10. The Six New Mornings - Petra
The Conversion Bureau
HUMAN
in Equestria
By Chatoyance
10. The Six New Mornings - Petra
Lime Sherbet is used with the permission by the superb author Gabriel LaVedier, from the excellent Dames Of The Tea Table, which you should read because it is wonderful.
The green unicorn mare carefully placed the arrangements of gardenias and lilacs. Rose Bush had explained that these flowers represented joy, innocence and youth. They seemed perfect to Lime for the revivification of her favorite of the statues.
The human filly stood on her hindlegs, her forelegs spread slightly, as if waiting for a hug. The wonderful smile on her stone muzzle - goodness, but these humans had such flat faces, it must make eating out of a bowl almost impossible for them - always cheered Lime as she dusted the statues.
"Today is your day, sweetie. I guess you'll be a pony by lunchtime. The princess shouldn't have to make you a new body, I expect." Lime Sherbet gave the little human another quick pass with the feather duster. She didn't want the poor thing sneezing with her first breath.
The truth was that Lime would miss the smiling human, but that only strengthened her resolve to make the remaining lithified humans as comfortable as statues could be. They were, after all, guests in the castle, and guests of the princesses always deserved to feel loved and safe. It had been three years now, since Morning Star had been brought to life, and Lime had quite gotten used to her little statue garden with each passing Hearth's Warming.
Lime always chatted with the statues, as she cleaned the Waiting Room. She spoke of her husband, a member of the Royal Guard, and of how much she adored Luna, her mistress, and how much fun she had in her company. Occasionally she slipped and related some bit of juicy and sometimes ribald gossip about the life within the castle, but then would catch herself. They were, after all, but little fillies and colts, despite the passage of the years.
"I'm off to bed, smiling one. I just know that big smile of yours will be rewarded well. I suppose I will finally meet you at dinner, which is my morning. Happy birthday, little filly!" Lime lifted her feather duster in her glowing grasp and trotted wearily to the door. It had been a long night filled with not a little rambunctious revelry, and she was very sleepy.
The top of the grey stone began to glow. A circle of light expanded, widening as it followed every bump and curve of the statue's granite hair. Where the limn of dweomer passed by, real hair was revealed, blond and curly. As the radiant division swept down the figure, more and more stone was returned to living flesh.
For a short while, Petra became aware of herself and opened her eyes to find that she was just a head, and then a head and shoulders, protruding from a base of stone. She could not breathe, for her chest and body had not been made flesh yet, but it did not bother her. Some strange magic supported a breathless life within her, and she felt perfectly at peace as she waited for the entirety of her body to be restored from lithic preservation.
Blinking, Petra saw Celestia before her, smiling at her. Standing on the stone pedestal her eyes were nearly even with the tall princess. "Hello... your majesty." Petra thought to curtsy, but decided she was too unsteady to try such a grand expression.
"Good morning, Petra." The princess of the sun became serious. "I must ask you, upon this, the calendrical eighteenth year of your existence, whether it is your wish to become one of my little ponies, and a full subject of the crown."
Petra's heart leaped within her breast. Finally, finally the wish she had desired since her first vision of the princess, and her first episode of Going Pony, and her first look - at a distance - at a real, live Equestrian was about to come true.
"Please, princess, more than anything in all of my life, I wish to become a pony and live as one of your subjects. Surely you already know this! It was the last thing I desired when you turned me to stone, and it is the first thing in my heart now that I again breathe!" Petra felt her hands sweating from excitement, and her heart seemed as if it would burst from her chest and begin dancing about the room.
Princess Celestia backed away. "It is required that you ask transformation of me, whatever I already know to be true. Step down, Petra, I think it will be easier for you on the floor than on that pedestal."
Petra carefully climbed down from the base where she had stood for the past five years. "Should I stand, or sit, princess?"
"I advise you to lay down entirely, not every newfoal is instantly at ease with their new legs." The princess smiled in recollection. "Though there have been a few..."
"Princess?" Petra lay on her belly on the polished marble, quivering at the thought of her dream finally being realized.
"Yes, my litt... Petra?"
"Will... will I have a Conversion Dream? Like the newfoals did back in the days of the bureaus?" Petra remembered much talk about the subject and had spend many hours daydreaming of going to a Conversion Bureau, waiting for her turn, drinking purple nanofluid, and having that most magical of communions.
Celestia gently shook her head. "I am sorry, Petra, but events will not play out as you imagine, I think. The days of the Bureaus are long gone, and with them the little rituals and experiences that the newfoals of that time held dear."
The look on Petra's face was carefully hidden disappointment, but Celestia had known a thousand years of courtly suppression of emotion.
"Take heart, Petra, for rather than chatting with me inside of a dream, you stand now beside me, and I am attending to your conversion myself. Am I somehow better at a distance?" The wry and chiding tone matched the expression on the solar diarch's muzzle.
Petra felt embarrassed. "Oh! No, your majesty... oh, I didn't mean anything of the sort, it's merely that I have been dreaming and hoping so much that I had this picture in my mind that..."
Celestia stepped forward and bent her neck down to nuzzle the prostrate child. "It's quite alright, shhhh.... I am used to teasing japes from endless years of courtly life." Petra had fallen silent with the first touch, and had grown content again. "Are you ready to become a pony now?"
