Damn fine show, author.

>>12291511229151 Thank you! I turned myself inside out writing this one, so I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it!

>>12291881229188

Oh, you'll likely be hearing more shortly.

>>12292231229223 Now that sounds ominous! Haha. I look forward to it!

>>12292381229238

Normally, you'd be right, but... oh snap, I just realized I handled your last work, The Sun Whispers Your Name, as well. Heh, what a coincidence. And I see you've got my buddy Var's work on your favorites list—good taste in writing you got there. Honestly, it seems we've some pretty similar preferences; you just might like my own little piece, Divergence, based on what I'm seeing you enjoy. Anyhow, you'll be getting my email soon! Cheers mate :)

>>12292771229277 Composure is brilliant, haha. It's funny you mention Divergence, because it's actually on my 'to-read' list. I have really enjoyed Moving On so far, so I certainly want to check it out!

And I'm looking forward to getting it!

Oh lawd, Moving On... pheh. That's really just a fluff piece that came outta nowhere. Glad to hear your enjoying it though. Divergence is really my pride and joy. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

>>12292971229297 It's a unique spin on what is admittedly a cute ship, haha. I know I am definitely liking it so far. Now all I need is to find a PDF version of Divergence so I can read it on the bus to uni, haha.

Man On The Silver Mountain - Rainbow

RIP Ronnie James DIo

I really enjoyed this fic, but I lack the eloquence to describe my feelings for it, as usual.

Regardless, good work.

This... This was good.  This was different than what I normally read, though it is a great read.

>>12455051245505 Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

>>12457581245758 I'm glad you think so! Thank you for reading.

Well played, sir. Well played.

>>12461311246131 Hehe, when I play, I play to win! Thank you for reading!

Discord has the BEST Batman Gambits, it would seem. Three cheers for the Clown Prince of Chaos!

>>12462861246286 No one does mind games quite like the spirit of chaos, huh?

Please... PLEASE BE FEATURED! You deserve it for the honest-to-god work and effort you put into this.

The writing was spectacular, really good eye candy just for the vocabulary utilized throughout. I fell in love with Discord all over again, the characters were just so totally spot-on from the start. Celestia had me rooting for her from the very beginning. Her toughness and fearlessness in the face of such a God-like being. That, "Come out here you wretched snake." line! I was like, "SHIT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWWWN!"

It was wordy, but despite most of it being Discord and Celestia, great dialogue. It had me on the edge of my seat... mmm, until the 2nd act. The fic got too smart for me with metaphors and deep lines like, "All mirrors can be broken," and such. I'd really like to know how you write like this, do you keep an online thesaurus on hand? Do you do this all in one go, no backtracking? FREAKIN' awesome! You do not get enough credit for stories like this.

>>12464001246400 Hahaha, a story like this featured? I have more chance of dividing 3 by 0 and ending up with 3!

But seriously, thank you so much for reading! I literally turned myself inside out writing this bad boy. I think all up it was probably a little over 50 hours effort, so it's awesome to hear that you enjoyed it! As for how I wrote it, I have a set of dot points and I go from there, letting it race out as fast as possible. Afterwards I will go back and tweak and make changes as necessary. With this one in particular, I got some really fantastic feedback from a lot of fantastic people, which actually led me to make some pretty significant changes (like completely altering the ending, haha). Over all, though, it's a full on experience that I adore!

Anyway, thank you so much once again for reading, and I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it!

Does that mean Discord is good in this story

I always wonder if people truly believe the implications that their story makes. I'm assuming that Mystic wants us to think that the marionette setup that Celestia has going on is bad or wrong and that freedom to choose is more important.

You can make a case for that, but I think that Celestia is being rather kind. Sure the ponies don't get to choose their leader/ government and have much of their world controlled by an immortal being, but how many people would choose to live in a world of freedom rather than one of everlasting, static peace? Time and time again, people have chosen peace and happiness over freedom.

And this is natural. Who wants the freedom try to bring peace in the world when they could have it handed to them and go about the rest of their lives in peace? Their life will still be meaningful, they can still raise a family, solve whatever issues face their mostly peaceful world, fulfill their dreams. Sure, the dreams and desires might not have originated from them, but they still hold the same meaning to the recipient. The dreams effectively become theirs.

