"Announcing Silver Lining, Ambassador of the human nation," called out one of the mares as Silver took his place at the podium.
He looked towards Celestia, "A pleasure to see you, Princess Celestia. You had extended invitation to tea, but I have been most delinquent in accepting it."
Celestia tilted her head faintly. Silver hoped that she would easily pick up on his meaning, "Of course," she said, "You hadn't even need have waited for that. I will see you in the dining hall after sunset."
Was it that simple? It seemed to be. Silver strode to meet with Night and depart the court. His eyes glanced towards where he knew the changelings were. One of them was missing. Internally he worried if already the Queen was being made aware of his breaking of the letters of engagement. They escaped together into the hallway only to almost bump into a stallion with white fur and expensive taste in clothing.
Silver looked him over from top to bottom, "Prince Blue Blood?"
The stallion looked surprised, "I was not aware we had met. Did Auntie speak of me?" He flashed a charming smile at Silver and Night, "We are far overdue to meet. I am told you are quite the up-and-comer."
Silver smiled falsely, uncertain how close this pony would behave to the brief window provided in the show, "A pleasure! We were just scheduling a little, similarly overdue, meeting with the Princess."
Blue Blood nodded primly, "I heard. You don't mind if I come as well? We really should speak about how Equestria and the human nation can profit from one another." He cleared his throat, "Pardon for this gauche question, but does the human nation have a more specific title? I scarcely imagine 'pony nation' would be appropriate."
Silver nodded, opening his mouth to speak when Night gently bumped into him. She spoke, "We really should keep moving. There's so much to do before this evening."
"Oh I know," said Blue Blood in an understanding voice, "You must fetch the Ambassador some proper court attire."
Silver flushed faintly, wondering how he kept forgetting about something he lived the majority of his life with, "Do you have a suggestion?"
Blue Blood seemed to swell at the question, "I have several quality tailors and seamstresses." His horn glowed and a card emerged from a tiny little pouch, moving over to Silver. Silver accepted the card in his own silver magic and looked it over. "She lives here, in the castle. She is a true delight, and does my best suits. Tell her I sent you and she will see you are properly taken care of."
With business concluded, they moved to part ways, "See you two for supper time." And then he was gone.
Silver began to trot ahead, aiming to meet with this seamstress, "He was very pleasant. More than I'd expected."
Night followed after, "What did you expect? And where are we headed? The room's that way." She pointed back at their room with a wing.
Silver shook his head, "He's not wrong. I really should get something to wear when I go to formal functions."
They soon arrived in a modest space that easily rivaled Rarity's boutique for its singular focus on fashion. Silver looked around for the proprietor a moment, "Anyone at home?"
A unicorn mare with a pale olive coat and greyish-indigo mane stepped out, dressed finely and with a fine air. "Yes? Who--" She saw Silver and locked eyes on him, "I say, if it isn't Canterlot's most well-known nudist. What can Upper Crust do for you today, or are you simply lost?"
That name tickled at Silver's memory, but he couldn't quite place it. Was she a background pony? She did look familiar... "Prince Blue Blood sent me here to fix that exact problem."
Her guarded expression softened to a smile, "Of course I can do that. Come here, you adorable little colt. Upper Crust will make you presentable." Her horn glowed as Silver was plucked from the ground and brought over to stand between two stands of clothes. She began holding up various outfits to him, rejecting each almost as quickly as it was held up.
Night adjusted her glasses a moment before she asked, "How much is this going to be?"
Upper's expression darkened a little, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."
Silver shook his head, "Whatever you provide will be worn by an ambassador, and I will be certain to tell everypony who treated me so well."
Upper broke into a smile, "However did you manage that position at such a young age." She selected a blue outfit and held it over Silver, "It complements your deep earthtones and your mane well, does it not?"
Silver examined himself in the nearby mirror. It didn't look bad at all. "It's good."
Upper quickly had him in it with her magic, "There you are. I will send an invoice. Good day."
Silver found his movements slightly restricted in the blue tuxedo front, but he did like the look, so he wore it out, "Thank you, Missus Crust."
Once he and Night were in the corridor, Night asked, "Was it me, or did she not actually tailor anything?"
Silver sat, "No, she didn't. I didn't see any cutting or sewing instruments either. I think she just sells clothes." He raised a hoof, looking at how his new top hung, "Surprisingly good fit, considering. So, how do you like it?" He did a slow turn for her.
Night smiled, "You're somehow even more adorable." They met in a gentle nose-rubbing before they moved back towards their own room, "So what are we going to tell Celestia, exactly?"
