Be Cautious of what you Wish for.
(Bonus AN. As some of you have noticed, and for those of you who haven't this is your warning, I use the HRs not as a scene transition, that's what my symbol thing is for, but for perspective shifts in the same scene. /AN)
While the trek back to the temple was uneventful, the arrival at the temple was met with mixed reactions from the ponies. The changeling had awoken shortly before Ted reached the temple, and was a mess of nerves. She swore up and down that the ponies would drive her out at the first chance, that some may even make an attempt on her life. She was still too weak to hide her form and even with a strong dose of his emotions she would be long in recovering. When he walked into the temple, he refused to admit it aloud, but her fears seemed validated .Some ponies fled at the sight of the changeling, or cowered behind the nearest available object, including other ponies. Some took aggressive stances, as if they intended to fight Ted then and there to get rid of Mirage. Others just seemed curious as to why the Nightmare would bring such a creature back to the temple. Steeling himself, he pulled the weakened bug off of his back and set her at his hooves, before addressing the ponies.
"This is Mirage. She did me a great service by finding and caring for, to the best of her abilities, one of our own who was injured in the forest. Is Tulip here?" At the negative, he asked someone to find her. Moments after a pegasus left to find her, he returned, an orange earth mare in his forelegs. "Tulip?" he asked, receiving a nod in confirmation. "I was asked by someone, someone who was very hurt, to keep you safe. Do you remember Fast Parcel?" The mare nodded at him, eyes already watering. "He was hurt very badly when he went gathering, the only member of the lost forage team to survive the initial attack. Mirage pulled him from the river and did her best to treat him, but she could only do so much. I'm sorry, by the time I found them, he was already dying." the alicorn stated, head lowering in respect for the dead.
The watering turned to actual crying and Tulip turned around and stumbled back into the temple, a few of the other ponies going with her to console the grieving pony. Turning back to those still remaining, he spoke. "For doing me this service, Mirage was offered a place here in the temple. She will be treated as any of my followers, am I clear?"
There were a few grumbles, a few glares at the changeling, which she cringed from, scooting back into his forelegs. Surprisingly, however, not all the ponies were against her presence. One came right up to the changeling, a bright smile upon her face.
"I will make sure she is set up with a proper bed, master. There's more than enough room for a second bed in my quarters!" Blur said, a smile on her face. Ted was surprised, but the pegasus wasn't cringing away from the changeling like the others, so she wasn't just pretending to be nice. Hell, she walked right up to Mirage and used a wing to support the changeling, leading her down the hall to the sleeping quarters. As she left, Ted cast a tracking spell on the changeling, letting all the unicorns and even a few of the more intelligent pegasi and earth ponies know he wouldn't be allowing the bug-pony to suddenly disappear from the temple. "She is under my protection just as you are." He said to those still standing around the entrance. "Pass the word that she is to come to no harm, physical or otherwise."
As the ponies dispersed, Ted walked to the kitchens. It had been a long day and his lunch was eaten while working. Nothing would be better at the moment than a hot meal.
The Nightmare was insane.
That was the only thing Mirage could think at the moment. Did it really think the ponies under his control would let one of her kind wander the halls freely? Changelings were driven out at best, actively hunted at worst. Why did he think they would let her be just because he told them to? Even stranger than the unexpected kindness and the caring concern Nightmare had shown her, was the emotions of the pegasus walking beside her. She could taste the tang of fear on her, even as the yellow pony held her up with its wing, but it was faint, all but drowned out in confidence. What left her so certain the changeling wouldn't hurt her? The ponies were always telling each other stories of the creatures that would leave a pony an empty husk, or worse, turn them into blood-sucking bug ponies.
Everywhere she'd gone since the Hive fell, she'd tasted it in the air. Fear, be it for the future, for the unknown, or whatever it was that scared ponies. She herself had felt it so many times over the years, be it from a near discovery, or seeing a desperate lesser-hive found and captured. Changelings weren't meant to be alone, they needed the assurance of other minds bound to theirs, if only superficially. The link between hive mates wasn't full fledged telepathy, but it let them find each other, to identify each other even in disguise. Only Mother could talk over the link, directing them as they were needed. But Mother was silent, and if the Queen had her way, Mirage would never hear her Mother's voice again.