"Oh yes, please, princess."
"Do you have a preference as to which sort of pony you would like to be?" Celestia stood back again, and her horn began to glow with golden light.
Petra startled. "I... I get to choose? I thought newfoals never got to choose!"
"Only because of circumstances and necessity, Petra. This situation is different - and besides, I suppose I have to make up for denying you a conversion dream, do I not?"
This time, Petra laughed. "Oh, my... whatever pony do I want to be? An earthpony, like Rose Vale? A pegasus like Sunshine Laughter? A unicorn like Snowflower? I never could decide! Oh, dear... I'm sorry, princess! Oh goodness... an earthpony is strong and can make things grow, but unicorns can do magic and pegasai can fly and... I can't think, it's all so wonderful and each is important and ever so amazing to be and...
Celestia laughed. "Would it be easier to let me choose for you?"
Petra sagged with relief. "Would you, please? I honestly can't decide. I would be happy to be any sort of pony at all. Each is so very special in their own way."
"I agree with you entirely on that point, Petra. I love all of my little ponies." Celestia's horn blazed with light. "I shall begin. Just relax and let the transformation happen. You may even find it almost as enjoyable as dreaming about it!"
Petra began to giggle at that when she suddenly stopped, transfixed by wonder and sensation.
Her body was covered in golden light. The radiance sparkled and shimmered, an auric aurora that played across every curve and contour of her body. Petra held her hand up to her face, and marveled as her fingers streamed golden arcanum like five magical torches.
A curious and beautiful sound, like distant chimes, filled her senses. As Petra lay on the floor, she felt her body become light, and begin to change. Her forearms began to shrink as her hands grew long and turned into pony cannons. Her neck thickened and extended. Petra's view altered as her head grew further from her shoulders.
Filled with astonishment, Petra watched her fingers melt into each other until only her middle fingers remained. These became large, and the nails thickened and expanded to become forehooves of palest tan. This was better than a conversion dream, Petra thought, she was getting to experience her own transformation as it happened. Not a few newfoals had wanted to witness such a thing, and she was reveling in it even now.
Petra curved her extending neck and body to better observe her shifting hindquarters. Somewhere in the process, her clothing had drifted away from her like some vaporous mist, doubtless streamed into the aether by Celestia's golden light. Her body was covered with a shining coat of pale tan, almost golden, the color of Croissants and breakfast tea. In a brief moment of giddiness, Petra thought she looked delicious!
As she watched, her thighs flattened and shortened greatly, pulling close to her narrowing body. Her knees drew near, as her bare feet stretched and elongated to become cannons just as the backs of her hands had done. Her heels became hocks, and her toes merged to become hooves. All the components were the same, between human and Equestrian, they were merely reproportioned for the most part.
Petra felt something shoot out of the back of her neck and the top of her head - her withers and poll. From the base of her... tail, 'oh my goodness', she thought to herself, 'I have a little tail! It looks ever so naked, like a little rattie, but look!' And so it was that what shot forth from her rear, and her withers and poll, was the hair of her mane and hair to cover her bare tail.
The strands were soft and shone like spun gold. 'Oh.' Petra was mildly disappointed by this. She had been blond her entire life and had been curious what it would be like to be some other color, perhaps a bright and lovely rainbow shade. It seemed anticlimactic to start as a blond human and end as a blond pony.
"Is there a problem, my little pony?" Celestia was concentrating fiercely, but she had apparently noticed the change of expression on Petra's newly forming muzzle.
"Oh no!" Petra started to say how wonderful everything was, but then stopped. "Actually, I almost wish - not to be greedy or selfish but I suppose I am being so - that I could have been more colorful. I was blond and pale as a human, and it just seems so similar to be blond and pale as a pony too." Suddenly, Petra felt very ashamed for having blurted her feelings out. It seemed the worst sort of ingratitude to complain about such a silly thing in the middle of being personally transmogrified by the princess of all Equestria. Petra hung her head in shame.
"I thought your golden hair was pretty. I imagined you would wish to keep it. Changing color is nothing at all. There are parlors in Canterlot with clever unicorns that specialize in changing the color of mane and tail and coat as well. But, while we are here, did you have a specific look you desired, madam customer?"
Petra giggled through her new mouth and then spent a few seconds playing with her longer tongue and transformed jaw. "Um... my favorite color is red. If..." Instantly her golden mane and tail became bright, shimmering crimson, red as strawberries in the sun. "Oh, my!"
"I have made your irises red too. They look like rubies. I hope this is to your liking, madam?" The wry smile on Celestia's face made Petra laugh.
"Oh, I think this shall do nicely. Such lovely work you do. I shall be certain to recommend your excellent establishment to all of my most fashionable friends!" Petra put on her best high-and-mighty voice, pretending to be one of the sniffier clients at a beauty parlor.
This made the princess laugh, despite still being lost in concentration.
"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Petra began squirming on the floor.
"Please, try to remain still. I suppose it feels a bit strange. I am finishing up with your internal organs." Celestia's horn pulsed and sparkled, as if it were some kind of optical device reading vast quantities of data.