"The truth?" ventured Silver. "Though we'll want to caution her. She's not had good dealings with them, the changelings that is, in the past. I know they don't... have to be... evil, though Queen Chrysalis is not exactly the best place to start for looking for converts."
It was evening before long, and Fast returned home. She greeted each of them with a fond hug, "Hey guys! Why so serious-looking?" After she was handed the note she read it over quickly and frowned, "That's just awful. So when are we crashing in and rescuing them?"
Night raised a brow, "We are not doing that. We are going to Celestia. We already have an appointment."
Fast was suddenly garbed in a flowing gown, "Well don't leave me behind! I'm going with you."
Silver frowned a little, "You could make clothes? I could have saved some bits if you showed me that."
Fast directed a hoof at her concealed cutie mark, "Magic, not a spell. Conjuring cloth is a huge pain. I've tried doing it the hard way."
Night shook her head, "I suppose making anything out of nothing is not an easy task."
Silver stuck out his tongue lightly, "You really lucked out in cutie marks. All the spells you learn work with it. I mean, you get a spell down, and then your magic makes it so easy."
Fast pointed at Silver's mark, "And you take what should be years of work and do it in half an hour. I don't want to hear complaining, mister 'Oh I just slap spells around like it's nothing'. Please, you did not do poorly on the cutie mark front."
Night seemed to get uncomfortable, "I'm not sure mine does all that much..."
Silver lifted a hoof and pulled Night closer, hugging her, "Your cutie mark shows your amazing analytical mind, and your keen senses. I know you don't believe me, but I know. You see things most ponies just don't. When I was giving that speech to the crowd, what did you see?"
Night blinked softly, "I saw you were nervous, and your eyes darted around. You were not comfortable lying, but you were not bad at doing it anyway. Your voice hitched a few times too."
Silver nodded, "Exactly. Most of the crowd didn't see that, or they wouldn't have cheered with me. That is an amazing gift, and you shouldn't think otherwise."
Night smiled, looking placated, "We're just three talented ponies. Let's go greet the sun."
They trotted as one to the dining hall. A glance outside showed that the sun had just set, and the moon was already well on its way up. They arrived in the hall to see Celestia at the end of the table, with Luna to her right and Blue Blood to the left. All three heads turned towards them as they entered.
Silver spoke as inspiration came to him, "Truly it is twilight that brings you two together."
Luna opened her mouth before pausing, "Your humor amuses us."
Celestia gave a soft nod, "It's true. I am still thankful for Twilight bringing us back together."
Blue gestured to free seats, "Come and join us. We were just speaking about you."
Silver and his wives parked themselves lightly. Fast wasted no time grabbing some food and getting to eating happily, though an ear was perked towards the rest.
"Good things, I hope," said Silver with a smile.
Luna nodded, "Verily. We have learned much examining the artifacts you brought. Though much of it is beyond our immediate grasp, careful analysis provides clues to some... issues... that have vexed ponykind for some time."
Celestia looked to Silver directly, "You requested me directly. You have something you wanted to discuss?"
Silver lifted the note from his saddlebag and offered it to Celestia. Celestia quickly read it and a frown marred her pristine features. "I am very sorry."
Night raised a wing, "We want to deploy the warlocks in a careful strike to rescue them, without anypony getting hurt."
Blue raised a brow, "The warlocks? I say, when those brutes are involved, somepony is going to be hurt."
Luna scowled at Blue, "They are very well-trained soldiers. They will execute the mission in the parameters given."
Celestia gave a light nod, "I will grant this, only because you don't want to hurt with them. Rescue Silver's parents, but this should not be an attack."
Silver bobbed his head, "I don't want to attack them, just get Rough and Trixie back. Besides, even if Chrysalis may be a jerk, her people are just trying to feed themselves and follow orders. It's not a real excuse, but I don't feel good attacking ignorant people like that. If Nic--"
He could see Luna's magic solidly clamping his snout shut, preventing him from continuing. A moment of irritation gave way to relief. He'd almost said too much.
Luna spoke then, "I will brief the warlocks then. We'll rescue your parents as quickly as possible. Nopony deserves to be drained of their emotions."
Celestia tilted her head, "I would have you go with them."
Silver twitched his ears, "I... actually was going to do that anyway. Oh! I apologized to Thetics, for all the trouble."
Luna frowned, "Why would you apologize to him? He has caused you significant pain."
Celestia smiled gently, "That is his way."
Silver tilted his head, "Well, really, what'd he do? He held me still and said words I didn't like. That doesn't excuse my explosion, or... how I acted when he visited. It's not his fault I passed out before I could break up the fireball."
Fast snorted softly, "He deserved everything he got."
