"So, we heard you had a bit of an adventure yesterday?"
Rochelle, sitting with Nuisance in her lap alongside Candy Floss, was riding in a carriage with Luna and Celestia. While not strictly necessary, since everyone concerned could fly, it was nice to ride in style. The fact that Rochelle had decided that today, she wasn't going to wear a disguise had surprised all parties involves, and turned a few heads on the way down, the changeling had decided to stop hiding. Hiding now felt like she'd be letting whoever had done this win...
With a sigh, Rochelle answered Luna's question, saying, "Well, it wasn't really an adventure. Just some idiot thinking that an ingestible poison would actually hurt changelings. I mean, if it was a liquid, it could have done some damage, but solids just end up in the stomach pouch for storage, and since changelings don't have saliva, it wouldn't have ignited like it would have in Candy's mouth." Rolling her eyes, she said, "I swear, it was if they were intentionally trying to get a pony, and not a changeling, hurt..."
Luna and Celestia both flinched noticeably. Rochelle would have raised an eyebrow in surprise, if she had been in disguise. Putting two and two together, the changeling said, "That was what they were trying for, wasn't it?"
After a moment, Celestia admitted, "Either that, or it was indeed gross incompetence on their part: While a new law is being prepared to be implemented in the next few weeks that would ensure the rights of changelings across Equestria, that law is not popular, and if the public outcry against it were to become too great..."
Nodding, Rochelle said, "I get you. And if a pony like Candy was suddenly and inexplicably harmed while in a room full of changelings, then there would be more than a few ponies who'd be saying, 'There you go, proof that changelings are evil and can't be trusted.' And then all the work done by changelings like Ling and Mole Cricket would be undone in less than a day."
After a moment, Luna nodded and said, "Exactly. I think that you may have the right idea, by going out in the open without a disguise. We will have to ask the other changelings in the city if they'd be willing to do the same: Once it has been revealed that there is a sizable changeling presence in the city, and that those changelings have been living in peace with ponies for an entire year, that may help in smoothing things over a great deal."
Candy chuckled, then said, "Well, I'm still surprised that there's an actual law going into effect about changelings in general."
With a long, sorrowful sigh, Celestia admitted, "It has proven necessary to reaffirm one of the founding principles of Equestria: Equality for all, regardless of race or species. There are those who discovered that, since changelings are ignorant of the laws and regulations of other nations, they would be easy targets for manipulation. Since the only experience most changelings have with authority is their aristocracy and queen, it would only be natural that they'd assume that the stories that they were told were true."
Luna nodded and said, "The idea that each individual changeling would be held responsible for the invasion is... madness. When two countries, or even when a rogue state like the changeling swarm and a country like Equestria, go to war, it's understood that such an action is the choice of the leadership, not the collective will of each of its citizens. While Equestria does allow for conscientious objection, other lands are not so kind, and refusal to contribute to the war effort can have terrible consequences."
"Right," Rochelle admitted. Refusing to take part in any sort of military action in the swarm was a quick way to get fully extracted, and your paralyzed body to either be left in a hallway as an example to others, or being dropped to the bottom of a lake to spend eternity in the dark depths if the swarm was on the move. The slow madness of dry hibernation was the stuff of nightmares: Alive yet not alive, you were frozen in time, yet fully aware of time's slow crawl around you...
The changeling suppressed a shudder, and said, "Well, anyways, like I said a little while ago, I don't have a problem with giving Nuisance up, provided that Silver Tongue and his wife are as nice as Candy tells me they are."
Giggling, Candy said, "I think you'll get along with them. They're good ponies."
-------------------
As the carriage finally came to a stop, Rochelle sighed, and said, "Well, here we are, I guess."
Candy raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Having second thoughts?"
