“So where do you want this stuff?” a copy of Discord asked the original as he held in his arms a number of items. From tennis rackets to stuff bunnies, radios and cursed items to name a few. The original Discord directed him to drop them off to an opening of the cave while his other copies were attaching the wet stone to the walls and placing the fire pit in a certain spot.
As his sense of gratification grew at the construction of the famous allegory, he along with his copies looked up when they heard the voice of their boss being heard over the intercom. The voice of the Headmare in seer annoyance that was disguised over with a half-singing voice.
“Oh Mr. Discord. Please report to the Headmare’s office at once. Mr. Discord, to the Headmare’s office.”
Discord (along with his copies) looked confused at one another. ‘What could she possibly want?’ he wondered. ‘Oh, don’t tell me that she’s figured out that I made Forethought sick on purpose.’ Taking in a deep breath, he teleported himself directly into the center of the Headmare’s/Princess Twilight’s office. He found that also in the room was one of the school counselor, Starlight Glimmer that was behind the large wooden desk as Twilight. And before the desk was a lone chair.
“I take I’m either in trouble or you want to congratulate me.”
“What?” Starlight cocked her head to the side.
“Well that’s normally the rule, you know. When you get called by royalty that wants to be in your presence, it usually means that they want to give you a metal or send you straight to the guillotine.”
“Discord,” Twilight waved a hoof to the empty chair. “Take a seat. We need to talk.”
The spirit of random took her word and picked up the chair in his arms. Thereby his boss glared at him. “Okay fine,” he grumbled as he instantly sat in the chair, only it was several feet in the air.
“Before I say anything,” Twilight began, “I just want you to know that I do appreciate how you’re getting your students into Philosophy. That from what feedback I’ve heard, your teachings seem to click with whoever steps into your classroom, even if you do teach it out of what the syllabus says. They even say that you might quickly be making out to be their favorite teacher.”
“I sense a very big but in that statement.” Discord pointed out.
With a calming breath, Twilight continued. “But, with that being said, your last two lessons, from what your students are saying, have given rise to some concerns.”
“Over what?”
“To start,” Starlight began. “We’re a little worried if you might be sending your students the wrong message. For example, when Silverstream came to me not too long ago, she had said that she used to have anxiety about passing her classes. Now she’s telling me that she’s not all that worried about getting good grades as you taught that learning from other teachers won’t make her wise.”
“And just today,” Twilight added, “We hear from Ocellus that you’re justifying the actions of evil ponies and that it’s apparently okay to be horrible if they felt like it.”
“Objection.” Discord stood up, now in a white suit. “If this is meant to be a kangaroo court, then I the defendant wished to have actual kangaroos and a lawyer to say something upon my behalf.”
Suddenly the office was transformed into a courtroom in which Twilight sat on a high bench, Starlight by a typewriter, a jury of kangaroos in their respective jury box, and two Discords where one sat by a desk and the other walked up to them.
“My client, Mr. Handsome Discord, wasn’t by any means suggesting that doing those things that he’s been accused with to be the correct path in wisdom. If Justice Twilight would be so kind and not decide to hang or fire my client on the spot, I’d like to give my argument on the contrary.”
Twilight groaned. “Fine. We’ll hear you out.”
“If you can turn your attention towards the screen,” Discord’s lawyer copy pointed towards a screen that popped from the floor, “you shall clearly see that he makes his point very clear regarding useful education. Here, he speaks of Sharp Spirit’s philosophy.”
The screen flicked to life in which showed Discord and six of his students on the campus of what Twilight identified as the campus of Canterlot University with its students gathering around him.
“Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t mean that getting a degree is useless or not worth the effort to get one. He was simply saying that what we see outwardly as intelligence in a setting like this is often different from the real wisdom and intelligence in reality. He even said, ‘In practice, thousands of little mares in their villages have lived more gentle, calmer and more constant lives than the professors at a university.’ If anything, all Sharp was seeking was students who had wisdom. What does he mean by that? Just someone who has humility, modesty, and accepts the limits of their own knowledge.”
“Question,” Twilight asked, “If that were true, then why did Silverstream interpreted your lesson as that studying isn’t all that important?”
