I’ve been working for the Order of Sol Invictus since I was still in Flight Camp. At first it was just a little volunteer work on the weekends and after class, but I decided to become a full-fledged member once I was done with school. The day I became Dame Fluttershy, Knight Hospitaller in the Order of Sol Invictus, remains one of the proudest moments of my life.
Since then, I had been very busy helping citizens across the Empire. With how huge the Empire was, there was always somepony somewhere who needed our help, whether it was containing a feather flu outbreak in Westmarch, disaster relief after that earthquake in Southmarch, or helping to evacuate some of the outlying Freeport islands before a tsunami hit. It didn’t matter where we went so long as the Order was doing good work and helping those in need.
Thankfully, my business in the Zebrican province was a bit less urgent. There was a new vaccine for the pony pox—which was somewhat misnamed since it affected zebras too—and the Order was helping to distribute it to the populace. Of course, we weren’t just performing vaccinations: the Order offered free medical care to anyone who needed it, so there were always plenty of other matters to take care of. Not that I minded the extra work; I was just glad to have a chance to help.
I found myself helping a young zebra colt who had cracked his hoof playing with some friends. I had helped young ponies with similar injuries plenty of times, and there’s really not much difference between zebra and pony anatomy. We’re all the same underneath. We all have hopes, fears, dreams, and ambitions. I still don’t understand how some ponies can think other sapients are so different from us. Maybe they’d just never had a chance to talk to a zebra or a buffalo or some other species. They were probably just confused and scared; it’s easy to be scared of a species you’ve never met.
At least the Empire was helping to bring all these different species together. A couple of the other knights say I’m being naïve, but I really do believe that one day ponies, zebras, gryphons, changelings, and all the other species in the Empire will learn to live together in friendship and harmony. Maybe it’s a bit unrealistic to think that there will never be any problems with all the different races, but if nobody ever dreams about that kind of thing, then it’ll never come true. If believing that one day we could find true unity and harmony makes me silly or naïvely optimistic, then that’s fine. I’d rather have a silly but beautiful dream than tell myself that the world was an ugly, cruel place and there was nothing I could do to change it. Sometimes you just need to believe that everyone has the capacity to be good.
I know the Empire isn’t perfect. I know that some of the member-races weren’t given much choice about joining, but all of that was a long time ago. We can’t change the past, but we could make a new future for ourselves if we worked together. One where all the intelligent species on the planet worked together to make the world a better place. The Order used medical techniques from all across the Empire, combining the knowledge of a dozen different species to do things that no single one of them could have managed. It was like the old metaphor about how a single stick was easy to break but a bundle of sticks tied together would be strong.
After I finished setting that young zebra colt’s hoof, I needed to restock on a few of my supplies. Our chapter house in Zanzebra wasn’t as big as the one in the old Zebrican capital of Zekara or the new provincial capital of Fenixmji, so things were a bit crowded now that a bunch of other Hospitallers, myself included, were visiting for the vaccination drive. The medical ward had been built to house half a dozen doctors and had enough beds for fifty patients, but right now there were a dozen more visiting doctors counting me, and more zebras than I could count crammed into the area. Considering we were supposed to vaccinate everyone in Zanzebra, there really wasn’t enough room.
The storage closet that would normally have all our bandages and disinfectant was full of vaccination supplies instead, so I had to go to one of the smaller supply closets hidden in one of the back corners of the room. Getting across the room was a challenge all by itself; luckily my armor and a few kind words were enough to clear a path. Even with a doctor’s coat over the steel, I probably looked a little intimidating. Sometimes I really wish the uniform standards within Sol Invictus were a bit less strict—I don’t like scaring my patients.
When I reached the supply closet, I noticed that the door was slightly ajar. It was supposed to be locked up tight, but considering how hectic things were, it was understandable that somepony had overlooked it. I would just have to be extra careful about shutting the door behind me.
However, once I was inside I realized that the problem was something else entirely. A young zebra stallion wearing a face-concealing cloak was rummaging through our supplies, stuffing several boxes of antibiotics into a plain brown bag. I hadn’t been in Zanzebra long enough to get to know everyone who worked here, but I was almost certain this zebra wasn’t one of our employees, especially given his behavior.
That meant he was a thief. Stealing. From a hospital.
I removed my coat, firmly placed myself between the thief and the exit, rested a hoof on the hilt of my dagger, then politely cleared my throat. “Excuse me, but I don’t think those belong to you. Would you please put them back?” It doesn’t cost anything to be polite, even to a thief, but in my years with the Order I’ve learned that sometimes you’ll accomplish more with a kind word and a dagger than you will with just a kind word.
The thief froze, his eyes flicking over his shoulder at me. That was the other reason I’d tried to look just a little scary: if he just saw a doctor, he might try to run away with everything he’d stole, or even fight past me. If he did that, I might have to hurt him, and I didn’t want to do that. “If you just put back everything you stole, you won’t be in too much trouble.”
The young zebra took one look at me, then swallowed nervously and began slowly removing the stolen medical supplies from his bag. Sweat was trickling down the back of his neck, and his shoulders slumped. “I—I did not mean to—” He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “I am not a thief. My father is hurt, and I want to bring him relief.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that your father was hurt,” I answered levelly. “But that doesn’t give you the right to steal from a hospital. If you bring him here, we would be happy to help, or we could try to arrange a house call. But I can’t just let you steal supplies we need to help everyone else who comes here.” Even though I wanted to believe this young zebra was just a frightened colt trying to help his father, a part of me was also suspicious of his claim. As important as it is to think the best of others, I’d learned to not let others take advantage of my kindness. Maybe he really did have a sick father, or maybe he was just a thief who wanted to steal our supplies and sell them.
I thought it over for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to put you in one of our cells for the rest of the day. Once I’m done helping to vaccinate everyone, we can go visit your father, and I would be more than happy to help him.” I paused, then pointedly met his eyes—Cloud and Rainbow both said I had a very intimidating stare back in Flight Camp. “We’ll also need to talk to him about what you’ve done.”
The thief swallowed, his eyes darting around nervously. I think he would have tried to run if not for the fact that I was blocking the only exit. “P-please stranger, let me go on my way. I need this medicine today—my father is bedridden and very bad health; your medicines work best and you have a great wealth.” He waved to the large stockpile of supplies.
I sighed. “Do you even know what he’s sick with, or what medicine would be best to treat him? If you use the wrong thing you could just make his condition worse. That’s why we have doctors, and why I’ll need to see him first.”
“It’s something we know very well, but something I’m not supposed to tell. I’ve left everything else alone, please … let me go back.” His eyes darted towards the door. “On my own.”
I frowned at his answer; claiming he needed the supplies for his father but refusing to let me help was rather suspicious. If he was trying to lie his way out of trouble, I was going to be very upset with him. “After what you did today, I’m afraid you don’t have any choice. I’m sure you were just worried for your father, but stealing from a hospital is a very serious crime. If you can prove you were just trying to help your father, then we can take that into consideration.” I took a moment to remove my hoof from my dagger’s hilt, and toned down the intensity of my stare. “If we can’t talk to your father, somepony might call you a liar, and then you’ll be in much more trouble. And if your father is sick enough for you to steal from a hospital, then he really needs my help.”
The colt’s entire body slumped in defeat. “I wanted to care for him privately—he doesn’t like accepting help, you see. He’d refuse to come in out of pride, so I wanted to help him in a way that wouldn’t be brushed aside.”
Oh dear. I’ve had plenty of difficult patients over the years. Sometimes the locals are wary of accepting treatment from a pony doctor, sometimes they prefer their own traditional medicine, and there are a few who are just difficult on principle. Still, I couldn’t let that stop me. “I’m sure I can handle whatever’s wrong with him. Just tell me where your family lives, and whatever you can about his illness.”
“It...” His eyes nervously darted around the room. “There are creatures here we don’t talk about. Their names alone … it’s better to wait it out. I wish I never knew, and you’re a good pony. I wouldn’t want one of them to come to you.”
“Oh my...” A monster attack was something completely different from an illness. That was really a job for the Long Patrol, not a doctor. I was about to say as much when the obvious problem sprang to mind: if his father refused to even have his injuries properly treated, of course he would also refuse to report the attack to the proper authorities. “I would be glad to help your father with his injuries, but I’m afraid I will also have to report the attack. I understand your father wouldn’t want that, but if someone gets hurt or killed because I kept his secret then that would be my fault. “
The young thief nodded, sighing in resignation. “I understand. This expedition did not go as planned. I am Mosi, son of Mwenye.” He smiled sheepishly. “It is a pleasure to meet you today.”
I smiled and nodded. “I am Dame Fluttershy, Knight Hospitaller in Order of Sol Invictus. I know these aren’t the best circumstances for an introduction, but it’s a pleasure to meet you regardless, Mosi.” I stepped out of the doorway. “Will your father will be safe until we finish up here?”
“He should be.” A moment later he blinked in surprise when I passed some supplies to him, “Wait, did you say we?”
“Yes.” I loaded him down with a few more things. “I don’t think you’re a bad zebra, so you might as well get a start on making up for your crime by spending the day helping out at the hospital. Maybe meeting some of the zebras whose medical supplies you tried to steal will be a good lesson.” I paused, looking back out at the crowded medical ward. “And goodness knows we could certainly use the help.”
He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t need to. I understood his hug just fine.
Mosi put in several hours of work before the day was over. He was very helpful, which reassured me that I’d made the right decision.
Administering vaccinations is rather dull as far as medical work goes. A quick physical and check of the patient’s medical history for any potential issues, then give them the shot. The simple, repetitive nature of it all gave me plenty of time to think.
Quite a few of my old friends had been very surprised when I decided to become a knight. To be quite honest, I was still a little surprised myself, and I’d been a knight for a couple years now. Joining the Order of Sol Invictus was one thing, but most of their members just did charity work like what I did in the hospital. The actual Knights of Sol Invictus were few and far between these days; between the Long Patrol, Imperial Security, and the Phoenix Knights, a lot of ponies didn’t think the Order even needed knights anymore, beyond a token security force to do things like stop anyone from stealing our medical supplies.
I suppose if I really thought about it, I became a knight because of my childhood friends: Rainbow Dash, Cloud Solaris, and Ditzy Doo. I’d always felt like I was the weakest member of the group when I was with them. Rainbow was just so brave and fearless, while Cloud and Ditzy were both going to be soldiers when they grew up. And then there was shy, scared, weak, and helpless little Fluttershy, who always needed her friends to take care of her.
I hated feeling like I was a burden to my friends, but for the longest time I didn’t know what to do to fix it. Even after I started volunteering at Sol Invictus I still felt terrible. While I knew I was helping by being a medical assistant, deep down I was still the same scared, useless filly I’d been back at Flight Camp.
That all changed after I met Sir Solemus. He had been a knight once, but he had become too old to really take care of himself. At first I just brought him his pills and did a couple other little things to help, but he was a very nice old stallion who was also very lonely. He didn’t have any family on account of spending his whole life serving the Order, so nopony ever came to visit him. I stopped by his room every day though, even when helping him wasn’t part of my chores.
Once I was spending a couple hours with him every day, he started telling me his stories. He had been a knight for more than fifty years, so he had so many of them to tell. I loved those stories, full of bravery, heroism, chivalry, and all kinds of things I wished I could do. As much as I enjoyed his stories, they also made me sad because they reminded me of all the things I would never be strong enough to do.
Finally, it all came spilling out one day. I just started crying uncontrollably in the middle of one of his stories. I tried to stop myself before the old knight saw my tears, but it was no good. The fact that I couldn’t even stop myself from crying just made me feel even worse than I already did. I buried my face in my hooves.
A few seconds later I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. “Fluttershy? What's the matter? I hope my story didn't upset you.”
My voice cracked as I answered him, “N—no.” I tried to give him a better answer, but it was hard to even speak through the tears. “It's not you, it's—it's me.”
“You?” His kindly old face crinkled in confusion. “What could be the matter with such a kind and gentle soul such as yourself?”