Petra did her best to remain in place and lay still. She was not in any pain, but the sensations within her barrel and hindquarters were very strange and slightly disturbing. It felt as if slick, buttered bits of cooked squash were undergoing seasonal migration within the sack of her body. "I'm sorry, princess." Squishy things moved in her chest, and down through her belly. "Oh... my goodness. Oh!"
"Hmmm... I will need to adjust for that with the other children. You seem unusually aware of your internal organs. I apologize for any discomfort." The look of concentration on Celestia's face intensified. "Almost done. Just finishing your reproductive organs. You might want to have foals someday."
Petra, as she played at twitching her new ears, recalled some of the things her father had been so obsessed with. "Princess, my father was very concerned with reproduction. He seemed to feel that the humans in the Masada could not have foals any more." Petra found it fascinating how she had phrased her question. Was she already starting to think like a pony? The thought made her heart race again in delight.
"Mmm... yes. I cancelled their reproductive option." Celestia seemed to be focusing on something deep inside of Petra's pony body. Petra felt nothing happening, but that might be because the princess had applied some means to prevent her feeling the changes inside her, in order to spare her any more oddness. "One of the pigs they killed described to me the way they had murdered it. Apparently they are using iron to make guns, and storing them in an underground armory. It appears they've been at this almost since the day they took possession of their little fortress. They've been training some of the diamond dogs to use the guns. It is blatantly in violation of the Covenant."
"No! That... that's horrible!" Petra was both shocked and ashamed for her parents and the other humans in the Masada.
"Oh... I'm sorry I said anything. I know you had nothing to do with any of that. Besides, you're my little pony now." The golden glow was gone. Petra stretched and wriggled her new, completed body. She giggled at the feel of her coat sliding smoothly on the marble, and the easy power of her four strong legs.
"I'm... I'm an earthpony, aren't I?" Petra set her right forehoof firmly on the floor and felt something flow out of her into the marble, spreading through it. She could sense her own weight on the floor from within the substance of it, and she could feel the striations of the marble in three dimensions below her and around her. "Goodness." It was an astonishing feeling.
Her body felt strong, incredibly strong. She was briefly worried that she might press her hoof right through the marble, breaking it. Petra lifted her forehoof carefully, then let it rest gently. "I'm... just like Rose Vale from my holoshow. Or... Or like Plantain! I'm just like Plantain! How wonderful! We could be sisters now!"
"If you want. I'm sure my mother would adore you. But she'd want you to social climb in Canterlot." Plantain's voice was unmistakable.
Celestia smiled and nodded towards the door. "You can come in now, Petra is complete, and I am finished."
Plantain and Morning Star needed no further invitation. They cantered through the door and pounced on Petra. "Oh, Petra, I've missed you so much!" Petra found herself being nuzzled and hugged tightly by Plantain. Petra did her best to return the hug, using her neck as ponies did.
"Plantain... dearest Plantain... it's been five long years for you hasn't it? It must have been, if I am eighteen now. For me, it was just moments ago that I was turned to stone. It's all so very strange." Petra held her pony friend tightly. "Although it would seem impossible, I have missed you too, if only for the last few minutes, and I am so very glad you are here now."
The two friends held each other tightly, necks entwined, pressing their bodies into each other.
"How do you feel, Petra?" Morning Star lay down carefully, close, but unsure how Petra might react to her.
Petra looked at the pale violet pegasus with the ivory mane. "You're... you're Seraphina, are you not?"
The pegasus filly nodded. "My name is Morning Star now. The princess named me. I am very glad to see you alive again." Morning pawed the marble with her forehooves.
"Silly! Come here so that I may properly hug you!" Morning Star practically leaped into contact with Petra, and the two embraced, neck over neck, legs entwined, with Plantain mixed into it all, somehow.
Petra was part of a tangle of tan, chestnut, and violet warmth and she couldn't help but sigh. She relaxed into the swirl of touch and scent, and closed her shining, new eyes. "I... I couldn't do this before."
"I know, I know." Morning Star rubbed her poll against the heads of the other two ponies. "Class and rank and position."
"Overfamiliarity will not be tolerated in proper ladies! Distance and decorum!" Petra spoke with exaggerated pomposity.
"That sounds like my charm teacher!" Morning Star giggled at Petra's impersonation. "I didn't know you could do voices."
"I don't know anything about you, either." Petra felt as if she had melted into a pool of pony. "Let's change that, alright?"
"Let's!" Morning Star laughed again, and the three happy fillies nuzzled each other once more.
"I would not wish to interrupt such a joyous reunion, but I have many duties to fulfill." The three fillies looked up at the princess, standing above them. "There is now the matter of showing you to your room in the castle, and explaining your options with regard to new parents." Celestia thought for a moment. "And, there is the matter of names. Do you have a new name in mind for your new life? Morning Star seemed very adamant that I should offer to name you as well. I extend that possibility, but I hasten to add there is no rush."
"Do you have a name picked out? If you don't, you should let Celestia name you. She's wonderful at it, and terribly clever." The violet pegasus seemed very intent. "My old name meant a sort of angel, which was kind of prophetic because I died, but my new name is associated with Phoenixes - did you know Celestia has a pet Phoenix? She does! Anyway, it was my very first morning as a pony, it was morning when she named me, I'm a pegasus, and a lot of pegasai all together is called a 'Constellation', and I was resurrected from being dead, so I'm 'Morning Star'!"