Many people will say, "I will choose freedom, because it is right and gives life meaning, and anything less is a fabrication that must be destroyed." to which I reply "bullshit." If you have a child, would you let the child do whatever they wanted, regardless of whether that means being a piano virtuoso,  a construction worker, a Nobel prize winning scientist, or some nameless bum begging for money? That is freedom. Most people will say "Of course, I will let my child do whatever they want!" But now comes the other option. Would you manipulate your child from a very young age, telling them things like, "School is important." or "You should go to college so you don't have do that (insert blue collar job here)." so that they start to desire those things as their own? Because that is the kind of manipulation, the plantation of dreams, that every single parent is guilty of.

And that is wonderful. This kind of manipulation gives people ambitions that allow them to improve the world. I know that my parents did it to me, and I know that I will manipulate my kids in the same way, and everyone here will more or less do the same thing. Celestia just upped the scale to the national. So she is acting like a parent to the nation, which she feels bad about. Except she shouldn't, because what she has done only improves the world. No the ponies are not free from someone modifying their desires. But I am fine having that puppet-master be a benevolent, immortal princess adjust my ideas and dreams.

Now, I'm not saying this is a bad story. Far from it. It opens up minds and makes people think about what the nature of freedom really is. I just happen to think that the freedom Discord likes so much is overrated.

tl;dr: Go Celestia!

>>12467861246786 Oh no! Good and evil is far too simple for Discord.

>>12469101246910 Heh. That's the awesome thing about third person limited. You only see things from the perspective of one character, and in this case, Celestia is definitely not the most reliable of narrators when her mind is being played with, haha. Of course, the real question is this: can Discord and his motives actually be trusted then? And even if he is 'right', is what Celestia does still wrong? Subjective truths, I love 'em! Almost as much as I love making things intentionally ambiguous, haha.

Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts! I really appreciate it!

Chalkman kind of summed this all up and now I don't have a comment. Darn.

But fantastically written, dude.

>>12471761247176 Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

i'm awakre for ... dunno 24+ hours ... with like 2 hours sleep ...

anyway, i read it ... i'm not sure if i understand it, if i can understand it, if i'm in a better condition to read english or if i like it. (maybe i need some kind of understanding for the story to decide if i like it or not) [why i use "if" so much right now ?]

i reread it later

but good work Mystic

I´m gonna read it in few days, as I am quite busy right now. But I am looking forward to it!

Another truly wonderful work of art, Mystic. Your works never fail to impress 100%.

Thanks for giving me that sneak peak to the story a while ago. I knew it had to be part of one of your upcoming works. Truly epic in every way.

One shot, one kill. Eh, wait. Wrong profession.

Of course I wasn't able to wait. So have a comment (again).

At the beginning I was a bit disappointed. No direct connections to "The sun whispers your name"? Dunno why I was expecting this. (Damn you, fever!)

However, this went into background with every new line that I crossed with my eyes. What a chilled read! Not sure if it's just me, but this was somehow a flatly tale, in a good way. You weren't messing up with suspence curves, simply because it's not needed here. Emotions carried the whole thing, and that was bloody beautiful, just like the cave-scene of "The sun whispers your name". And you know that I love love love that scene.

For what Discord was doing here, I could escalate into another wall-of-text again. But it's late, I'm hungy and ill and gotta get out early tomorrow, so I'll keep it short.

He is calling up the trials and tribulations who are rasting down in the subconsciousness of all those zoon politikons. A society always has to have its rules, dogmas, concerns. And this is working hand in hand with taboos and borders to non-social-actions. Since one of the main concerns of societies truly is presevation, e.g. acts of murdering aren't exist there. If you are developing this further, than you'll reach a point where you have many things "existant" and even more things "non-existant" in a society. A proportion that is supposed to kept in balance, for the sake of the whole ponydom.

However, Discord is the spirit of chaos. I would summarize absolute chaos as the being of everything at the same place at the same time. So it's just natural, that he doesn't like a state of "harmony", since there are things "non-existant".

So he comes to the powerful leader of that society, trying to corrupt her, and determined to crush this system. He doesn't fight her, but he does influence her emotions with a brilliant show of "could-be-happening"-situations. He tries to show her, that her rulership is forcing several things into directions, denying other directions in the very same moment. He is counting here on the fact, that Celestia is supressing this throughts long-since.