Luna shook her head, "You were put to sleep. You didn't pass out. The doctors were very specific."
Blue pushed to his hooves, "This conversation has gotten too heavy for me. Aunties, a pleasant evening to you both. A pleasure running into you again, Ambassador. We simply must meet in less formal surroundings." Soon he was gone.
Silver frowned in thought, "Who put me to sleep?"
Celestia raised a hoof, "Were you not aware? You thanked him for his quick action."
Silver flushed, "I... no. I could have disarmed that fireball, instead of hurting half a dozen ponies."
Night nudged Silver with a wing, "Before you go off the deep end, think of it from his perspective. A dangerously brash young colt suddenly conjures offensive magic. Just as you panicked, so did he. For all he knew, you were still making it bigger, and were a credible danger to the entire school."
Celestia watched Silver, but said nothing.
Silver let out a slow breath, "I already apologized. I'm not going to take it back. I shouldn't have made a fireball to get out of control in the first place. It's not important who's fault it was at this point. Let's focus on saving Rough and Trixie, not pointing hooves."
Fast licked her lips clean of some sauce before smirking, "Still think he got off light."
Silver is a better man than I am (liquid pried)
5774823
A child comes in, and you have not acted well toward him. You then held him down and berated him for perceived insults toward you. That child pulls a firearm on you, and you have easy access to some method of knocking him out. You knock him out and he pulls the trigger as he falls unconscious and accidentally shoots someone else.
At what point did you act unreasonably? The first part when you held him down and yelled at him. but not when you tried to prevent him from using the gun he just pulled on you.
If anything, the part where he was holding down Silver should put him in the blame for this, not the part where he didn't act with perfect safety when a child pulled a lethal weapon on him.
EDIT: Apparently some of this was in the latest chapter, which I hadn't read before posting.
How can Silver make any progress if he keep being...less than a wimp like this?
5775963 Easy! With a swift and trusty...
Boot to the head.
5775160 I disagree with your analysis. Let's go over this point-by-point.
The issue of them being "potent" in comparison to other characters is iffy at best - they're particularly skilled in their area of expertise, but that's not surprising; all ponies are gifted in the area of their special talent. Regular ponies aren't surprised at their "potency" - in fact, it's not that often that they seem to surprise others at all. The most that can be said is that other ponies recognize their achievements, but they don't seem to hold them in any sort of particular awe for what they can do (Rainbow Dash's short-lived fan club was about the extent of that).
I find nothing to support this statement. Even leaving aside the lack of clear examples of what the royal guard can do, "brute force" is not anything the Mane Six have. The clearest example we can find in that regard is Rainbow knocking down a barn, and that's not really comparable.
Is she? Sunset Shimmer is presented as being her near-equal. Shining Armor seems to be the only pony capable of maintaining the shield around Canterlot. Twilight doesn't seem to have any particular abilities that mark her as being exceptionally powerful - the most that can be said in this regard are a few "sight gags," such as her turning her home upside down in a fit of pique.
As it is, we see her use magic in her fight with the changelings (when Pinkie uses her as a "gatling gun") - that's a single spray of magic blasts, and then that's about it. The rest of it is largely fisticuffs (or hooficuffs).
Which doesn't really apply, insofar as fighting ability goes. We don't see her making Sonic Rainbooms to fight off the changeling horde, for a very good reason - that being that it requires extreme effort on her part, plus a lot of room (to say nothing of the fact that such a thing doesn't really have a combat application anyway).
Applejack is a strong earth pony, no doubt, but that doesn't translate into very much skill at combat. Strength alone does not make a good fighter, nor is there very much to say that Applejack is notably stronger than any earth pony that works a physical job regularly.
I really don't think that there's anything to support this at all. Rarity is never shown to have any greater degree of magic than any other unicorn that doesn't make a career out of studying magic.
Pinkie is whimsical to the point of blurring the line between what's a sight gag and what's presumed to be literally happening, but again, so what? That doesn't translate itself to any particular combat application that we saw. The fight with the changelings was a physical altercation - Pinkie Pie wasn't warping reality to fight them.
This isn't anything noteworthy, insofar as fighting ability goes.
The Mane Six are all gifted within their particular fields, but as noted above, that puts them roughly at par with any other pony - it's just that their particular fields happened to be those that matched the Elements of Harmony, is what makes them special. Saying that they have some sort of superior combat prowess, despite never having seen them get into a fight before that, is simply imposing abilities on them that aren't backed up by the source material. The most you could say is that Applejack and Rainbow Dash have talents that might give them a small edge should a fight break out, but even that's a bit of a stretch.
