22. Of Herbalism and Meetings
Fluttershy yawned quietly. She snuck out of the cottage where she and her friends had spent the night, wincing as the door closed with a click slightly louder than she had expected. Granted, it was hardly early in the morning, but the others were sleeping so peacefully after the festivities of the previous night, she did not dare disturb them.
And if she had still been sleepy from last night, a deep breath of the crisp morning forest air cleared her head right up. The trees, usually glowing gently, were sparkling and glistening in the morning dew. If trees could make a sound, she thought, I bet this would sound like a thousand tiny bells...
But as she started out to meet up with Yarrow for breakfast (her stomach began to flutter just at the thought of it!), she remembered something...
She had no idea where he lived!
"Oh Fluttershy," she muttered to herself angrily, "You airhead, you should have asked where you can find him..."
She wandered around on the platform for a bit, until she found herself on the edge, where two walkways branched off from it, one leading upwards and the other downwards. Picking randomly, she opted for the upper walkway and headed to the higher platform. Aside from a few deer going about early-morning jobs, the tree city seemed virtually silent.
"A! Gi suilon, friend Fluttershy!"
She jumped slightly as a voice called broke through the silence. Was that...? She spun around on the spot, but saw with some disappointment that it was not Yarrow coming to greet her, but simply another deer out and about that morning, a stag of middle-age, his reddish-brown fur showing the first signs of grey. He bowed his head to her as he passed.
"Oh! Umm..." she bowed back. "G-good morning...?" she replied, hoping that she had said the right thing. The stag's smile relieved her somewhat, she apparently had not offended him.
"What brings you to our platform?" he asked, stopping beside her. "As lovely as it is, it's not much more than a handful of houses..."
"A-actually, I was looking for somepo.. uh, someone," she replied. "By any chance do you know a stag named Yarrow? I was s-supposed to meet him for breakfast."
He nodded. "Ah, Yarrow, yes I know him. Nice young fellow. He lives on the next platform up, third house on the left." The stag pointed his antlers at another platform, connected to the treetrunk just above and to the right of the one Fluttershy stood upon. While the platform she stood on was broad and round, with the buildings arranged in a ring with a wide space in the centre, the one above was more narrow, with the buildings laid out more like a twn street, with buildings on either side of a long path.
"Oh, thank you!" Fluttershy said, smiling as she hurried towards the walkway that connected the two.
"Oh, and Fluttershy?"
She stopped a moment and turned back to the stag. He grinned as he called, "The correct Deerish reply is 'Mae g'ovannen', or 'well met' in your language. Just so you know for future."
She nodded in thanks and headed for the walkway. Oh, I hope I'm not late, I hope I'm not late...
At last she found the small cottage that Yarrow apparently called home. It was a fairly simple affair, a thatched-roof bungalow of shimmering silver wood, similar to the house where she and her friends slept, but smaller. In front of it was a small garden filled with all manner of plants and flowers. Coming closer, Fluttershy could see that all of them were some sort of herb, many of which were known for medicinal properties. And most prominent was, big surprise, the feathered leaves and white, pink and red clusters of tiny flowers that made up the plant of Yarrow's namesake.
"Yarrow... A potent diaphoric, antiseptic and astringent, also known to be useful in treating cuts and bruises..." she recited under her breath. It was a passage from an old herbal-medicine book she got from Twilight as a birthday present one year.
"You know your herbalism, Fluttershy. Impressive."
Fluttershy jumped again as she heard her voice. How many times is this going to happen today?! Her racing heart was not helped by who she saw in the doorway. Leaning casually on the doorframe and smiling broadly was Yarrow.
"Le suilon, Fluttershy," he said with a bow.
Fluttershy steadied herself once more and bowed back, smiling. "Mae g'ovannen, Yarrow."
His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. "Ah, you've been learning our language too, very impressive!"
Fluttershy blushed, saying modestly, "Th-thank you Yarrow. I just learnt it now actually, I passed some deer on my way here. They pointed out the way for me to go."
"Yeah, that was forgetful of me," Yarrow replied, knocking himself on the head with a hoof. "Inviting you to join me for a meal, then not even telling you where I live! But no matter, you're here now so please, do come in."