One could say that this is madness! But no, this is politics.

Discord is sacrifising his chance of getting free for the hope, that the fears being a cruel ruler, a tyrann that isn't any better than her enemies, will crush Celestia, that they will break her and her rulership.

Another point why you are one of my favorite authors. () It just fits perfectly into simply everything!

Discord is a boastful personality who is always up for a challenge and a risky game.

And with this he is doing just this! Not only that he is petrified again, but also there is a "sideeffect" that could came out of this game.

Since Celestia has a bunch of time for getting her brain into function, she maybe gets this view at her being. That she actually is a puppet master somewhere, that she is denying several ways of acting to her ponies and that she is denying seveal ways of joy to them, too. But maybe she will understand, that this is really necesarry for the pleasure of (nearly) everyone. That there has to be a way that the society is going, led by her and the harmony of being. Shadows are living thanks to the sunlight. Everything bad is living thanks to the existance of good. But only if these are living in harmony, the valuable condition of living can go its ways. By that, she is guarding the harmony and the ponies of her kingdom from chaos, from Discord.

And that realization would grand her even more powers. Just like 100%-critical-hit-chance against Discord.

So, yea, great job!

P.S.

Discord flashed upright, pushing his face in front of Celestia’s. His eyes he;d an animalistic gleam that made Celestia flinch, tucking her head down subconsciously to limit the exposure of her throat.

I'm pretty sure that this should be..

Discord flashed upright, pushing his face in front of Celestia’s. His eyes held an animalistic gleam that made Celestia flinch, tucking her head down subconsciously to limit the exposure of her throat.

Image: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Twilight_Sparkle_lolface.png

Image: http://www7.pic-upload.de/09.09.12/kh8mictp1gm9.jpg

(Clap-pictures are always getting the job done)

Brilliant! Absolutely fits with my idea of Celestia a manipulative ruler. Even if she hides it from herself. Equestria over all else.  

>>12478011247801 Good lord, man! Sleep! That certainly cannot be healthy for you, haha. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

>>12484471248447 I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!

>>12486671248667 Why thank you, and you're welcome! I'm just glad that you enjoyed the story!

>>12487631248763 I love the idea of a character breaking another character with something that isn't without a doubt 'the truth'. Discord's real cleverness here was making Celestia believe he is right, leaving her standing upon very shaky ground indeed. Whether or not he is 'right' or 'wrong' is irrelevant mostly. After all, whether the end justify the means is a question left up to the reader.

(Thanks for catching those Haha)

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it!

>>12487821248782 Power is so easy to abuse, even if no one realizes that it is being abused. But is it still wrong if the end results are 'good'? Poor Celestia. She never stood a chance, haha.

I will be reading this tomorrow between math and English and I an eagerly awaiting that time. (This story will fit perfectly into that time slot just around 30 min)

Good job on getting this on EQD.

>>12511311251131 I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and I hope you enjoy it!

>>12512841251284 Thank you! It certainly was a huge relief, haha.

I know this is entirely selfish to ask, but will we ever see a followup to this story? With an ending like that, I can't help but feel as if it could be used as  a setup for future stories.

Even if this is truly standalone and nothing else ever comes from it, it is still a great read as it is. (Even if it got a tad bit confusing for me at parts. )

Congrats on the EQD feature! ;3 I was linked through there and thoroughly enjoyed this fic.

Congrats on getting it on EQD

This is one of those stories that you should step back a bit and think about it then comment, the best. So will just leave a generic "awesome" comment.

Also always loved the "just because you think its true doesn't mean it is" concept in story telling (just because it is the stories viewpoint doesn't mean its the objective truth).

Wonderful. I always love it when good and evil are treated perspectively (real word). I especially love how Celestia is in denial. She knows Discord is right, but refuses to believe it. And Discord, oh Discord, he's so awesome. All the characters are written just the way they should be.

Also,

Image: http://iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/175866%20-%20animated%20changeling%20Doomie%20headcanon%20headcanon_accepted%20pinkie_pie%20pinkie_pie_changeling.gif

Now then, I suppose you expect me to give you a rating of some sort, don't you? Well guess what? If I did that, I'd be playing right into your plan. That's also why, even though I love the fuck out of this story, I won't fave or thumbs up it. I won't read any of your other stories or watch you. Because if there's anything Ayn Rand taught me, it's to rape women and get away with it. Wait a minute....