"After yesterday? No," the changeling said, more than a little angry, just thinking about it. "You know that Nuisance has a sweet tooth: she could just as easily have tried to eat one of those cookies yesterday. Bad enough you were put at risk, but you're a big girl: Now that you know that being around me can be dangerous, you know to be more careful. Nuisance doesn't have that luxury. She's too young to know the risks that come from being associated with me now. In fact, I don't think she'll ever understand what careful means, to be honest with you."
Candy giggled, then said, "I do see your point. But, just because you're letting others take care of her, doesn't mean you'll never see her again, right?"
Nodding, Rochelle admitted, "Right."
Opening the carriage door, Candy said, "Then don't be so down. It'll all turn out alright."
The princesses stepped out first, followed by Rochelle and Candy Floss. Upon seeing their destination, the changeling froze, stunned. She'd expected that Nuisance's prospective parents would have a house, perhaps just a big one, since they knew the princesses...
...Nopony had told her that they lived in a mansion.
"Wow," Rochelle said, her mouth hanging open. "You didn't tell me your aunt and uncle were loaded, Candy."
Giggling, the pink pegasus said, "You never asked. Uncle, well, step-uncle, Silver Tongue is a part of the Metals clan, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Equestria. Silver owns high-class restaurants all over the place. Aunt Sweet Dream married him a few years back, and while I'm not 'officially' part of the clan, just related by marriage, I'm considered an honorary member."
After a moment, Rochelle laughed, then said, "You know, we've been friends for a year now, and I'm horrified to find just how little I know about you. Remind me, when we get back, that I need to ask you a few questions."
The princesses, the changeling, and the pegasus were admitted entrance without hesitation, and were met by a gray on gray pegasus who could only be Silver Tongue, as well as a blonde maned, purple-coated mare who, given the similarities in facial structure and body type, had to be Sweet Dream, Candy's aunt. The princesses, naturally, were greeted first. Decorum, and all that.
After a moment, Sweet Dream turned towards the changeling and, with a radiant smile, said, "And you must be Rochelle. Candy has told us so much about you. Mind you, she didn't tell us you were a changeling until yesterday, but I suppose every girl has to have her secrets."
With a laugh, Rochelle admitted, "Well, I just found out that Candy has a few secrets of her own that she's not yet decided to share with me, but I think I can forgive her for that. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Sweet Dream." Rochelle extended a foreleg to shake hooves, but was startled when she was abruptly pulled into a fierce hug.
"I probably should have warned you," Candy said, giggling. "Aunt Dream is a hugger."
After they detached, Rochelle was surprised to find that Sweet Dream was now holding Nuisance. Cooing at the little griffin, the mare said, "So you're the little bundle of trouble that I've heard so much about. You don't seem so bad."
As if on cue, Nuisance took Sweet Dream's mane in her tiny beak, and yanked hard, pulling out several hairs. Staring down at the griffin, Dream's shocked expression was priceless.
With a chuckle, Silver Tongue said, "Well, I can see why you named her Nuisance."
Laughing herself, Rochelle admitted, "Well, I was originally going to go with Pain-In-The-Flank, but it doesn't quite roll off the tongue."
With a small giggle, Sweet Dream said, "Well, I'd read that most griffins start out a bit rowdy." The mare hugged the griffin, who immediately hugged her back with a coo. "But they usually grow out of it by the time they're three. It'll be a bit of an adventure, but I think we can get her under control."
Silver Tongue walked over to Rochelle, and said, "I am Silver Tongue. I heard about what you did yesterday. If you ever need anything, let me know. I, and the entire Metals clan, are in your debt."
Blushing, Rochelle said, "It wasn't a big deal. She's my best friend after all..." The changeling's train of though trailed off, as she suddenly caught a scent. A familiar scent, and one she had smelled only yesterday. One suspiciously similar to insect repellant...
Candy Floss turned towards Rochelle, and said, "Rochelle, you're growling. What's wrong?"
Changelings don't have hackles like a dog does, but they do have a fringe on the back of their necks that will sometimes shake when angry. And Rochelle was very, very angry. Her frill was shaking so violently that it was vibrating...