"Mirage, are you alright?" The pegasus asked her, drawing her from her thoughts.
"I'm fine, just remembering Mother." She answered. "Nobuggy has heard from her since The Surge."
The pegasus stopped, and hugged the changeling as best she could.
The changeling tried pushing her away, but being so weak failed miserably. "Why do you trust me? Aren't you worried I'll drain you dry, or turn you into a changeling as well, or some other silly pony story?" Mirage asked.
Blur just smiled. "Father said you were one of us now, and I trust Him with my life." Releasing her hold on the confused bug-pony, the pegasus walked a few more steps before opening a door, revealing a spartan bedroom with a single ragged bed. Mirage grabbed a blanket from the small basket near the door and made her way to the empty side of the room when she was stopped by a hoof.
"I don't mind sharing my bed with you, Mirage. It's the least I can do, to welcome a new sister."
<-(0)->
While his dinner was late, Slop was only too happy to serve him a meal. In fact, he offered to have it brought to the alicorn's room, seeing as the dining hall was mostly empty. He made a stop at the war room on the way to his chambers, removing the two markers by the glade. With any luck, he'd get a better idea of where the other creatures were, and possibly even what they were. It wouldn't do to walk up to a group of the Queen's guard, after all. Finally reaching his bedroom, he was surprised to find Slop already there, pushing the cart up to the door and preparing to knock.
"Thank you, Slop. It smells delicious as always. As I told Shadow, if there are any ingredients you need, make note of them in the war room, along with a location if you are able to." Using his magic to pull the cart from the chef, he opened his door, and walked into his room.
The only major difference in the room since he was last here was the armor rack that was now sitting by the mirror. He would have to ask Shadow if that was the his idea. Thankfully, it gave him somewhere else besides the floor to put the armor, as he didn't plan on sleeping in it. The power boost was nice, but it certainly didn't compare to the softness of blankets and pillows. Pulling a few strange vegetable cakes from the cart and eating them as he divested himself of his armor, he once again lost himself staring at the helmet.
The ponies in the temple were looking to him for leadership. What experience did he truly have? Certainly he had experience, but it was, for lack of a better word, borrowed. Some may even say it was stolen from Luna, even if he wasn't the one who took the memories. The cultists also viewed him as some sort of deity. While it wasn't a comfortable topic to dwell on, he knew morale was important, especially in the conditions the ponies were living in. To reveal the truth to them could break the group, and then he'd be stuck on an alien planet, as an apparent bogeymare, and alone as well.
Gleam and the foals, Blur, the ponies he'd taken into the forest for supplies, they were growing on him. A part of him wanted to keep them safe. Was that what being a parent was about? He'd never had children of his own, having to work full time and take college courses as well left him with little time to pursue relationships, and his idea of relaxation was blasting idiots into colorful bits on his computer. Perhaps that was what was happening. He was starting to see them as lost children, in need of protection. Desperately in need of reassurance, with how bad things were going for them before he arrived.
Setting the helmet on the rack, he glanced to the mirror in the room, for the first time since his arrival truly taking in his new appearance. His teal eyes bore slitted pupils, like a cat's, and he could see even through the darkest shadows in the room, his short mane was an extremely dark blue, just a few shades shy of black, while if his fur were any darker, it would drain light from the rooms he walked into. He was taller than any of the ponies he'd seen out there to date besides Luna and her sister. As best he could tell, if the ponies in the memories were the same height as those he was guiding, his head was only just now clearing Celestia's shoulders. That was another thing, he realized as he lifted a pillow. He'd been growing since he was released, far faster than was natural. Already the pillows that had allowed for him to comfortably rest almost half of his body on them were now approaching the size of throw pillows by his frame of reference. How much more would he grow? Would he eventually reach the ridiculous size of the princesses in Luna's memories? Tuna didn't know the answer to this, she could only guess at what would happen in the future.