Yeah, here, have a rating.

5 EVILESTIAS OUT OF 5

This is nothing short of brilliant.

I love stories that challenge both the reader's opinion of characters, but also challenges what it means to be "good" or evil". Sometimes the only difference is perspective.

Again, well done! Straight to the favorites collection!

I knew there was a reason you are on my watch list.

Frostwyrm

(I would say "Straight to the pool room!" - but you might not get that reference.)

>>12522221252222 No direct follow on is planned. It really is just another story in my attempt to get into the princesses' minds and explore their personalities, haha. Anyway, thanks so much for reading, and I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it!

>>12522781252278 Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

>>12523041252304 Hehe, me too! The truth is very susceptible to manipulation, so it makes for some very interesting food for thought. Thanks for reading!

>>12523211252321 5 evil Celestias? Apparently playing mind games on people really does work! Haha thanks for reading and I'm thrilled to hear that you liked it!

>>12525131252513 Thank you very much! It's very heartening to see the story actually got people to think a little. It was exactly what I was hoping to achieve! And yeah, I have no idea where that reference is from, haha.

A lot of the later stuff flew over my head. They were either too complicated for my simple little brain (I might've derped in reading them) , or it's just my fever acting up.

What I got from this is the 'perspective' thing. How nothing they do is a constant good or bad.

I found Discord wanting an Equestria free from Celestia's benevolent grasp a bit odd. It's odd to see that much idealism from someone who does things for the evulz.

Celestia has her doubts on what she's doing for Equestria, but this most likely stems from her mistakes and regrets. And I see this reaction as natural, you never want anyone to be constricted by what you think is best for them. You want to give them enough freedom, just enough that they don't stray off the beaten path.

But whatever happens, I'll still want to live in the peace created by the beautiful and benevolent princess that is Celestia.

You're the best princess ever.

A well-written piece. I can't buy it, though: I can't see Celestia falling for Discord's illusions this easily. Here, she lets herself be manipulated in ways that don't strike me as very Celestia-like. Mirrors never lie... has Discord never been to a carnival funhouse? Ignoring the philosophical implications of a "benevolent dictatorship" being the best form of government, I like Chalkman's commentary and Mystic's response:  

>>12470491247049

Since we're only seeing this from Celestia's perspective, we can only guess how much of what Discord said was comprised of lies, half-truths, and omissions.  This story deserves its kudos for the quality of writing and its exploration of ideas, even if I can't see adding it to my personal head-canon for any of the characters involved.

>>12505411250541 i think so too xD

anyway, today i thought about the story ... there is another saying: Mirrors lie, because they show left as right and right as left ... it think this alone gives the whole story another twist

and when you look at it from the WH40k point of view ...

anyway, as said befor, good story

... woah.  That was really good.

I always love Discord as a planner and schemer, and the more intelligent and powerful you make him, the better.  He has goals, but those goals are always hidden from view.  Whose to say whether he wins or loses, save him?  And how can you trust what he says?

>>12453881245388

Sir I like your style very much!

>>12528761252876 You are the second person to comment on this with a fever. It could be coincidence, but I personally think bubonic plague round 2 is much more likely.

Anyway, I digress! Discord's motives are something that I left intentionally unclear, actually. I always had it in mind that his logic was always much more personal, rather than attempting to alter the fate of Equestria in general. Two thousand years is a very long time to be locked up from the actions of one (or two) princesses...

And Princess Celestia is best princess Haha

>>12531481253148 Haha, fair enough, I guess! Discord's plan of attack was always to get Celestia to react personally, and you can see him become increasingly personal as his earlier attempts at referring to the country as a whole and her impact on it didn't quite have the effect he was after. When he started talking about her relationship with Twilight and Luna... well, even immortal sun princesses aren't above emotion, and Discord is very good in making his illusions appear very real. Or at least, they are not above emotion in my head canon! Haha.

Thank you for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts!

>>12531531253153 Haha, I hope you have gotten enough sleep, and thanks for your kind words!

>>12531711253171 I'm glad you enjoyed it! I love the idea of Discord scheming and plotting his way into getting what he wants, and his character is too much fun not to write, haha. The fun bit is working out whether or not anything he says can be taken literally.