"Wow." The little tan and crimson earthpony nodded. "That is very clever indeed. I would like a new name. I never really liked 'Petra', it always made me sound like some stiff, upperclass filly, all hard and cold. I am not at all like that, I promise!" To prove the point, she hugged Plantain and Morning Star again.
Finally, raising her head, she looked toward the princess. "Very well. If you are of a mind to do so, I should very much like a name. If it would not be a bother, of course, my princess."
The diarch of the sun laughed. "You are always so very proper, I must say. If you were to choose to live in Canterlot, you would be a natural among the court. But that is not what I see when I look at you. From what Plantain and Morning Star have told me, you were a natural leader among the children, and always worked to keep them together, and safe. We are of a similar spirit in that, as you were with them, so I am with all of my little ponies.
"Then be it known that both with regard to your lovely mane - you simply must tell me who does your hair - " The princess winked at that, and caused the little earthpony to giggle in return. " and with regard to the language of flowers, I name thee Crimson Beauty!"
Crimson Beauty's muzzle dropped open, then closed. "T-Thank you, my princess."
"Oh my." Morning Star nodded, impressed.
"What? I don't know this flower stuff!" Plantain was eager to get the joke, if there was one.
"Princess Celestia really knows old earth." Crimson Beauty looked at Morning Star. "You're right, she is clever. But I don't deserve that."
"I don't understand." Plantain looked from Morning to Crimson and back again.
"The meaning of the Crimson Beauty flower is that... the princess is saying that their souls are united. It's a great compliment." Morning Star gave Crimson a little nudge with her nose. "I guess you really did kind of mother us out there. I'm sorry I didn't understand it at the time."
"I'm just glad we're all here." Crimson Beauty looked around the room at the four remaining statues. Milo. Asher. Oliver and Isla. "Let's be here for them, just like you were here for me. Can we do that?"
"I doubt I could prevent it!" Celestia affected mock annoyance.
When the three ponies had finished giggling, and Crimson had been helped to her hooves, and walked about a bit supported by her two friends - and they were her friends, both of them, she realized - Celestia announced it was time to show her to a room, and they could talk and play until dinner. The details of the future could wait. They would have to, with three excited, giggly fillies so overjoyed at simply being together - and simply being.
Lime Sherbet trotted along the hallway, her horn glowing with pale emerald light. Before her, in her telekinetic grasp, was tea and biscuits. The little cakes were arranged very prettily upon a lovely milky-porcelain plate with edges that looked like they were woven into the most marvelous and delicate pattern. The plate, cups and teapot sat on a wide silver tray, with nice fresh daisies surrounding everything.
Carefully holding the tray and it's contents with her hornfield, Lime generated a second field and applied it to the door, knocking upon it with hardened magic. Behind the door, the giggles and voices stopped, and the sound of hooves approaching could be heard.
"Hello!" The red-haired earthpony filly grinned up at Lime.
"Hello, my dears. I thought you three might like a little tea and flowers, and little cakes too. It's my shift, and I noticed you were still up."
"Tea and cakes and flowers?" Plantain and Morning Star seemed very excited at the prospect. "Please come in!"
Lime Sherbet entered the room, and set the tray down on the low table in front of the canopy bed. The three fillies had been up since morning, and now it was just past moonrise. Lime had taken care of her mistress and was making her rounds. She had heard the giggling fillies on the way to the kitchens, so bringing them a treat just seemed the delightful thing to do.
"Won't you join us?" Crimson Beauty eyed the delicious looking tray with the ever-present hunger of youth.
"Oh, no. Thank you for asking. I have many things to do tonight. There's going to be a banquet brunch tomorrow for some dragons from Leviathania, and I have to get all the details just so. I did want to meet you, miss Beauty. Welcome to Canterlot castle, and, I dare say, to life as well!"
"You know my name?" Crimson Beauty looked at her two friends, surprised at the revelation.
"I make it my business to know all the names of every guest of the princesses. I'm Lime Sherbet, the head of the Royal Maids and Mare In Waiting To Princess Luna. If you have any troubles - not that you would have any troubles, this being Canterlot and all - just ask for me, and everything will be peaches and cream in no time at all."
"Mmnn... I like peaches!" Plantain was enjoying one of the little cakes. She was enjoying it very much.
"And cream! Especially sweet cream. Although sour can be nice too, with the right thing." Morning Star sipped a cup of tea and sighed. "This is lovely, Lime! Thank you ever so much!"
"This was completely kind. Thank you for the wonderful treat. I thought dinner had entirely filled me to bursting, but now... I feel hungry again!" Crimson Beauty took a mouthful of daisies and smiled happily as she chewed, savoring the delicate, delicious flavor.
"Ah... youth. I used to eat like that. Enjoy it now, fillies. Not that a little plumpness isn't appreciated, of course." Lime was going to say more, but held her tongue. The giggling of the three enjoying their tea suggested she didn't need to say more.