I sniffled and wiped my nose. It always started leaking when I cried too much, and it made me look horrible. “In—in that story, I'm the damsel in the tower.” I grabbed a few tissues and messily blew my nose. “I'm scared and useless, and I can't do anything except wait for somepony to rescue me.”
“Oh, gentle Fluttershy.” His forelegs wrapped around me. “Do you want me to tell you something important but so very true?” I whimpered out a weak affirmation. “To be honest, I was almost always scared during those stories, either for my life or for others. It's a heavy burden to know that the slightest misstep could cost a life, whether my own or another. It's the type of fear that can paralyze a pony when they need to act, or wake them up screaming in the middle of the night long after.”
I stared at him, trying to make sense of that. “But you're so brave.”
He answered me with a smile that showed all the wisdom of his years. “Bravery is not the absence of fear, my dear. Bravery is overcoming fear to do what you must. The bravest of us all is the pony that must overcome the most fear.”
I thought about that for a minute, and a nervous laugh bubbled out of my lips. “I'm scared of everything, so...”
“If you’re scared of everything, then you must be a very brave filly indeed.” He gently tipped my chin up, meeting my eyes. “Not just anypony would spend their free time tending to an old warhorse like me, or helping the sick and wounded down in the medical ward. That requires a strength of character only a few ponies possess.”
I smiled at the compliment, even though I didn’t really think I deserved it. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “This is easy. I just show up and help ponies. But ... but I'll never be brave the way knights are. I'll never be strong. I'll just be useless.”
Sir Solemus was quiet for a long time, staring at me thoughtfully. When he spoke, his words carried much more weight than they normally did. “Do you truly want to be strong? To have the power to help others, no matter how dangerous or frightful the situation?”
I knew the answer to that question the instant he asked it. “More than anything.”
He nodded at my answer, seeming quite pleased by it. “Then I suggest you become a knight.”
“What?” I was certain I must have misheard him. “M-me? A knight? No, I couldn't ... nopony would ever think I could be a knight.”
Sir Solemus threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. “Oh Fluttershy, just because nopony would think it doesn't mean you can't make it true. You become a squire, you do the training, and your masters will whip you into shape. Trust me on that. Why, I was nothing more than a whelp of a lad when I became a page. And I've heard stranger tales than your own for ponies who became knights.”
I still couldn’t believe my ears. “But—but I wouldn't even know where to start...”
“You know Dame Quiet Dreams?” I told him that I had seen her at the Sol Invictus compound a few times. “Go talk to her, tell her you want to become a knight. She'll help you through the first steps of that. Tell her I sent you.”
Quiet Dreams was a big, strong, confident mare. She always looked so huge and dangerous walking around the compound in her armor. The mere idea of just going up to her and telling her that I wanted to be a knight was... “She'll take one look at me and know I'm not good enough.”
The old knight gripped my shoulders. “Do you want this, Fluttershy? Do you want to be strong enough to help ponies? You said a minute ago that you wanted it more than anything.”
I thought about that for a bit, and felt a bit more sure of myself. “Yes. I want to help others. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
He smiled, “Good answer. If that’s really how you feel, then go to her and act like it. Don't take no for an answer. If you do, then you don't really want it. Prove that you really want it.”
I blinked, shocked at the suggestion. “But, but what if she gets mad at me...?” If she said no and I didn’t listen, she would probably be furious. She would probably go around telling everypony how awfully I’d behaved, and maybe even make it so I couldn’t volunteer to help everyone at the Order. She could even bar me from seeing Sir Solemus again.
The old knight didn’t seem to be worried about that, though. He just chuckled and patted my shoulder. “You can be firm without being rude, my dear. Dame Dream is a big filly. She can take whatever you throw at her. I dare say that you at your absolute rudest would still be one of the more pleasant conversations she’s had with a prospective recruit.”
“But ... but...” I trailed off, staring down at the floor and shuffling my hooves. He patiently waited for me to put words to my fears. “But what if I'm not good enough?”
“How will you know if you’re good enough unless you try?” he countered. “I think that if you work at it, you will be. Being a knight is about more than just the strength of your body. It's also about character, being a protector of the weak, acting upright, and being a defender of justice. If you keep to your moral compass, you can't stray too far.” He put a hoof on my chest, right over my heart. “It’s much easier to teach someone with a good heart to be strong than it is to teach someone strong how to have a good heart.”
“Do you really think I could do it?” I stared up at him uncertainly, and he nodded, smiling encouragingly. “O-okay. I guess I could give it try.”
He very gently shook his head. “Don't try. Do it. If something is worthwhile to you, you need to commit to it wholly.”
“I don’t...” He wanted me to commit to being a knight right now? What if I didn’t like it? What if two weeks into the training I realized I would be a terrible knight, and I would completely miserable if I went through with it? What if I was so terrible that all the other recruits laughed at me and called me names? What if my old friends from Flight Camp found out, and even they thought it was so silly that they started laughing? What if...
What if.
What if I spent the rest of my life regretting the time I turned away from being a knight because I was too scared to try? I could always find dozens of reasons not to do something, no matter how much I wanted to. But never doing anything because I was too scared of ‘what if’ was how I had become a damsel who was scared of everything. If I wanted to be a Knight, I needed to stop worrying about all the things that might go wrong, and start focusing on what I wanted out of life.
I took a deep breath and made my decision. “I'll do it!” Just saying the words made my heart flutter, and soon I was smiling. “I'm going to become a knight!”
And I did. It took a long time, and the training was very hard. I thought about quitting more than once, especially in the early stages while I was still getting in shape. For weeks I went to bed tired and sore, and I never got enough rest to fully recover before the next day’s work began. I think everypony expected me to quit after the first week, even my parents. But no matter how hard it was, I kept trying. Eventually the workouts were easier, the weapons started to feel like a natural extension of my body, and before I knew it, I was squired to Quiet Dreams herself. I still can’t believe it all happened, but I will always be glad I decided to take a chance and chase after my dreams.
Mosi’s family home caught me by surprise—I had been expecting something a bit more ... zebra. I know that sounds rather prejudiced, but the house seemed to be deliberately modeled on an Equestrian home. From the outside, it looked like a home that would fit in perfectly in any pony city. The inside was a bit more unique: all the furniture was Equestrian, but I don’t know many ponies who keep such a large picture of the Empress in their front room.
I fixed the young zebra with a rather pointed look. “This seems like a rather nice house for someone who has to break into a hospital just to get medical supplies. Why didn’t you just buy what you needed from a store?”
He almost tripped over his own hooves, and an embarrassed flush appeared on his cheeks. “Well, father would have ... erm ... that is ... I didn’t think of that.”
I softly sighed and rubbed my forehead. It seemed that regardless of species, teenagers were prone to acting without thinking things through. For a moment it reminded me of one of my old fillyhood friends, Rainbow Dash. I hadn’t seen her since she’d gone into the advanced training program after Flight Camp. I really should catch up with her some day.
I returned my attention to the troublesome teenager in front of me. “You really should have thought things through. I know you were probably just scared and not thinking straight, but you committed a serious crime.”
He stared down at his hooves. “I ... understand. It was poorly planned.”
I sighed and let the matter drop for the moment. “Now, what can you tell me about your father?”
Mosi’s gaze shifted to his home, and his chastened demeanour faded as he snorted loudly. “I’m sure you noticed my father is very patriotic. He believes the relationship between the zebras and ponies ought to be more symbiotic. Some have claimed he is nothing but a phony, and deep down wishes that he was born a pony.”
“Oh.” I obviously didn’t know all the details of what was happening in Mosi’s home, but I’ve spent enough time in the provinces to know it was part of a broader trend. Every single species in the Empire had to deal with the issue of Imperial identity versus their own local one. Some like Mwenye tried to embrace the Empire and modernity, while others clung to their old traditions in the face of a changing world. I suppose the key was to find a balance that let everyone be part of a greater whole without abandoning what made them unique and special.
Mosi stepped inside, and I was quite happy to feel the rush of cold air as we stepped in out of the heat. My armor had enchantments to help deal with the climate and general discomfort of wearing it all day, but I still appreciated getting out of the sun. Especially since the home had Equestrian-style climate control, presumably provided by ice gems.
Mosi led the way upstairs, knocking on one of the bedroom doors. “I have returned, father, and with new help on offer. A pony doctor to check your injury and hopefully help lessen your current misery.” I couldn’t help but notice that he put a bit of emphasis on the fact that I was a pony. Though I suppose that if his father was a big believer in imperial integration, the fact that I was a pony might convince him to accept treatment.
His father answered through the bedroom door. “Very well, come in. And stop that infernal rhyming nonsense, Mosi, it sounds ridiculous.”
Mosi tensed and scowled. “I honor our ancestors’ ancient ways, even if you do not believe them worthy of praise.”
“So long as you live under my roof, you’ll honor what I tell you to,” the older zebra groused. “And if you put such honor on our traditions, you’d know that only shamans, aristocrats, and social climbers ever bothered with the whole rhyming business.” Mosi offered no answer of his own, but glowered at the door.
I heard several thumps from within the room, and then the door opened. Mwenye looked much like his son, though older and larger. He moved slowly, like someone in significant pain who was taking great care to avoid any action that might worsen his condition. His eyes, both of which bore half-faded bruises, widened a bit when saw my armor, confusion replacing his welcoming smile. “I ... it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss...”
I offered him my hoof. “Dame Fluttershy, Knight Hospitaller of the Order of Sol Invictus.” I kept a polite smile on my face, though internally I was quite surprised by his condition. He certainly didn’t look like someone who was bedridden by illness. If anything, he looked like he’d been attacked and savagely beaten.
The uncertainty faded from his eyes, and he smiled and enthusiastically shook my hoof. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, madam. I’ve heard great things about the Order and their hospitallers, and it is an honor to have a knight as a guest within my home. If you need anything, anything at all, please let me know, and I will provide it at once.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” I would have politely declined his offer, but the scowl on Mosi’s face made me think that perhaps sending him away on an errand would be prudent. I hardly wanted to be caught in the middle of a family argument. “Perhaps a glass of iced tea?”
Mwenye nodded, then shot a pointed look at his son. The colt trotted away, leaving the two of us alone. His father then turned back to me. “I apologize for any words you overheard between my son and me. Things have been ... difficult between us, of late.”
I answered him with a gentle, understanding smile. “I took no offense, sir. Every family has problems.” I politely cleared my throat. “Now then, your son told me you were injured recently? I hope it was nothing too serious.” From what I could tell, he had nothing worse than bruises, and obviously his wounds weren’t severe enough to leave him bedridden, but I needed to perform a proper examination anyway.
“Oh, yes, that.” He waved a hoof over his bruised face. “Nothing to worry about, I just slipped and fell on the stairs.” A bit of nervous sweat sprang up on his brow, and his voice grew slightly strained. “Just an ordinary household accident, certainly nothing worth bothering a knight over.”
I frowned at his answer, especially since I suspected he wasn’t being completely honest with me. I could hardly accuse him of being a liar, though. “Well, since I’ve come all this way, I might as well check your injuries. Though your son said you were attacked by a creature, not that you were injured in an accident.”
Mwenye shot a glare in the direction of the kitchen. “My son was mistaken. He has read too many of his foolish old books and spent too much time with that witch doctor. The Popobawa is nothing but a bunch of superstitious nonsense spread about by zebras who are too attached to the old ways.”
Ah. At least now I had a name for the creature that threatened Mwenye. Though I had no idea what a Popobawa was, I could always report it to the nearest Long Patrol detachment. If this Popobawa was some kind of monster, then the Patrol would probably know all about it. That was their job, after all.
There was just one problem with that plan: I had no proof that there was a monster at all. As long as Mwenye stuck to his claim that he was hurt in a household accident, the Patrol wouldn’t make any investigation a high priority. Considering how difficult things were between him and his son, they might well assume it was just some sort of family argument. If Mwenye was in danger, I needed to either convince him to file a report or find some other proof that he’d been attacked by a monster.