I've been sick for a couple of days, so I don't know. Maybe someone's out to get us.

Yeah, I was asking 'What's your purpose?' like Celestia all the time. So random... that's chaos for you.

= best princess

You evil evil person!

how dare you make celestia a tyrant how dare you make discord control celestia EVIL I SAY

P.S. please write more like this

Dam, day 1 of you oploading this fic, and already you have made it to Equestria Daily, how the buck did you do that?

>>12512941251294

I did like it but it feels like it's missing something I don't know what but I like the concept of a chessmaster Celestia that doesn't recognise that that's what she is. I just feel that this story was missing something that kept it from reaching the true greatness it could have had.  Sorry for the lack of helpful criticism, but I'm not sure what's missing.

It does feel like you poured your heart and soul into this though. I wish I could appreciate it more.

On an unrelated note I was looking at your User page and I must say your taste in stories is quite similar to mine.  I also realised that I had forgotten to like/fav one of your other stories, the one where Celestia is unconscious (the title escapes me at the moment) that has been fixed.

That was a great read!

I liked how you showed Celestia in a light you don't always think about, as this puppetmaster controlling all the strings

Keep up the good work!

Image: http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/citizen_cane.gif

>>12535861253586 It's true, I am the epitome of evil! Haha. I'm glad you liked the story!

>>12537091253709 Magic! Haha, nah, I just witheld submitting the story until I had confirmation that it was accepted onto EqD.

>>12546841254684 Haha, fair enough! Can't win everything, I suppose. Still, thank you very much for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts! I really appreciate it.

>>12559201255920 Thank you! I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the story!

The "light and darkness" metaphor near the beginning does not appeal to me. Celestia loves her sister. During Luna's exile, she brought the night as well as the day. What's more, Discord's signature move is the "Q flash" of Star Trek fame, which is pure white light, and he favors bright and colorful things. There is no way Celestia would discuss morality with him using this particular symbolism.

Strings are more insteresting. Authority, guidance and manipulation are all strings. Friendship as well. Any social interaction, really. And Discord would certainly see it and laugh.

>>12559631255963

I know that the authors on this site thrive on comments so I try to leave them whenever I can.  I also try to be as honest as I can. You are a good author but this specific story wasn't for me

Image: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Derpy_Hooves.png

>>12560031256003 I would agree with you, actually. Discord talking about the darkness was nothing to do about him; after all, he plainly rejects Celestia's assertion that he is evil. He talks about the darkness to put the idea in Celestia's head about herself. By forcing her to think about what is 'dark' and what is 'light', it provides a context for him to heap on the doubt. He put the ideas in Celestia's head and tried (and didn't always succeed) to let her make the mental connections between them and herself all on her own.

>>12560271256027 Fair enough! Can't argue with that. Thanks so much for giving it a shot anyway!

>>12560461256046

I loved The Sun Whispers Your Name so of course I would give it a chance. I try to be an equal opportunity reader. If only there were more hours in the day

Image: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png

Or sleep was completely optional.

>>12560811256081 Oh boy. I hear ya with that one. But hey, if you liked The Sun Whispers, the pseudo sequel should be coming out sooner rather than later. Hopefully that will be more to your liking!

>>12560911256091

How soon is soon? Days, weeks, a month?

>>12561231256123 Whenever I get the cover art, haha. I have seen thumbnail WIP's already, so hopefully it's not too far away!

>>12561361256136

And a watch for you good sir (or madam)

Image: https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZ7ObsIay__Y0x4eDHCQ2eonp7muX6aMhsnoi-0Yx8wyiMY1OxI29-ifk

Damn wrong type

>>12561621256162 Ooh! Shiny! Thank you!

>>1256216012562160

Welcome, see you next story.

Randomguy away!

Image: https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPWFbZL0W5zzi59U7sfxueOIf0zSUMkk6QuCXdTQ1nTS0gVIjMgw

>>12532001253200

mmm, or if it's all just metaphors for allegories that actually refer to an alternate universe.

...

Now I want to write a one-shot of social!Twilight Sparkle, and how her world dealt with Discord, because that's starting to bug me.

>>12559631255963

Oh, and how do you do that, do you send your story to EqD?

Someone needs to point out that Discord is merely playing the role of the Devil, and the Devil's tricks never change.