He stepped aside and Fluttershy followed him through the doorway. Inside was small and a little bit cramped, but generally cosy. Just like her cottage, there was a large central room with smaller rooms to the sides. But instead of a large table surrounded by couches, the middle room was split down the middle. One end was a simple setup of a pair of small couches around a table, with a small kitchen t the left of it, but the other end was dominated by large shelves that lined the walls, with a table in the centre covered in glass bottles, alembics, vials, tubes and a small metal tube with a glass bottle on either end, a simple distillation apparatus. The shelves were filled with jars and bottles, filled with all manner of plants of all shapes and sizes. Stems, seeds, leaves, flowers, bottles of essential oils, jars of thick pastes and every other form was stacked neatly and meticulously on the shelves.
"Yarrow, what is all this?"
"Herbal medicine, Fluttershy," he replied, gesturing to the simple laboratory he had set up in the room. "Sure, a lot of illnesses and ailments can be cured with our magic, but even the magic of the Deerfolk needs help sometimes. And those plants outside were my herb garden. Please, take a seat, I'll prepare some tea."
"Oh, would you like me to help?"
"No, it's alright, you just take a seat and I'll get it." Yarrow said, his horns shimmering as he levitated a jar down from his shelves, labelled 'DARJEELING', scooping a few spoonfuls of the aromatic herbs into a small kettle and setting it to boil. "Do you take milk with your tea, or sugar?"
"Both please," Fluttershy replied. She sniffed the air as the smell of the tea wafted over to her. "Mmm, that smells lovely, what is it?"
"It's a very special kind of tea, it's called 'Darjeeling'. On occasion we have travelling merchants visit us from other lands to trade goods. And one of them had this: a special kind of tea plant all the way from Camelu. He said it was grown in the foothills of the Himallama Mountains. According to him, it's the finest tea in the world, and after I tried a sip of it, I definitely agree."
Within seconds the teapot was ready, and Yarrow carried it to the table, pouring out a cup for him and Fluttershy, adding milk and a spoonful of sugar. She blew on it and deftly took a sip. Her eyes went wide and she gasped. "Oh my goodness, this is delicious! It's all musky and... and a little bit spicy, this is wonderful! Thank you!"
Yarrow smiled. "I'm glad you like it. You go ahead and drink as much as you want, and I'll prepare us some food. How does some fresh salad sound to you?"
"Mmm, sounds perfect," she replied.
A quick trip to the herb garden and the vegetable bowl, and some skilful knifework later, and Yarrow had prepared a simple salad of crisp lettuce, chives, fennel, tomatoes and raisins, which the two of them dug into with eagerness born of morning hunger. They ate in silence, but it was not an awkward silence, where neither knew what to say. Tell me, reader, have you ever had such a moment? Where you and another person could be together in silence, but a comfortable silence, since both of you knew nothing needed to be said?
It was that such silence. Both of them simply sat across the table from eachother, enjoying a fresh crispy salad, some tea and eachother's company. If nothing else, the tea seemed to calm the butterflies in her stomach for the time being. For what may have been the first time, Fluttershy felt completely calm around him, as opposed to a nervous wreck.
"So Fluttershy," Yarrow said, breaking the silence at last. "Tell me about yourself."
"Huh?" she looked up, wiping away a stray raisin that was stuck to her cheek.
"Well, it seems I know much about you and your friends, and your adventures together, but not much about you personally. I'd very much like to get to know you better," he replied, leaning slightly forward in his seat.
She blushed slightly. "Oh, okay... hmm, what would you like to know?"
"Anything really. What you do, where you live in Equestria, just anything interesting about you."
She took another sip of tea, if nothing else, to hide her flushed face as something dawned on her. Is this a... date?! "Well, I live in a town called Ponyville, along with all my other friends. They mostly live inside the town, but I have a cottage on the outskirts..."
And so they passed the morning. Fluttershy told him about Ponyville, about her cottage, her animals, her job as Ponyville's go-to animal expert and vet, the story of her cutie-mark. And no matter how many times she insisted it was nothing too special, Yarrow listened with rapt attention and curiosity. He had rarely ever ventured beyond the forest border, and he had never been to Equestria.
"What about you?" Fluttershy asked as she finished. "What do you do in Cervidas?"
Yarrow put down his tea. "Well as you can see I'm a herbalist, in case you haven't guessed yet. but herbal medicine isn't just a hobby, it's my trade. Ever since I learned what my name means I've been fascinated by the healing powers of plants, so I've learned quite a lot."