Unfortunately, his injuries didn’t provide any evidence. Maybe somepony who’d studied forensic medicine would’ve found something, but I was just a doctor. There weren’t any obvious claw marks or other signs of an attack, just bruises. Maybe they were in the shape of a monster’s limbs, or maybe he really did just get them from falling on the stairs.
I confirmed he didn’t have anything worse than minor injuries, then gave him something for the pain and swelling. That was strange too—I can’t think of any monsters that would just bruise someone they attacked without trying to eat them or anything. Then again, I didn’t really know anything about this Popobawa creature Mosi believed was responsible for his father’s injuries. Since Mwenye didn’t even believe that the creature existed, I doubted I could get much information from him.
Once I was done with his father, I found Mosi in the kitchen preparing my glass of iced tea. His ears perked up when I entered, and he passed the glass over to me. “What is it? Is my father going to be alright? Can you help him?” He paused, then hastily added. “I was worried that without aid his prospects were dim.”
“He wasn’t too badly hurt,” I assured him, “and I’ve done everything I can to help make him comfortable.” I frowned, mulling over exactly how to put my next question. “Why did you lie to me about what was wrong with him?”
His cheeks once more lit up with shame. “I know I should not have lied to you, but my father refuses to admit that the monster is true. I know he holds great respect for Imperial ways, and thus I thought that—”
“I wouldn’t believe in the monster either,” I finished for him. I thought it over for a moment, and reached my conclusion. “I don’t really know enough about the creatures in Zanzebra to say if any monster exists or doesn’t, and I don’t know if I can trust you after how much you’ve lied to me.”
“No, please!” He desperately grasped one of my hooves. “The Creature will attack him again!” Mosi’s eyes drifted up towards his father’s room, and he worried at his lower lip. “It will keep coming every night until he is slain.”
That did sound somewhat plausible, at least. Mwenye’s injuries might have been mild because the monster wasn’t done with him yet. Many monsters enjoy that kind of thing, stalking and frightening their prey for days, weeks, or even months. Some of them even feed on the fear of their victims, growing stronger from it. If that was the case, then the attacks would only get worse.
Unfortunately, while that answered one or two inconsistencies with Mosi’s story, it didn’t prove anything. Especially since Mosi’s previous lies made it rather difficult to trust anything he said. However, if his father’s life was at stake I couldn’t ignore the possibility that this time he was being honest with me. I would have to dig a bit deeper. “Mosi, is there someone in Zanzebra who knows about Popobawas?” His father had mentioned a witch doctor he spent time with; a shaman would probably know all about the local monsters, and could even discern if Mwenye was being attacked or not. Not to mention a second zebra confirming his story would help offset Mosi’s unreliability.
“I know someone who can help,” he confirmed. “She has taught me the old secrets of our people since I was a whelp.”
“Great. Can you take me to her?”
“Yes.” He started to rise from his seat, then paused and frowned. “I ... erm...” He frowned, tapping a hoof and murmuring words that rhymed with ‘yes’ under his breath. Then he took a deep breath and cleared his throat, probably just hoping to start the sentence over again.
Though I’m normally not one to be flippant about respecting other cultures, this problem was just a bit urgent. It was already well into the evening, and most monster attacks, especially ones that happened indoors, happened late at night. I didn’t want to let Mwenye get hurt again. “We should hurry. You can worry about the rhyme later.”
He sighed, nodded, and led the way.
I made a quick stop by the Order’s armory to pick up my spear and a helmet, as well as letting them know where I was going. Once that was done Mosi led me to the shaman’s hut. The shaman lived in the woods a couple miles outside of the Zanzebra City, and by the time we arrived at her hut, the sun had fully set. Thankfully, though, the moon provided enough light for us to make our way through the forest.
I only knew a bit of general information about zebra shamans. They were more than just spellcasters like our magi; they were also guardians of the lore and traditions of their race. It made them quite different from unicorn magi, who really didn’t have much of a role in society beyond using their magic in the service of the Empire. They still gathered information, but it was more along the lines of finding information about monsters and magic, and they guarded that information closely. Shamans were just the opposite: they wanted to share their stories with as many zebras as possible.
The shaman’s hut was built in the old, traditional zebrican style, though that might have been as much a matter of practicality as adherence to the ancient ways. Traditional zebrican homes were certainly better suited to the climate than Equestrian-style buildings, absent slow-release cold gems—the Order’s chapter house would have been horrible without those. There was a large garden in front of the shaman’s hut stocked with dozens of different herbs, some of which I’d never seen before.
Mosi trotted up to the door and knocked. “Shaman Zecora, it is me, your sometime-apprentice Mosi. I brought a friend who needs to speak to you about my father and the beast that beat him black and blue.”
“Come in, come in, you and your friend.” The female voice coming through the door carried a heavier zebra accent than I was used to, but at least she still spoke Equestrian. It was rare to meet somepony in the Empire who didn’t, but the shamans were supposed to be one of the most traditionalist groups within zebra society. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she only spoke Zebrican.
The shaman opened the door, smiling at Mosi. “I hope your father’s wounds continue to mend.” She was younger than I had expected; probably only a few years older than me. Her blue eyes were a bit unusual for a zebra, but that might just mean she had a bit of pony heritage. It was fairly common: most of the soldiers stationed in zebra territory wound up marrying zebras since our species looked so similar.
Her home’s simple wooden walls were mostly bare of decoration, only dotted with a few masks that were rather intimidating. Herbs, spices, and talismans all dangled from the ceiling on fishing line, and a large cupboard and table were tucked away in the far corner. Both of them were quite messy, strewn about with ingredients, bowls, fetishes, and half-finished talismans strewn about in a kind of organized chaos that probably made more sense to the shaman than it would to her visitor.
She turned to me, her eyes flicking over my armor. “And who are you, fair pony knight? It is quite a surprise to meet you this night.”
“I’m Dame Fluttershy.” I offered her my hoof, then removed my helmet and smiled. “And no offense, but I think it might be cheating to rhyme knight and night.”
She smiled and nodded. “Perhaps so, but if you had to come up with a rhyme for every sentence, you would soon find that you will not be perfect in every instance. Especially when visitors come late at night, and one of them is a pony knight.” A faint smile played across her lips at the deliberate repetition of that rhyme.
I smiled and dipped my head, acknowledging her point. I can’t imagine I would ever be able to rhyme all the time. Even with lots of practice, it must be very hard to do, especially since somepony had probably asked her about oranges at some point just to tease her. Really, the whole rhyming thing seemed just a bit silly to me, but I was sure that there were plenty of pony customs that seemed strange to zebras too.
Besides, I was here on important business. “Mosi has told you about what’s wrong with his father, correct? And that he believes a monster is responsible for the attacks? Is there anything you could do to help with that?”
She immediately nodded. “Yes, yes, but first come inside. Who knows what troubles the night might hide?” She opened the door all the way, inviting us into her home. “May I fetch you something to drink? A cup of tea often helps me think.”
While I took a seat, Zecora trotted to the other end of the room and poured three cups. “So what can you tell me about this ... Popobawa?” Mosi twitched at the name, but Zecora just calmly set the cups of tea down in front of us. I took a sip; it was a rather nice, slightly minty herbal mix with just a little bit of jasmine in it.
“The Popobawa is a troublesome beast.” She swirled her own tea contemplatively. “Though in recent times their presence has decreased. It has two legs and the wings of a bat, and moves as silently as a hunting cat. Its head has only a single eye, and in hunting its prey it is quite sly. It always attacks those who deny its existence, and thus will be slow to ask for assistance.”
I frowned down at my drink, slightly confused. “But why would Mwenye keep denying that the monster exists after it attacked him? I mean, now that he’s actually met it...”
Zecora sighed and shook her head. “Mwenye’s weakness has always been his pride; so long as it holds, the creature will be denied.”
“Oh dear...” I sighed and sipped some more of the tea. “I suppose I will have to take care of the monster without his help, then. Do you have any idea where its lair might be? Does it have any weaknesses? Is there any way to convince it to leave Mwenye and everyone else alone without resorting to violence?”
She frowned, her head cocking to the side. “Popobawas are not peaceful creatures. A thirst for violence, pain, and fear are chief among their features. You do not intend to slay the monster? Most knights would be quick to do so and enhance their honor, yet you would end this without seeing it harmed?” She waved a hoof at my weapons and armor. “If that is so, then why are you armed?”
“Some monsters would see an unarmed pony as nothing more but an easy meal.” I frowned, then slowly shook my head. “While I don’t want to hurt it if there’s another acceptable way of handling this problem, I also can’t let a monster go around attacking innocent zebras. If I can’t persuade the Popobawa to leave him alone, then I might have no choice but to force him.”
“He is not innocent!” Mosi snapped. “It was his disrespect for our traditions that brought this ancient beast upon him.” Zecora shot a pointed look at the young colt, who closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed himself. “I am sorry, my reaction was not proper. I am ... my father’s circumstances are weighing heavily upon me. I am usually much better behaved, you see.”
Zecora answered him with an understanding smile. “You are forgiven, my young apprentice. Fear for our families often makes us senseless.” She turned back to me, finishing her tea before she spoke. “I know where the beast likely makes its lair. I hope you will not mind if I accompany you there.” She rose from her seat, then trotted to a closet and opened it up, producing a staff and several small saddlebags. “I had hoped the traditional cure could be applied, but it seems Mwenye has far too much pride. It is foolish of him to draw its attack when the monster could be so easily turned back.” She sighed and nodded to herself. “A Popobawa is dangerous to face alone, which is why I have not sought it on my own. It has been some time since I went on an adventure, but I will bring some useful skills to this joint venture.”
Oh. I hadn’t been expecting her to go that far to help me, but I certainly wasn’t going to turn her down. After all, she knew the local area much better than I did, and might know other useful things about the monster we were hunting. “The more the merrier. How soon will you be ready to go?”
She secured the last of her pouches to her saddlebag and retrieved a rather stout-looking staff. “I already am. If you will follow me, ma’am.” She trotted out the door, but paused and glanced back at Mosi. “Return to your father’s side, young colt. Go home, lock the door, and set the bolt.”
Mosi meekly nodded, following us out and starting down the path back to the city. While he did that, Zecora and I moved deeper into the forest.
The forest is a very scary place at night. Once Zecora and I moved off the beaten path, the trees grew so thick that there was barely enough light to see by. That wasn’t nearly as bad as the underbrush, though. I was very glad I was wearing my armor, because I couldn’t go more than a couple dozen steps without tangling my legs on a fallen branch, a thorny vine, or something else. If not for my armor, I would probably have cuts and scrapes all over my body. I briefly tried hovering a short distance off the ground to escape the undergrowth, but that just made low-hanging branches a problem instead. Getting tangled up every once in a while was far less dangerous than possibly hitting my head.
Zecora moved through the woods without any trouble, somehow always knowing exactly where to put her hooves so she wouldn’t have any problems. It didn’t take long for me to realize that my best option would be to follow her hoofsteps as closely as possible. That made things go a bit more smoothly, though I still moved much more slowly and made far too much noise.
After the third time I stepped on a dry twig, which let out a very audible snap, Zecora sighed and muttered under her breath, “The Popobawa will surely know that we are coming; I don’t make that much noise when I’m drumming.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled just a little testily. “I was just a little busy earning my knighthood and a doctorate, so I haven’t mastered woodcraft yet.”
Zecora met my eyes, then offered a barely perceptible nod. “I suppose no pony can master every skill. I only hope it won’t send this mission downhill. If I might offer one piece of advice to make our journey a bit more nice...” She gestured with her staff, drawing my attention downwards so I could see how she used it to check the ground in front of her for roots, twigs, and other such obstacles. I quickly followed her example using the butt end of my spear.
We traveled onward in relative silence for some time. Well, there wasn’t any talking, at least until Zecora glanced back at me. “Since the Popobawa will hear us coming from a mile away, we might as well pass the time with some conversation, okay?”