"Be right back," Rochelle said, and with no further explanation, she was off.
Rochelle's top speed had been clocked at something like fifty miles per hour in the past, and that was without 'burning' love to increase her own natural abilities. She was burning love now. Oh yes, and how. The windows of the mansion rattled as she ran by, paintings shook from the nails that they hung by, and had she not taken a brief detour on the walls and the ceiling, she would have collided violently with more than one pony along the way. In less than three seconds, she had crossed the entire length of the mansion and was now standing in front of a chef, a youngish yellow earth pony wearing an apron and toque. With no warning, and no delay, she grabbed the chef, and hauled him back in front of the princesses, going, if anything, even faster. Had she gone even slightly faster, she might have created a sonic rainboom on hoof...
Now before the princesses, Candy Floss, and the rest, Rochelle threw the chef to the ground, then stood over him, their faces a bare inch apart. Rochelle gave another growl, longer and slower. Some say that a growl is a threat. This one was a promise.
The chef shrieked in fear, suddenly realizing what had happened, and that he was now face to face with an angry changeling. Terrified for his life, he cried out, "GET IT OFF ME!!!"
"It? You have a lot of nerve, calling me it," Rochelle said, her voice shaking with barely repressed fury. With a swat of her hooves, she knock the chef's hat off. When it hit the ground, a small pouch fell out. The pouch opened, releasing its contents on the floor, small blue crystals, barely larger than a grain of rice. Almost instantly, the room was filled with the overpowering stench of insect repellant.
Horrified, Silver Tongue stared down at the bag, and after a moment, said, "Saffron Spice, how could you..."
Hauling the earth pony up with one hoof, and standing on her hind legs, Rochelle roared, "I'm an it? You almost put my best friend in the hospital! You could have done worse to my little girl! You dare to call ME an it?!" Her voice turned cold and hard as she said, "Well then, maybe I should show you what an 'it' can do." Reaching into her mouth, Rochelle pulled out something she'd had in her stomach pouch since yesterday morning. Making certain that the other ponies present saw what it was, the changeling said, "You tried to set Candy's mouth on fire. Let me return the flavor."
And with that, she shoved a whole Screaming Griffindorian Pepper, already one of the hottest peppers in the world and soaked in the juices of a dozen other, slightly less spicy peppers, into the pony's mouth, then crushed it between his teeth through the simple expedient of giving him an uppercut to the jaw.
----------------------
"ARRRRRGH IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS IT BURNS MAKE IT STOP!!!"
"I don't approve of vigilante justice," Princess Celestia said, looking highly amused, in spite of herself, "So I'm going to have to ask you to let him drink something. Eventually."
Sitting atop the writhing pony, Rochelle said, "Well, he can wait a bit. It will be a little bit before Candy comes back with a glass of milk. Water won't help this kind of thing: It just spreads the pepper juice around, making things worse."
"THE PAIN!!! THE AGONY!!! MAKE IT STOP!!! MAKE IT STOP!!! MERCY!!! PLEASE!!!"
The Screaming Griffindorian Pepper was well named: even one drop of the juice would make a gigantic pot of beans unbearably spicy for the average pony. The entire pepper could make a grown minotaur cry out. Combined with the juices of the other peppers that had been sitting in Rochelle's stomach pouch, well, it made for a dreadful punishment, regardless of how well deserved it might have been.
Sighing, Silver Tongue said, "I can't begin to apologize enough for his actions. I knew that Saffron's brother had gone MIA during the invasion, and that he had expressed a dim view of changelings in Equestria, but this?" Shaking his head sadly, he said, "After six years, you think you know somepony, and then they do something like this."
Candy walked in, carrying a glass of milk. She set it down in front of the earth pony, and after a moment's consideration, Rochelle released her grip, letting the earth pony go. Tears streaming down his face, Saffron Spice drank deeply, swished the fluid around in his mouth, then swallowed.