"Gosh. Zecora would probably like you," Fluttershy replied, giggling. Seeing the confused look on his face, she added, "Oh, she's a zebra who lives near Ponyville. She knows lots about herbs and plants as well, just like you. If you ever come to Ponyville, I must introduce you to her..."
But she trailed off as she was flooded with memories of Ponyville. Her cottage, her animals, all the friends who were still there...
"Fluttershy?" Yarrow asked, his keen ears picking up her near-silent sniffles. "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine, Yarrow..." she replied. "It's just, I've only been away from Ponyville for a few weeks. But with everything that's happened, it feels so much longer..."
Her sniffles gave way to gentle whimpers. Yarrow understood right away, getting up from his couch and coming to stand beside her. "You're homesick?"
Fluttershy nodded. "I... I just... I've been in so much danger s-so many times on this journey. I c-can't even count how many times I've nearly been... What if something happens to me? What would my little animal friends do?!"
She bowed her head, her mane hiding her face as she sobbed. Yarrow felt his spirits fall as well as he watched. Still unsure of himself, he hesitantly knelt down beside her and wrapped his forelegs around her shoulders, holding her gently against his chest.
Fluttershy gasped as she felt him hugging her. The fur on his chest was slightly prickly, but soft and comforting as well, with a faint musky, earthy smell. He was warm as well. He's... hugging me. He's hugging me he's hugging me he's huggingmehe'shuggingme...
Yarrow smiled with relief as her sobbing seemed to die down. He held her for a bit longer before letting her go, his forehooves still resting on her shoulders, the two of them looking into eachother's eyes. "It's going to be okay, Fluttershy. And I swear to you now, by the trees of my home, I swear that you will be okay."
Her face was flushed bright red, and her heart was racing, but Fluttershy didn't care. She leaned in close to him. "P-promise?"
Their faces were nearly touching. Yarrow gulped as she came closer, her eyes closing. He leaned in as well, closing his eyes. "Promise..."
He could feel her breath against his face. She could feel the warmth radiating off his lips...
But the tender moment was broken as a call rang out across the city. They both leapt back as they heard it: a sharp, short song in Deerish that echoed throughout Ostaure from somewhere higher above.
"Ah, that'll be the commanders' meeting," Yarrow said, hastily regaining his breath and clearing his thoughts. It did little to clear the blushing though.
Fluttershy nodded. "Ah, y-yes, I heard Rarity talking about that yesterday! We'd better go meet the others, s-so we can find out how it goes..."
"Yes, yes we sh-should," Yarrow coughed, clearing the dishes and cups away and slipping into his tunic. "Um... Shall we, then?"
He gestured to the door, and Fluttershy headed back out into the herb garden. Once Yarrow had locked the door the two of them headed down the walkway towards the platform where the rest of the ponies were situated. Both now blushing furiously, neither dared to speak up after what had... almost transpired. The tension was so thick it was almost palpable. So much for a not-awkward silence.
On one of the highest platforms in Ostaure, just below the sanctuary where the White Hart lived, stood a small enclosure, surrounded by twisting branches and vines that formed a low wall. Inside the enclosure stood a round table surrounded by five chairs, where the commanders' meeting was taking place. The White Hart himself sat in one chair, he alone representing his people. His golden crown rested on the table before him, as a sign that he did not hold superiority over any who sat with him. King Gideon, his son Gordon and Commander Gellert sat in the chairs beside him, their helmets removed and placed respectfully on the table in a similar gesture. Rarity found herself squeezed in between Gellert and Gordon, and placed her helmet on the table as well.
"Fellow commanders, friends," The White Hart said, "First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to you all. Even though we may not always see eye-to-eye, your assistance has proven indispensable in fending off the Fainum's threat. And for that, I am eternally grateful."
He bowed his head, and Rarity bowed back. The three griffons nodded as well, albeit slightly stiffer.
He continued. "But now that brings us to a most important question: What do we do next?"
"I think we may be getting ahead of ourselves a tad," Gideon responded. "Before we make any decisions, we should know what is going on. Gellert, you sent trackers to follow the fleeing Blight. Have they had any success in monitoring them?"
Gellert nodded. "I have, your majesty." He stooped below the table a moment and pulled a large sheet of parchment with a simple map drawn on it out of a small bag he had brought with him, detailing the area surrounding Cervidas. With a stick of charcoal he marked a line on the map, starting at Cervidas, trailing south down the map, past forests and mountains, until it reached a large black dot. "Our scouts followed them since they left the forest and have been tracking them quite a while now. They're pretty scattered, what with the rout and all, but they all seem to be heading south, towards this point."
