This story is a sequel to Blinking
Teleportation. It was the simplest way to get around. But now, many years too late, Princess Twilight Sparkle has learned a horrible truth about her favored spell. She has managed to escape the hell-prison that took the lives of so many of her previous selves, and return to the real world. But now that she's there, she has one thing weighing on her conscience. A single question, begging to be answered...
There are three stories recommended for reading before reading this story. My own story, the original, and the sequel to the original that is the prequel to this one.
I get a bit expositional in this and a tad philosophical.
Happy reading!
Chapters (1)
sorry, this just doesn't fit at all well with the rest of this series of stories
8381689
Fair enough. But I'd argue that's the point. Unlike most of the other blink stories, this one takes place only in Equestria, and has no gore. It's more existential fears and answering a question I'd been asking myself for a looking time about why the spell does what it does. The ending is also more bittersweet than true downer ending. All the same, ocalhoun was okay with it when he previewed it, and I'm happy too. Thanks for reading!
none of that was the issue I had with it. I found the answer unsatisfying and unlikely
I liked this, it fit your style of fitting in between the cracks and answering the unconsidered. Truth be told I was curious what happened to the Twilight that escaped, everyone that6 answered that sort of glossed over the time between when she was freed and when she created the new spell. Regardless, thank you for writing another entry. It was short, but sweet.
8381811
Now I'm curious. Is it because the actions I describe seem out of character for Celestia in your eyes? Or is it because you don't like linking every major catastrophe in equestria's history to one source? or is it something else?
8381839
Well thank you for reading!
I really like this statement. I may use it somewhere.
8381856
Well, regardless of my writing ability at 4 in the morning, I'm good at wordplay when i try.
8381848
OOC for Celestia, trying to link everything together and trying to justify the nature of the teleportation spell, plus you have to add an additional complication to the story to justify it, in making the teleportation spell well known and wide spread, when really it seems very far from it within the show
8381898
I respect your opinion. But for that last bit- that went out the window for me when Trixie learned it.
8381925
from a Unicorn who is close match powerwise to an Alicorn, maybe it doesn't take much power, but it doesn't seem well known
8381942
Took me a moment [I think you wanted that first comma to be a period] but I get'cha.
I know I'm not likely to change your opinion, but I have one final counter argument: our main locations are Ponyville and Canterlot. The first has very few unicorns as permanent residents. The other, we've mostly only seen the "elites" who, with the exception of Fancy Pants, seem unwilling to learn how to wipe their own ass, let alone a spell like this. Other locations either have the same problem as Ponyville, or we haven't visited, or we haven't stayed in them long enough to see much of their unicorn population. With that, I think there's room for any number of head canons regarding the usage of the spell.
8381978
considering who used the spell until Trixie and the fact that one of Trixie's death defying magic tricks involved it, I have this feeling it's reputation makes it more of a challenge than the reality
I like this. I think it's a good companion to some of the stories that pick up after Blinking.
I like it far more than Detritus, the Luna in it just creep me out.
8381848
Out of character Celestia, really dumb reason for the teleport bubble thingy, vast overestimation of Celestia's age.
Like the other stories, vast overestimation of the length of time Twilight has been teleporting- it's always been implied before with her early general lack of skill with it that she learned it when Nightmare Moon did it.
Also it assumes a ridiculous level of wide-spread. It is only performed by four unicorns in the entire series. All of whom have Magic talent-marks.
The scary part is that Celestia knows. But she herself has used the spell since she learned.
The answer to "why" was unsatisfying for the simple reason that if teleportation really is as popular as Celestia says, then literally purging everyone who has any knowledge of the spell and burning every book that mentions it would have been kinder than what she did... I dont know if it's just me, but if literally The Final Solution is kinder than what Celestia chooses to do? That's a poorly thought out plot contrivance.
I see an easy answer. Stop teleporting. Don't you dare say it's too convenient; the right answers rarely are. You monster.
Celestia became the very thing she wished to stop, a bringer of chaos, death and destruction. Her solution to the problem of tp was mass murder over inconvenience.
10578646
But how many creatures would listen? There would be so many that would ignore the law simply because of the convenience. Many more would probably question it publicly and even say that Celestia was crazy for outlawing it because of something that, again, in one iteration they have no way of verifying, and in another... well basically, in either case they couldn't verify it. Then it would become a whole political thing, and... ahh, that whole idea just becomes a big mess.
10864102
*shrug*
If they don't believe they don't believe. To me the moraly right answer doesn't change; let the masses know, pull the technique from official schools, let new great minds try to find an alternative. By telling them you have done (in my mind) an objectively good thing and by pulling support you are taking the most possible measures you can take. They have the information to now make an informed decision and any consequences are their's to shoulder. (You kinda equals Twilight but also you, the poster, if you were the unicorn protagonist in the story)
Which is why i call Celestia a monster; she knew better and until now you (we) did not. But now we know and can make an informed decision like adults on what is right and wrong about teleporting. Given that other people are adults we cannot pick for them but if i had a school teleport would officially be off the list of acceptable spells.
.....
I can't think of anything else to add. The rest of your points pale in comparison.
9927822
Who says she uses the new spell as opposed to the old spell?
10968501
Why would she teach the old spell if she knew what it did and had a alternative?
10968573
Because the old spell releases chaos into the realm. I'd figure she'd either have some way to contain her own, OR rationalize that the amount that she herself made was minor assuming she doesn't teleport tremendously often. I mean when you have seen the distances and how she teleports in the show, it does look kind of different.
She wouldn't teach the old spell to others, only use it herself.
What Celestia did was like sweeping the dirt under a rug and then calling the floor clean; the suffering she wanted to stop still happened it was just somewhere she didn't have to see. Out of sight, out of mind. She even explicitly said that she had almost forgotten it.
Well this was dark. Good job.
Many Griffons go their entire lives without using magic. If Griffons can manage it, why not Ponies?
Celestia is undeniably evil in this timeline.
So in order to prevent a finite amount of suffering, Celestia created an exponentially larger amount. She is more evil than anything that any amount of chaos magic could ever create. If there is one thing I can be glad about, it's that she will meet the fate she deserves every single time she teleports.
I genuinely can't tell if this story is meant to be taken seriously. The logic and characterization involved from start to finish is so utterly terrible that I was sighing and rolling my eyes by the end.
I dunno if your intention was to make Celestia look like a good guy but I know it utterly failed