Night trotted through the hallways of the castle, a little swagger in her steps. Though she still wrestled with the emotions, Samantha's eager and guileless advances felt... good.
"What put that smile on your face?" Nefertari was there, blocking her way. "Is there good news to report?"
Night stopped quickly and frowned a little. Then there was Nefertari... "Not exactly, at least, not for you."
Nefertari inclined an ear. "Hmm? Then what is this poor news?" She frowned a little in kind. "And why would it make you smile?"
Night waved dismissively. "I reserve the right to have more than one thought." She glanced left and right to ensure the hallway they were in was otherwise empty. "Nefertari, what am I, to you? Am I in your way?"
"In a manner, yes."
Night felt a new tension in her chest. Such brutal honesty. She appreciated the honest part, but... "Is that all I am, an obstacle?"
Nefer crouched down to be on Night's level. "We don't know each other well enough. You are a warrior. It's in your walk. It's in your actions. Now that we have at least been introduced, will you meet me on a field we are both aware of? I would spar with you."
Night frowned a little. "I already know how that can turn out."
Nefer held up a paw. "I swear, with the spirits as witness, that there will be no meaning to this duel besides what we assign it. I am already duty-sworn to another. Until he accepts or denies me, I am in limbo. Come. There are some words that can only be expressed in struggle."
Night hesitated as Nefer turned and began walking away, but she got herself moving and trotted up beside Nefertari. "No magic."
"As you wish." Nefertari raised a brow. "Though I imagine you were called on to deal with unicorns, and they would hardly oblige such a request."
The taunt was obvious... and effective. Night bristled. "Fine. We'll meet with all that we have. Silver would be upset to see either us mauled, so what is the victory parameter?"
Nefer wriggled her fingers lightly. "We've tried to first blood, and it was too short. To the surrender proved too long. How about to the pin? Once one of us has been immobilized for the count of three, the match is complete."
Night flashed a fanged smile at that. She'd learned many take downs and pins as a guard and felt confident she could get that confident biped down and grappled quickly. "I can agree to that."
As they came into the training room, the guards began chatting excitedly and moving things out of the way. They knew what was coming and looked eager to see it. Poorly-concealed whispers spread through the crowd. Would the ambassador fail another time against the Watches, or would this be a surprise upset? Either way, it promised to be a spectacle worth watching.
They met in the center of the formed circle and took up fighting stances. Night's wings were slightly spread and Nefer's claws were on display. It was only a moment, but it was the sort of moment that helped crystalize things for warriors.
They met in a sudden but silent rush. Her claws aimed for soft pony flesh, but Night twisted and brought her sharp fangs to bear. They broke apart, both sporting little bleeding wounds, but with the spirit of either barely impinged. "Oh yes," crooned Nefertari. "First blood is too short by far."
Night suddenly jumped forward, her powerful wings controlling her arc and enhancing her speed, but Nefertari was faster and slipped around the pony even as she sailed. She grabbed Night from behind and squeezed her tight, claws on her belly. "I once held your husband in such a way." She rubbed that exposed belly, but Night did not giggle and squirm in the same reaction.
With a powerful twist, she turned to face Nefertari and seized her with all four legs, squeezing powerfully on her opponent. "He's mine," growled Night with an unrestrained possessiveness. "You can't have him."
The guards whispered among one another. Can't have who? What did she really mean?
Nefer suddenly brought her hands together, slapping Night between them painfully just before a stream of angry consciousness flooded through her in a purple blast of energy.
Night hissed and drew away, falling back to her hooves and shaking off the dizziness the attack brought on her. Nefer was on her in an instant, sweeping two hooves away and making her fall over as Nefer climbed on top and began to pin her to the floor. "I'm not just taking him."
Night's wings thrashed powerfully as she bucked and heaved, trying to dislodge the jackal, but Nefertari's grip was sure and only becoming tighter. Slowly they sank to the ground.
Nefertari leaned in towards a tufted ear. "There are things we can learn from one another, and our enemies will know only anguish if they think they can interfere with us."
Night let out a long sigh as she went limp. "That's three. You win."
The crowd gave appreciative stomps and clops of their hooves at the demonstration.
Nefertari rose to her feet gracefully and offered a paw, helping Night get to her hooves. "We must do this again. It was a pleasure crossing claws with another warrior."
