Feb
2nd
2016
Luna's dark smile of triumph and some clarifications · 12:59pm Feb 2nd, 2016
I think some of you readers may have misinterpreted her smile and missed all of the hints I've sprinkled through this and prior chapters.
I'm not going to completely spoil what's going on, as I'm confident you all can put it together, but I'll point out a couple of things.
1. Luna is not smiling because she's glad about the griffon deaths.
2. Luna knew it was not a mortal wound.
3. "The world is all a stage" Luna quotes from Shakespeare.
4. She's not evil, nor is she turning evil. Unless you consider a chess-goddess 'evil'.
She's smiling because Star succeeded. Now, whether she knows all that he actually did, or just that he succeeded (probably something that Spacey told her in vague terms that he needed to do), I don't know.
I always thought Luna would be fine. Sometimes you have to make the best of a horrible situation when you're a leader, and this is one of those times; it doesn't mean she's going nuts. Celestia though... Well... Alright, both of them need hugs. Lots and lots of smotheringly glompy hugs!
Luna did what was needed, in this case the needs of the many out way the needs of the few or the one.
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Well, not exactly. Sure, she's please that Star played his part well, but... there's a bigger picture here.
You had to use the wording you did, or it wouldnt have come across correctly at all. If you removed "dark" from the equation, it would sound as if Luna didnt care about the fallen at all. But with Luna's nature, being the calculated pony she is, she knew what was necessary and the smile was more of success than glee. Things are still grim, as she well knows, but she knows its a victorious battle and a step forward in the war. (This was just my interpretation.)
I would have been very surprised if you were going to have Luna go Loony on us.
I saw it as a leader doing 'what had to be done' for the good of her people. Such a position often require one to do questionable or even horrible things. Especially in such a situation.
Again, outstanding return.
I enjoy the blood-lust analogy. Because it's surprisingly apt. There is a definite addictive property to war; the feeling of adrenaline, etc...