He did it again, didn't she? At least his confusion was limited to memory diving now. Sighing, he started walking back to the bed when he saw it. Where just earlier today there was nothing but a blank patch of fur, a strange image was now visible. A tree bearing a celtic shield on its trunk was prominently displayed on his butt. It was actually kind of strange seeing it, and left him feeling embarrassed. He'd never gotten a tattoo, and god forbid his sister saw this. She would never let him live it down. She'd probably call it a tramp stamp, or something like that. Anyway, the shield he could understand, but what was the tree for? He'd have to find out later. Maybe the cultists had a book on the symbolism of trees. Not likely, but it was worth a shot.
Quickly finishing his meal, he bathed and returned to his bed. It was already past sunset, and though the ponies had plenty to do over the next few days, and the foraging run the day before had been quite successful. He still had some studying to do. Spells to learn, maps to memorize, anatomy of species to study, and an alchemical primer to read up on. The ponies would survive if he slept in tomorrow.
<-(0)->
Sunset had long passed when he finally retired for the night. As wonderfully informative as it was learning that he should preen his wings every morning at the least, sleep was something he wasn't ready to give up on just yet. Yielding to the sand man(mare?) once more Ted found himself floating in a white world populated by glowing orbs of light. Looking around, he could feel the emotions of some of them. Happiness, love, joy.
Fear.
Approaching the sickly yellow-tinted orb, he touched it, and was soon in a pony town he didn't recognize. What he did recognize was the changeling attempting to hide under a cart as ponies looked all around, many bearing makeshift weapons. Approaching Mirage, he pulled her out from under the cart, and despite her thrashing, managed to pick her up. "Calm down, Mirage. I'm not going to hurt you." The changeling immediately stopped and looked at him in confusion, her mind finally registering that something wasn't right.
"They aren't here, you know. They're nowhere near you. They won't be able to do anything to you, understand?" He said.
The changeling spared one last glance around, before turning to him again, the ponies wandering off into the distance of her dream. "She was right." The changeling mumbled. "I swore she was insane but she was right."
Ted frowned at the accusation "Who was right?"
"Blur, sir, she was going on and on about how you would keep us safe. I thought that she was full of hot air." Pushing away from him, she bowed low. "Forgive me, master."
"There's nothing to forgive, Mirage. You've been running for a long time, haven't you?" he asked sadly. "You don't have to run anymore. Once you recover, I want you to find Shadow Weaver or Gleam. Tell them your talents and experiences, and we'll find a place for you."
The changeling winced, not meeting his eyes as she rose to her hooves. "Changelings aren't like ponies, sir. We don't have special talents."
"Not marked on your flanks, perhaps, but there's always something you can do that I can guarantee you'd be better at than a pony. Spying on our enemies for one, though we have no need for a spy at the moment. Do you know anything about building?"
"Most changelings help maintain the tunnels if they find damage, sir, but other than that-"
"Then you already have more tunneling experience than I do." the alicorn cut her off. "Eventually I'd like to get some sort of foundry running on the temple grounds, and a foundry needs a mine. You could help design it, or inspect it for weaknesses, since you know what to look for." He smiled at her. "Don't assume you have nothing to contribute. Everyone has something to give, even if it's just an additional set of hooves. I'm sure you'll think of something."
The town around them had faded, leaving the two in a dark cave. Laying a hoof on the changelings shoulder, he bid her good night, and left the dream.
<-(0)->
Returning to the world of white, the alicorn looked around. There was one dream in particular he was looking for. It took a while, but after thinking the ponies name aloud, he saw one dream pulse. Floating to it, he entered the dream, and found his vic-er his good friend, Shadow Weaver. Walking up to the pony and catching Weavers eye, he almost laughed as the pony started bowing and groveling, still lost in the dream. "Weaver, stand up." The pony jerked, and rose to his hooves. Looking around for a moment, realization dawned on his face. Ted only gave the cultist a fang-filled grin. "You told me you don't like dreams, right Weaver?" The unicorn was backing up now, shaking his head back and forth. "Yes, that's what I thought, you don't like them. It's a good thing I'm here to save you from yours, isn't it?" He circled the pony, grin only growing wider, showing a maw of impossibly sharp teeth. Manipulating this dream was easier than he thought it would be. "Well, I do have things to do tonight, so as much as I would love to entertain you, I've other dreams to visit. Some of them are quite interesting, you know. Therefore, my good friends here will be taking over. Mister Mane? Mr. Head? Do me a favor, and make sure Weaver here is comfortable."