Night accepted the paw hesitantly before she nodded. "We need to talk... without claws and teeth involved." She turned sharply towards the loudest whispers. "And you all need to get back to work!"
Properly cowed, they began moving their equipment back into place and dispersing to their duties.
Nefertari led the way from the room, her tail swaying with each step. "We have this in common. Barring one moment, you didn't allow yourself to be distracted." She gave a crooked smile. "I wish I could say the same. This conflict, this... lack of resolution, it distracts us both."
Night shook her head as she trotted alongside Nefer. "Be that as it may, I need to know what you think of me. You obviously want Silver."
Nefer suddenly snorted. "He's... not a perfect mate by any stretch. He is a pony, to begin with."
Night raised a brow. "As am I, last I checked."
"Regardless," Nefer waved it away. "He has won that right, so I must adjust my expectations. He will quicken me and produce a powerful litter, one of whom will inherit the title of Nefertari. That is what the spirits, and tradition, demand."
Night lifted an ear. "It's a title? What's your real name?"
"You are not to--"
Night raised a hoof to point at her. "You lost the right to hide beyond coy secrets. You're either completely open with me or we're done talking."
Nefer's snout wrinkled with obvious distaste as a faint growl rose up from her before she huffed. "As you wish... Nefertari is the only name any would call me by save my birth mother, just as the child I choose to bequeath the name on will be known as Nefertari to all who see her save me. While I have another name, Nefertari is who I am, and I would prefer we not complicate that."
It had the ring of truth to it, and Night nodded with satisfaction. "I will leave it to that... Should you change your mind, I will respect your privacy. Now, you realize you are not attempting to court one pony, yes?"
"There is you, of course."
"There was just me." Night raised an ear. "Samantha has proven her love is true, even if she is still learning for herself what that means in totality."
"Sam--The doctor?!" Nefertari scowled down at Night. "When did she begin courting?! I thought she was trying to get closer to her 'subjects'."
Night smiled a devious smile. "When is not important, what is important is that she's captured our hearts and it remains only for me to inform Silver of the good news that I will nominate her, and I foresee Silver welcoming her with open hooves."
Nefer began to color and tremble faintly. "I will not be beaten by that scatter-brained would-be physician!"
Night thrust up a hoof. "If you lay even a single one of those fingers on her, you will be giving up any chance with us, forever. She's a part of our herd, which means we will protect her, even from the likes of you."
Nefer's hands slowly balled. "We are already known to one another. She will not oppose my presence."
"But will she welcome it?" Night raised a brow. "You don't seem to want to be wed to me, or her. You want Silver, we just happen to be there."
Nefer's left ear twitched faintly as if hearing something. "Night Watch."
"Hmm?" Night raised a brow up at the jackal.
"Teach me." Nefertari crouched down. "My people do not have these... herds. The strong find the strong, and that is enough."
Night recoiled a step, surprised at the sudden twist in the conversation. "You're no foal. You wouldn't even..." She trailed off as Nefertari sank to her knees before Night. She licked her lips lightly. "What are you doing?"
"You believe I am too proud to lower myself." She placed her hands on the ground. "In this, you are my superior. We will both become stronger for this."
"Both?" Night settled on her haunches before it seemed to come to her. "You will show me how to fight? I know how to fight already."
Nefer smirked. "And I know how to capture a mate. Clearly, we both have things to learn. I will make you, my sister, stronger." She raised her hands and made a broad gesture. "I see this as a family. You are my sister, as would be Samantha. I could learn to value you highly, my warrior-sister."
Night flushed a little. She was an only foal, but... "How can I know this isn't another way to get to Silver?"
Nefer reached forward and rest a few fingers along Night's faintly trembling snout. "I will trust my sister to beat sense into me if I misbehave. I may not wish you as a lover, but I do not think I will carry shame to call you one of my own."
Night took a slow step back. "I need to think." She turned all the way and began trotting. "I need space." She was soon gone, briskly darting around a corner.
Nefertari rose to her feet with a soft snort. It galled her that Samantha had beaten her to this. "Don't keep your sister waiting." She was gone, off to other business.
A flash of bright light came from a darkened door nearby, and the hallway was empty.