Yes, Celestia is a string puller and she plays tons of Xanatos gambits. It's an inevitable side effect of being bloody immortal. She has thousands of years' worth of experience and memories. From her perspective, any plan less than a decade long is the equivalent of an impulse buy in a checkout line for one of us. That doesn't make her a tyrant. It just makes her someone with a really long perspective.

You remember the old myth about a goldfish's memory span being less than five minutes long? To a goldfish, the regular reappearance of food in the bowl is a profound mystery; the rigamarole associated with cleaning the bowl and replacing the gravel must seem a vast, intricate cosmic enigma. And Celestia is overseeing a kingdom populated by goldfish. Painting her as a heartless tyrant for taking steps long in advance for the sake of her sister and for her subjects is like accusing a parent of villainous plotting when they make a college savings fund for their two year old.

And frankly, Discord is a wannabe. He's like a kid who does random crazy crap, it blows up in his face, then he stands up and yells "I MEANT TO DO THAT!" So long as he can keep his game face, and pretend that it was all part of his mysterious plan, he'll be able to jerk Celestia's chain.

>>12573811257381 Personally, I would have to disagree with the comparison of the goldfish, simply because goldfish are not sapient beings. The same standards of morality aren't held to goldfish by other sapient beings, as opposed to those that are between sapient people themselves. I can keep a goldfish as a pet and control its behaviour and no one (well, most people wouldn't) would say I was doing anything wrong. If I took an imaginary person from another sapient race and did the same thing, manipulating its behaviour because I thought it right, then the issue changes entirely.

Ultimately, however, this story was never about defining what is right or wrong. It's easy to say Discord is wrong and Celestia is a good ruler because she loves and cares for her subjects and only wants what's 'best' for them. No, this story is one about perspective. Right and wrong changes depending on who is doing the talking, and that's the focus of this story. People (such as yourself) have raised the comparison between Celestia and Equestria and a parent and a child, and I think that's one worthy of examination, but it isn't the definitive or only one. And that's the point.

It's all about what you believe. Discord's goal here was never to prove what Celestia does is evil; rather, he wanted to manipulate Celestia into believing what she does is sinister. It's a subtle difference, but an important one. Perspective changes everything.

As for Discord... well, he's playing a game. Both of them are. I never have liked perfect characters who don't make mistakes. Both Discord and Celestia make attacks here, and to varying degrees those attacks succeed in scoring points or fail to do so. Discord just got the last point, and probably the most important one, snatching victory away from Celestia. Which, honestly, if you are about to be turned into stone again, it is very much a shiny silver lining to an otherwise very dark cloud. He's very clever, Discord, and to say otherwise does him a great injustice.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts! I really appreciate it!

"Right and wrong change depending on perspective?"

No. They don't. No matter how much the wicked wish to believe it.

>>12573011257301 I leave the story unsubmitted to fimfic and then I submit it to EqD for them to check. As soon as they give the green light saying it's been accepted to be posted onto the blog, then I'll submit it to this site. That way if there are any little fix ups they want me to make before an EqD posting, I can do them before anyone reads it.

>>12575701257570 Hehe, we have natural law perspective here! There are many people (I'm not saying I'm one of them, mind you) that would disagree with you, and that's the point. It's all about what you believe. And invariably there will be people that disagree with you that hold beliefs with the same conviction as yourself. I don't want to say what is right or wrong within this story. That's for the reader to decide, and that was always my intention.

>>12560401256040

Well, "dark" is the absence of light and "light" is an electromagnetic radiation. Celestia could have made a comment about light bringing strength and dark allowing rest, with her and Luna being the guardians of this delicate balance. I just do not see her saying that "the darkness represents evil in the world". If anything, Celestia is a champion of harmony, law and order. Discord calling himself chaos would make him sound more evil to her than all this talk about shadows. That's how I read it.

>>12576791257679 Ah yeah, I get where you're coming from. The 'darkness' is different from simply being dark, though. The darkness refers more the shadow that Celestia talks about; in other words an evil force that operates in the world just like harmony does. Still, to someone who hasn't read anything else by me, that may not have been expressly clear!

>>12577931257793

Indeed, I know nothing of the mythology you may have established in your other fics. The focus on Luna in the flashbacks didn't help either. Thank you for the clarification.

I like what this story is trying to do, but I think crucial bits of it are flying over my head. I didn't really get Discord's final gambit, or what it's meant to imply.