From the shadows stepped two figures. The first a large pony, just shy of Ted's height. The pony wore a suit, with fur as white as snow. As it approached, its featureless face was split by a nightmarish grin, bladed teeth filling its mouth. The second wasn't even a pony, a strange bipedal creature that was clothed in a ragged and bloody cloth. Dragging along behind the creature was an obscenely long, rusty blade, and the creatures face was obscured by a large chunk of angular rusted iron. The two creatures closed in on the screaming cultist, and Ted smiled as he left the dream. After all, he gave the little pony exactly what he wanted. He would have no reason to complain tomorrow. Now there was one more thing he wanted to do, before he just started picking dreams at random.
Looking off into the distance, he spotted the dreams of the three individuals well outside the temple. The fourth was nowhere to be seen, but if they were smart, the last would be keeping watch. He approached the dreams, trying to get a feel for the minds that created them. Mirage's dream had been, well, different from the dreams of the other ponies. Like the ponies' dreams were circles, and hers was a triangle. The dreams before him were sharper, more intense than even mirage's dream had been.
Just before he entered one, a fourth started to fade into existence beside the others. Ted frowned, if that was their watch, he just fell asleep. This could end badly for them. He had just decided to wake one up when one flashed red, before all four disappeared. Ponies didn't wake up that fast, they faded from the dream-realm gradually upon waking. He left the dream realm, finding himself back in his room in an instant. His armor was upon him a moment later, and he blew open his window, jumping out onto the angular surface of the temple's exterior. They were under attack from something. Either he could aid them and win their hearts, or if they were agents of the Queen, he would finish them while they were reeling from the attack. Either way, before the sun rose this day, the last unknown beings in his lands would be accounted for and dealt with.
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Slop
Since it's the cook's name.
Edit:
word
Thanks for the chapter!
then
Whut, whut on the butt?
*Heads out to hunt the web*
Oooh... Yes, I can see that. Good one.
Also, I love the whole "Father" thing they've got going on.
Still curious about queen.
My bet on queen's identity would be on nightmare twilight.
Also - thank you for amazing story!
Symbolism brought to you by: The Fair Folk, and Viewers Like You.
Oaks in celtic lore can symbolize: Life, Strength, Wisdom, Nobility, Family, Loyalty, Power, Longevity, Heritage, and/or Honor. Given the context, this likely deals primarily with ties of family and loyalty with strength and wisdom, but the actions of the character hint this could be all of the above. They also represent stability and something to be relied upon. A shield's meaning is more obvious, indicating protection, but the celtic knot (or the celtic knot shield, I'm uncertain as to the details) can also indicate elemental power, or in this case magical strength. Of other interesting note is the varied interpretations of a celtic knot, which can both mean immortality and eternity, or even a talisman against the wears of mortality such as sickness or suffering. Another interpretation of it's meaning could include the idea that a demon bound in a celtic knot will wander the endless labyrinthine paths, never to escape as long as the knot is unbroken.
The above listed aspects of the symbols used in Ted's cutiemark all in one way or another tie in with either his character, decisions, or even his form of existence. The most likely meaning for this mark is: A powerful father meant to watch over his children.
Fridge horror:
It's a very, very good thing that the old mare's tale had it that Nightmare Moon liked to eat live foals...
Great update rate, mate.
I think the four unknown dreamers were griffins.
Love this story. Also, for some reason my likes on a comment count as 2. O.o
5951919 Ah, yes. Our favorite little princess of friendship, overthrowing Tia to lead a fascist regime of "Friendship or Death" with a good heaping of Peace through Power on top.
derpicdn.net/img/2014/4/14/599984/full.jpg
Stalker shrine in dream form.