Things just got so much more complicated for poor Night Watch.
She's learned - She'd learned
but the spirit - but with the spirit
She grabbed Nefertari - She grabbed Night
Did she really mean? - Did she really mean it? --or-- What did she really mean?
powerful little - powerful litter
*****
Wow... that was a huge advance, or at the very least it felt major. Nefertari opening herself to Night, or anyone for that matter is... unexpected.
Welcome to the dream, Night Watch. Never forget that you may not have complete control of your choices, but you do own your decisions.
She's not going to be able to keep this from Silver, not with those wounds... and now that I think about it, Samantha should be along any moment now.
Yes, I'm sure that their interest in watching two females fight is purely academic.
Oh, that flash came too late to be a photograph, so best guess is teleportation. It also had to be someone powerful enough to mask their presence from Nefertari and her guardian spirits. It's either one of the royal sisters or a new player on the field.
7171355 So many typos, fixed! All the fury caused so many typos.
The interpersonal play certainly made a strong step forward today. Just imagine how happy Samantha will be!
7171402
All of her prized specimens in a single location!
Okay, so I've read this over twice now, and I still don't completely understand what happened at the end of this chapter. I'm not using that as a euphemism either; I honestly feel like that last conversation, particularly the final part of it, was laden with meaning that wasn't completely coming through (at least, not to me).
For the most part, this was a good step forward. Nefertari and Night Watch finally confront each other, not just in regards to the fact that one of them has the stallion that the other wants, but also in terms of a fight. The fight itself struck me as something of a missed opportunity, since it only barely touched upon what was really going on. While it was obviously smart of Night Watch to demand that the fight hold no greater ramifications, it honestly seemed like this fight was a chance for each of them to vent their frustrations with the other one...something that was touched upon when Night Watch hissed that Silver was hers, and in Nefertari's retort that she and Silver made each other stronger, but was subsequently completely ignored.
What should have happened was that the fight should have been a physical expression of their feelings towards how the other one is getting in their way. Night openly called Nefertari on being seen as just an obstacle (though there wasn't any particular mention of Night's feelings towards Nefertari, which I suspect are mostly in the realm of feeling uncertain, irritated, or even threatened), but that one comment in the fight aside, this wasn't followed up on. Even if it was just to work off some stress, the underlying issues weren't touched upon like they should have been.
After that, the conversation the two had was...disjointed. Nefertari talked about what she wanted from Silver, but this immediately got lost in issues of Nefertari's name and the imminent admission of Samantha, as well as Nefertari's reaction to that. The actual issue - how to resolve the fact that Nefertari wants Silver is petitioning purely to advance that (and Night's reluctance to let her join their herd, though I'm not sure now if this is because she doesn't think that Nefertari is a good match or is threatened by her) - wasn't touched upon until the end.
And then we get to the last part, where Nefertari asked Night Watch to "teach" her, and that's the part that I'm honestly still trying to puzzle out. Nefertari asks to be "taught"...presumably about what it means to be in a herd, but that doesn't seem correct, because the major characteristic of a herd that Nefertari doesn't have is that every member is in romantic love with every other; hence, it seems like Nefertari is asking to be taught how to love another female. But almost immediately after that she says she has no desire to have Night Watch as a lover. So then what, specifically, is she asking to be taught?
Likewise, Nefertari mentioned that they'd "both" become stronger, to which Night protested that she knew how to fight. That's an entirely reasonable objection, since Nefertari's body structure and use of shamanic magic are different enough that she couldn't really teach Night Watch anything. And yet, Nefertari's answer to this is..."and I know how to capture a mate." Huh? What is that supposed to mean? It honestly feels like a complete non sequitur. Nefertari then says that they both have things to learn, but it honestly sounds like they both just admitted that they don't have anything to learn from each other. Nefertari won't learn to love Night or Samantha (at least, not as lovers), Night Watch won't learn Nefertari's way of fighting. So what exactly are they talking about?
Maybe it's just me, but almost none of that last conversation made sense. The one part that came through was Nefertari's proposed compromise, that she join the herd as a sister to Samantha and Night Watch (while being a wife/lover to Silver). That seems...workable, but without further clarification as to what else they were talking about, I feel like there's not much else that can be said.
