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

You are Rarity, and you are currently lying on your bed, looking at the ceiling of your room.

And there is a lot going on in your mind, right now.

The last few hours, the last few days, the last few weeks are still repeating themselves in your head, flashing in your memory as if on a loop, to the point where you feel dizzy whenever you try to focus on a single part of it.

And you can't help but recall that it all began because you simply bumped into her, months ago, without having any idea of who she was, and decided to compliment her dress.

Of course, you didn't do any of it out of interest. You wouldn't have, even if you knew who she was before you met her. But still, not even in your wildest dream you would have thought that…

"Uhm… I don't think I quite follow, darling. What is this all about?"

"Oh, that's just a short contract… a tab, of sorts? A letter of credit...? I forget the term."

She had simply asked if you knew who the Needle family were. Of course you knew, seeing that their work was displayed in almost every magazine that you subscribe to.

And she was simply saying nonchalantly about how…

"Well, call it whatever you want, but simply send a letter to that address with whatever materials you need, and they will be forwarded to you in a week. The middlepony is an employee of mine, so as to preserve your identity, but I hope you won't mind that little detail."

She handed you a contact list, a contact list that led to the Needle family, and a form detailing that you were holding the rights to more bits than you would be able to accumulate in several months of work. She did all of that almost as an afterthought.

And then she gave you the second, longer contract.

"Read it," she said, her tone serious, "thoroughly. Ask me if you have questions about anything. I can guarantee we can make a few changes, although it might take some days to do so by mail. But only sign it if you are absolutely sure about it."

You had never read a contract as complex as that, before. There were several clauses that you needed her to explain to you, some of them that she brushed off as "the usual legal talk", and others that were actually important.

But by the end of it, you understood what that was all about.

By the end, you were dumbfounded.

You look towards the ceiling, idly raising a hoof, your mind still slightly stunned by all of that.

Because you remember what you had asked her after you finished reading the contract.

Why?

And you remember her straightforward answer, the way she responded almost immediately.

"Because I believe in you," she said, as if that was utterly obvious.

Then she went on to complete that answer, of course. Saying that she believed you have talent, saying that you are her friend and that she felt honored in helping you pursue your dreams, and saying a lot of other things.

But that first, simple answer stuck to you. It struck deep into your core because the way she said it made it clear that it was the deepest, most honest thing she had in her mind.

You didn't know how to thank her then. Prancing like a filly wouldn't have done it, shouting in glee wouldn't have done it, hugging her, crying in emotion, none of that felt like it would have been enough, although you wanted to do all of those at the same time. You still do, whenever you remember that moment.

But you simply nodded, shell-shocked, as you signed your name in a contract to something that you never thought would be more than a wild dream of a small city mare.

However, when you finished signing it, something occurred to you. You said something that, you hoped, would help transmit at least part of how utterly serious, honored, dedicated and most importantly thankful you were feeling about that. Something that, at least in your mind, you hoped would pass on the message to Velvet that you… that you would make her proud.

Little did you know how stupid saying that would make you look.

"Velvet I… I will give this my all. I promise! As soon as I get back to Ponyville I will lock myself in my boutique, and I won't leave until I have done a whole year's worth of work!" yes, that was the very least you could do. The very least you had to do.

She had just given you the means and the contacts, after all, everything a pony in your line of work would ever need, and more. The full scope of the situation had not yet dawned on you, but she had just given you everything you would need from the outside world, so by Celestia you would pour your blood, sweat and tears into this. You would work yourself to the bone at the expense of all else!

It was the only way you could ever repay you, of course. The only way you could ever start repaying her for all of this.

And she simply answered you with a short laugh.

That is, until she looked into your eyes a little more carefully, and saw how serious you were.

"I… admire your dedication?" she said, somewhat awkwardly, "but really Rarity, what about everything else? You still have a life, after all. Sisterhooves Social is coming up, among several other things."

And you honestly didn't understand what she meant by that.

"Sisterhooves… what, that event for little fillies? Covers, darling, after all this I… I won't have the time for anything else! I simply can't allow myself to…!"

You tried to explain her the obvious, you tried to tell her that you didn't have the right not to give it your all, not after what she had just done for you.

But the more you talked, the more her expression grew more and more worried.

Until she got up from her seat, took your hoofs on her own, and looked deep into your eyes.

You remember what she said, almost word for word.

She told you, very calmly and very simply, that you had to calm down and take a few deep breaths, which you did.

And then she told you to forget about everything that just happened, even if for just a moment. About Canterlot, about the parties, about the work, about the Princesses, and about the contract most of all.

That took you a little longer to do, but she patiently waited until you, with your eyes closed, told her that you honestly did so. Or at least to the greatest extent that you were capable of.

And then, she told you to remember why you are doing all of this.