I'd have to say that that was a good episode. Lots of fun memes. 'Course I like the 'Battering Ram' as well but that's neither here or there.
I look forward to more Ted shenanigans. I hope he comes back unscathed.
You're doing a wonderful job with this spin on an idea that's been around for quite awhile. You've definitely won me over. 
I actually really like the whole "Father" thing Blur has going, I wouldn't mind if that spread a bit. That is a particular kind of symbolism that you really don't see a lot of in stories here, what with the composition of the cast being what it is.
Also, I think an Ash tree would work better.
5952110
Well we're guessing at this point why the author chose oak. Frankly rowan would fit the character just as well, considering it suggest transformation, healing, balance, protection, and even other planes of existence.
5952152
No, you're guessing, I'm letting the author guess why I said Ash.
5951242 With the fact that all of the alicorns to date are female, one could speculate that being female is a requirement for ascension.
5951853 Fixed 'em all, thnx.
5951925 I didn't need that...
5951922 I looked the shield up on ancient-symbols.com to be certain once I'd decided on it, actually, though some of those meanings I was unaware of. I've never been a fan of authors telling me what the marks meant, though, so I didn't say much about it. If people don't know and are curious, they'll educate themselves. Or, I guess they could riot in the comments whining for the information to be spoon-fed to them.
Awesome! Here comes the fury...
Huh. So, the last four possible recruits in the near by area are being assaulted. Time for Super Ted/Nightmare. I mean, it is obvious, the only question is who would thank him? Would it be the potential opposition, or the potential recruits?
no need for a comma before an and
this happened allot.
5951919
I'm hoping it's simply a case of perspective.
The cultists, judging by Weavers' comments and the others' actions, weren't exactly the nicest ponies around at the outset. The changeling we've seen is pretty lowly, and so may have just been caught between two opposing forces that were going at it tooth and nail - her viewpoint on the overall conflict isn't the best.
Luna, the one supposedly closest to Celestia, assuming Celly is the queen, doesn't seem beaten down by anything other than the Nightmare's own machinations.
IE, the "bad" perspectives are all coming from those caught on the wrong side of things anyway, and the one perspective that might shed actual light doesn't seem to be behaving like things are that bad. So, unless Luna's in on it too, I don't think the ponies are actually that bloodthirsty. They may not be pure white, but I'd be upset if they ended up straight up black at this point.
Mr Mane? i thought it was Joker, until the blank face, but Mr Head? Ive never played the game, but Ive seen plenty of art. Pyramid Head.
or M.D.K when you want range?
Well, Shadow Weaver was complaining about not having a good nightmare. I think Ted has a whole collection of fun time for him. Can he give him the Indiana Jones collection next?
If he flies by night, and his power is the darkness, can he save on flight and teleportation by shadowmelding at the destination he already has marked? A quick encapsulation and stun spell means he can keep them in Schrodinger space where Luna cant reach? Not awake, not asleep, not in the shadows, not in real?
Will shadow Weaver have to sleep in a specially isolated, insulated, padded room, to not wake up the entire temple with his screams?
5951925 You had to share...
As long as Blur doesn't start collecting bits of fur and feathers dropped behind Ted, crafting them into a voodoo-alicorn doll on top of a closet shrine...
Or are we past that already?
5952472 Well, Mirage did only get to see a bit of the room, and we didn't see what was under Blur's bed.
height
5952165
On the other hand, there have only ever been four. Hard to really generalize from that.
Plus, I don't think the elements are that sexist. It's un-kind.
5952532 Ah, but Celestia, Luna and Cadance didn't use the elements to ascend, that's just how Twilight did it. At least, as far as I know. Also, yes I know the number is low, but I'm a fan of matriarchal Equis, so the wut factor that would emerge from a male ruler is something I love to imagine. It would be like 1850's Earth suddenly heard of a country where women rule over men, and guys were second class citizens with no power of their own. It just didn't happen. Yes some women did rule, but how many of them inherited the country from their husbands? Not only that, some of these female rulers are immortal, or at the very least long-lived.