5775447 I don't think that your analogy is the most apt one for that situation. Tackling someone to the ground, even without berating them as you do so, is absolutely something that they would perceive as an attack on their person...since it is, in fact, an attack on their person. If you perceive yourself to be in imminent danger, then the issue of using force to defend yourself - even greater force than is being used to attack you - becomes a much more open question.
Likewise, Silver's fireball spell isn't comparable to a gun, but rather a grenade. Silver had already pulled the pin, but hadn't released the hammer; in fact, he was trying to put the metaphorical pin back in. At that point, knocking him out would absolutely mean that the hammer was released, causing it to go off. So yes, "you" acted unreasonably, first for precipitating an attack out of nowhere, and then for directly causing the last safety on the explosive device to be released.
That's the key difference in the scenario you posited. Knocking someone out isn't inherently going to cause someone to pull the trigger on a gun, but it is inherently going to cause a held spell to be released - the former situation isn't reasonably foreseeable, but the latter situation is. When someone has their finger on a dead man's switch, and it's understood that you know that (or should know that, as an experienced professor of magic should), then you're at fault if you then proceed to knock them out.
Saying "I was acting in good faith" or "I didn't (have time to) realize the full extent of the situation" isn't enough to avoid culpability...or so it could be argued.
Leaving aside the issue of starting the entire event, what we're really debating with Professor Thetics knocking Silver out is whether or not he broke the chain of causation regarding Silver's conjuring a fireball and it's subsequent release (e.g. "The general rule is that the original defendant will be held responsible for harm caused by a third party as a direct result of his or her negligence, provided it was a highly likely consequence.") Specifically, it's that last clause that we're debating - whether or not the release of the fireball was "highly likely," in this case based on the idea that he'd be forced to lose control via another inducing his loss of consciousness.
I do so enjoy debates like this.
5776567
I see. I suppose it could be considered a mistake, in that case... and it's weird, to me, that you seem hate him more for a mistake he made than for the mean actions he took, although I do see that you seem to hate him more for not owning up to his mistake, rather than him making the mistake in the first place.
And, since I saw you disagree with it, the problem I have with the ineffectual arrogant antagonist is twofold:
1. I don't feel threatened by the antagonism, so it makes for uncompelling storytelling.
2. A character who's problem is essentially "dislikes the main character but doesn't do anything about it" being villanized and then punished severely for his opinion of smacks both of protagonist centered morality and disproportionate retribution. The main reason why Thetics is a bad person is because he dislikes Silver, our precious protagonist, and acts on that dislike by saying mean words (although him paralyzing Silver for about two minutes was also very wrong), and the retribution was that he is hospitalized and then cursed for days. That is significantly more than what Thetis did to Silver, and his "crime" was disliking Silver.
It's not like he actually took actions against Silver, which would be a very different scenario.
Shouldn't that be "when Night gently bumped into him"?
That should be "a greyish-indigo" mane.
Unless that outfit is verbally saying nice things about how Silver looks, then it "complements" him well.
They met in a gentle "nose-rubbing."
"Serious-looking" needs a hyphen.
5776622 Fixes applied, to the anger of the typo god. I do hope this chapter delivered.
5776608 You're incorrect in saying that I "hate" the character, a term that I find to be too strong, as well as suggesting that my dislike of him is based on an emotional reaction rather than finding legitimate fault with his actions. As it happens, his "mistake" exacerbated a highly volatile situation...one that he created in the first place. I brought the point up because I noticed a general sentiment that he had no responsibility for what happened, something I disagree with.
Similarly, insofar as his status as an "arrogant antagonist," I notice that you added the term "ineffectual" there. I wouldn't apply that here, simply because it presumes that the character is attempting to accomplish something and failing to do so. Professor Thetics' initial appearance wasn't meant to actively dissuade Silver from entering the academy, but merely point out that he'd encounter institutionalized bigotry as a consequence of entering. He was, in essence, acting as an indicator for the local environment. Similarly, his third appearance (in Silver's bedroom) was to reinforce that point - that even though Silver was being readmitted, he was still going to be treated like an outsider (albeit now as a guinea pig, rather than an unwanted element).
Ironically enough, Professor Thetics' second appearance - with the fireball - is an instance where he was effectual, as he successfully caused that entire situation to explode, both literally and figuratively. So it seems clear that when he's actually trying to accomplish something (insofar as advancing the plot), he tends to succeed.
That said, with regards to the two specific points you raised:
1) You're right that he's not generally threatening, but he's largely not supposed to be. He's largely emblematic of an obstacle to be overcome, rather than a foe to be defeated.