With a shrug, Rochelle said, "Well, I'm sorry to hear about his brother, and I certainly hope he turns up one day, but that's no excuse for what Saffron tried to do. I mean, I could kind of accept it, maybe, if he'd just decided to go and beat up changelings: We're a hardy folk, and are used to taking the occasional beating, although we try to give as good as we get. But trying to make changelings look bad by hurting his fellow ponies?" With a sigh of her own, Rochelle said, "Well, I can't help but wonder what his brother would say about that."
"Well," a voice said, with a noticeable drawl, "Ah'd say that ah can't imagine what in the world he was thinkin', doin' somethin' like that. That jus' ain't right."
In the doorway, standing beside a female changeling, was a tall and rather well built earth pony clad in the armor of the Equestrian Guard. While his coat was a dark brown, and he was significantly more buff, the family resemblance was striking.
Gasping, trying very hard to find his voice, Saffron managed to croak out, "Mustard Seed? But how? I thought you were..."
"Nah, but it got pretty close a time or two," Pulling off his helmet, and revealing a shock of bright yellow mane, the pony nodded to the princesses and said, "Sorry for not seeking you both out right away, your highnesses, but after a year away, Ah thought the first pony Ah should see when Ah got back was my brother."
Luna, smiling, said, "It's quite alright, sergeant. It's good to see you here. Although I feel a brief explanation might be in order."
The guard chuckled, and said, "Well, thar ain't much to it, really. When the big spell hit the changelings, this young lady here collided with me, and we both ended up flying out of the city. We ended up a real long way's off, in unfamiliar territory, and both of us pretty banged up. It took half a year before either one of us was fit to be movin' anyplace, and in the meantime, we had plenty of time to get acquainted. Since neither of us knew where we were, and things were pretty dangerous out in the back end of nowhere, we figured we'd stick together until we made it back to civilization... or maybe a little bit longer."
The changeling in question giggled, and said, "There's a lot he's leaving out, like the fact that we ended up spending half the trip here running from angry trolls, or the bit with the ogre, or the fact that he just proposed to me yesterday," she added, showing a bright gold band around one foreleg, "but that's a story for another time." Looking down at the now thoroughly abashed chef, she said, "You know, he told me so much about you. I was hoping that you'd be a lot better than this..."
Saffron now looked utterly humiliated: he'd gone to such lengths to 'avenge' his brother, when in fact he was not only still alive, but he'd been saved by, and was now engaged to, a changeling...
"But I suppose," the changeling said, smiling, "that I can forgive you. After all, you were out of your head with grief."
"Well shucks, if she's gonna say that, I suppose I can't stay angry at ya, neither," Mustard said, giving his brother a hug. "We've got a ton of catching up to do, brother. You would not believe some of the stuff that's happened..."
"Well, far be it from me to spoil a moment like this," Candy said, looking at the shamed earth pony. "I could get you into a lot of trouble, and we'd both agree you deserve it, but I think I'll be nice today and not press charges for what happened earlier." Saffron looked up, hopeful. "You still have a lot to answer for, naturally, but that's something you can talk about with the princesses. I'm sure they'll be compassionate, given the circumstances." Looking over at Luna and Celestia, the pegasus grinned cheerfully.
Looking thoughtful, Luna admitted, "Well, I suppose we could work something out. We'll discuss it at length a little later, after he's gotten caught up with his brother."
Celestia, grinning, winked, then said, "Far be it from us to get between two siblings, long separated but now suddenly reunited."
If Rochelle's eye had visible pupils, she would have rolled them, but she said, "I guess I can't hold a grudge. I think I've got it out of my system. But if I ever hear about him doing anything like this again..." She pounded her forelegs together meaningfully.
Saffron cringed, then said, "Never again, I swear!"
Smiling sweetly, Rochelle said, "Good."
Silver Tongue sighed, then said, "Well, as wonderful as all of this is, I fear I do have a problem I'll have to go and fix."