I suppressed the urge to make a less than polite remark. “Alright then. Was there something you wanted to talk about?”
She stared at me for a while longer, her muzzle crinkling in thought. “Why do you roam so far from your home? From the pony city of Canterlot to the jungles of Zebrica, where it’s hot. You could be sleeping the night away in a comfortable bed, but instead you’re on a journey that could end with you dead,—and all this for a zebra you met earlier today. It is a bit strange, wouldn’t you say?”
“Strange?” I nearly tripped over a root. “What do you mean it’s strange?”
“I do not understand why, my erstwhile ally,” she answered. “I am here because it is a shaman’s responsibility, but you owe Mwenye nothing but basic civility.”
I thought that over for a moment. “It’s easy, really. I can help him.”
“As could many others, but they are not here.” She pointedly looked around the empty forest. “Other than us, the coast is quite clear.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that I can help.” I thought back to something Sir Solemus had told me shortly after I became a squire. “Being a knight isn’t about honor or glory or fame, it’s about helping others. That’s why I trained so hard for so many years: so I would be strong enough to be able to help. If I don’t do that now...” I shrugged. “Well, I suppose it would make all the time I spent becoming a knight a huge waste. I think anypony who has the power to help others should do so.”
Zecora nodded slowly, a faint smile on her face. “Yes, the old creed of the nobility: with great power comes great responsibility.” She gave me a quick pat on the shoulder. “I am impressed you would go so far out of simple kindness. Truly, only a fool would call you spineless.”
“Thank you.” I was glad it was late at night, because getting complimented always made me blush a bit. One of my favorite things about wearing a helmet was that it kept everyone from seeing my face. I’ve gotten a lot better about it over the years, but a part of me is still very shy and nervous around others. I normally didn’t wear it while I was taking care of medical issues since it made me look a bit too intimidating for a doctor, but I picked it up when I’d stopped by the armory to retrieve my spear.
After another half hour or so of walking, Zecora silently signaled a halt. I could dimly make out a mound of rocks in the distance through the trees, and once I studied it a bit more closely, I saw the entrance to a cave. Zecora had mentioned that the Popobawa had a few bat-like characteristics, so I suppose it made sense that it would sleep in a cave. The shaman quietly whispered to me, “I cannot guarantee that the Popobawa will be there, but that is most certainly where it makes its lair.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and readied myself. “If there’s anything else I need to know about this monster before we go in...”
She frowned thoughtfully and adjusted the pouches on her saddlebag. “If you are ready to proceed, I suggest we go and do the deed. Hopefully the matter can be resolved with diplomacy, for in battle the Popobawa has significant potency. While not large or strong it has great speed, and if we fight it will make us bleed.”
I nodded and stepped into the cave. It was very dark: what little moonlight made it through the trees barely trickled into the cave entrance. The cave stank of sulfur and bat guano, and I decided to hover rather than walk through it. I normally liked bats, but it would take hours to clean up my armor if I stepped into too many of their droppings. Zecora followed behind me on hoof, doing her best to avoid the droppings and growling something in her native tongue when she stepped in something that smelled rather awful.
Once I was a bit further into the cave, I noticed a gentle red glow coming from further within, probably from a natural crystal formation. The light was too steady and even to be coming from a fire. “Um ... hello? Anyone home?” There was no answer, so I flew a bit deeper into the cave. Now I was completely out of the moonlight, with that dim red glow as the only source of illumination. I looked up and saw a red orb hanging from a stalactite. The Popobawa must have found an illumination gem somewhere.
The cave itself was very shallow, and it only took a few minutes to check all the walls and tunnels. There was no sign of the Popobawa, so I had to assume it was out. I turned back to Zecora, who was busy scraping her hooves on a clear patch of the cave wall. “I don’t think it’s here. What should we do? Wait for it to come back? Though if it’s out it might be attacking Mwenye again...” I frowned, mulling the problem over. “But there’s no guarantee of that, and we probably couldn’t make it all the way back to his house in time to stop the monster. And if it comes back to its cave while we’re out looking for it then it might know we’ve been here, and then when we come back it will be ready for a fight.”
“I would suggest that we wait here,” the shaman answered. “It’s entirely possible that the Popobawa is still near. And even if it hunts Mwenye this night I would not be alarmed, it will be some time before he is too seriously harmed. The beast enjoys drawing out its hunts, it would not go too far after only attacking once. It enjoys the taste of its victim’s fear, there is nothing else that can fill it with such cheer.”
“So I guess that means we’re wai—” I abruptly stopped talking as the red light hanging over our heads vanished. It came back a second later, but very slowly, as if someone were opening a set of drapes.
Or an eyelid.
I looked up at that orb again, and the stalactite it was hanging from. This time I noticed that the orb had a narrow, slit pupil, and the bumps in the stalactite looked suspiciously like wings and claws. A moment later a mouth opened, revealing a maw full of sharp, needle-like teeth. Its deep voice had a thick Zebrican accent, and there was an odd rasping quality to it that probably came from being monster. “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me.”
The eye closed again, plunging the cavern into total darkness. I listened as carefully as I could, but there was nothing to tell me whether the Popobawa had moved, or where it might be now. I didn’t like being trapped in the dark with a monster, but I knew I couldn’t show my fear. The Popobawa was a predator, and acting like scared, vulnerable prey around it would be very dangerous. Instead, I spoke as confidently as I could. “We’re here about your attacks on the zebra known as Mwenye.”
The voice came out of the darkness just a few feet behind me, and it took all my self-control not to jump in surprise. “Ah, yes, Mwenye. Mwenyeee...” The creature slowly drew out his name, and I saw its teeth gleaming in the light cast by its eye. “Three times he has denied me. It is my right to take offense at such a crime. He has marked himself as my prey, and I will not stop until I have my retribution.”
“The knight and I say you must leave him alone,” Zecora snapped, her voice utterly uncompromising. “And for the harms you have done him, you must atone.”
The eye closed, and moment later reappeared in front of Zecora. The fact that the Popobawa could move so swiftly and silently was rather worrying. “Oh I must, must I? Come now, shaman, you know the old codes. I have spared your village and all those who acknowledge me. Only those who offer the insult of denying my existence become prey, as it has been since the time of your grandfather’s grandfather. Mwenye must be taught the price of eschewing the old ways.”
I scowled, unlimbering my spear. “I’m afraid that’s just not acceptable. I’m sure it hurt your feelings when Mwenye said you didn’t exist, but that doesn’t give you the right to attack him. Sometimes ponies say things that upset me, but I don’t stab them.”
The monster let out a low chuckle, its eye turning to me. “You think I merely target him because I am offended? No. Is it the fault of the apple that you find it appealing, knight? That it is your prey? That is simply the nature of things, is it not? He refuses to provide me with the respect that tradition demands, and so he forfeits that protection. If you leave your home with the windows open and doors unbarred, you have only yourself to blame when a thief robs you. It is only proper that he be punished for such foolishness.”
Zecora sighed and reluctantly nodded. “I have told Mwenye many times how he could ward the beast away, but when told to honor our old traditions, he always says neigh.”
“And by doing so, he gives me the right to hunt him,” the Popobawa answered with a nasty, tooth-filled grin. “It is the law.”
“No.” I scowled and brought my weapon to bear. “Maybe that was how things worked a long time ago, but Mwenye is a citizen of the Empire, and subject to its laws and protections now. You do not have the right to hurt him just because you don’t like his opinions. If you won’t stop, then I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to make you stop.”
“Oh is that so?” He showed me his teeth once more. “By all means, you are welcome to try.”
The eye closed once more, and I heard a rush of wind before something slammed hard into my chest. The blow knocked me out of the air, and I slammed into one of the cavern walls and then fell to the floor. My armor protected me from the worst of it, but I was still going to have some very unpleasant bruises in the morning.
The Popobawa’s eye appeared again, and I stabbed out at it with my spear. However, I still hadn’t picked myself up from the cavern floor, so my attack was weak and off-balance. It dodged the attack without even trying, letting out a low, malevolent chuckle. Then the eye winked out once more.
A moment later Zecora’s voice rang out. “To you foul creature, I say hark! You cannot hide within the dark!” A second later there was a bright flash, and then a gentle green light filled the cavern. A quick glance at the cavern floor revealed that she’d scattered some sort of glowing powder.
I got a brief glimpse of the Popobawa before it darted out of the circle of light Zecora had created. The creature had a build similar to that of a minotaur, though somewhat smaller and less muscular. It had a pair of bat-like wings instead of arms, and its feet ended in cruel three-toed talons. Its head had no visible nose, ears, or any other features beyond its single eye and toothy maw. The green light made its skin look dark brown-red, like dried blood.
Zecora quickly helped me to my hooves. “My light will only last for a short while, and to fight the beast here would be a trial. I suggest we take this fight outside, where it will not be as easy to use the darkness to misguide.”
“I think that sounds like a very good idea.” Even the limited amount of moonlight that made it through the trees would be much better than the complete darkness of the cave. “I don’t think it will let us leave, though.”
The Popobawa’s teeth glinted in the darkness. “No, I’m afraid I won’t. And as you might have noticed, I’m quite a bit faster than you. You’re welcome to try escaping, though.”
My first instinct was to put that boast to the test, but I wasn’t optimistic about our chances. Escape wasn't an option either—even if we split up, it would easily run at least one of us down.
The Popobawa chuckled again, its glowing red eye hovering between us and the exit, just outside of the area illuminated by Zecora’s powder. “How much light can you make, shaman? How long will it last? Is it measured in hours or days? In either case, I assure you I can wait as long as I must. Far longer than either of you.”
Zecora scowled and tossed out more of her powder. However, this time the monster was ready for her. It began flapping its wings the instant she made her move, creating a gust that sent the powder flying right back into our faces. The shaman muttered something in her native language. I didn’t know much Zebrican, but the few words I did understand were enough that I was glad I missed the rest of it.
I stepped over to her side, murmuring quietly under my breath, “Do you have anything else that we can use against it? I could try to fight it, but as long as it’s staying in the dark it won’t be easy.”
Zecora frowned and shook her head. “I’m afraid that to most poisons and potions it is immune; when facing a shaman, ‘tis quite a boon.” She tapped her chin, glancing down at one of her other pouches. “I do have ways to enhance my own might, but I only got the dosage for a zebra right. If you were to partake of one my potions it could end being more of a poison.”
I suppose there was no helping that—I didn’t know too much about alchemy, but I knew enough about medicine to know that zebras and ponies have different reactions to some drugs. Those cases were rare since ponies and zebras were so similar, but I would rather not risk the five percent chance that one of Zecora’s potions might kill me.
What we needed was some way to lure the monster into attacking. It was fast, but not so fast that I couldn’t compensate for that as long as I could see it coming. That kind of speed can actually be a bit of a disadvantage. Something that’s moving very fast has more momentum, so it might not be able to stop itself in time once it committed to an attack. Not to mention that it could still only think and perceive at the same speed as a pony. Maybe even less, since having only a single eye probably limited its range of vision and depth perception.
“Cowards,” the popobawa hissed. “Hiding in your safe little circle of light. Maybe I should just leave you there. I wonder how many of the zebras back in the village I could kill before you caught up with me? Ten? Twenty? More? And there’s no way you could stop me. You’ll just stand there helplessly, being useless.”
Those words made me flinch. To think that after all my training, everything I had gone through, I was still weak and helpless against this monster.
No. I couldn’t accept that. There had to be a way to stop this creature. The only way it would win was if I gave up—which was exactly what it wanted me to do. The truth came to me in a flash of insight: Zecora told me that the Popobawa liked to draw things out with its victims because it enjoyed their fear. It didn’t want to run off into the village and start a massacre. It was just trying to frighten us.
I planted my hooves and glared at the glowing eyeball. “I am not afraid of you. If anything, it’s you who’s afraid of us!”
The eye blinked, and the beast chuckled. “Oh really? What a curious claim. Fear is the most delicious seasoning one can apply to meal, and yet you claim that I am afraid? And of a mere pony knight that I could tear apart without even trying?”