"I need to return to my duties, now. I wish you only the happiest in life, miss Beauty. And the same for the naughty lot of you!" This provoked more giggles - it was late and they were a giggly bunch - so Lime took her leave.
"Oh, she seems very nice!" Crimson struggled with her teacup and the teapot. She was still learning how to use her new body.
"Allow me?" Morning Star poured the newly transformed earthpony some tea and showed her the best way to grip the little cup, between the fetlocks, right in the little dip between the bones.
"I... I feel kind of overwhelmed now. Almost like crying, only... I don't know why." Crimson sipped her tea and sniffed.
"I felt the same way. It's relief, I think. It's having all the pain stop. It's having a shining clean mind with no evil in it. It's these wonderful bodies, no doubt. But I think mostly it's just relief. We made it. We survived, and we got to be ponies and... we just plain made it."
The tears on Crimson Beauty's cheeks agreed with Morning Star's analysis. "I... yes. Yes." Crimson carefully concentrated on using her fetlocks correctly and took another sip of tea. It was just delicious, and it went well with flowers or cake. Finally, Crimson found her voice once more. "You were telling me about your parents, Morning?"
"Yes, we live in Cirrusglen, just outside and above Canterlot city. You can see it to the north, up high. It's kind of a movable suburb, really. About two hundred cloud homes, and a cloud park. It's only been moved once while I've lived there, to make room for this really huge airship called the Golden Harmony. My parents are named Windshear and Spindrift, and they've been married for... oh, gosh, about eighty years. They've always wanted kids, but their careers were constantly in the way. Royal Guards, you know. They're established now, so they have lots of free time. Best two dads a filly could ever have!"
Morning Star practically shone like her empyrean namesake. She was clearly a very happy filly.
"Oh, I suppose I will have new parents myself, won't I?" Crimson Beauty stared at her tea. Her old life was gone. In most ways that was wonderful. But a part of her heart had hoped that her mother and father might have been there, when she was brought back to life.
"I'm sorry, Crimson." Morning Star had instantly understood the change in demeanor in her friend.
"I meant what I said about my mom." Plantain put a hoof around Crimson. "You will always have a home with us. I asked my mom about it, actually. She's practically been demanding I drag you home. I just... I just figure that a banana plantation would not be your first choice, you know? You could have... anypony. You could live in fancy circumstances."
Crimson Beauty lay her head over Plantain's withers. "I have lived in fancy circumstances, Plantain. I've lived in nothing but fancy circumstances." For a short while, she was silent. "If I were to come live as your sister, would I be required to help out with the bananas, get very, very dirty, run about all over the fields in the sun, and watch out for hoards of bunnies running everywhere?"
Plantain looked down, ashamed of her somewhat humble home. "Yeah. Plus we're so far out we don't have dung service, so we have to run the cart ourselves. And I can't get the bunnies to dance anymore. The spiders have moved out, though. They finally got their own plantation."
"I absolutely adore bananas, dearest sister."
That made Plantain smile, and a tear come to her eye.
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Alright, I'll bite. What's your take on Saddle Arabia?
2894625
I don't have one. I was just using something from the show that has been referenced twice at least as a nation or tribe or group that Celestia apparently makes treaties with. Hmmm... you know... that just plain sucks. Saddle Arabia. It's dumb. I don't like it. Fuck the MLP:FIM staff writers. If they can't be bothered to even make the slightest effort to worldbuild better than that... you know what? Screw them.
I'm changing it. To what, though? Who would Celestia have to negotiate with that would make sense?
Dragons, certainly. They are always pulling stuff.
Griffons, maybe. Possibly.
Diamond Dogs? Not likely.
Dragons seem most likely. But a banquet brunch for Dragons? Well, why not? Put some plates of gems out, some pony food too, no meat... it could work. OK, dragons it is.
Yeah, Saddle Arabia is dumb.
I'm gonna honor my friend Midnight with dragons from Leviathania! Huzzah!
2894637
I like opportunities for headcanon. I always saw Saddle Arabia as a land far to the east where the sun first rises. Although Celestia handles their sun the same way, she does not govern there, simply for practical reasons. So while in Ponyville, the mayor is mostly a figurehead who cuts ribbons and runs events, the sultans in Saddle Arabia have to handle day to day arbitration "in the name of the princess." And every so often, Celestia must meet with them to ensure that people still trust her representatives, and that they are using their authority faithfully and not seeking power or wealth for themselves.
Anyway, in this chapter, "breath" needs to be "breathe" everywhere except for "...sneeze with her first breath" and "...supported a breathless life."
2894637 My personal take on things kind of hinges on a slightly different mechanic for intelligent animals in Equestria. Allow me to indulge in some head-canon.
Ponies, Earth Ponies in particular, have the tendency to domesticate and grant intelligence to many animals.
My take is that donkeys, cows, sheep and the like are all Uplifted Animals. Saddle Arabians are uplifted horses, and uplifted animals sometimes set up their own communes. It's kind of awkward spending time with the folks that knew you back when you thought rolling in the mud was as high cultured as you could get.
2894653
FIXED. Sigh. Thank you!
2894657
Now that is intriguing.
Earthponies can, in my stories at least, initiate growth and development with their special powers. They can reach into the soil, and find all the living things there. They can assist unicorn medics by closing wounds and causing other injuries to heal through induced cell division.
