you know all of this, it still didn't make this meeting just now, short as it was, any easier… quite on the contrary.

But this still gives you an idea, involving your own family. Of course, you absolutely will not approach your father again unless you absolutely have to, but this doesn't mean you can't try and get in touch with somepony else.

They are still family, after all.

You think for a few moments, eyeing the several pictures around you as you walk away from the great hall, and decide that you will try to get in touch with…

[] Velvet Wings: Your older brother. A pegasus, as his name suggests, who despite being your family's firstborn was never truly its heir. He was kept close by for appearances sake, you realized only years later, so the two of you grew up together, but he left as soon as he was old enough. He never truly broke ties with the family, since being a noble, even if only in name, has its advantages. You are older now, and you have a better… understanding of his circumstances. Time to rekindle this old connection. (Velvet Wings is a traveler, so he might not know as much about Canterlot's current antics, and might not be too politically savvy. But never being in one place for too long might have given him other sources of wisdom.)

[] Velvet Steppes: Your uncle. Your father's younger brother who, now you realize, must have lived in your father's shadow his whole life. But let it never be said that he was bitter for it, as every memory you have of him paints him as a lively and agreeable stallion. You know he is in Canterlot, with everything that has been going on, but you are not exactly sure of what he has been up to otherwise. (Velvet Steppes is… you have no idea, actually, but by the hugs and jokes and general good humor that you remember him for, he definitely is the approachable kind of pony, especially for family.)

[] Soft Charm: Your mother… if a mare who allows your father to do what he does can even be considered one. She was already meek and absent when you were young, and that was only aggravated after your accident, added to the fact that hindsight can sometimes make you realize… unpleasant things. But you are a grown mare now, so maybe you just might be able to have something resembling a polite conversation with her. (If anypony in your family has influence and pull in Canterlot, it's her, barring your father of course. But approaching her will be… personally difficult for you.)

[] Velvet Pride: Your younger brother, although you are not even sure if he knows that you exist. You know that your father will be displeased if you try and contact him, and he all but told you more than once that he does not want you to get in touch with him, but said displeasure will only come to pass if he finds out, and you have learned a thing or two about avoid being caught… (Maybe you want to rebel against your father, and in some way hamper his work. Maybe you just want to be a good older sister, and make sure that he is not… going through what you did. He probably won't know much about anything outside of the mansion's walls, but if he is as bright as you think he is then he might be the very best source of what happens inside it.)