The White Hart looked over the map. As he recognised the position of the black dot, his expression darkened. "Burzkala."
"Beg pardon?" Rarity asked.
"It is what they call it, the Fainum. It is their stronghold, their grand fortress. The Nightmare City of Burzkala."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I have seen it before," he replied, his voice deepening ever-so-slightly as the barest hint of anger penetrated his expressionless face. He sat in silence, all eyes watching him.
"Ahem... your majesty?" Rarity leaned forward, speaking gently. "Are you alright?"
"I... I am fine, Rarity, thank you," he replied, his dour mood lifting slightly. "Forgive me, I was... reminiscing. I have somewhat of a history with these creatures."
"We all do," Gellert replied. "We all have our own personal reasons to want to take down the Blight, but we must concentrate on the bigger picture. They're demoralised and scattered for now, but these monsters are like a column of army ants. You can scare them and send them running all over the place, but before too long they'll be back in line again, ready to devour anything in their path."
"So it's vital we do something about them before they have a chance to regroup," Gordon added.
Rarity raised her hoof. "But what even is this Burzkala place?"
"It's a massive fortress," The White Hart replied, his voice ominously level. "A castle of iron and stone built out of a hollowed-out mountain. It was built thousands of years ago by the servants of the Blight, to house and protect the Source of that foul disease."
"Which is why we need to act," Gellert added. "Destroy them at their source. Cut off the head and the body will die, you know what I mean?"
"A rather grim analogy, but I understand," Rarity replied. "And I'm assuming live-and-let-live is out of the question?"
The White Hart nodded. "Absolutely. The Fainum is not something that can be reasoned or bargained with. They are not some revolutionaries or simple invaders. The Fainum is like a plague, a disease."
"You might as well try combating the flu by trying to reason with it," said Gideon. "So what say you, White Hart? Do we attack the Blight and their Source once and for all?"
He pondered for a moment. "It will be a dangerous attack... my entire kingdom will be at risk. But then again, if we do not, and we simply let the Fainum amass again and return, it may spell certain doom for us all."
"Agreed," Rarity replied. "I know I'm not exactly an expert on armies or military things -well, aside from some of those stylish uniforms anyway- but it would make sense to attack them now, when they are at their weakest. And speaking personally, even if my friends and I returned home I wouldn't feel safe, knowing that those beasts are still out there."
"Oh absolutely," added Gideon. "Well said, Commander Rarity. So then, we have a plan: muster our soldiers, march on this Burzkala place, and destroy the Blight once and for all, removing the threat of them regaining strength or invading forever. All in favour?"
"I'm with you, father!" Gordon said without a trace of hesitation. Gideon smiled at his son.
Gellert threw a sharp salute. "My hawks are yours to command, your majesty! What say you, Rarity?"
Rarity stood up and threw a salute as well. "I'd hardly be living up to my rank if I said no. I can't speak for my friends of course, but you can count me in."
The White Hart stood up as well. "And I as well. It is time to cleanse the world of these monsters. My Deerfolk will fight alongside you, King Gideon."
He extended a pure white forehoof, Gideon took it in his claw, and they shook. "Then we have an alliance, it seems. Hah, I never thought I'd see the day. Just don't disappoint me, branch-head," he added with a grin
"Just as long as you can keep up, feather-face," The White Hart quipped back. "So then we are agreed. When can you have your soldiers ready to go?"
"Give us until tomorrow morning to rest and repair our armour and weapons, and we'll be good to go."
"That sounds good," he replied. Turning to the entire group, the White Hart proclaimed. "So then it is agreed. Come daybreak tomorrow, we march upon Burzkala."
"Seriously Fluttershy, are you okay? You've done nothin' but blush since ya got back from... Hey, here she comes!"
The six ponies, who had been waiting outside the enclosure, stood up as they saw the branches that formed the enclosure writhe and bend, forming a doorway out of the enclosed area. Gellert, Gideon and Gordon left and headed for the lower branches where their fellow griffons were perched, to spread the news for tomorrow. And behind them came Rarity.
Twilight tried to decipher the look on her face. "I wonder what they were talking about."
"Ooh, I hope it went well!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, hopping on the spot in anticipation.
"So Rarity," Starswirl asked, tipping his wide-brimmed hat to the approaching unicorn. "How was the meeting? Did you come to a conclusion?"