What if, taken to an extreme, earthponies could go bonzai on any living thing? Change living things. Mutate them. Sculpt them. Uplift an animal by affecting how its brain works.
That is an interesting notion. I don't know if I will use that, but... maybe I will. It's intriguing, anyway. There are stories in that concept, of that I am certain.
2894688 Background Pony!
If Twilight can turn an apple into an orange...
I really like this chapter. I liked how the three friends got together. I also liked how Celestia joked with Crimson, and how you use flowers in the story. The transformation was really neat, too. But what I liked best was how the three became friends.
2893457
Before looking it up, I thought "huh, that spells out the English word 'change', slightly interesting" and then I do five seconds research and realize "OH! Chinese moon goddess. That makes a lot more sense!!"
Guess the rabbit's still up there making immortality-flavored rice treats... oops, I think I mixed two moon rabbit myths...
A constellation of pegasi. Hee. Anything for the other two?
Is the Golden Harmony in the same class as the Great Harmony?
Crimson's moment with the marble led me down some interesting thoughts on earth ponies, which I'll share when I have a few moments to get them in order. The short version is: earth pony powers are crazy awesome! I think I like them best now.
So a group of pegasus ponies is called a constellation? Any ideas for unicorns and earth ponies? I always found "herd" a little drab.
Hokay, practical applications of earth pony sense abilities. The first thought that came to mind was: they'd be the best at Minecraft. On top of their farming and physical power, they can sense caves and types of ores. Hey, wait a minute. I bet Rarity's gem spell (or ones like it) were first created to mimic earth pony abilities! And I bet AJ's and Mac's skill at apple bucking is less about sheer physical strength, and more about feeling exactly where and how hard to hit. What else can earth ponies do?
Well, they'd be the best darn craftsponies around. While they may not have the ability to do the same level of fine detail work that unicorns (and pegasi?) can, they'd be experts at getting the most out of the materials. A master blacksmith could feel the grain pattern in the metal, and get the perfect balance of physical properties for whatever piece he's working. A master carpenter could find the perfect beam for a construction job, which looks too thin to carry the load, but is actually much stronger than it needs to be. A master mason could sense the loading, deformation, and flaws in a stone structure, and ensure that it would last for a very long time. A cartwright could just feel for problems in a wheel or axle. Heck, a repair-pony might be able to figure out what's wrong with your mechanical contraption just by putting a hoof on it!
Mapping, surveying, stuff like that? Sure, pegasi can do it faster from the air, but earth ponies can do better detail work on anything you can't see from the air. Safety inspections? Same thing. They're not all stuck on the farms, here. Add in their strength and endurance, team them up with unicorns and pegasi with similar talents, and no matter what they're doing, you've got an excellent thing going.
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There is world building for us, and there is penning a show for eight year old children... The writers most likely cannot truly elaborate on the 'world' as it would dilute the setting of Equestria, which is the setting for the toys and Hasbro is first and foremost a toy company.
On the subject of entreating with foreign powers; in general, it was pointed out by Lauren that Equestria is a kingdom in a vast world - leaving open the possibility of pretty much anything the fans can imagine, which pleases me. This somewhat states that there are, indeed, other lands and other kingdoms much like the Crystal Empire, ruled over by others such as Cadance (or myself, for my own works). This does leave a bit of a power-curve issue to contend with, and for myself I posit that the reason Celestia and Luna are so much more than the others such as Cadance and Twilight - able to move the very heavens above - is by way of the Elements of Harmony.
Once again Lauren gave us a hint to the function of the world when she stated that, prior to the whole "Nightmare" debacle, Celestia held three of the Elements and that Luna held the other three - and eventually Celestia managed to wield all six to put an end to the conflict. Given that a pony who embodies one element is essentially an Equestrian superhero, to embody three at once would be pretty amazing - but all six? I surmise that Celestia is a literal demigod based on this - that a single pony could embody all six elements in such a fashion (to achieve such a state of Zen as to truly be one with Harmony) is what granted her such amazing power. Fortunately her power is so vast that there is no way of holding it over another... To, say, withhold the sun from an aggressor would cast the world into such chaos as to render the very idea untenable.
Thus ends my critical over-analysis of a cartoon full of talking particolored equines. ;)
All of this aside, I do enjoy the adventures in Catoyance's view of things. I like that, here, there is a truly deified Celestia benevolently ruling over a literal plane of Harmony populated by ponies. And I am very pleased at how things turned out for Petra.
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Injector Doe makes the Minecraft reference already, exactly thus. ;)
Not surprising in the least.
Morning Star is also associated with an angel, kinda...
Because that would be AWESOME!
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Hm... I wouldn't be so sure if we can throw distaste towards this particular land. Its very real counterpart and the rest of the middle east was pretty much a cradle for the largest civilization and culture on earth.
Anyway, I really enjoy this story. Younger kids I think would appreciate this better though. Its more gentle then the other stories that you have written.
I bet Crimson only accepted because the spiders had left the plantation. Hail to for the spider kingdom!
Haha, but really, this was a cute chapter. Thank you. So Plantain went back to work at her mother's plantation and they worked their problems out? That's good.