Raising an eyebrow, Candy Floss asked, "What problem?"
Pointing at Saffron, Silver said, "This young fool was supposed to be my entry for a major cooking competition tomorrow. While I didn't necessarily expect him to win, I've had a chef taking part in the contest every year for the last twenty years. It's a matter of prestige: Just sponsoring a chef in the annual 'Ultimate Chef Competition' is a tremendous honor, and it makes my restaurant, Le Couteau Doré, the talk of the city for weeks afterwards. I'd hate to break that tradition now, but I don't think any judge would want to try something he's cooked right now, and I doubt any of my other chefs would be willing to come in on such short notice."
Sighing, then staring up at the ceiling, Rochelle said, "Well, if it's just cooking, and it doesn't really matter if I win or not, I could probably do it."
Everypony, and since there was another changeling in the room, everybuggy, turned to look at Rochelle. With a shrug, she said, "Well, cooking for a group of judges can't be any more difficult than cooking for Nuisance. And if it's a matter of prestige, well, think how famous you'll get for sponsoring the first changeling chef in Equestria?"
Silver Tongue sat and thought for a moment. He seemed ambivalent about the idea...
Celestia walked over to the pegasus and whispered something in his ear. Silver looked up at the princess, shocked. After a moment, Celestia nodded. Turning to Rochelle, Silver Tongue said, "Alright. I'll give you a shot. Be here bright and early tomorrow morning, and we'll see if you can manage it."
New chapter up. I should probably have spent more time proofreading, but my head is splitting . I'll look it over and proofread it tomorrow...
You my friend made a great chapter again! Cheers!
And with that, there will be a Roach that everypony would love to have in their kitchen.
Hobby Flay, Colten Ramsay, Mulia Mild, you should move over, there's a new chef in the wings and she hitting the ground running.
(Too much?)
To this day, I can’t understand the point behind those peppers.
“Hey, what’s for dinner?”
“FIRE!”
“Uh, ok, what’s for dessert?”
“LAVA!"
4165862
Absolutely brilliant, as always. Hope you get well soon
He was willing to kill an orphan. Mercy should only go so far.
I gotta say, you're making the resolutions in these stories a bit... too easy and trite. And the ponies DO have a legitimate grievance, and a legitimate reason to fear and mistrust the changelings; even without the war, changelings survive by the arts of deceit and betrayal. These ARE changelings. They DO live by sucking the love energy out of other beings. Their food supply is other people; that alone makes them dangerous.
Your changelings are all interesting, but they're a little too noble to be real. Ugly truth time, in any war of invasion--- especially one where the success of the invasion decided whether you have an empty belly or a full one--- the population of conscientious objectors/unwilling participants is going to be vanishingly small, and even they're going to be largely on the fence. Regardless of their origins, changelings have been feeding off of other intelligent beings for centuries. Every single changeling is going to have been exposed to a lifetime of dehumanizing propaganda, simply for the necessity of soothing their conscience about deceiving and preying upon others. Rochelle, for one, should still be unlearning a great deal of anti-pony prejudices-- and possibly struggling to rein in a streak of Changeling Superiority. Tribal loyalty runs deep and lasts long. Ling, being a child (and an abandoned one at that) is understandable, but the adult changelings should be just a trifle less noble and enlightened.
And your characters change tracks a little too quickly. At the end of this story, Rochelle should still have been seething with barely controlled anger. Heck, there should have been a lot more anger and disappointment all around....and it should have lingered.
And having his long lost brother spontaneously appear-- with a changeling war-bride in tow? Anvilicious much?
4166800
Well, Celestia and Luna will have an ulterior motive for leniency: As mentioned in the last chapter, the pesticide in question is not easy to come by. It was previously intended for military use, and since it was not mass produced, only a vanishingly small number of individuals would have access to it. A mere chef, even on from a gourmet restaurant, wouldn't be able to get it on his own. He'd have a supplier, and potentially someone who put the idea in his head in the first place. Rochelle and Candy wouldn't have realized this, but the princesses have a broader view of things.