“If you’re not afraid, then step into the light,” I challenged. “You call me a coward, but you’re the one who’s hiding in the dark. If you were really that much stronger than me, you wouldn’t be afraid to fight me fairly.”
The Popobawa scoffed. “That’s not fear, it’s simply intelligence. You can’t see in the dark; I can. Why should I surrender an advantage?” His teeth gleamed out of the darkness. “I could just as easily say you are a coward for not fighting me in my chosen terrain. I’m rather disappointed by your ploy. Was demanding that I fight you fairly really the best you could do? You seem to be under the delusion that I’m an honorable knight like you. I, foolish pony, am a predator. And you are my prey.”
Zecora downed one of her potions, then answered its smile with one of her own. “I think the strength of your taunt is somewhat blunted by how easily fortune turns hunter into the hunted. Overconfidence has been the downfall of more than one of your kind, your pride so easily renders you blind.”
“Pride...” Something about that word reminded me of what had started this whole mess to begin with. Mwenye, who wouldn’t even admit that he was being attacked by the Popobawa because he was too proud to admit that it existed. And that gave me a rather devious idea.
I met the creature’s single eye, and very slowly and deliberately declared, “Popobawas do not exist.”
The creature let out a low, angry hiss. “What did you say?”
I answered him with implacable calm. “I said that Popobawas do not exist.”
It snarled, and I could hear its talons scraping along the cavern floor. “You dare?! I am standing right in front of you! How can you deny my existence?!”
“It’s very dark, and all I can see is an eye and a vague blur.” I smirked at the monster. “And whatever you are, you’re obviously not a Popobawa. Because they don’t exist.”
The Popobawa shrieked in anger and charged into the light, heading straight for me. I tried to put my spear in its path, but it was moving too fast. At the last moment, it hopped into the air, then its talons slammed down on my back. The attack drove me down to the cavern floor and drove the breath from my lungs.
Rather than take advantage of my moment of weakness, the creature remained perched on top of me, posing dramatically. “Deny me now, foolish little pony!” it crowed. “Take those words back, or you will die screaming!”
I might have denied its existence one more time, but it proved to be a moot issue. The monster was so enraged by my taunt that it had completely forgotten that I wasn’t alone. Zecora brought her staff down on one of its wings, swinging her weapon with incredible speed. There was an audible snap as the blow landed, and the Popobawa’s wing dropped, hanging limply from its side.
Unlike the monster, I did not waste my opponent’s moment of weakness by gloating. Instead I quickly drew my dagger and stabbed the monster in the belly. The creature let out a high-pitched keening wail, staggering off of my back and flopping weakly to the cavern floor.
While the Popobawa flopped about weakly, Zecora helped me back to my hooves. After taking a moment to check my injuries, I recovered my spear, then moved to put the monster out of its misery. However, it did something I hadn’t been expecting.
“Mercy!” The Popobawa pressed its forehead to the cavern floor in supplication. “I am beaten. Spare me, oh great one, and I promise I will never harm another living being for the rest of my life. I swear it!”
I stayed my hoof, though I still kept my weapon at the ready. The Popobawa would not be the first enemy to try to turn a battle in its favor by offering a false surrender. However, I couldn’t murder it on mere suspicion. “I accept your surrender. Zecora, do you have anything we can use to tie it up? I hope the local jail can hold it until we can arrange for a trial.”
The shaman frowned and shook her head. “The Popobawa is not a beast that can be jailed, as every attempt to do so has failed.” She hefted her staff and gave it a few practice swings. “The only solution is to leave its body to rot; I will take care of that if you cannot.”
The Popobawa whined pitifully, covering its head with its only working wing. “Please! I surrendered! Spare me! Have you no honor?”
“Zecora, no.” I reluctantly shifted to place myself between her and the monster. “I know it’s probably just lying to try and attack us while our guard is down, but if there’s even the slightest chance that this is genuine, we have to allow it the opportunity. I’ll need your help to stop the bleeding.”
She frowned at me. “A minute ago this creature would have gladly seen you dead, yet now you are concerned for the blood it has bled?”
“Showing compassion, even to your enemies, is one of the most important qualities of a knight.” I stared down at the wounded, groveling creature. “I know that if the situation were reversed it wouldn’t offer me mercy, but that doesn’t excuse me from doing the same thing. I am a knight, I’m supposed to be better than the monsters I fight.” I blinked, then shot a faint smile at my companion. “Now you have me rhyming too.”
She smiled in return. “It is a known hazard for a layman when they spend too much time with a shaman.” The good mood didn’t last, though. “This creature will betray you at the first opportunity; a Popobawa will break its word with impunity.”
“Maybe, but I have to give it a chance.” I frowned down at the monster. “Zecora, I’ll need more light to work with if I want to properly bandage up that knife wound. Do you mind?”
The shaman sighed, but dutifully spread some more of her light powder. I was glad I had thought to bring my own first aid kit, because I was fairly sure she would refuse to lend me any of her own medical supplies to treat the monster’s wounds.
Removing my dagger from the creature’s belly was unpleasant. Treating an injury I had caused always upset me. Sir Solemus said that was a good thing; being aware of how much damage I could cause to my enemies would make me properly appreciate the responsibility that came with being a knight. The weight of the decision I made whenever I chose to draw my weapons.
After removing the dagger, I quickly applied a salve to slow the bleeding, then put a simple pressure wrap over the wound. Far from perfect, but it would at least keep the monster from bleeding to death. I could properly treat its injuries once we had it in custody and under guard. I didn’t know much about Popobawa biology, but I should at least be able to keep it stable until a specialist from the Long Patrol arrived. Whoever the Patrol sent would have to decide on the monster’s final disposition.
Once I was done treating its injuries, I slowly backed away, keeping my eyes on it the entire time. It remained in place, its one working wing cradled over its wounded stomach, while the damaged wing hung from a simple sling I’d improvised from my medical supplies. Once I was fifteen feet away from it, I turned my back on the Popobawa to retrieve my fallen spear.
That was when the monster made its move, charging my unprotected back.
Even with a damaged wing and a stomach wound, the Popobawa was much faster than me. However, it needed to cross fifteen feet of cavern floor to reach me with its talons. All I needed to do was finish lifting my spear. By the time the Popobawa realized the danger, it was already too late. Its own momentum doomed it, and the monster impaled itself.
Despite having the tip of my spear through its chest, the Popobawa was still alive. Its one working wing twitched weakly in a vain effort to free itself. I turned around and faced it once more, sighing. “I would have spared you if you allowed it, but now I’m afraid now there’s only one last mercy I can offer you.” A quick thrust of my dagger put the monster to rest. “May the blessed light of the sun guide your soul to a peace it never knew in life.”
Once that was done, I took a few minutes to give the Popobawa a quick cremation. It may have been a murderous, treacherous monster, but it still deserved that much. Zecora watched me prepare the cairn with a bemused smile. “Even after it betrayed you, you still treat it with honor. Though I hope it never comes to pass, I fear that one day your kindness will prove to be your undoing.”
I thought that over for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Perhaps it will, but I think I’d rather be too compassionate than the alternative.” A mournful smile crossed my face. “Besides, just because I believe in letting every monster have a second chance doesn’t mean I have to trust them blindly. I’m kind, not stupid.”
She chuckled and dipped her head, acknowledging my point. “Still, I am glad I had the chance to work alongside one of the Knights of Sol Invictus. You are not what I expected, but I think that perhaps that is a good thing.”
“Thank you.” I paused, cocking my head to the side. “Why did you stop rhyming?”
She sighed and tiredly gestured towards the Popobawa’s cairn. “The hour is late, and I am weary from our fight. This has been a long and difficult night.”
“Yes, it has.” I quickly cleaned my weapons. “Thank you for helping me, I couldn’t have done this without you. If I have time before I have to leave Zanzebra, I would really like to have tea with you again. I would love to learn a bit more about zebra herbalism—I’ve heard you can make some incredible medicines. I’m sure there’s so much we could learn from each other.”
“I do know many things, it is true. And I would be glad to share them with you.” She grinned and winked at me. “But not the secret of rhyming, I’m afraid. That must remain the shaman’s secret trade.”
I smiled and chuckled tiredly. “I suppose I can live with that. I wouldn’t want to spoil our friendly chat.” I paused, putting a hoof to my lips. “Oh my, now you have me doing it again.”
I returned to the Order’s chapter house, looking forward to a thorough bath and a good night’s rest. Unfortunately, those plans fell apart shortly after I entered the building. One of the young pages galloped to my side as soon as I stepped through the door. “Dame Fluttershy, Palatine Weaver has been looking for you.”
“Oh dear, I’ll go see her at once.” Palatine Weaver was the commander of the outpost, and if she wanted to talk to me it must be something important, especially this late at night. I quickly trotted up to the palatine’s office, quite aware of the fact that my armor hadn’t been cleaned from my venture into the Popobawa’s lair.
When I stepped into his office, Palatine Weaver directed a rather pointed look at the blood and bat droppings adorning my platemail. “I presume your monster hunt was successful, but your timing could have been better. We received a messenger from the capital half an hour after you left.” He waved towards the next room. “She’s waiting for you in there.”
I stepped into the next room and gasped in surprise when I saw who it was. It might have been years since we’d seen each other, but I would never forget that lavender coat, the blond mane, and those mischievous purple eyes. “Cloud? Is that you?”
Cloud Solaris, one of my oldest fillyhood friends, rose from her seat, grinning. “Hey, ‘Shy! It’s been way too long.” Her eyes flicked over my messy armor, which made me feel even worse when I contrasted it against her own immaculate Phoenix Guard armor. “I hope you’ll understand if I don’t give you a hug right now.”
“That’s quite alright.” I looked her over again, taking note of the rank pips on her shoulder. “So you’re a major now? And in the Empress’s bodyguard unit? That’s wonderful!”
She answered with a gently teasing smile. “Yeah, I get to spend all day protecting a pony who could kill me with all four hooves tied behind her back.” She paused, then cleared her throat. “Well, that and I get sent out on errands, which is why I’m here. Business first, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up later.”
She reached into her bright red armor and produced a letter, opening it up and taking a deep breath. When she spoke, there was a stilted formality to her voice. “Dame Fluttershy, Knight Hospitaller of the Order of Sol Invictus: Her Imperial Majesty Sunbeam Sparkle, Great Mother of all Races, Beloved Unifier of the World, Valiant Protector of the Empire...” Cloud waved her hoof, passing over the rest of her titles. “...cordially invites you to attend her at the 834th Feast of Remembrance and join her at her table.”
I gasped in shock. The Feast of Remembrance was one of the most important events in the year. It held special significance to all members of my order since it commemorated the passing of Old Queen Celestia, the spiritual icon of our order. It was one of the most exclusive, prestigious parts of the Summer Sun Celebration. Having dinner with the Empress was one of the highest honors a pony could receive.
I had no idea what I’d done to earn such a reward. A second later a thrill of nervous panic settled into the pit of my stomach. “Oh my. Oh my goodness. Oh dear. That’s such an important event! What if I say something that offends the Empress? Or if I ... if I ... I don’t even have anything to wear other than my armor!”
Cloud chuckled and draped a reassuring wing over my back, ignoring the messy state of my armor. “Oh Fluttershy. Never change.”
Fluttershy saying that makes me very happy.
As always, a very awesome chapter.
Sunbeam sure did help out Fluttershy, at least indirectly. This Fluttershy is like Canon Fluttershy after the entire series worth of character development.
..... if the beast was so easily brought down with mundane weapons, then why would it ever be a threat to begin with?