"We did," Rarity replied. But she scuffed the dirt nervously as she continued. "Now, I have some possibly good news and some... possibly bad news."
"Let's hear the 'possibly good' news first," said Applejack. "What's this big plan of theirs?"
"Well, Gellert said that his scouts had discovered where these beastly Blight creatures were all heading. Apparently it's some massive fortress that the Blight built out of a mountain. And apparently, it's the home of the Source of the Blight as well."
"The Source?" Twilight echoed. "You mean where the Blight first came from? Like in the story?"
"I suppose so," Rarity continued, as the assembled ponies headed down the walkways towards their cottage. "So their plan is to amass their forces and attack the fortress. Take them down while they are at their weakest and all."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Rainbow Dash replied. "So what's the bad news?"
"Well..." Rarity came to a stop. "You see, with me being a commander in the Griffon army and all..."
"Which I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around," Rainbow muttered.
Rarity shot her a glare, then continued. "With me being a commander, it's my duty to lead them in battle. So... I'm going to have to go with them."
She could see her friends' faces fall as the news hit them. "Now, I made it clear to them that I didn't speak for all of you. If you don't feel that you want to be part of this, you don't have to come with me. You're free to make the journey home without me if you want."
"Oh don't be silly Rarity."
She looked to Twilight, who was frowning back at her. "We can't go abandoning you at a time like this!"
"Yeah, don't think you're gonna get to hog all the glory there, Commander!" Rainbow added, landing down beside her. "You can count me in."
"And me too. I'm just as eager to see them Blight creatures get the what-for once and for all!" Applejack stood on Rarity's other side.
"And how are you gonna have a victory party if I'm not there?!" Pinkie cried. "I'm coming too!"
Starswirl bowed low before Rarity. "I swore to the Princesses when I was resurrected, that I would guide and protect you ponies. You have my word that I will."
"And my axe!"
All eyes turned to Pinkie, who shrugged bashfully. "I dunno, it sounded right. What about you Fluttershy, you in?"
Fluttershy's ears pricked up as the sound f her name brought her back to reality. "Oh! Well... I'd rather not get caught up in any more fighting, but... well, I guess I want to see this ended as much as you girls. Count me in," she said with a firm stamp of her hoof.
"Well there you have it Rarity," Twilight said, turning back to the unicorn. "We're coming with you, to see this through to the end."
"But what about the Tears? I thought we wanted to keep it away from the Blight?" Rarity asked.
Applejack nodded. "She's got a good point. What're you gonna do with it?"
Twilight took the lacquered box out of her bag. The other ponies had been leaving their bags in the cottage, but whenever she went out Twilight had taken hers. Something about the idea of leaving the jewel alone made her feel... uneasy. "Well... it may be kind of dangerous to bring it that close to them, but... well, I don't really feel comfortable leaving it alone. I'd prefer to hold onto it."
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to not get captured this time."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Easier said than done."
"Well then, we leave for the fortress tomorrow morning. Whatever happens, at least we'll all be together," Rarity said, to a murmur of agreement from the others. "So there's a bright side to this whole matter if I ever saw one. Not to mention, Fluttershy, I have some good news for you too."
"Oh yes?"
"Apparently almost all the Deerfolk are part of this attack, so at least you'll have your dear dashing stagfriend to keep you company!"
Rarity galloped ahead, giggling as Fluttershy chased after her, the pegasus' face flushing redder than a tomato. The others joined the merry chase down the walkway as Starswirl rolled his eyes.
"I fear I shall never understand mares."
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Were these supposed to be italicized?
Did you mean "twin"?
I think you mean "to".
I believe it's "each other".
Did you mean "raisin"?
Did you mean "She could feel the warmth radiating off his lips" or "He could feel the warmth radiating off her lips"?
Did you mean "call"?
Beyond that, it was quite the lovely moment that got interrupted. I hate when that happens.
I think you mean "of".
Okay, enough nitpicking errors.
No. Why are you asking me for?
Yeah, that did remind me a lot of that scene from The Fellowship of the Ring where the Fellowship was actually founded. So, Pinkie had to make the obvious reference.
You know this whole story, I've been imagining Starswirl the Bearded sounding like Peter Cullen because it's my ultimate dream to see him appear on MLP as Starswirl the Bearded. But ever since I've read the "Reflections" arc of the MLP comics, I can't help but imagine him sounding like John Noble now because that whole comic was just a ponified version of Fringe.