As for wrapping things up quickly, well, there's only one chapter left, asides from an epilogue, on this story (I planned on keeping this puppy short), and it's a slice of life story, rather than an adventure, so I don't see the point in dragging things out here. The Changeling Knight, The Five Paths, and The Sixth Path aren't going to resolve anywhere near this quickly, though.
As for your analysis of changeling society, and how 'noble' they are, well, I would rather not get into an lengthy discussion about the fallacy of applying herbivore, or even omnivore, ethics to a race that is forced to eat one of the most fickle and most difficult to define emotions in the spectrum. They were born this way, at least in my 'verse, and never had the opportunity to explore other options.
The fact that their current aristocracy and monarchy are far more interested in preserving their own power than in preserving their own species has created a situation where the loyalties of the common changeling are being tested: things like a propaganda machine like you mentioned are essentially non-existent, as aristocrats (or at least, the voting majority of them) consider commoners little better than something like a necessary strain of vermin. Remember Elle's description of her own treatment in The Sixth Path? Commoners are considered only slightly better by the current ruling class. This sort of situation creates, not only the potential for revolution, but the opportunity for mass desertion from the swarm, since at this point in time, changelings have no land to call their own. Anyone who offers not only stability and a maintainable supply of food, in addition to fair and equitable treatment under the law, is going to be very popular to the common changeling.
4166082 I've not read that fiction...
Wow... I known it was something to do with their family but the Cheff? I did not see it coming no sir I did not... good twist, Good twist!
I enjoyed this chapter. I love reading all your stories. Can't wait for the next chapter.
As much of a sadist as I am, puking up a world's-hottest-pepper marinated in other peppers and stuffing it in a guy's mouth is slightly overkill.
Only slightly.
4165927
You misspelled "Hot Pockets"
The chef did the poison. Great plot twist! I loved Rochelle going cheetah mode to find the poisoner. Epic.
4166654
He was willing to hurt a pony, period. He'd have no idea that there would be an infant there that day: the cookies were dropped off earlier in the day. Still, it would have been very, very bad if a pony had eaten one.
4167190
Well, that's half the mystery solved, anyways: it would take a very good chef to be able to cook a substance that ignites in the presence of water into a batch of cookies. But as mentioned, there's a very small supply of this stuff, since it was never mass produced. Where could the chef have gotten it?
4167574
And then holding him down for an unspecified amount of time while he writhes in agony?
4169865
That tickles, so I guess it'd be alright. I'd be fun to dangle a water bottle in front of them.
4169878
Sadist or not, there's right and there's wrong. Holding him down while someone walked, very very slowly, to the kitchen to get him a glass of milk is one thing. Tormenting him with it afterwards was quite another.
4167001 You're ignoring my points.
First off I wasn't speaking of Celestia and Luna but the pony race as a whole. Your bias is showing through, here; Thus far only "bad" ponies have even disliked the changelings.
And again, even in your own canon, changelings as individuals and as a species have survived for over a thousand years by a lifestyle of deception and betrayal of trust.... They prey on other species, especially intelligent ones, to feed themselves....They pretend to be people they're not, and trick others into sharing affection with them-- and apparently can resort to cocooning them and draining them by force. By necessity! And according to your own canon they've spent centuries engaging in war-raids on other kingdoms.
This is going to affect their perceptions of other races-- and essentially REQUIRES them to sustain a cultural attitude of superiority to their food source, if only to rescue their self-esteem. You cannot treat other races like this and regard them as your equals. Yet you see NONE of this inevitable cultural bias or internal conflict in any of your changeling characters. Even if you decide your own culture and society is wrong, you are a product of where you were born, how you were raised, where you came from. Putting aside old beliefs and attitudes is not like shucking off a shirt and tossing it in the hamper. Yet every one of your characters gets a smack in the face with a love forcefield and instantly Sees The Light of Truth, almost before they hit the ground.