2) I don't agree with your characterization of him as somehow who is villainized simply for not liking the main character. That's because this isn't simply an instance of two individuals who have different value systems (or otherwise don't have anything in common) and so cannot become friends - the Professor is meant to embody an ideology that we (the readers) are supposed to find repugnant, that being institutionalized prejudice. He's the voice for the aspects of Canterlot that have found Silver to be unworthy simply for who he is, rather than what he's done. His crime isn't disliking Silver, it's disliking Silver before ever meeting him. In other words, we're not supposed to like him because he represents intolerance, rather than a simple difference of opinion, and it's presumed that intolerance - especially when it's become an accepted part of a particular society or culture - is something to be pushed back against.
That's leaving aside that he did take actions against Silver, as the entire fireball issue has noted.
5776641 I'm not sure how to react to this chapter. On the one hoof, it seems to lack the immediacy that would go into a kidnapping situation. I can understand Silver and Night trying to keep everything "on the down-low," particularly since they know they're being watched by changelings in Celestia's court...but on the other hand, they seem to be curiously relaxed for the fact that two of Silver's loved ones have been captured by hostile forces. All the more so for the fact that Silver noticed that one of the changelings had left, which he even noted probably meant that Chrysalis would know that he'd ignored her warning not to involve the princesses.
Certainly, that seems like a misstep on Silver's part. Why didn't he go to Luna instead? True, she was probably sleeping during the day, but she's his consort, so I imagine he could have woken her up without too much trouble, and there'd be far fewer ponies around that could be changelings in disguise.
With that said, my disbelief over the situation is blunted by the old adage of "do what you can, with what you have, where you are." As much as it seems unbelievable that Silver would be trying on suits while his parents were kidnapped, it does sort of beg the question...what else would he do? When you can't solve the bigger problems, you can at least solve the smaller ones.
Overall, my issue here isn't that Silver was killing time by taking care of little things, but that he allowed the situation to unfold in such a way that he had time to kill to begin with. While I can appreciate his need for subtlety here, that's weighed against the need for quick action, and it doesn't seem like he balanced them well, particularly since there seems to have been other things he could have done to move things along faster without tipping his hoof more than he did (and possibly even less).
I'm also concerned, yet intrigued, over what will happen with Trixie and Rough. It's interesting to consider that Chrysalis's draining them might destroy the love they have, not only for each other, but also for Silver (especially in light of Trixie's heartbreak over Silver's fireball incident). That could cause all sorts of complications with interesting narrative consequences...or at least it could, if not for the fact that this problem would last exactly as long as it took for Cadance to arrive and fix it with her love magic.
Silver is pretty inconsistent in his approach to forgiveness. He is kidnapped and tied up by Nicky, but now they're good friends. He is assaulted by a child molester and he wants to forget the whole thing. On the other hand, this professor does the magical equivalent of grabbing him by the ear to give him a lecture, and every time someone brings it up, he wants to do something mean and illegal. (He already did that fire-bowel trick to him, then they mention the sleep spell - which he already knew about - and he gets mad again) Can Silver only forgive females?
5776530
Sunset Shimmer washed out of the alicorn princess program early and Shining only knows one spell. Twilight's entrance exam to CSfGU featured several kinds of magic no other non-alicorns can do. She can levitate hundreds of objects simultaneously without looking (Party of One, Secret of My Excess) and levitated a monster the size of a city block (Boast Busters). She teleports so easily she uses it for emphasis in conversation (many episodes). She can turn living creatures into inanimate objects that are somehow still alive (Too Many Pinkie Pies). She can even create living creatures that are capable of reproduction (Magic Duel). On top of that, she is barely an adult when she finishes the spell Star Swirl couldn't and he is explicitly identified as the benchmark for powerful unicorns. If you actually believe Twilight is nothing special, you're watching the wrong show.
5776782 Uh, he never knew about the sleep spell until then.
He also didn't get mad for longer than a moment to get over it. He forgave. He gave chocolates and enchanted knick knacks. What more does Silver got to do?
5776702
Well... when you talk about Thetics as representing institutional bigotry, I think your argument falls flat, because, if anything, Silver has the opposite of that: He has institutional favoritism. His problems are cleaned up by the princesses. New positions are invented (a diplomatic posting for a country Equestria has no relationship with, and might never) to keep him influential and safe and allow him to sate his desire to bang Luna. He was cheated into the academy, which left him as too inexperienced to safely judge when and how to do the magic he is being trained to do, which was confirmed, as far as I am concerned, when he summoned a fireball in front of a professor when he was physically paralyzed (a fireball that, if I remember correctly, cannot be disarmed. It will burst eventually, it only can be controlled where it bursts).