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I am totally going to steal that! That's a freaking awesome idea. I have my own head-canon for what earthponies are capable of, but that's actually scarily awesome an idea.
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Hahaa, yeah, being required to get dirty and work for a living... shock and horror, amirite?
The idea that the humans are making guns, and trying to build their own little army, doesn't surprise me in the least. Humans, for better or worse, have always been very, very clever at picking holes in agreements and getting out of tight spots. They'd doubtless not be able to pull the triggers themselves, but they can order something else to do it... after all, both could claim to just be following orders, and not really carrying them out.
As for the rest of this chapter though, it was a little too twee for my taste, a tad too much saccharine. Nothing really happened to the architect of this whole debacle-turned-triumph other than she got what she desired. Which is fine and dandy, but doesn't make good narrative. Then again, other than her rebellious nature and nascent leadership abilities (which I perversely hope we see more of), we didn't really get to see her shine, which is a pity.
The far more interesting (after the fact, at least) characters to me are Asher and Oliver - the latter because of his internal conflicts which have already been hinted at, but which haven't been discussed other than an anecdote, and the former because he's an enigma.
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*check's Chat's status*
I don't suppose you know anything that we don't? (Yes, I've seen Regidar's post on the topic. Given comments here, that seems bass-ackwards.)
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I... have no idea what you're talking about
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Up too early, sarcasm detector not working. "Banned" ring any bells?
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I have literally only just seen that. I guess it'll be over in twenty four hours.
I also have no idea, nor do I care, what that douche regidar has posted. The try-hard creeper has never had and likely never will have anything useful to say.
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Regidar's rumor factory said she was part of a crackdown on sock-puppet upvoting (?!), and comments from an actual mod sounded like at least one of the members involved would not be returning under any name.
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Well given that during my time as a mod, I have seen far worse "crimes" result in little more than a slap on the wrist, I'm fully expecting it to be a time-limited ban, as long as she promises not to do whatever she did again, because that's pretty much what seems to happen and I can't see why she'd be treated any worse than anyone else.
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), I guess we'll just wait and see. I've left a message for Chat elsewhere, and if there's any news that she wants shared, I'll share it.
Well, if I can get the Paranoid Parrot in my head to shut up for five minutes (
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This is probably why she's doing Petra's/Crimson's story second, so that the more important ones are nearer the end, where we'll remember them better.
As far as I know, the most memorable parts of any whole are the beginning and the end, with the middle being least remembered. That's why they taught us in school to put our best arguments in an essay just after the introduction and just before the conclusion.
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I only have distaste for the pun - Saddle Arabia. I know, I know. Manehattan. But sometimes, some silly names are just too much, even for me.
This story was intended to be more childlike. I am trying to emulate the classic English Children's Story, good for children and adults too.
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Zontargs - Just clearing things up.
Chatoyance wasn't part of any upvoting sock-puppet thing, she didn't even know about it. The perpetrator of that was actually innocent of any attempt at guile - I should know .... it was me. Yep, I confess. I only wanted to help encourage my beloved mate, to help her feel better. Chat was getting down-voted by some folk who vote everything she writes down, whether they even read it or not - just on an automatic principle based on personal dislike.
Okay, the thing is (and some of you know this about me from previous texts) - I have mental health issues. I take medication for it, go to a therapist, and otherwise do my best to live a relatively normal life - but over the years there have been other medical incidents that have only acerbated the problems.
I didn't realize that what I was doing was wrong, or going to cause any mess or trouble. When Chat found out about it, she gave me quite the stern lecture. We contacted a Moderator, we even set up a Skype chat. That way he was able to see both Chat and I together - verifying my identity as separate and independent of Chat. The fact that we both have the same IP Address (we live together) made the Mods think that it was Chat perpetrating the wrong doing.
Once I understood that what I had done was "bad"/"wrong"/a problem - I immediately apologized for it, and have sworn to never do it again.
If there's anyway to get this info to the gossip mill, especially to those blaming Chat - feel free to pass it along. I'm writing in response to you here, to help clear her name and reputation.
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Ah. One of the discussion threads wondered if it had to do with shared internet connections, and given Chat's stated opinions on voting, I didn't think it was something she'd take the time to do. I'll share the information around. Thanks for clearing that up, and for trying to help.
Ugh. I cannot believe I forgot to favorite this.
Oh well, at least I managed to do so before it ended, even if we are in the denouement.
I'm seeing some parallels between Six New Mornings and Friendship is Optimal. Designing the bodies, giving consent, Celestia naming them... I may be reading too much into it, but it's an interesting connection.
It took the decades of childhood to drive the point home for me, but your ponies are basically equine elves. Long-lived caretakers of nature, living almost a century before maturing, gifted with magic...
And now I can't help but think of Galadriel using the Royal Canterlot Voice.
On a more critical note, you kind of glossed over the whole "Celestia turning off the humans' gonads" thing. It feels rather draconian. Yes, the adults violated their contract the second they arrived in Equestria, but the other children were no more responsible for that than Petra. I hope you come back to that at a later point. Maybe have Luna call out her sister again.