4169854 Wear Indeed....
I walked in with a bored expression, I left with a smile.
Well done, author. Well done!
4170051
I didn't know that they were giving out degrees in xenopsychology. Tell me where you got one, please?
, on a more serious note, the reality would be that they wouldn't feel superiority to other species, but rather inferiority. Changelings have spent, as you mentioned, a very long time trying to sustain themselves, and while other species have flourished, their own race is barely keeping afloat. In fact, the current generation is the start of a serious decline for their race: they can no longer even sustain a hive. They are dependent on other races to keep themselves alive, and cannot create their own food to sustain themselves. Even the dumbest member of their race, in my canon, can see that the path they are walking is one that leads directly over a cliff, and ends with their mass extinction in a few more generations: too many changelings, not enough love to go around, and the number of changelings is getting larger. But while they can see it, they also recognize that any attempt to convince the leadership that changes need to be made will be met with violence. The leadership is comprised primarily of selfish, short-sighted sociopaths and sadists who see no problem with staying the course for this generation in order to sustain their own power, even when the writing is on the wall for all to see.
How can one consider their own species superior, when they can see evidence around them, each and every day, that the complete opposite is true? There is no changeling nation, no grand cities, not even a tiny hamlet to call their own. They have nothing. In no more than three generations, at the current rate of growth in comparison to the supply of love they've been getting, they'll face mass starvation, while every other species will continue to thrive. Unless things change, and change now, the last changeling will die, not from war or from a purge made by other species, but from starvation. They will die with a whimper, rather than a roar.
All of that said, why wouldn't they leap at a chance, any chance, for a better tomorrow?
Long lost brother suddenly returns at the exact right moment!
Deus Ex Machina
4173711
Yeah, I admit, it kinda was, and it was kind of anvilicious, but it fits with the overall tone of MLP:FIM, don't you think?
4173011 I may not have a degree in "xenopsychology" but that doesn't make me a damn idiot.
4173011
That would only give them a complex that would end up making them more violently irrational I would think.
If nothing else I would think there was some crazy rationalization for their actions as a parasite race.
4173011 Maintaining a superiority complex is not about what a culture has, but what it needs--- it needs to believe itself superior to others, to justify treating others like inferiors. This is something you should have learned from grade school history: warlike cultures ALWAYS focus on "us great, them suck" rhetoric and propaganda, they marinate in it from birth onward. And even if you emigrate of your own choice to another culture, the ingrained attitudes of a lifetime are not going to disappear in a puff of instant acclimation.
4176682
You know, some days, I wonder if the reason why you read my work is because you want something to argue about . Look, here's the bottom line: the stories I have done thus far are about good changelings, or in the case of Roach, not so much a good changeling as one that isn't actively trying to be bad. Rochelle isn't a hero, not really, just someone who's trying to get by in her day to day life. This doesn't mean that EVERY changeling is good at heart, or just misunderstood. There are some positively rotten ones, and not all of them are in the aristocracy... and some are still in Equestria. It has been mentioned, I think in this very story, that there have been bad apples in the batch that remain in Equestria, and that they have dealt with in full accordance with the law. And I don't want to spoiler things in my own works, but in at least one of the Five Changelings In Equestria stories, the Big Bad will, in fact, be a changeling. Which stories? Read on. What I've been trying to give you is reasons why at least a good majority of the changelings would want to defect to Equestria. If you feel that doesn't match with what you feel would be human nature, I will remind you that changelings are not, in any way, human. I can't help but wonder what they would turn out as if they went through the crystal mirror and ended up on Earth. Vampires? Mosquitoes? Who can say, asides from the writers? When Spike ended up as a dog on the other side, all bets were off.