So when Thetics barged in, complaining of exactly those problems, I didn't see him as an avatar of institutional bigotry. He seems like someone who is getting the short end of the stick for following the rules compared to this outsider that waltzed in with permission of the princesses and is given favoritism whenever possible. He has spent his whole life trying to follow the rules and believes that the system he is in is the sensible path to mastery over magic, and actually hadn't seemed like he hated Silver for being "common" or for being a different race or species (especially given Silver looks like an ordinary unicorn colt) or for not holding power in his system, but resented that Silver apparently held unearned power over the system that Thetics was doing his best to follow the rules and gain power that way.
Maybe a big reason reason why I hate reading about the character archetype that I described is because the effective reality of the situation is often in contrast to the idea the story is pushing. Stories often portray the arrogant authoritarian antagonist as one who holds institutional power and is unfairly leveraging it, explicitly or implicitly, against the protagonist, but often the reality (especially in fimfiction, where good guy = favored by the princesses) is sometimes that the protagonist holds all the cards, and the antagonist is a minor thorn in his side, to be corrected by the institutional power the protagonist holds over him.
5776782 Your entire argument here is based on quite a few presumptions, largely with regards to the magnitude of difficulty with what Twilight accomplishes, but in several other key areas as well. Let's go over these point-by-point.
This is a mischaracterization, both of Sunset Shimmer and of the "program" she was in. For one thing, there's nothing to suggest that she "washed out" (which you seem to mean as "failed") - the most we know is that Princess Celestia said that Sunset didn't accept the values of friendship, and subsequently abandoned her studies when she didn't get what she wanted fast enough. There's nothing that indicates anything with regards to her relevant strength, save for the one factor you overlooked - that she was special enough to become Celestia's student in the first place, which only Twilight has also accomplished.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Just because we only see Shining Armor use a single spell does not unto itself mean that it's the only one that he knows. Ergo, this is not a valid point for saying that he's less powerful than Twilight.
You're wildly incorrect here. Her sole instance of something special was to hatch a dragon egg (and age the dragon quite remarkably too). If we accept that that's an "age spell," then it's quite clearly something that non-alicorns can do, since we're told that (only) the "highest-level unicorns" can do that.
Which sort of goes back to her special talent, which is magic. She's better than the average unicorn at that, but it's not like she's some sort of super-powerful individual (and certainly nothing special with regards to a fight).
See above. Having slightly more magic than other unicorns means that that's her talent, nothing more.
A short-lived summons, in other words.
"Barely an adult" is a very imprecise term, since we're not sure how old Twilight is. Other than that, you're right in that she accidentally bumbled her way into completing a spell that was almost finished, just because she happened to have the last piece of it done and didn't realize it.
And you need to check your fanon. Yes, Twilight has more magic than a normal unicorn, but as Spike said, her talent is magic itself. So she's expected to be a little better at using it than most unicorns. The idea that she's some sort of incredible powerhouse - and that the changelings must therefore be mighty foes to have taken her down - is something that a strict interpretation of the source material doesn't support.
5776799 Silver does not have institutional favoritism; the term "institutional" means that it's present at all levels of a given system (in this case, Canterlot society), which is clearly not the case for Silver. By the time that incident happened, it was quite clear that a significant number of the Canterlot nobles were upset with him for the debacle with Carrot Plate. Likewise, he didn't have the favors of the princesses - they were not "cleaning up his messes" in any regard. The only thing he had going for him on that front was Celine, who had given him unsolicited aid on his entrance exam. That's it - beyond that point, Luna was distancing herself from him, and Celestia wasn't doing anything else besides moving Carrot to a "gilded prison," as she termed it. When the vast majority of a society is discriminating against you, and the royalty at the top of it are distancing themselves from you, that's far and away not "institutional favoritism.
Insofar as new positions being invented, that's not only something that hadn't happened when the fireball incident occurred, but also was done specifically because social disapproval was a problem. He and Luna were in love, and wanted to be together (even if Luna couldn't admit it at the time), but couldn't because the Canterlot nobility wouldn't approve of such a union. When social disapproval is so heavy that you can't be with the one you love, how is that anything other than institutional prejudice?
You're also incorrect with regards to disarming his fireball. It could be disarmed - indeed, Silver was in the process of doing just that when Callis idiotically rendered him unconscious. The very fact that he was trying to reverse what he'd done shows that he did have the experience and maturity to be at that academy; he was literally defusing the situation when Callis made it worse.