You have a dream, ever since you were young, of having your craft known. You do not dream about simple fame, or about acknowledgement. Those two things are inevitable to successful ponies, of course, but the thing you wish for is something far deeper and more complex than that.

You wish to be admired. But not in the base and vain way that might sprout jealousness, not in the ugly way that involves doing wrong things or tarnishing yourself. No, you wish to be admired because you know you can create things worthy of admiration. You wish to create dresses, you wish to create works of art, that ponies can look upon and immediately know that are good, that are inspiring and uplifting and so much more.

Not because you think yourself better than other ponies, but because deep down you know that you can create such things. You have that ability to turn cloth and gems and threads into something that is almost alive. And having that ability, without allowing it to sing and create, is something that you know to be at the same time tragic and maddening.

You know that you can create diamonds, you know that you have it in you to produce things that are sublime by their very nature.

You have those very same diamonds on your flank, after all.

But then, Velvet told you to remember about everything else you have already achieved.

At first, your mind drew up an enormous blank. You have your shop, of course, and quite a few pieces that you are proud of. But try as you might, none of the achievements you ever accumulated throughout your life really had the level you aimed for.

You kept trying to think about what she meant, until the ideas slowly eased themselves into your mind.

And you understood what she was saying.

You had not immediately thought about those things because they were on the background of your mind, because they form the background of your very life. Your friends, your hobbies, your own sister. The hundreds of little things that make you who you are.

"Rarity," you remember her saying, while you still had your eyes closed, "losing those things is far too easy. I know that you are not the kind of mare that, in the end, would make that sort of mistake. But I need you to know from the beginning that said mistake exists, and that it is a long path that you can step into without even realizing."

And you could see it happening. You also think, or at least you hope, that you wouldn't have actually lost anything or anypony dear to you along the way. But you could see how rocky that path might have been, how rocky it might still be, if you are not careful.

You can picture yourself fighting with your sister, because you put your work over her.

You can picture yourself losing some crucial moment or memory with your friends, because you were too engrossed chasing your dreams.

You can picture yourself, as much as it hurts, finally "making it" as you always dreamed you would, but looking around you and realizing you are alone.

You remember opening your eyes inside of that train cabin, and seeing Velvet Covers smiling at you, a slow and satisfied nod from her telling you that she was glad you understood the meaning behind her words.

And as much as you wanted to get to work immediately, the first thing you did when you returned to Ponyville was visit your friends, see your parents, and sign you and Sweetie Belle into the Sisterhooves Social.

And really, seeing your little sister beaming with joy, when you told her that, was something… that you will take care to remember as being priceless.

But despite all of that, here you are, on your bed. Still looking at the ceiling, still trying to put your thoughts in order. However... you think that you finally understand the crux, the very core, of your confusion.

Velvet Covers herself.

Your friend, more than that if you think about it, that you have met by chance in Ponyville.

You can't really understand her… well, you can understand her, but a part of you still feels some sort of conflict whenever you try to put a hoof on why you are feeling so conflicted about her.

That is, until you remember Sweetie Belle's own smile, after the end of that obstacle race. You remember the way your sister looked at you, and you remembered what your own dream is all about, and everything suddenly clicked.

You finally get it.

You admire her.

You admire her.

The way she always seems to be in control of a situation, only to whisper to you that she had no idea what something was all about right after. The way that she can be in charge of an operation that spans the entirety of Equestria, and keep her cool about it, until she collapses on her bed the moment she reaches her room. The way she can dedicate herself to her work, but somehow not lose sight even for a moment of how madly in love she is with her family.

The way she seems to have it all figured out. The way she took the time to look at you, a pony who she has not known for more than six months, and... simply did everything she just did.

You want to be like her. As much as she might be a grown mare like you… actually, she is a bit older than you, so the thought makes sense…

"I want to be like her when I grow up", you think, emulating the phrase that is usually used by foals. The thought makes you blush slightly, thinking that it is just a little bit immature of you, especially when you know how much of a very normal mare Velvet Covers is. Putting her on a podium won't do, you know, and she certainly wouldn't want you to do that. But still...

You want to make her proud.

"And by Equestria, that is exactly what I am going to do!", you say to yourself with a nod, some newfound determination coming to you as you jump out of bed and head to your workshop downstairs.

You have work to do, and all the tools and materials that you could dream of thanks to your… your idol? Icon? Inspiration?

Let's go with friend, you think, knowing that she would prefer to keep things simple.

Rarity has reached Confidant level, she is now personally loyal to you, and will follow you. You can trust her with almost anything now.

Come next turn, you will be able to guide Rarity's efforts or direct her to certain actions, as you would do with a Summoned Creature. This will remain so until she is no longer your Confidant, or personally loyal to you.