......... none of this feels right. this fluttershy knight thing does not mesh with fluttreshy well and perhaps even at all. if anything the more aggressive state of the pegasi would have further alienated fluttershy from her own kind and driven her away. she could not have adapted to this life.
and it is extra noticeable because the places the other mane six have do make an amount of sense. this knight fluttreshy thing however, does not. it feels like it is made to artificially put fluttershy somewhere that sunbeam can find her and think her useful.
and it emphasizes and issue i have been having throughout the entire story so far. there is no explanation of how sunbeam, or nightmare moon for that matter, could find the mane six. outside of twilight perhaps, who has the mark of harmony itself on her. not saying that she couldn't find any of the others, but it just seems like she would be struggling to find the rest regardless. however at this point all six have been identified.
perhaps there is a method she is using, but even then i have a hard time thinking someone who has so obviously and completely abandoned harmony could locate those who best represent its aspects.
5706291 ....... then you are seeing something i cannot. all i am seeing is a character who could not comprehensively come from fluttershy. if the society of equestria is this stern, then it is a society that fluttershy could not adapt to. at the very least she could have never become a warrior in any extension of the word. yet this one is fulyl competent as a fighter, lacking the timidness and nurturing nature that makes fluttershy fluttershy.
and personally, she really proved her not fluttershy esqueness by not being able to convince the beast to just leave. if both dragons and draconequus are vulnerable to fluttershy, then how could a beast who was easily slain by mundane weapons resist her?
Oh, but she has changed. Just not in ways you know.
Knight Fluttershy FTW.
th06.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2015/018/0/2/shyknight_by_otakuap-d8eb886.jpg
An email came up today saying this had updated and I quivered with excitement.
Now I just need to read all the previous short stories to actually remember what's going on.
So excited!
5706342 She was very kind and hopeful of creatures throughout the chapter. This quote summarizes that Fluttershy is still a kind soul:
She isn't shy anymore, which is admittedly a huge change to her character, but that's good thing. And she isn't the kind of knight who goes out all day slaying monsters; she's more of a missionary with heavy emphasis on the charity, and no converting. She cannot use the Stare apparently, but being able to use the Stare is a superpower, not a character trait.
Also, to answer your other question of how Sunbeam can track down the element bearers, I think I know the answer. In some of the other Winningverse fics, most importantly the prequel to this, fully ascended alicorns (Celestia, Luna, and Sunbeam, not Twilight or Cadence) have an ability where they can sense the possible destinies of ponies. It's not a perfect ability, that's why she couldn't prevent Pinkie's death and why she didn't have the Bearers taken to the palace at birth, but it can still be very useful.
Oh, and one edit:
This should be affected, since affect is a verb, while effect is a noun.
If you want, you can think of Arrows Affecting the Aardvark.
Also, love the ShimmerSparkle (TwiSet? SunLight? ) in here. Ordinarily I dislike it, but they are just so adorkable together in here!
5706417 it isw pretty obvious that pinkie isn't dead. i might be wrong admtiably, but more often than not if you do not see a corpse, you do not count someone out unless it is the finale of a disney movie.
and it is less fluttershy not being shy and more her being outright violent. she could never become a warrior. it is not in her nature in any conceivable way. she would strive to help, but you could never convince her to be a killer. and she acted without doubt or questioning. that is not character development, that is stripping a character of their vices. not to mention, as i said, the world here would not be one that she could adapt to. too harsh, and likely the pegasi are much more war like too.
and she managed to tame discord and a dragon without the stare. discord was even resistant to it. what i meant is mroe that she has the talent and ability to tame beings, to reach inside of them and bring out the best of them. this fluttershy lacks that ability.
and even if she has that ability, sunbeam, i do not think it would work because you need a certain level of comprehension of a subject i would imagine, and she has obviously abandoned harmony in its entirety. and with luna..... well it seems that her version of it would be dream walking.
So, Zecora never left Zebrica for the Everfree.
Shamanism is the third type of magic in the Winningverse and its recursive universes. How does it work? is mere alchemy/herbalism, or something more?
5706512 I think Pinkie is dead, mainly because it'd be crappy writing if that was just a plot twist, and Chengar isn't a crappy writer.
I guess you just can't see Fluttershy as a warrior and I can, there isn't anything more to it.
As for your response for her ability to see destinies... that was completely and utterly baseless. You have no evidence, whatsoever, that it's based off harmonic magic. For all we know, the ability is run off chaos magic. And guessing Luna's version is dreamwalking is also a guess. It's not as baseless and is an okay guess, but "her version" could be the exact same 'see destinies' ability.
So, essentially, Fluttershy's now a paladin. They wreck you in battle and heal your wounds after you surrender.
Awesome.
...?
I have seen enough pony to know where this is going.
Considering what the Popobawa is like in the original mythology, I was expecting this to be a lot darker... Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
5706678
Yeah, I think taking a few creative liberties with the nastier aspects of Popobawa mythology was for the best when it came to this story.
"since it effected zebras too"
That ought to be "affected", I believe.
"It was like the old metaphor about how a single stick was easy to break but a bundle of sticks tied together would be strong."
...Huh. Okay, depending on interpretation, that could put a rather different spin on how you're presenting the Phoenix Empire. And possibly Fluttershy as well.
"Cloud Solaris"
Hm. I wonder when Cloud's ancestors changed names?
Another good chapter overall, I think. :)
Oh god, I can't decide which is better: superhero Rarity or knight Fluttershy. The bearers first meeting is going to blow my mind. I'm not going to be able to read it because it will be SO AWESOME.
A few people seem to be complaining about Fluttershy being unrecognizable, how she couldn't possibly be a warrior.
To an extent I agree, if we were to suddenly transplant Main-Winningverse Fluttershy into the Phoenix Empire, she would be completely incapable of adapting.
But keep in mind, this is with 900 years of divergence. You already saw how much has changed, how different a world it is. An individual is a product of their environment, after all. And every individual will always adapt, become a new person.
5706327
And why would it further alienate her? It would alienate the Fluttershy from the Winningverse, without a doubt, but considering this Fluttershy was born into this kind of world, where it is perfectly natural.
As for how Sunbeam knows of them, that is something that has been established quite some time ago in a separate story. Another already explained so I'll not repeat what he said. Long story short, full alicorns have a sort of destiny sense.
Though I will say, the reasoning that "Fluttershy is not Fluttershy by not being able to convince the beast to leave" is fundamentally flawed. Did she somehow convince the changelings to leave? Did she somehow convince Sombra to not want to reclaim his throne? No. Nor did she initially convince Discord to reform. Now yes, with him, she eventually succeeded, but the point is, not everything can be reasoned with, a lesson that this Fluttershy has mentioned having learned before. And seeing as she's basically a paladin, it's not out of the question she would have far more experience.
Not to mention resistance to mundane weaponry has no relevance whatsoever to one's psychology, or rather how willing they are to negotiate. Discord is a talker and manipulator. Consequently, he leaves that venue open against himself as well.
But like I said, some can be reasoned with, others not.
And besides, while being meek is a major character trait for Fluttershy, it does not define her (contrary to her name).
Now yes, I will admit, there's a bit of cheapness in having a completely-post development Fluttershy, you do not see her evolve, you do not see her become the Fluttershy you see here, compared to the Rainbow Dash story, where you start from her youth and see how she gets disillusioned.
However, this right here is not the story of Fluttershy becoming a Paladin. This is merely a setup story to the main story arc (namely, the return of Nightmare Moon). This is a story that merely establishes how things were before the Elements were united.
Now of course, with Pinkie dead (one could take it as symbolically meaning there's little joy or optimism, and that seems to be the general mindset of the denizens of the empire, but we'll soon see), it does leave what is to come... hazy.
My point is, the situations presented in these short stories aren't completely out of the question. Do not confuse Celestia's Equestria and Sunbeam's Phoenix Empire. They're two completely different worlds. You may not like this new universe, the world that Sunbeam leads, and that is fair. But given the circumstances in her rise to power, it is not an impossible reality.
5706512
Fluttershy could not adapt? She never needed to. She was born into this.
You say Sunbeam requires a comprehension of Harmony that she supposedly lacks... why? Twilight certainly did not understand the Elements of Harmony when she found them, yet she made them work.
And who is to say Sunbeam does not comprehend Harmony? And who's to say this isn't merely just another interpretation of Harmony? Would you not say the Phoenix Empire is harmonious? There's order. There's a sustainable system. Remember: Freedom is not in the definition of Harmony and Order.
Anyway, rant over. Might have repeated a few things. My point is this Fluttershy is possible, but circumstances would have to be relatively extreme, as is the case here. Characters are not pre-defined and permanent. They're fluid and ever evolving. You are free to like or dislike her as she is right now, here.
5706870 out of all the ponies, the only one of the mane six who has been fundamentally different has been fluttershy. they others have different positions in life and different paths, but as ponies they are the same.
fluttershy is the only mane six to be unrecognizable.
5706560 i did not mean the fate magic or whatevver it is, is based on harmony magic. what i meant was that for something like that to work, you would need a certain comprehension of a subject. because it seems that the magic works like a chain reaction, one revelation after another showing potential.
the issue is that sunbeam is not someone who has any comprehension of harmony. it is obvious by her behavior, by this entire empire business, that she has rejected it. how is she going to find the ones fated to embody harmony when she herself has rejected it completely?
and i dobut pinkie is dead. it could simply be the case of her death beign staged to protect her.
if not it is gonna be some immense contrivance that follows that somehow does not cause nightmare moon to grind sunbeam into the earth. whether there just being someone able to take up her role, or some nonsensical concept as somehow sunbeam being able to defeat the nightmare. if celestia could not overpower nightmare moon, what hope does sunbeam have, whose alicorn magic is a hand me down rather than something she earned?
5706919 Once again, it's baseless that Sunbeam has to know the pony to use the destiny magic. This is the author's imaginary magic, and it works however he wants it to work.
Sunbeam values efficiency over harmony, and is just as good at getting stuff done as Celestia is at being nice. And quite frankly, we can't judge her without knowing more details about what happened in non-AU Winningverse. For all we know, the Griffon territories were going with massive civil wars every two years. Maybe murder rates and crime were much harder. Or maybe every country, excepting the changeling nation, was peaceful and crime was next to non-existent. We can't compare Sunbeam's efficiency to Celestia's harmony without knowing more about the Winningverse world. And that's unlikely to happen, since as far as I can tell, every non-AU, non-historical Winningverse fic is character driven and doesn't reveal much about the wider world.
As far as Sunbeam fighting Nightmare Moon... Celestia was a pacifist who looked for the peaceful way out and avoids conflict whenever possible, preferring subtle turn around victories like with the Elements of Harmony that result in no real losses. Sunbeam isn't like that. She doesn't take the risk. She would undoubtedly be double checking her combat magic and preparing nuclear-bomb level spells to wipe out Nightmare Moon. It would have many casualties, but what are a million casualties in exchange for 100% chance that there will not be a billion casualties and a tyrant for the next thousand years?
5706761
I think the name change is because, since she passed her power and duties to Sunbeam, Celestia was free to openly have a relationship with Shadow Kicker, unlike in the main timeline where such a relationship wuld have had to be secret.
Thus, if the two were actually married in this timeline, I would imagine, depending on how that sort of thing works in Equestrian and/or pegasai society, Shadow would have taken Celestia's family name, since hers would have been the higher 'ranked' family. ...Or because Shadow insisted on doing so.
Alternate theory: Shadow changed the Kickers to the Solarises after Celestia died, in her memory.
I've seen a few stories, usually D&D styled, in which Fluttershy becomes a Paladin or even a Berserker, and yet she still remains in character. To say that Fluttershy "could never kill" does her canon character a disservice, because it plays around with things like "I was only cruel because Discord magicked me," which we know was not true. She has it within her. Discord, and following bad advice from Iron Will are examples of it being unleashed.
So yeah, in the right context, such as portrayed here, Fluttershy makes an excellent paladin. If anything, her distaste for killing makes her a better one than many others, as Zecora noticed.
And seriously... the memes... Fluttershy is Kyle Rayner's Green Lantern, Luke Skywalker, Spider Man, Drizzt Do'Urden, Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, and it was teased that if she took the Zecora's potion she could become the Hulk (or Saddle Rager, as it were).