>>12505411250541

I just finished it, and it was intense, your story just sucked me in and I couldn´t go almost even on toilet Great job as always Mystic, and I am very glad you did the fic so long, 11k words is good amount for nice reading. I just hope I will see in near future more of your stories, more of this kind of you know, advanterue, dark adventures inside of minds.

Take care!

>>12589281258928 The description of Discord behind Celestia in the mirror right at the end says everything that I wanted the readers to know, haha. I am a big fan of leaving things open to interpretation -- keeps things interesting, haha. Thank you for reading!

>>12592801259280 Thank you! Haha. Yeah, I like around 11k words myself, actually. It's a good, solid length. And don't worry, you will see plenty more from me!

I think most things that can be said about this story have been already, so I'll keep it short. Good story, definitely thought provoking, I like the perspective it took, I think it did get a bit slow at times, but it was never boring, and the ambiguity of certain aspects of it was definitely a plus, allowing for reader interpretation. Nice work.

>>12789031278903 Thank you! I'm definitely glad to hear that you enjoyed it! It's interesting to see how people react to the ambiguity that I am always so fond of, so it's refreshing to see someone like it for the reasons I included it, haha. Thank you for reading!

Amazing.  Simply marvelous!

>>15459321545932 Haha, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

>>15472921547292  I am too.  Do you think you could give this humble author a brief review of his work?  I'd be very appreciative.  [link]

>>15474151547415 Haha, yeah alright, I'll see if I can find some time to check it out!

>>15474871547487  You just made my day for the second time

Sorry, I can't subscribe to your presentation of Celestia's morality. Especially the point of "darkness = evil" is highly debatable. And then there's Celestia's fear of misleading those who trust her. I wonder how she can be a regent for more that thousand years and not realize that every stone you throw into the lake makes ripples that last forever. And there is no bigger stone than a immortal (moreso if she has a plan).

But even is Celestia seems a little naive to me: Nice story.

>>15832731583273 Interesting perspective! I dunno if I would call it naivety myself, though. After all, she isn't entirely oblivious to the fact that she has those ripple effects. She knows, but she doesn't want to admit to herself that what she does could be harmful. I mean, what person would want to acknowledge that they are harming people, especially when those actions are carried out in everypony's best interests? Does the fact that they are in someone's best interests excuse the manipulation, all those cancelled possibilities? That was the point I wanted people to think about. That was the point that Discord was working on to exploit, anyway. He wants to convince her that even though she wants what's best, she may not always make it happen.

Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts! I really appreciate it!

A wonderful performance!

I don't get to see Discord vs Celestia mind games as often as I would like. Well done! Like, Faved, and (by seeing your other work) watched!

>>17593411759341 Hehe, thanks for the kind words! I know I really loved the premise myself, and it was actually an idea that had been brewing around in my head for a long time. It was pretty cool to get it out on paper. Thanks for reading and thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!

Now that was a very, very much enjoyed read before hitting bed. I do love stories with a well written Discord and while I am too tired to really make any opinion about what to believe about Celestia I think Discord got her pretty good. She manipulates no denying that. It's politics though, in a world filled with dangers and some creatures capable of changing entire kingdoms so can't really blame her with that though. Makes me wonder what she and Luna really do if they were ever asked to step away from their position of leadership, graciously accept it, insert a true tyranny over the land or perhaps raise future political leaders as their puppets? I don't know, I'm just tiredly writing without being quite sure where I'm going. And hey I did have an opinion despite of how tired I am, thinking about it maybe it's easier to rant one out when you are.

Anyhow to wrap it up, loved reading the story and good work with it Mystic. I watch for any future stories you make from now on.

I simply adore how this sheds light on the fact that, though Celestia would like to think otherwise, the two are gods, and good and evil is much too simple a concept to be taken so straightforwardly. If I may use a Batman quote here, (which is odd, seeing how I don't enjoy the titular caped bat impersonator,) 'You either die the hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.'

This is particularly true, while not in the exact same conception, when applied to an immortal being. Or at least I think.

Jolly good show!

>>17783371778337 I love reading this type of response because it's exactly the reaction I wanted people to have! Haha. Regardless, thanks so much for reading the time to read and leave your thoughts. It's really appreciated!