Anyway, I see now we are headed to the final showdown between everyone here and Blight for the Tears of Gaia and such. I guess it's like how they marched on Mordor and such. I look forward to that gripping conclusion. Keep up the good work.
4735440 Oh wow, did I ever forget to proofread this chapter! My bad, thanks for pointing them out!
Funny how people choose Peter Cullen, I always picture him with more of a Patrick Stewart/Ian Mckellen voice.
Something tells me that when they actually get to Burzkala they won't find it so easy as they seem to be expecting.
4735570
Personally, I imagine Sean Connery.
On the topic of tea.
I'm somewhat of a minor officionado, and have sampled a fair number of brands and varieties.
The best I had was a white tea formed into little balls (not individual tea pearls, but little bunches of leaves about the size of a large pea). It had a subtle sweetness and almost floral lightness to it, while retaining the faintest fresh earthy notes. A magnificent and most refreshing tea. Alas, it was also $21 an ounce, so I couldn't afford much at the time.
Oh, I also grow yarrow. There are two species native to my part of NJ.
4735590 They should just buy a tactical nuke from North Korea or something.
Don't we all, Starswirl, don't we all.
And I caught an obvious Lord of the Rings shout out.
4735590
Why is anyone expecting fighting a mountain stronghold to be easy? Between the terrain, and the obvious fortifications, it'll be either a long and brutal siege, or a complete disaster for the allied army. Unless they have an extraordinarily large numbers advantage (which they don't) or know a critical flaw in the fortress they can exploit (which they can't), this is going to be a brutal and potentially disastrous battle.
4738189
That plan seems to have both an oxymoron and the Easter Bunny. I am afraid to announce that plan will fail and has been redacted.
Besides we all know the Tsar Bomba would be much better.
4742913 Well bear in mind, half the allied army can fly and wields what are essentially lightning guns, and the other half all have extremely powerful magic, so they're not quite as outclassed as one would think. But yeah, it's still gonna be one tough siege, especially considering what the Blight will have in store for them.
4912872 But the Tsar Bomba would lead to FoE.
And that would super-suck.
Hmm, you raise some interesting points. But I do have a few rebuttals:
1. The Others did care for the other races. They cared for all the life they created. They just liked ponies in particular, because of their cooperative nature and willingness to learn. Among the intelligent races they were the most cooperative (Griffons generally shunned magic in the old days, the Deerfolk have always been reclusive and kept to themselves, as well as having the White Hart to help them, Diamond Dogs were never the most intelligent creatures, zebras have their own gods, etc.) It's not exactly a new thing for beings of their calibre. After all in the Middle Earth mythos, the Ainur may have created all life, but they always preferred the Elves above all others (With the exception of the one Ainur who created the Dwarves)
2. Where did I ever imply that the other races had to endure poverty or disease moreso than the ponies? Cervidas is a forest paradise, rivalling the majesty of even Equestria (as you will see in later chapters). It's just smaller because the Deer keep to their woods, and they can build upwards into the trees to save space. Plus there's generally less of them than ponies, so they need less space. And the Griffon Kingdom is a highly prosperous nation of its own across the ocean. They all managed on their own. Just because they didn't live with the aid of the Others doesn't mean they were neglected or impoverished. The Deer have the White Hart to lead them and the Griffons take care of themselves, they don't need Celestia and Luna or the rest of the Others helping them.
3. The Elements of Harmony have their own power. And once the Others had defeated the Draconequi they rested hidden in Equestria, where the majority of the battle took place. And since the only ponies with any knowledge of them were Celestia and Luna, who had now descended into their non-divine pony forms and now ruled over Equestria and the ponies, it only makes sense that they would keep them close by, should they ever need them again. If they had ended up ruling over some other species maybe the Elements would have found bearers among the other species. But as fate would have it, they found suitable Bearers among ponykind.
4. Celestia had plenty problems with leaving the Deer with their problems. It was just that the Deer and the Griffons have always had a bit of a rivalry, bordering on hostility at times, so no agreement could be reached. It's not that she didn't want to, it was just out of her hooves. Celestia's not an Other anymore, she's a pony, so her priorities lie with her subjects in Equestria. Cervidas and the Griffon Kingdom are out of her jurisdiction.