Love getting more of this fic. Also love the idea of knight Fluttershy. It makes sense given the more aggressive and dangerous world that Sunbeam ended up creating, she would end up in a position where she could help and protect.
5706895
"As ponies, the others are the same"? I disagree.
Take Rainbow Dash.
She's very different, you just see how she became so.
Compared to the main winningverse (and the equivalent age), she's a lot more mature here. She's not full of herself, in fact she thinks about others a lot more here. At the same time, she's not blindly loyal to the ruler.
She has learned to care about what goes on around her, not just getting a place in the Wonderbolt or keeping a reputation up. She cares about more than just her close friends, she cares about what the Empire is doing.
And all that before she got the same character development opportunities that the show provided.
Take Twilight.
In Celestia's Equestria, she was as Sunset Shimmer was here. No interest in others at all, and a very low opinion of others in general. Yet here, right away, she was willing to reach out to Sunset first. It was Sunset who had to open up and let Twilight in.
And if you say "well that's because they had different paths in life", well, so did Fluttershy, and we see the results that different path had.
You say Fluttershy is fundamentally different. What is fundamentally Fluttershy? That she's shy? a pacifist? a meek, animal-loving girl who can barely look another pony in the eye?
While I will admit, I am curious about this Fluttershy's cutie mark (presumably, their childhood is still the same, I've not seen any indication that it isn't so, so cutie mark may also be the same, which then begs a whole bunch of other questions), she's not defined by her love of animals. A cutie mark hardly defines a pony.
And she's demonstrated her ability to... be less than passive when Iron Will was through with her. She does not like it, and when she realized what she was doing, she was horrified, but it's still within her to fight. Now yes, she does have anxiety, but as shown in Filli Vanilli, she's able to, with baby-steps, slowly come out of her shell. What if that baby-steps journey started much earlier in her life, as was the case in this story?
So, what makes Fluttershy Fluttershy? I'd say it is her idealism, her belief that everyone has the capacity to be good, if only they're willing to nurture it. That everyone should be good. And she believes in caring for others. And if being a knight is the best way she can help others, to do what's right, then I can totally see her doing that.
And we still see that here. She's now given herself the ability to help other ponies in need, something that seemingly occurs a lot more in the Phoenix Empire and their newly integrated regions, rather than only her little animal friends. She's willing to help Mosi, even though she had every right and ability to simply lock him up and have less trouble to deal with. She gave the Popobawa the chance to surrender, a chance it wholly squandered, yet took no pleasure in its disposal.
Your objections seem to revolve around the fact that she's a knight, a warrior, a paladin, if you will. At least in this scenario, where it's not an all-out war, the concepts aren't necessarily contradictory to the description of Fluttershy.
Again, you might feel there's more difference because you do not see her evolve into this role. You are told, not shown her change (which, for most character-based stories, is in fact a weakness, but this particular story is not meant to explore her evolution).
It's funny, every character is very different, yet their fundamentals are not significantly adjusted, I find.
5706919 Again, your reasoning that Sunbeam can't recognize Harmony because she rejected it makes no sense whatsoever. Just because she doesn't run her empire on the element of laughter or kindness, does not mean she doesn't know of it. She may have just reasoned that it won't work in the long term, or more likely, that they are unnecessary. And it's not like those concepts do not exist at all. Not to mention she's not the one wielding it. She just needs to unite six ponies capable of wielding the elements, beyond that, she doesn't really need to do anything else.
Here's a question. Even if Fluttershy, or some other character we've yet to see, is completely unrecognizable, is completely different to what we've known, is that bad? is that wrong? If we really want to be realistic about alternate universes, no one would also exist in an alternate universe, especially not after 900 years, where any butterfly effect would perpetuate and have had the chance to change the landscape.
Lyra, for instance, was an example of a fundamentally different character, yet people don't seem so upset with that, from what I've seen.
And another question of curiosity. What exactly did Fluttershy do that is fundamentally not her? I'm curious what it is you find so divergent from Fluttershy. What was it that made you conclude "that is not Fluttershy"?
5707390 sighs. you really think something as powerful as harmony is in mlp could be so simple to just know? that the most powerful force in their world could be so easy to crack without having to experience it? if it were so, celestia could have simply taught people the virtues of harmony and used them to heal luna.
harmony is not proven by knowing it, it is proven by experiencing it. it is action, not inaction, and has multiple layers of light and dark. sunbeam could not know the intimacies of the elements with ow she rules.
so how could one who could not even begin to comprehend harmony's intricacies be able to just Know who the ponies who can wield its intricaies are?
5706981 who will be prearing her own, logically more powerful, nuclear level spells as well. a battle with nightmare moon would be catastrophic. and one that sunbeam would be hard pressed to win.
and no, what sunbeam has created cannot be sustained. it is unlikely that sunbeam took over entire nations because of civil wars alone. she is a conquerer, a dictator. and such a system is by its very nature unstable. chaos hidden in order's guise.
my point is that the power of harmony is far too intricate and tied into things that sunbeam does not pay attention to. it is interpersonal connection that gives harmony powre. and she is someone who rejects that concept entirely. thus how could she recognize it if she does not really understand it?
there should be mistakes in her choosing i think. there HAS to be mistakes considering her nature. you really think someone as rigid as herself would settle for anything short of a paragon of the virtues of harmony? and the elements do not seek paragons, but ponies.
........... out of all of chengar's stories, i am alarmingly critical to this one. there just feels like something is off with the whole tale. even with the ones i pointed otu, i cannot help but think i am still missing the actual problem. i cannot fully explain why.
5707010
Ah, thank you; partly their relationship had slipped my mind, and partly I generally don't think of Celestia as having a family name.
5707446
First off: I think you do not understand what an "Alternate Universe" tag means. What an alternate universe tag means is that we are no longer playing by canon rules anymore, everything from here on out is based on what the AUTHOR says is or is not true. This means that no matter what is said in the show, it does not apply unless stated by the author. You also seem to have severe problems with logical and abstract thought processes, seeing how thinking something through or looking at the whole picture is obviously difficult for you.
Second off: Every single one of your "points" and "arguments" are nothing but wild ass guesses and largely baseless assumptions.
Third off: Stop using so many ellipses, they make your posts look like some broody Deviant Art blog post.
5707446
Others have addressed your concerns over Fluttershy here well, I think... If Iron Will can, with a single seminar, create "New Fluttershy" (born out of much the same desire to not be a damsel/victim/doormat her whole life) then years of training with more proper guidance could easily produce Knight Fluttershy. I liked the recognizable touches of her original character, from the comfort of hiding her face beneath her helmet to her viewpoints on kindness. She is quite a bit different, but I don't know that this is a bad thing for an Alternate Universe story.
As for the Empress and your contention that she "rejects Harmony", I disagree. I have not read The Lunar Rebellion, so perhaps my viewpoint isn't as biased towards seeing her as a villain, but my impression of this branch of stories is that we are looking at a would-be (might-be?) villain who was/is being reformed by the weight of the responsibilities Celestia left her with (knowing full well the effect it would have on her.)
If the Princesses were to leave the show, imploring the now-perhaps-truly-reformed Discord to watch over their ponies in their absence, I could believe that he would do his best... However, his style, his touch would be far different from Celestia's regardless. More chaotic, most definitely... Lessons imparted would be more biting, society more radical in many ways. I doubt Equestria would be better off in any real sense, but most likely it would be far better off than being left unprotected to fall to the next Sombra, Chrysalis or Tirek to come along. Discord may never fully grasp harmony the way that Celestia does, but that doesn't mean that he rejects it either. Likewise, Sunbeam shows a fair amount of sociopathic tendencies... She's likely incapable of understanding harmony like Celestia was, but like this hypothetical Discord, she does truly care about fulfilling the obligation of looking after the ponies. She's trying her best, but can only approach things from her own, calculating way. Rather than rejecting harmony, she is trying to provide it to her subjects much like one might provide specific dietary requirements to animals in one's care. It's not ideal, not coming freely and naturally in all instances, and that's reflected in the society she has created.
Celestia's Equestria was like a nature preserve which she looked after and used a light touch to keep in balance. Sunbeam's is more like a zoo, carefully designed, budgeted and managed. Both, however, want to keep their charges as happy and stress free as possible, and both are keeping them safe from hunters and developers who would hurt, kill or exploit them or their land.
That's quite a nice way of putting it.
However, if I may, I would like to add that Sunbeam, running a zoo, has a stronger orientation towards making profit, so to speak.
5708422 ........... there is no way that would happe except for the most extreme of scenarios. and it is not that it is different. sunbeam's world view is more like ours.
and if history tells us anything, no government can last forever. what celestia created is something immensely unique, and something only someone hwo understands harmony and where to draw the lines can accomplish.
sunbeam does not know how to draw the lines, and thus places them where it benefits her the most.
5707446 I agree with heirofaniu's response to your weird comments. THIS STORY IS IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Nothing follows the canon of the show UNLESS THE AUTHOR SAYS THAT IT IS. Besides, it's not like Fluttershy is going around killing things because it's "fun," or because she wants to. She does not like killing monsters, but she is prepared to do so if diplomacy does not work. She even says that she's kind, not stupid.
Also, on your thoughts that she did this out of nowhere, SHE DID NOT. She is not the most "fundamentally different" out of the Mane 6. Twilight acts completely different from how she did in the pilot (in the show canon, she only had Shining, where here, she actively tried to talk to Sunset). Rarity is a Celestia damned SUPERHERO in this story!!!
FINALLY, YOUR GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ARE ATROCIOUS. If you want people to take your argument seriously, you should probably speak and write better!
5706327 What a silly question. The Popobawa had incredible speed and strength, and plenty of cunning (aside from his gaping weakness of pride). Even a trained soldier waiting for him to attack was too slow to react when he charged (the first time). Add to this that this incredibly dangerous foe will leave you completely alone if you admit he exists and it's easy to see why the zebras didn't mount an extermination campaign.
5706422 Well, there is actually the relatively-little-known verb form of "effect", but it's not really appropriate for this context.
5707446 You're forgetting something: Sunbeam has access to modern magic technology. Who do you think would win in a fight- someone who trained for ten years with a one shot flintlock pistol, or somebody who trained for one year with an AK47? In the Lunar Rebellion, it took I believe at least a dozen powerful mages to keep the same shield around Canterlot Shining Armor made by himself. This isn't just because Shining Armor is as good as twelve mages at making shields; it's because he has access to modern magical theory about spell efficiency.
The difference between Sunbeam's Empire and the empires on Earth is that Sunbeam is immortal, so the Empire is never going to have a weak leader who makes stupid military decisions. Any time an empire fell in reality, either it had a weak emperor at the time, had a weak emperor recently, or had an emperor who didn't have a good succession system. I know the leader isn't the sole cause of the empire falling, but it is an important one.
Also, you have to remember, Sunbeam isn't supposed to be perfect. That might be what's giving you trouble. You keep on trying to say Sunbeam's mistakes are the author's mistakes when they are not, Chengar purposely created a flawed character. As I said before, when we had a similar argument with similar results of no one changing their minds about anything, and I quote:
The point in question of Sunbeam being a bad leader. The author making a grey character who is arguably good or bad, and Chengar definitively succeeded there as we are having an argument over it.
P.S: Celestia was, by definition, a dictator too. As she was not elected by an group and holds the highest position of government, she was a dictator. Dictators are not inherently bad, it's just seen that way in modern times because any country that is stable enough to successfully have a dictator prefers democracy(e.g U.S.A, Britain, etc.).
P.P.S: Try to capitalize your sentences and spell words correctly. I'll show you:
Your version:
Correct version:
5709464
Have to agree with this . I think that the biggest advantage Sunbeam has in keeping her Empire stable is that she's immortal. A lot of historical empires fell apart because of all the problems that are inherent to having rulers who eventually get old and die. The Roman Empire had constant succession wars, the Carolingian and Mongol Empires wound up being divided between all the different heirs (who then fought over it), Alexander the Great's Empire got carved up by his generals after he died, etc.