Additionally, I'm surprised you're okay with Discord's reformation. I figured you'd be a lot more upset about the Lovecraftian avatar of insanity capitulating to a quartet of thrown ice skates.
In any case, looking forward to more, especially now that I'll be notified about it.
I look forward to seeing who's next on the list... Isla? Oliver? I'd bet my next paycheck Asher will be last or next to last, and he's one of the ones I'm most excited for.
Also, Chat? I'll be pm'ing you a request in the morning before I leave for work pertaining to this fic, dependent on if you have an epilogue planned or not...
So royal ponification looks like a Welsh-series Time Lord regenerating? Awesome.
2895060>>2895043 I think a group of earth ponies would just be called a herd. It might be dull, but it's also simple and straight to the point, and I feel like they'd appreciate that.
Obviously a group of alicorns is called a majesty.
A group of thestrals/batponies/tulpar/whatever Luna's guards are called today is called a cloud, or possibly a storm if they're displeased. (Hey, the pegasi took "constellation"...)
A group of crystal ponies is called an array.
A group of sea ponies is called a relief. This has led to one or two jokes which nearly every sea pony to meet a land dweller already knows.
In the best of all possible worlds a group of unicorns would invariably be referred to as a university. In less formal or more ephemeral circumstances, though, a small group can be called a lecture.
Hm, I wonder if this will explore how Plantain was able to get her dancing bunnies and spiders back to rejoin the Happy Pony Show? Since given the amount of time that passed at the end of Reasonably Adamant, we know that she did. Very excited to see more of her, and it's great to see things going well between her and Crimson :)
If the Princess knows from the pigs that the humans slaughter pigs and chickens, and make weapons, ¿would not be their duty to rescue the pigs and chickens, remove the weapons, and punish the humans?, rather than simply sterilizing the humans and waiting for them all to die from old age. If I would be a pig and discovered that the Princesses let pigs suffer, I would be pissed. I can imagine pigpicketters carrying signs saying:
“¡All hoofed animals are equal, but some hoofed animals such as ponies are more equal than other hoofed animals like pigs!”
it would be AnimalFarm in reverse.
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> pigckitters
You are a gentleman and a scholar.
This WHOLE STORY MADE ME CRY AND IM NIT EVEN DONE.
ITS 4:00 RIGHT NOW THATS HOW LONG I READ THIS
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Thank you, very much SaphireHoyt, for reading my story! I am very happy that it moved you - I felt very strong emotions myself, when I wrote it.
You might be interested to know that Crimson Beauty (Petra) is featured in two other stories of mine. She returns as a primary character in Adrift Off Fiddler's Green, which is the very last, very final Conversion Bureau story - the book that ends the entire saga. Petra also appears within a chapter of Going Pony. Oh! She also appears in one chapter of Little Blue Cat as well! Goodness, I guess I referenced her life quite a few times in my books!
That is a thing, by the way, within my Bureau stories - all the characters appear in many other books, which together all interconnect and overlap with each other to form a self-consistent future history. I tried to make all of my Bureau stories work together as if they had really... or will really... happen someday.
In any case, thank you very much for reading this story!
lib.ru/CARROLL/c006.gif
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Ha! Excellent!
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There was little question (and this question triggered me to re-read whole saga. Still works like first time!) about timeline of events. Was this little 'reproductive ban' (or was it mostly 'just' slow-down..?) for adult members of Good Families actually created much before events we saw in first chapter? If whole story of human's acts was known since they started to eat pigs and secretly training their own little army out of diamond dogs (shorty after they settled in Equestria?) - then Celestia must known about it and acted on it, but was it considered unfair play by humans? Or they only recognized this fact too late, after Petra and others escaped? Point your reader was trying to find - was Celestia just breaking her own word by (limiting/pausing/removing) human reproductive ability non-formally (from their reaction one can guess THIS was not part of agreement as they developed it!), or it was done with some other reason? Another possibility here is Author Error, but may be it was not so much error as sentence or two not written into final story?
src: https://darkpony.space/hie-tcbs-10/ (see comments).
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Celestia would have voided their reproductive ability the moment she received the reports of the discorporated pigs via Luna (who handles the dead). The humans would have taken some time to gradually become aware that anything had changed - which is why we see Stephan concerned and unsure about the matter in the story. The killing of the pigs would have been a direct violation of the terms of the Covenant, and as such, would legally permit her to take action in accordance with the appropriate sections involving containment and limitation of rogue human elements - which in this case, would then be the entire adult population of the Masada.
This was why there was so much anger with the woman that had ordered the diamond dogs to kill the pigs with guns - she did not believe in souls in Equestria, and she wanted bacon now, and she did not want to obey Stephan Bettencourt's rules. She had the pigs shot without having them blindfolded - they could see what happened, and who did it. And that gave away the entire rebellion within the Masada to Celestia, which allowed her to know the Covenant had been breached. It's all in the story.
Celestia must, in my stories, embody the strict letter of the Law. She could not take action unless the Covenant had been breeched by the humans, and she could only take those actions permitted within the Covenant. But, if the entire adult population was involved, then she could take action against the entire population, according to the rules laid out for rogue individuals.
It's all in there, complete with bitching from the characters about who did what and what the result was.
I loved the picture at the top of the page. It was a lovely reunion.