5952520 Fixed, thnx
Believe it or not, I'm actually deciding on things as I go. I looked up the symbols last night, skipping the description of Ted's emblem until I decided on it. Right now, I'm still weighing the options of the race(s) of the four dreamers. Decisions, decisions...
I truly love how you have created such a realistic alicorn OC. You have managed to make a character who is not OP, has liagitamate worries and problems. Can't wait for the next chapter.
May your muse never run cold.
5952573 Ah - 1850 - slap bang in the middle of Queen Victorias reign - the longest reigning female monarch in history, at the height of the expansionist phase of the British Empire, effectively controlling the economies of many countries even outside the empire.
(I know, your other points are valid, the specific date chosen amused me though)
Dammit - now I'm wondering about a Victoria reborn as Celestia-foal fic. The parallels are notable.
5952573
And not that it isn't interesting to speculate about, but the monarchist politics of it are still altogether a different matter from biology and/or silly friendship-magic.
In the real world it wasn't really quite that simple, though. A lot of that has also to do with the fact that while women live longer on average today, it was way in the other direction for the longest time. Childbirth is ridiculously dangerous for human women. In some time periods, such as the 1800s, it reached levels of up to 40% mortality rate, per birth.
As such, a queen that tried to bear enough children to secure a proper dynastic succession would have had a substantial chance of dying in the process. Alternately she'd preserve her own rule and long life, but have nobody to give it to. Either way, sooner or later the whole thing folds under the pressure of rival rulers who don't have to deal with that kind of problem.
5952573
I vote minotaurs, because Iron Will doesn't get enough love.
SEE A FIGHT THERE? SEND IN THE NIGHTMARE!
5952668 You're getting your statistics mixed up.
While childbirth is dangerous, and many women died, the 40% number is I suspect not maternal, but child deaths per birth.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1633559/
British maternal mortality in the 19th and early 20th centuries
This gives estimates of maternal mortality at 1% in 1750, falling to 0.5% in 1850.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1633559/bin/560f1g.jpg
The precipitous fall at the end is mostly antibiotics being developed.
By comparison, today in the UK, deaths due to pregnancy have fallen from 1% in 1700 to 0.005% now. (the summary numbers I find for the USA are 3* worse - I suspect this is due to folding in heart disease numbers)
Note that Queen Victoria had nine children.
5952727
No, I am not. That number is on the extreme upper end of the scale and obviously wasn't universal, but it's solid. It's partly in how you read the statistics. A great many deaths were the result of post-partum fevers caused by unhygienic living conditions, not by the birthing process as such, and as such wouldn't be included in most statistics. That's just semantic quibbling, though, because they were still just as dead.
5952573 ' I'm still weighing the options of the race(s) of the four dreamers'
Breezies don't get enough love.
Also on that topic.
Does a Breezie emit as much love as a regular pony?
I wonder about super-powered changelings each with a backpack full of breezie apartments.
Imagine luna stumbling upon the dreams of the cultists and having that WTF moment.
5952762 What? Have the rest of the planet just go and declare Ted the Benevolent Ruler of All? Good idea!
5952774 Some Twilight cares for the bastard foal of her brother and Chrysalis fic had the changelings with chitin compartments called meepsies or something like that. I only remember because it was a funny little thing, with Twilight tickling the foal, and the compartments popping open and spewing the foal's candy hoard everywhere. I loved the idea. Stick the breezies in those, it will be safer.
Sweet chapter! Write on!☺
Yea! Shadow Weaver gets his wish! Careful what you ask for... Just don't let Luna catch you doing that.
Slop must be quite talented. Or Teds palette sucks. Im imagining the bobs burgers guy but as a pony.