5708422
I think that really hits on one of the big differences between how Celestia and Sunbeam run things. I would personally say that Celestia did just as much as Sunbeam to ensure she had the right ponies in the right place at the right time to deal with Nightmare Moon. The difference is that Celestia does it all with such a subtle, delicate touch that nopony even realizes what she's doing.
5709464 ....... and you really think she would not be aware of these magics? and why would advancing techniques matter? old magic is always more powerful than new magic. unrefined perhaps, but more powerful. discord, the tree of harmony, alicorns, all old magics.
and even if for some reason that could give subneam an edge, nigthmare moon has Dark Magic. dark magic is immensely powerful in mlp, and it belonging to an alicorn is simply making something already immense even greater.
let us also not forget that it is immensely plausible that nightmare moon has been observing sunbeam this entire time, and sunbeam knows nothing about nightmare moon. she got a gauge of her power and her personality as luna perhaps, but we are talking about the different of hearsay and direct observation. and even peering into sunbeam's mind. true i would think sunbeam would create a spell to protect her dreams, but all nightmare moon would have to do once she breaches it, is make sure she is not noticed.
also sunbeam IS a weak ruler. a very weak ruler, least compared to celestia. she is driven by fear. she regulates, controls, enforces, and overwhelms everything around her, and views herself above all other beings because it is her right to. she fears not having control, and goes too far to gain control. all of our governments in our world are weak and unstable, there is no quesiton to that.
that is kinda why our world keeps on repeating the same god damn mistakes. a governing motivated by fear of the world is unsustainable. true, sunbeam has managed to keep things in order inspite of her methods, but the world is not peaceful, it is not stable.
ultimately, nightmare moon does not even need to directly confront sunbeam, least at first. restriction creates tension, like a coiled spring. how do you think nightmre moon gained those who follow her will? and it seems plausible that she could gain allies from every conquered nation under the empire.
rebellions are not always lead by good people after all.
5709601
Pure, blatant headcanon, and one that goes against Winningverse Canon. Old magic is not always more powerful, as shown by the fact that Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer are the only unicorns ever to teleport without a medium, e.g mortal Sunbeam could only teleport into firepits and she was by far the most powerful unicorn of her time. Do you really believe that it's a one in a trillion chance that not just one, but two unicorns that are more powerful than any other in history happened to be born in the same generation? It's much more likely that new information about magic efficiency is what allows them to do this. Then there's also the bit about Shining Armor doing what took several unicorns seven hundred years ago.
This is a big advantage, and is the deciding factor why Sunbeam isn't able to crush Nightmare Moon. Sunbeam isn't unused to fighting dark magic though, in her youth she was a warlock hunter. She has experience at fighting dark magic, which means Nightmare Moon cannot in turn crush Sunbeam.
Nightmare Moon is imprisoned though, and that restricts her power. Even if she does still have the ability to dreamwalk, which isn't that plausible, her power would be restricted enough so she wouldn't be able to get past the defenses of Sunset Shimmer.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but she'd been in power for SEVEN HUNDRED GODDAMN YEARS! That's a pretty good sign of a strong leader. I don't really see how her government is going to collapse either. Could you try writing out a possible scenario that does not involve Nightmare Moon, Discord, etc?(I don't count those because they have just as good of a chance at toppling Celestia's rule.)
I really don't know how she got her allies in the past actually, I think Chengar hasn't released any information pertaining to that. She could have rallied nations that didn't like Celestia, she could have summoned demons and got warlocks on her side, it might not have been an actual war but rather just a fight between Luna and Celestia before the elements got brought out. For all we know Nightmare Moon's a terrible leader who cannot convince anyone to follow her lead besides for the desperate like Blueblood.
By the way, what are your opinions on Sunbeam abolishing the nobility and creating a more democratic/meritocratic system where ponies, as well as other species, are elected/chosen for their skill instead of being born into positions of power?
As a member of Saint John Ambulance Brigade, I am overwhelmingly pleased with this chapter.
SJA is one of two sucessors of the Knight's Hospitaller in the real world (alongside the Knight's of Malta are they were reestablished there a few decades into the British rule post Nepoleon)
5709737 to start answering that last part. she did remove the nobility, and likely ensured that every single representative el3ected was someone she controls and can direct without worry of much resistance.
her treatment of the buffalo should be a strong indicator of how much control other species actually have in the empire.
she is a stronger leader than anyone in our world, but that does not make her as strong as celestia. ultimately the issue is that her society is so controlled and restrictive that it has no room to breathe. meaning if some kind of pressure happened, like a natural disaster, or some economic issue popped up, tension would begin to rise and rise. it is a world where a misstep can echo throughout the empire. and likely there are ponies who are not as well off and feel helpless.
and it is plausible that the cult of nightmare moon was spawned by such ponies, unhappy with sunbeam and finding enough like minded individuals to actuall work with.
the cultists of nightmare moon are the ones i am taking into consideration when i said things like knowing new magics and being able to dream walk. they found a ay to bypass those restraints and allow nightmare moon to interact with the world from her prison.
and what i am talking about is that nightmare moon had seven hundred years to plan her move here. sunbeam has provided nightmare moon a world where she can find many allies, ranging from the conquered, the unhappy, and the victimized. even now her cult is probably creating tension and preparing for her return.
sunbeam's empire may seem like our world if something competent had the control, but that owuld not make it any more stable.
and any, ANY, form of government can be good if the right peson is in charge. dictatorships, oligarchies, and the such are only seen as evil because the wrong people gained those titles. celestia might have had the power, but sunbeam actively uses it, and abuses it.
5710722 Your theory is disproven by the real, non-metaphorical existence of Cadence. She's obviously against many of Sunbeam's policies and has risen far despite her animosity. She was entrusted with important tasks, running the capital, and is even trusted enough to be put in charge of integrating the caribou.
Furthermore, in regards to the caribou, Sunbeam has shown she is willing to admit mistakes and express regret over the mishandling of situations. Proving she's capable of learning and adapting as a ruler. Moving Cadence served her own ends with Nightmare Moon but is clearly an honest attempt at improving the lives of her citizens.
5710969 it was mostly trying to remove candance from the nightmare moon situation i would think. albeit all she is doing is ensuring she has one less big gun.
basically with cadance iget the feeling of trying to control something that is dangerous to sunbeam more than anything. perhaps respects her, but ultimately feels she stands above her. fact that she believes she has the authority to say no to a coming alicorn rathre shows that much.
sunbeam is complex. she has good intentions, yet uses oppressive and rather unnerving methods to do them. and it is clear that she does not want non ponies to have any influence in her society, however much she cares about their well being.
5710722 She does not control everybody. She has given Cadence a position of power, and she knows that Cadence does not like her at all. I'm sure that there are other people who do not, Chengar felt(correctly) that it would be a waste of time to show every single little politician who doesn't like her. And anyone who is in control of just minor cities wouldn't be controlled by her, because she doesn't give a fuck about small towns like Appleloosa as long as they are doing their jobs more or less and are not planning a rebellion.
You really think no natural disaster or economic problem arose in seven hundred years? And for what reason at all could Sunset not treat it just as effectively Celestia? You gave no reason at all. As for it echoing through out the empire, that's because each town and city would pitch in some funds so no one region would have to face the full brunt of it.
Even if Nightmare Moon does learn new magic, she probably can't practice it. It's pretty hard to learn something without practicing it. Go see a linguistics professor, have him tell you all about seven hundred year old english, then try to learn it perfectly through your conversation with him and with no practice on the side.
Nightmare Moon didn't find allies last time, why would she this time? She had a great opportunity with the changelings, just tell them to move their invasion plans up a couple years, and she'd have an army. Or maybe ally with a nation that was jealous of Equestria's wealth and had the freedom to raise an army because they weren't being closely watched by Celestia. She didn't raise an army last time beyond a few cultists, she won't raise an army this time beyond a few cultists.
Celestia's system wasn't perfect either, you have to remember. Changelings invaded in her world, in Sunbeam's world they're a loyal and valued ally. In Celestia's world Tirek drained the magic of hundreds of ponies, in Sunbeam's world that is not going to happen. In Celestia's world, Sunset Shimmer ran away, became a demon, and almost led an army against Equestria. In Sunbeam's world Sunset is one of the leading magical science researchers. In Celestia's world, there were far behind in technological improvements. Sunset's world has vastly improved mining systems and is on the verge of creating way to make teleportation available for everyone.
5711359 She does want non-ponies to have influence in her society, Griffons are already full citizens and can theoretically reach the highest positions of power short of Princess. It just takes time to integrate citizens properly into an empire.
5712896 you are clipping words here. sunbeam is a tyrant, it is said by the author himself. just because she isn't performing genocide doesn't mean ponies love her. more than likely fear is a far larger player in her control than actual love and loyalty, and largely amongst the less well off ponies i bet. cause that is how government like her's operates.
she hsa a secret police that can abduct ponies at will. that is not the sign of someone who is loved but someone who believes fear can take its place.
and cadance was sent into an unstable zone that will distract her for a prolonged time and consume her concetration. that may be giving her power, but it is mostly trying to remove her from the game for a time.
that is what makes celestia's world better in fact. alll the enemies are without. and mroe than that, no cult was born from that world that could help nightmare moon plot against celestia. that is because it is a world that EMBRACES imperfection and adapts to it rather than conquer it, as sunbeam has. because nothing can be controled truly. to make that your enemy rather than your ally, will only breed chaos, even if it takes a thousand years to unleash itself.
just making someone a citizen will not take away the fact you conquered their land, and that they are underepresented, as more than likely all non equines are. her actions immediately cast out the buffalo rather than integrated them.
buffalo, griffons, caribou, zebra, ponies. nightmare moon could not have gathered an army in celestia' sworld because there was nothing to access. equestria's enemies were without and would have no motivation to join a demonic force like her. the ponies were free, and thus those that would be pressured and unhappy would be much fewer. not non existant, but too few for them to gather around a fallen angel as their leader.
sunbeam rules with a gentle oppression and fear. nightmare moon's cult could fan that fear and simmering anger into a blaze that nightmare moon could use. the fact that sunbeam is so powerful would also play a part in that, especially with the likes of the gryphons and caribou. you would need a monster to overthrow this tyrant, and thus a monster appears.
5713207 Sunbeam's system is not perfect. Celestia's system wasn't either. I think Sunbeam's was better, you think Celestia's was better. As far as the information we've been given goes, I don't think we can debate anymore without treading old ground. And please, for the love of god, work on capitalization and spelling words correctly. It's not that tough to use spell check you know.
5713574 you are looking at the small picture, what sunbeam seems to have accomplish. i am looking at the big picture, the dangers of her actions, the inevitable results of her policies, and of ridding yourself of the devil you know.
you see a world better than equestria, and i see a world where everything is going wrong, and it is all hidden behind the lie that is order. order and chaos are the two sides of the same coin. order cannot get rid of chaos, only suppress it, and it makes chaos all the more desperate to be free.
equestria had several threats to it, it truly did, but the risks were always those of enemies without. the empire sunbeam created has far more threats, as they manifest as enemies without, enemies within, and the threats of her oppressive regime. even if she would never use her power in a more corrupt way, she has created a nation where it would be far too simple for evil to be wrought. all it would need is her eye being blinded in some way, and corruption will quickly flourish........ it may already be happening.
Oh, I really like this take on Fluttershy. Kind but not stupid, and in a career and role that fits her perfectly. This might be my favorite alt-mane six yet, though it's hard to say for sure compared to Rarity.
5713953 I know, right? The struggle is real.
5713649 You keep saying we all need to look at the "big picture." Is 700 years not "big picture?"
Even in Celestia's Equestria, there are ponies that would act in their own interests and forsake the group. Flim and Flam, Rarity's fashion rival, Jet Set and Upper Crust. Do you think that none of those ponies would do harm to Equestria if it brought them money, fame, or influence?
There are certainly more malcontents in this Equestria, true, but the number of exterior threats has vastly shrunk. It is not perfect, nor is it worse. It is different, which is something you refuse to see.