“Your Honor, my client simply presents his students with the ideas the philosopher that he is talking about. He can’t be held entirely accountable in how his students interpreted what he’s saying.”
“Like how you taught them that it’s okay to be horrible towards others if they felt like it?”
“My client said nothing of the sort, Your Honor. Regarding Carrotketgard, he was illustrating how, in his philosophy of Inner and Outer truths, that because each of us sees said truth through experience, that we can’t help but interpret the value of morality differently. That is it, he concludes that since we all interpreted truth individually, that the reasons why both atrocities and heroism were, from any given individual’s point of view, correct. Regardless who they were. Note this scene here when my client gives the idea to them and Gallus makes the following objection.”
The screen now flickers to that of an art gallery with a skeptical Gryphon looking up at his teacher.
“Are you honestly saying that it’s alright for me to just do any of these diabolical things and say that I’m doing it because I think it’s the right thing to do?”
“Yes.” Discord said, stunning his students. “Think how each and everyone you see in this gallery justifies everything they’ve done. That to them, they think they’re doing it because it was the right thing to do. However, from their perspective that if they looked at the other things that anyone besides them have done, some of them would see it as either ineffective or wrong.
“But what does that prove?” Starlight questioned. “If anything, that clearly gives justification that all morality is pointless.”
Discord’s copy raised an eyebrow as he conjured up a folder with her name on it. “Is that so? Justice Twilight, permission to cross-examine Starlight?” The Headmare gave the permission. “So, Ms. Glimmar, do you have a sense of right and wrong?”
“Yeah?” she raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
“Have you always have this sense of morality?”
“Yes?”
“Ever since you were young?”
“Mr. Discord, what has this got to do with anything?”
“I’m making a point. Just answer the question.”
She sighed. “Well yeah. I’ve always had.”
Discord’s copy hummed thoughtfully. “Very interesting. Do you always have done things, not all the time of course, but always tried to do the right thing?”
“I can tell you’re trying to lead me. Why?”
“Okay, let me rephrase it then. Why do you do this? Counseling I mean.”
“Well because I figured that it would be the most helpful for students that would come to the school.”
“Helpful huh?” Now it was Discord’s copy to raise an eyebrow. “Have you always been helpful?”
“Yes.”
“Now this is interesting indeed.” He flips open the folder in his lion’s paw. “As it clearly says here, that you were once the head of a cult that preached Equality by having members shun the very idea of having individual cutie marks.”
Starlight’s expression dropped.
“Furthermore,” he adds, “it also says here that the main reason why you did it at all was that you honestly thought it was the right thing to do. Even when you plotted revenge on Twilight Sparkle, you carried out your blind anger and hatred because you thought it was the right thing to do. Tell me, during those years, have you ever questioned if you were in the wrong?”
“Stop it.” She looked at him, anger and sadness building up in her eyes. “Stop it right now.”
“Why? For telling you a truth that you don’t want to hear? A truth that only you, yourself saw was the greatest good. A truth that no matter who got in the way, you would rather tear up all of the time just to get back at Twilight. Was that true, Ms. Starlight Glimmer?”
“Discord!” Twilight snapped at him, banging a sharp crack from her gavel. “That’s enough!”
His copy, however, smirked. “But neither of you can’t tell me that I’m wrong. Can you?” The Headmare didn’t reply. “To be clear, Your Honor, my client was planning on furthering the discussion about where evil comes from by how that, even those we call evil could change their minds. The three of us know better than anyone that such redemption can be difficult, but not impossible. All I ask is to give him time to further the discussion with his students to show some unpleasant but necessary truths that will help them see how things really are. He is not teaching them how to be ignorant and evil, but to know the value of wisdom and for them to think for themselves. If anything, just getting this complaint from at least one of his students indicates that they’re not blindly following him. Don’t you think that maybe it would be disappointing to a philosophy teacher if all his students agree with everything he says?”
After giving some thought, Twilight declared. “As long as you make it clear that doing anything evil has consequences and stress the importance of education, you’re free to continue. However, I’ll let you go with a warning to be careful in how you teach.”
With that, Discord dissolved the courtroom. “If that’s all, I have to prepare for tomorrow.”