5952165 I'm actually unsure of the alicorn part. In the season four opener, Zecora said that only alicorn magic can turn the potion from purple to white. Twilight responded by calling upon what seems to look like 'dark magic', something only Celestia and Sombra have demonstrated they also have the power to use. My proposition is that Sombra may possibly be a male alicorn. Wild speculation, sure, but I believe it to be possible. He seems to be able to give Luna and Celestia a run for their money, if any reading between the lines of Celestia's tale of him is to be believed. It took both Celestia and Luna to put him down, and he still got the last laugh. His power and ability to rule a country with an iron hoof and turn, presumably, the whole population into indentured slaves. Top it off with the ability to seal off memories of hundreds of citizens and manipulate the construction and formation of crystals from at least half way across the empire while in an incomplete and weaker state and this easily puts him in the territory of at least an archmage.
I also speculate that, if he were an alicorn, the transformation, instead of giving him lithe or agile qualities, something leaning more towards females, would fall more towards a male sterotype, that being more rugged, stalwart in build, and physically imposing. The lack of wings wouldn't be a detriment to his build since his appearance is leaning towards strong and immovable instead of graceful. I don't know, maybe I've been looking too far into it. Ever since that scene in the season 4 opener I've been unable to completely eradicate this possibility. Figured I'd share it.
5953216 Now that you say that, were there any shots of Sombra without his cloak?
At least is not the tree of harmony.
This is exactly what I needed directly after finals!
Thank you so much
5952573 I don't know if you view the comics as canon, but if you do(or just consider them as optional semi-canon) then Cadance was born a pegasus and ascended after learning about the magic of love(Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell)(hmm link says that Celetia turn her into an alicorn while Cadance page implies she became one much like Twilight did I.E. flash of light, hello twilight zone... oh and hello celestia, words were exchanged, then another flash of light for a horn...).
On another note: One Alicorn in charge of the day/sun. One in charge of the moon/night. One in charge of love. One in charge of friendship. Now there is an Alicorn in charge of Dreams/Hope...
Yeah I know Luna said it is her duty to protect dreams, but maybe she only took charge of it because something happen to the original alicorn...(Like how Celestia took charge of both Day and Night, and I guess dreams as well, while Luna was banished.) or it be that now there are so many dreams that she needs help/there needs to be someone dedicated just to it.
5953363 I'm really not a fan of omnipotent Sun-butt, it just kind of irks me.
It's a thought, and I do have very strong ideas on hope. myself. May have them accidentally leak into the story.
5953257 Glad I could help, Working on the next chapter now, actually, though I work tomorrow, so I have to go to bed fairly soon. I like my sleep.
5953455
Was this quote meant to be towards Celestia in charge of dreams? My opinion on the matter was that she was horrible at that part of the job, just because she took charge of it because of circumstances made her do so doesn't mean she was any good at it.
5953577 In charge of dreams? I don't remember anything about that. I mean her greeting all the newby-corns in the halls of eternity, or whatever that place is, or saying she chooses the alicorns, as it seemed to be when she sent Twi the spell.
5953255 I'm sorry to say I just now understood your comment. Good god that would be awful. If I ever do something that bad without reason, I will give you my location so that you may all come out and beat me with nerf bats.
5953216 My headcanon is that Sombra is more like Twilight but stuck halfway through the Alicorn ascension.
The power of magic pressing down on his mind, driving him mad.
5953602 Ah, I think see what you mean. I haven't really read the comic/book myself so... Wait a moment(spend a few minutes looking for online version of the book.) Ah found it... The book doesn't really go into much details on what exactly happened.
The last part here, that you called the halls of eternity, could technically be a lie due to point of view and narration since Luna was forgotten about until her returned.
And personally I have been toying with the idea that the dream hub station, that we saw recently in Bloom and Gloom, and the halls of eternity are the exact same place.
I can see people interpreting this a few different ways depending on how they want to look at it. Personally I believe that its the magical nature of the place itself that causes the ascension.
But I think we(or at least I am anyway.) are getting a little side tracked. My original comment to you was to respond to your "At least, as far as I know." to show that some writer/author picked a somewhat different way for Cadance to ascend.
5952727 Actually, the reason for the difference in infant mortality rates for the US is the difference in how the stats are recorded. Thanks to America's more advanced neonatal care and medical technology, preemies and newborns in crisis tend to survive longer... babies that would be listed as "stillborn" in England or Europe are listed as infant mortality because they survive a few days or weeks.