To say that Callis was complaining about legitimate problems is to give him far too much credit, to my mind. His first appearance has him looking at Silver and saying "colts don't belong here," despite the fact that Silver has his cutie mark already. His second appearance was to paralyze Silver without any warning, and say that "I will enjoy breaking you of the notion that you are special," and that he was going to give him assignments "that sends your filthy self far outside these august walls." So what part of him saying that he was going to "enjoy breaking" Silver's "filthy little self" was him manifesting legitimate complaints about Silver's abilities? Abilities, by the way, that he'd proven by just passing his exam at that point.
To say that Silver holds all the cards and that Thetics was speaking out against Silver's somehow bending the system in favor of himself, is to misconstrue the reality of the situation in the very way that you claim to dislike.
5776935
Ah. Okay, then he doesn't have "institutional" power. He just has the leaders of the nation on his side. Totally different thing, but nowhere near irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
Silver got rules-breaking spells cast on him from the princesses before that incident, and he was given part of Luna to live with (which is a huge favor), and he broke the rules to get in with the help of the princesses (because Celine was part of Luna), and in short order he was given a special position to shield him from the consequences of a bad situation (the nobles hating him) that anyone else would have to actually deal with themselves, but instead the princesses are trying to solve the problem for him.
All of those are princess favors. Are they all unreasonable? Maybe not, many of them were good ideas and what he needed to survive. But they are all favors that other people would have to actually have fixed themselves instead, and only the first of them are the princesses just making up for him being another species, the rest are them shielding him from the consequences of a bad situation he got into (whether or not it was his fault, in this case it was not).
I think, to anyone in canon reading between the lines, they'd be able to pick up that Silver has the favor of the princesses, which he does. It's ludicrous to say he doesn't, especially given that Luna and Silver are in love, which is her favoring him and leads to more favors, especially since Luna doesn't particularly care to keep things fair, the only thing holding her back from helping Silver whenever she is able to is Celestia and Silver himself trying to get her not to make any obvious actions.
And he was a diplomat during the fireball incident. You specifically made a big stink about how him having diplomatic immunity meant he
did nothing wrong* couldn't be arrested for his reckless endangerment of the other students. He was a diplomat before that incident.* No, you never said he was right for his actions, and did admit Silver did wrong, but the way you're acting about how Thetics is despicable and Silver was reasonable makes it feel like you're taking his wrongdoing not seriously at all, when Thetics's wrongdoing is condemn-able, but I understand that no one complains about something that the story seems to agree with.
Even if Thetics wasn't reasonable and cared more about him being too young (which, to be fair, he looked like he was too young), than about the hatred the nobles had for Silver, it is hard for me to hold the character in contempt when his points (that he was probably cheated in and has favoritism from somewhere, and that he wasn't ready for this kind of training) were effectively true.
5776997 I think that saying that the "leaders of the nation are on his side" is massively overstating the situation. At the time that fireball happened - the time that Professor Thetics was vituperating Silver - he didn't have them on his side. All that Celestia had done was convene a court case, which she allowed to find Silver's attacker not guilty. She did then move Carrot Plate off to a position where she'd be monitored, but that wasn't for Silver's sake; it was done as part of her duties as ruler of Equestria to seek justice for her little ponies.
As for Luna, saying that she was "on his side" is mischaracterizing their relationship at that point. He got a "rules-breaking" spell cast on him, not because of any sort of special favor, but because Luna didn't know that spell was breaking a rule when she cast it. Furthermore, she cast it not as a favor to him, but as just compensation for Lyra having seriously harmed him by that point (or so she thought) - that was justice, not favoritism. Likewise, changing his age was also not freely given; Luna demanded three decades of service in exchange. So no favoritism there either.
That's similarly the case with him being granted Celine. Rather than being a "huge favor," Celine was given to him in hope of compensating him for the fact that Luna had basically date-raped him, drugging him with her scent and then getting him to "consent" to her viewing his soul. If that kind of violation is considered to be them "on his side," then it's easy to see why Silver was so mad that he attacked Luna later on (notwithstanding the whole "I just killed your girlfriend" bit).
Likewise, the idea that he got a special position to "deal with a bad situation that anyone else would have had to deal with for themselves" sounds like you're protesting that action was taken to combat institutionalized bigotry. The whole idea of such prejudice is that it's manifestly unjust, and so should not exist in a civilized society to begin with - ergo, steps taken to counter the practical ways in which such prejudice impacts an individual's life are recognized as being taken in pursuit of justice. This wasn't some sort of personal favor to Silver himself, but rather was Celestia's recognition that the love between him and Luna was being unfairly hampered by a wide-spread immoral attitude. Saying he should just have had to deal with it sounds like you're saying that executive action taken to combat social bigotry is somehow unfair - it's not; rectifying unfairness is not, unto itself, unfair. Of course they're trying to solve the problem for him! It's a problem that they've allowed to foster in the society that they rule - the onus for solving it is with them, not Silver.