“Out of curiosity,” Starlight asked, “what are you planning on teaching?”
He smiled, “The Allegory of the Cave.”
Interesting... The order of the lessons is also rather interesting.
I wonder if the teachers' lounge fridge stocks hemlock juice. DIskie probably takes it in his coffee. Good for the complexion.
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I wonder if they will bunt heads again over discord lessons?
I always get a little giddy when I see this fanfic has updated.
Ah, the chapter were the author tells their readers to chill, they've got a plan. I suspected the discussion of what is evil and why does it exist would take more than one chapter.
That said, reading Plato frustrates me, as he writes Socrates as someone who doesn't give direct answers, but questions others and leads them to conclusions. And having him spend pages leading some ignorant ancient Greek guy to an idea most people now can graps in a sentence to explain his lesson makes me pull my hair out.
But yeah, The Cave. Good choice Dissy, you got this.
ohhh point to Discord
This is awesome! I love your style and the story is open and engaging!
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I prefer it the over way round.
I love philosophy, MLP, and Discord in particular. Can't wait for the next chapter!
I think I need a second favourite button.
The Allegory of the Cave is a very interesting lesson. I look forward to seeing Discord teach it.
Ooh, the allegory of the cave! Is someone going to make shadow puppets?
And Platonic Cave Time!
Though you think Twilight would know about everything having consequences... and Starlight really should’ve know me she was walking into that one.
CLEARLY Starlight needs to spend more time with Philosophy or Psychology. Maybe both after falling into such an obvious trap that Discord set for her.
Hell even TWILIGHT has fallen prey to this with the whole "Smart Parts Incidence" as just ONE example, abeit the best example.
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i can see twilight thinking that lemons help hide her face as she rob a rank
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That's why I have a Super Favorites bookshelf.
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I have the same thing. It's called OHMYGOODNESSTHISISAMAZING.
It's where all the stories that make me shout that in my head go.
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For me, it's simply labelled 10/10. I may have to put this there...
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Mine is Mega Favorites
I am loving this story! It feels like I'm actually getting real lessons in philosophy.
But I have to admit, I'm disappointed you didn't dig any deeper to backup Discord's defense. There have been so, so many cases.
In the argument of morality, Starlight's cult was just one example, but you could have gone on with:
and even Twilight herself could have been used as a prime example, with three separate occasions alone where she had acted in ways that caused harm and made situations more difficult, yet she saw them as necessary because of her own experiences, expectations, and situations. i.e.,
And then there's the argument regarding higher education vs wisdom. He could have asked them how their friends, Sunburst and Moondancer were doing. He could very well have gone into detail about how, despite their high academic achievements, they chose to do virtually nothing of consequence with their knowledge, talents, and lives until Starlight and Twilight decided to reconnect with them. Likewise, it could be argued that other ponies with no apparent education beyond the absolute basics and who previously had very simple and/or narrow life goals (Applejack and Rainbow Dash could be two prime examples), had wound up learning a great many life lessons and having countless life-changing experiences.
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Also, I have to say the grammar here was very difficult to follow at times. The points come across, but they're not well-stated.
Honestly, I wouldn't even know how to reword this without rewriting the entire sentence.
Ideas of the philosopher, maybe?
... then the reasoning behind both atrocities and heroism...
Again, I feel like Rarity trying to fix a bird's nest that Twilight had made.
Still, critiques aside, I do enjoy this story and the lessons being shared.
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And let's not forget falsely accusing the cmcs of purposely letting a student down when they were tutoring her. If she had bothered to talk with anyone she might have not gotten that far. And personally I don't think honorary diplomas is the same as an actual apology.
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Personally I wish there were even more stories like this than just the 2 sequel. It shows a lot of stuff people don't think about. Maybe discord should explore doing something really stupid because of things like fear or anger or pride and that sometimes if we take a moment to breathe things won't be so bad and if we don't let go of those feelings then it could get bad.
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Such could be used as a lesson in tolerance, understanding, and ultimately, forgiveness, don'tcha think? ;3
Forgiveness is a very valuable lesson to learn that sadly few see the point of these days.