>>18102271810227 Yeah, I really like the idea that there isn't always black and white when it comes to good and evil, but rather varying shades of grey. Good actions can have negative consequences, and even the best of intentions can lead to behaviour that is perhaps less than savoury. No one wants to admit that good people can do bad things, though!

Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave your thoughts!

A lovely read. I think I shall take a few notes.

>>18279961827996 Thank you!

Well, I've been putting off reading this for the sake of finishing Antipodes, but now that I'm done with that chunk of words, I can get to consuming this one

And let me tell you, it is quite tasty.

I love these character analysis - kind of stories, and when the character put under the lens is Celestia, there's plenty of things to see. The writing is pretty much flawless - it definitely shows you've been trying. There really was only one slip - right in the beginning, when Discord pulls the starter line. Darkness can both be understood as just an absence of light, and, alternatively, wickedness or evil. The word's double meaning is exactly what makes the whole scenario questionable - instead of choosing the interpretation that would prevent the 'game', Celestia chooses the one that implies her antipode. And, although there is a good reason for her to choose the latter, it is still questionable. This one slip is what does not allow the story to be put on my 'Favorites' list. Yes, I'm picky.

Anyway, regarding the story's message. I love what Discord did - he showed Celestia she is not the epitome of light and kindness. She does manipulate ponies, as much as she tries to deny it, there is a bit of Discord in her as well - a bit of that manipulative spirit lives in all of us. Why deny it then? To keep the choice simple for a casual observer, in hopes that said observer will see the world as black and white, so that he will side with her without question, instead of considering which shade of gray to pick, would it be shown from a more wide perspective. Some people prefer darker tones, and choose those. Much like Luna did. Denial is an odd emotion, and in Celestia's case, it's a constant necessity, thus her decision to play the 'game' anyway, just to test herself once more.

Well, this is the strangest life I've ever known after all.

Thanks for putting away the world building, instead choosing to develop the characters that build the world

5/5

Also, this song randomly popped up in my head after finishing the fic:

The "I've got a feeling I don't want to know" just ties the knot.

Now that was a great take on how celestia acts, and I got to agree with that though process. She has just be at playing the game for to long to stop.

So good on Discord for finally being able to show her the consequences of her actions and 1-uping her in the end.

So yeah Fine show and I enjoyed the read.

I like this story...but...

I just don't feel convinced. :/

You say again and again that she's been pulling the strings, but I find it improbable that she knew how to do everything Discord is accusing her of. It's a good story, but in the end, I feel like I'm at square one.

Celestia didn't do anything particularly "evil", and I think Discord was grasping at air with his attacks.

Trust me, I've red some startling accusations on Celestia's behavior, and actually agree with most of it, I can even direct you to what I'm mentioning if you like.

I just feel kind of empty, like I read this and wasn't convinced Celestia really played any game, made any lies, or did any wrong.

:/

>>20708942070894 Ooh, yes please! Could I get those links to those stories? I would love to check them out. Thanks for reading!

>>20719472071947

Actually, that's some bad news.

I was talking in chat in the comments section of some story, and I have no fucking clue which one it was.

I wasn't talking about an actual story, but someone had lined out EVERYTHING Celestia had ever done, how she was pulling the strings, and how she was abusing her power. It was well written, and long as hell, for just a comment.

If I EVER find it again, trust me, I'll send it to you.

>>20866882086688 Haha, sounds good!

As for this story, well, the fact you came away thinking that is kind of the point, haha. I never meant to tell the reader what Celestia was doing is wrong. What this story is about is the fact that Discord can convince her that her actions are wrong. This story is about how right and wrong are nebulous ideas, and it's all a matter of perception. The fact that you came away thinking that Celestia did nothing wrong tells me that, morally, you relate to Celestia, while other people, who share a different world view (like Discord), would disagree.

At the end of the day, this story is about what you perceive to be true and how fickle that can be.

Huh'kay. First of all, there were quite a few times when the dialogue just blew me away. Though, reading a good story helps me get back into tune with my emotions, this didn't just do that for me. Your writing style is like fluid. Some people use words in the perfect sequence - - you've used the perfect words in the perfect sequence, and wasted not a single one. This is a really good piece of literature right here. While it might be my personal opinion, I think of this one very highly. Good job on this. I'm excited to read your other stuff, now.