5. Indeed. Why should the ponies alone have that much power? If you'll read on, this is dwelt upon a bit, and it will be explored in upcoming chapters. But remember at this point in the story, Twilight doesn't know just how high the stakes are concerning the Tears, or that their fate concerns all races. She just knows they are a massive source of magical power, so of course she wouldn't be thinking about the rest of the world.
6. As I said before, the ponies had the most direct influence from the Others, but their favouritism came out of the pony-race's desire to learn and work with the Others. The other races all had their own matters or leaders, and many of thei rnations were just as powerful as Equestria, but in their own way (Cervidas in their own special magic, the Griffon Kingdom in their technology, etc.).
Hope this answers your questions, and I do urge you to read the entire story as it stands at the moment before judging the entire story too harshly.
This story has been on my "Read Later" list for very nearly two years now, and I really don't have a good excuse for not reading it sooner. I finally read the first chapter a couple days ago, and all the effort in the world couldn't have stopped me from binge-reading it afterwards. This story has been uniquely excellent in both the quality of the narrative and the manner in which you tell it.
I've been late to the show for just about every "major" fan work (FoE, Past Sins, Flight of the Alicorn, and now this) so I've never really had to wait for a book-quality story before... I'm rather afraid of the prospect, so please proceed with all haste! I seldom comment on stories either, but I can definitely empathize with your requests for feedback.
I imagine you're far enough into the story that proposing narrative ideas would be senseless, but I will reiterate the point made in the comments a few chapters back—keep being nice to Fluttershy! That said, you do seem to have a very good way of capturing each character's personalities through your descriptions of them, OC and canon alike. Eagerly anticipating more!
4933031 Well, I just finished reading everything so far, and what you've stated does make sence. However, that doesn't matter to a politician who'll try to milk it for all its worth.
Anyway I've noticed that their were 6 Alicorns and 6 elements. If the Draconequi Discord, Death, and Decay ever get cured of the Blight I wonder if they'll be 9 elements. Also, I found it quite sad that Morpheus, Thantos, and Eriseus's contribution to the world was forgotten it really is unfair.
Now, I'm going to have to argue over the intelligence of Diamond Dogs as a whole. I'm gathering this is because of Fido's gang? That's like saying that all ponies are scam artists after only meeting the Flim Flam Brothers!
The way I see it Diamond Dogs as a species are Equs's version of the Dwarves...except for their size. I'm not sure what they do with the huge amount of gems they collect, my guess is that they use it for their own type of magic, eat them like a dragon does, or a variathon their of. Now, as I understand it, Celestia was having border issues with the Diamond Dogs, which suggests that they have some sort of government. In my head canon decided to call the country Cainin, just because it sounds similar to Canine. Dwarves are known to live in clans, mining, and smithing. Same can be said for Diamond Dogs, although instead of a King, their leader would be called a Sirius. Rover, Fido, and Spot's intelligence are probably due to the fact that they are low caste, because like many medieval societies only higher classes like the nobility or clergy were allowed to get an education.
What they're motivations are for leaving their home to settle else where, could be a number of reasons, still their vagabonds and could quite easily be used for comedic effect in this narrative. Similar to how R2D2 and C3PO are in Star Wars, where they're both part of the story yet not, but commenting about it anyway.
Finally, whatever happened to Spike? The guy may be a "baby" dragon, but he's obviously going to be worried out of his mind and everything! I mean, I expect him to go after the main 6, what else would he be doing? Drinking Alcohol, smoking, and playing cards with Zecora? He's not a pet, so its not like they put him in a kennel. I also expect Celestia to atleast send soldiers to fight the Blight joining the two armies in battle! I mean seriously if the Deer-folk and the Griffin offence falls the Blight gets several thousand more troops as a reward and Equestria is a sitting wingless duck.
Wasn't that suppose to be Yarrow, a buck?
Also, AWESOME LOTR REFERENCES FOR THE WIN, ONWARDS TO ADVENTURE
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You know, I keep on hearing him as Ian Mckellean myself and that is how I voice him.
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I hope my Ian Mckellean impressination meets your approval.
Oh wow, the mane six decided to stay and fight. Imagine my utter shock as I read this scene.
O
Ok, enough sarcasm. Rarity's reasons for fighting are very relatable and admirable and might I add in character. She is a lady, and her nobl streak would never allow her to abandon her position for selfish ends. Of course, the mane six are on board as well. They wouldn't be otherwise.
I also like the breakfast scene as it does help to build up the romance and the characters a little.