You're right that I erred with saying that Silver wasn't a diplomat before the fireball incident though, my mistake there. That said, it doesn't change anything regarding the moral underpinings of the situation; Thetics wasn't upset because he thought Silver was being privileged (since as shown above, he wasn't), but rather was upset because he didn't like Silver himself. Other than Celine cheating to help Silver - which Silver didn't ask for, nor know about when it happened - Luna being in love with Silver hadn't resulted in any tangible benefits for him. Your idea that Thetics had "recognized that Silver was receiving special treatment" isn't a fair assessment - he's gotten a lot of personal attention, it's true, but virtually all of that has been them working to correct the injustices he's suffered at the hooves of pony society.
The princesses going out of their way to make sure that Silver receives justice is not them granting him "special privileges," and those who think that it is are operating from a position of radical dishonesty.
aww the plot thickens why is Chrysalis really up to?
We all know that Upper Crust is a total fraud it is coco pommel that did all the work.
Harts Fire
5777061
A normal pony, with no connections to the Princesses, who was being discriminated against by the nobility, would probably receive no help from them. Or at least we've seen no indication that is so, and there is no logical reason to assume that the princesses go around righting wrongs like that all the time, because it would take up much too much of their time
So then, why does Silver get help, but the rest of the populace does not? Because Silver is a special person by dint of being a human in their realm, and because they feel bad that he was screwed up when he came into their world.
Maybe it would be ideal to somehow stop all the nobility from discriminating and give everyone justice, but that is not feasible. Instead, the princesses pick and choose who they help. Silver, out of all of the ponies, is singled out for special treatment when others hurt him, like Twilight or the Mane 6 might, because he is now favored by the crown. Part of this is guilt that he's been hurt so much, part of this is making good with the alien from another world, but he is still on a short list of people that can get her attention whenever they need it in order to fight people they would not be able to fight.
Not everyone can get justice, and in a world where justice is not always guaranteed (essentially every world) then being able to get justice from those on high is a privilege.
But, maybe my assumptions are wrong. Maybe injustice on the scale of what Carrot Plate did to him is very rare and the royalty does take personal measures to ensure that all the injustice she knows about is fixed, and the royalty has enough eyes to be reasonably confident they are preventing the majority of injustice throughout her land, so no one has any reason to be grousing about that.
And, you know, at this point, I'm even willing to admit that Thetics is a worse pony than I assumed, but I still don't think that his punishment fit his crime (especially given that Silver was not in the right in accidentally threatening him with a fireball either), and it's still a character portrayal I don't like, because I tend to try to find the sympathetic in it because I have seen it when the arrogant person was sympathetic but treated as unsympathetic because of the author's dislike of arrogant people in more than a handful of times.
And, while my name invites the joke at some time, please don't seriously suggest I am being dishonest with you to pad my arguments, or lying to myself, or anything like that. If I am wrong, I'm wrong, but I am not lying to you during my arguments. I am trying to be polite about this, because I am assuming you meant it as a joke, but I don't appreciate it. Sorry.
That is not blue blood that is a changeling.
Silver nodded, opening his mouth to speak when Night gently bumped into him. She spoke, "We really should keep moving. There's so much do to before this evening."
Correction:Silver nodded, opening his mouth to speak when Night gently bumped into him. She spoke, "We really should keep moving. There's so much to do before this evening."
6317808 Fixed!
Missus
Which would never have been an issue if he had not been an asshole in the first place.
9349468
I'd say they both are at fault here. Being a jerk and bulling a student is obviously bad, but summoning fireball as first reaction on being angry even if rightfully so is an awful idea either. Even if not put to sleep he could lost control of it just from being angry and still harm someone. They both were horribly horribly wrong.
Yeah... there were 2 changelings, i think they played them one left, then he bumps into blueblood in the hallway.... he did not even check to see if blue blood was a changeling. i find it funny how he left just as he got all the info a changeling would need, this wont end well.
anyway thats my theroy
Well, don't I feel redundant.
11135586
I enjoyed your thoughts on the matter, if that helps.
Silver has growing yet to do, and the world around him.
11135592
Its always fun to take a day and read through a good story and share some thoughts. At the end of the day I get to go back to read them and watch the sanity drain away.
This ones a bit too long to power through in one day though.
11135704
I've seen some people try.
I feel like prince blueblood is a bit peculiar..