And somepony was spying on them, and then teleported away. Was that Twilight? Probably not, but if not then who...and why?
Careful my friend, you never know when, in a dark hallway of typos, a rug will become a gru, and devour the poor fools that wander by.
Someone unseen by Nefer is scary power. Glimmer or Royal?
Looks like Nefer is also learning the Golden Rule.
They who declare themselves unsurpassed, usually dont get to live long after their failiure.
All right! Night now knows all the players (for the moment), and indeed has much to think on. Sister wives? I'm thinking Night will warm up to the idea.
Keep going! ;)
vary wheel spoken Nefertari.
littler - litter (there is still a stray 'l' in there
And one more:
trailed off a Nefertari - trailed off as Nefertari
7171869 Oops, fixed!
7171444 She's asking Night to teach her how to be part of a herd, even though she already knows how to 'capture a mate'. She still obviously has something more to learn. I guess the implication is that Night has more to learn about fighting.
7172132 She's asking to be taught how to be part of a herd in what regard? She doesn't need instruction with regards to how to relate to Silver, and she doesn't want instruction regarding the "traditional" way two females in the same herd would relate to each other (e.g. as lovers). So what exactly is she asking to learn? Likewise, what could she teach Night Watch about fighting? The differences in body structure and magical ability are such that I can't imagine that there's much that Nefertari can teach Night.
7172394 The dream explained where it went. Luna was never pregnant.
7172395 That explains my confusion, then. I skipped the Dream.
7172529 Perfectly alright. :) Not all can weather the storm of nightmares.
7171444 I’ve tried hard not to use your quotes out of context. Please let me know if you feel I have left out something vital and I will address it.
I agree with the first half of this. Night is almost certainly venting her frustrations with the situation surrounding Nefertari’s petition to join the herd. However, my impression is that Nefer is not likewise frustrated with Night Watch. Instead, she seems to understand that if she is to join the herd, she must first win Night’s respect, and not only as a warrior.
My take from this is that Nefertari understands that she can’t have Silver alone, and that she believes Silver’s message, that the different qualities they possess, both cultural and martial (arguably also a cultural trait, I know), will make the herd much stronger if they learn and share between one another.
In context, this feels more that Nefertari sees Night Watch as a challenge in the sense that Nefer must earn her respect and prove her worth to the herd, not as an enemy to be defeated. It seems, from what follows the exchange above, that Night feels that Nefer is of the latter opinion, however, and this speaks more to Night Watch’s insecurities than Nefertari’s desire to remove an obstacle in her path. The path that the fight takes and the words shared between them that we’ve already covered seem to support that Nefer’s motive is not to overcome Night by force, but to forge a bond between them and win her spot in the herd. It seems like a great deal of effort, but to attempt to do any less and fail would likely be a stain upon her honor.
The first step to address the underlying issues would be for Nefertari to convince Night Watch that she is not there to simply snatch Silver away. The razor clarity of mind and purpose that comes from their sparring helped open the door for Night to consider Nefer as more than a rival for SIlver’s love.
I respectfully disagree. A herd is a gestalt. Not every adult (non-offspring) member of the herd has to have romantic relations with each other, only the alpha male, but they should all contribute to the whole being greater than the sum of its individual members.
I do agree that Silver’s previous herd attempted to have all members romantically involved, to a greater or lesser degree, with one another. That herd failed, spinning apart when first Celine, then Fast Change were lost. From the ashes rose Silver and Night Watch and the ties that bind them are considerably stronger, even before one factors in the foals. Now they are tentatively about to add Samantha and considering Nefertari’s admission.
Nefertari is asking Night Watch to teach her to what it is to be a pony, and saying that she can, in turn, teach Night Watch what it is to be an Anubian. It is a reflection of Silver’s Speech from chapter 152 where he extols the virtues of sharing cultures and the strength the comes from shared experiences in learning about one another.
Nefer professed publicly that she agrees with the sentiment.
After the fight, Night Watch initially comes to the wrong conclusion as to what Nefertari is offering. Instead of correcting her directly, Nefertari instead pulls up a counter that seems like a non sequitur but is actually a subtle method to show that Night misinterpreted what Nefertari is asking for and offering in return. Night does not need to be taught to fight and Nefer does not need lessons in how to find a mate. Nefertari simply points out the absurdity without directly contradicting the alpha female. It's a subtle demonstration of humility.