I have been desperately trying to avoid using Bellisario's Maxim to explain why some things are happening like they are. I do like explaining things to my fans, and I don't want to hand wave anything, either. However, I don't want to continue down this line of discussion, since it's obvious that you are very passionate about this, and one thing I will not abide is an argument on the comments, especially if I am the one doing the arguing. I am here to have a good time. I hope that you are, too. Let's just shake hands (or hooves), agree to disagree, and let the matter drop before someone's feelings get hurt. I do appreciate you reading my work, and your input into it. You have, in the past, brought very interesting issues to my attention, and have given me ideas for future stories. I hope that you will continue reading my work in the future.
4165927
Once you can take the heat, then you can taste the flavor. People always think that its just for the burn, that is just part of the enjoyment of hot peppers... when your a pepper head, LOL. Habanero's have an awesome citrus like flavor, that many people just cannot enjoy, due to the spice level. Although, a really good cook and take most peppers and extract most of what makes them spicy, so almost anyone can enjoy them (as in, the core, seeds and in some cases, some of the oil of the pepper, which can be used for an extract to make other things spicy).
On another note, this is an awesome story . Its great to read about other things, then the main 6, or the main background pony's. Sometimes its awesome to see OC's that are not just another overpowered marysue or plot device.
I can't wait to read more
This reminds me of the fact that the nearest grocery store has recently started selling a new kind of cheese. It's pepper jack... GHOST pepper jack. For those who don't know, ghost peppers can be over 600 times as strong as jalapeños. It's the third-strongest pepper in the world. Needless to say, I'm not stupid enough to give it a try.
4186020 I know what you mean. I once gave some jalapeños a try, and to my surprise, I found it was the flavor, not the heat, that drove me away. I rarely enjoy spiciness with my food, so it was quite an unusual experience.
4193054 I believe habanero's are actually the hottest natural peppers. I've seen the ghost peppers, though, and I don't want to mess with 'em
Please write more on this. I'd love to see it expanded on
4177647
Kinda like me and A Dark Reminder
There needs to be a flinch emoticon because I certainly did
Silver Tounge? Daughter named Lyra, perhaps?marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/Images/goldencompass.jpg
From what I understand, "state" originally meant the same thing as "country". When the 13 colonies revolted, they signified that they were no longer part of British rule by referring to themselves as "states". They formed a sort of government with the Articles of Confederation, but they were still pretty much sovereign. They later decided that they needed a stronger government, and formed the United States of America. It was stronger than the confederation, but still pretty weak. It wasn't so much one state as 15 united states. However, since then power has gradually moved from the state governments to the national government, so people think of the states as each being a part of one larger government. They never actually stopped calling them states. Since the US makes up such a large part of the English-speaking world, people now think of a state as a local piece of a government, rather than its original meaning of a governing body on its own.
Long story short, I get annoyed when people use "state" and "country" like they're not synonyms. Especially here, since Equestria presumably didn't have something like this happen.
Regarding the story itself, it seems pretty hard to believe that they'd just forgive a terrorist like that. He might go for the insanity plea, but it doesn't seem believable that he was insane. CMFIS isn't exactly subtle. Ponies would have noticed. And they would still have to establish he was insane and that after his brother returned he no longer is a danger. They wouldn't just not press charges.
Slight complaint of over convenience, his brother showing up right there and then. Also being forgiven for trying to harm or kill every easily. Otherwise a great story.
Oof. Mole Cricket. Talk about double cancelled.
I can't believe Equestria is reasonable. What a twist.
Sounds like the princesses need to send out teams to find all the poor, hibernating lings out there.
4913059
It’s a cartoon universe where pony unicorns with wings move the sun and the moon, and specifically this story involves shapeshifting bug equine teenagers who can foster lion-eagle babies, while everyone is organizing an adoption while walking on clouds. You are reading fan fiction of that possible situation which clearly shows you enjoy that sort of universe… yet completely fluid modern terminology, from real earth, said offhand in casual conversation like THAT is how you judge the writing.
I do hope you’re over this ridiculous phase of your critical thinking. It’s embarrassing for everyone who cringes on your behalf.