Nefertari is proposing, instead, an opportunity for both to get to know one another better, to see what they share in common and how they differ and how those differences might be incorporated into their own characters to everyone’s mutual benefit. Night Watch would not be sharing a husband to a mistress, but gaining a sister, one that she can respect and that respects her in turn. Of note, Nefer has also committed to being subordinate to Night in herd/family matters.
7172740
I think you did fine, but thanks for saying that.
While Nefertari doesn't seem to be openly irritated or otherwise displaying any particular enmity towards Night Watch, she flat-out admits that she sees Night as an obstacle, which strikes me as being frustrating by its very nature. I'll admit that this Nefertari is much more calm than how she appeared in Silver's dream, but she's still essentially saying "You have what I want," and that she has no idea what to do about it. I don't think she's concerned about winning Night's respect, per se; if anything that sparring session seemed to be with regards to Night winning Nefertari's respect, but the more germane issue is that Night Watch hasn't made it clear what she wants from Nefertari with regards to joining the herd.
I agree that Nefertari is resigned to not being able to have Silver all to herself, but I don't think that her agreeing with his message of cultural cooperation is being transmitted to the issue of her wanting to marry into his herd. Rather, she seems to be focused mostly on their combined martial prowess, but at this point honestly seems to have no idea what to make of Night Watch, nor what Night Watch expects from her. That seems apt, since Night Watch hasn't made it clear (possibly even to herself) what she wants either.
Night Watch clearly does perceive Nefertari more as an enemy trying to "steal her man" than a potential ally, but to be fair that's the face that Nefertari has put forward up to this point (after that third match, I mean). After all, there was that aborted attempt to fight Night Watch for who got Silver, and even for that sparring session, Night had to prompt Nefertari to admit that the fight would have no greater meaning. In other words, Night Watch wasn't being insecure; she was responding to the terms that Nefertari had set up to then. Beyond that, I honestly think that Nefertari has no idea what to do up until that point, at least until that ambiguous conversation about "teaching" and such.
To be fair, I think that the message that Nefertari wasn't trying to take Silver for her own was communicated, though I don't feel that that fight had anything to do with that, since it didn't seem to have any particular significance on anyone's way of thinking nor prove any particular point.
At this point, the only herds we've seen have been Silver's previous attempts to form one, and in each case it was strongly implied that each and every member was romantically involved with every other. Even the "Circle of Princesses" had overtones in that regard (e.g. Princess Celestia being interested in Twilight). Even Celine was encouraging Silver to be more physically involved with Rough Tumble. And of course, Night Watch took Fast Change as a lover very quickly.
In other words, I'm making this judgment based purely on what we've seen until now. While it might not be technically required that herd members all be romantically involved - the same way that it's not required that two people getting married love each other - that seems to be the default expectation. It certainly seems to be a major component in why Night Watch is highly reluctant to let Nefertari in, since she knows that Nefertari doesn't have any particularly warm feelings towards her. Nefertari's offer of being sisters was likely in compromise to that.
You might be right, but reading the actual story itself, I can't tell. If you are correct, then this point was not clearly communicated.
She does, but that isn't tied back to what's happening between her and Night in this chapter, at least not that I can tell.
I suppose that makes as much sense as anything else, though if that's the case then I don't think that it makes much sense as a demonstration of humility if she's pointing out that she doesn't need to be taught how to "find a mate." If it is a case of misunderstanding, then the story should have made it more clear that Night Watch misunderstood exactly what Nefertari was asking to be taught.
I'm not sure that she necessarily admitted that Night would be her superior, though I suppose that's being a little too technical. Either way, while I agree with your interpretation here, my major complaint regarding just how unclear the manner in which they got there in that conversation remains. That entire exchange was very difficult to follow.
crystallize
I approve of this courtship and look forward to much future awkwardness.
Yeah, I think I'm done with this story. It's okay for the main protagonist to be jerked around a little at first, but this is dragging on. Frankly, I'm sick of watching Silver be completely spineless and allowing everyone to just walk all over him, with next to no growth from him. This story could have been whittled down to probably 100 chapters, and I wouldn't feel like I've missed anything.