Twilight was true to her word. Every two or three days, Pincer would find her back at his cell, ready to take him to walk through one of the city's opulent parks, eat lunch, shop around at the market, or see a play. When he wasn't with her, or in the courtyard getting his daily exercise, he was reading. The mystery novel proved compelling enough to get him to experiment with other genres; as soon as he finished a book in one, he requested one from another, often one recommended by Twilight.
In spite of his expectations, Pincer found himself slowly but surely easing into his new situation as days, then weeks, passed by. He started noticing that he no longer tensed up whenever he heard hoofsteps coming toward his cell. He was the target of fewer aggressive looks and nervous retreats, and the ones he still did get, he wasn't noticing as much. Even the idea of speaking with Celestia again no longer felt quite as dreadful as it used to.
In many ways the situation was downright pleasant, Pincer thought to himself one morning as he broke open a history book of the Post-Banishment period. As his comfort with the ponies and their intentions grew, though, so did the nagging sense that he was becoming complacent. He was being given more freedom than he'd ever had since his capture and more opportunities to do something for The Hive, but he kept making excuses not to. He needed more time to prepare. He needed to dig further and figure out their full intentions. He needed to see if he could find some way to remove the ring suppressing his transformation ability, or to contact another changeling.
He slowly realized that he was procrastinating because, for the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what he should do. It seemed obvious now that Celestia bore him no ill will, and she was making that pointedly clear to all of her ponies. She had him at her mercy, yet she had done nothing but try to help him.
Twilight, too, had done her part by voluntarily feeding him. Food, love, the thing he'd always endlessly struggled for, was being given to him freely and willingly by one who was supposed to be the enemy of all changelings. If all changelings could have gotten the same treatment he was being given, he thought, would there even be any reason to keep fighting? To keep spying, to keep deceiving, to keep kidnapping? He couldn't think of any.
The others at The Hive would never agree with him, though. They hadn't seen what he'd seen and didn't know what he knew. What would they do if he came back to them and tried to tell them about his experience? He already knew the answer. He would be branded a traitor, accused of helping to spread enemy propaganda and cast Chrysalis' leadership in doubt. She'd probably personally execute him for it.
Really, not more than a few months ago, he would've executed him for it. He would've had a hard time figuring out how any drone could think the way he now was or want the things he now did. Could they — could he — have been so badly wrong all this time? Could he have been spending his entire life helping commit acts that were not only cruel, but unnecessary too? Even now, some part of him desperately wanted everything he'd always thought about ponies to end up being right, just so that the answer to that question would be "no." If he'd been wrong, then somehow, some way, he'd have to answer for it. It was only proper.
Pincer saw the words on the page, but his mind didn't register them. He thought about Mrs. Bookend. She'd been a friend, someone he'd genuinely connected with, and who he could count on to vouch for him. She was a pleasant, friendly pony, with a contented life and a job she took pride in, but to The Hive she would be a food item like any other. Cocooned. Immobile. Kept alive just to be drained every day. Never to talk to Twilight or to walk about Canterlot on a sunny morning or to sell her books again. Mrs. Bookend didn't deserve that after how kind she'd been to him. How many other ponies like her were left to fates they didn't deserve?
Suddenly he was reminded of the fear he felt when he'd thought he would never leave the dungeon of Canterlot.
He pushed the book aside. He hadn't even considered what the ponies would think about the fact that some of their own were being kidnapped, imprisoned, and essentially enslaved. They deserved to know, didn't they? Would they be so forgiving when they found out? Should The Hive be forgiven for what it had done? Would they seek some sort of retribution? To kill him, or even to finish off the changelings once and for all as he'd feared? Perhaps they would be willing to spare at least some. Maybe they would only punish the leadership, and show mercy to the common drones.
Doubt gnawed at his mind, though. Ponies were not nearly as bad as he'd feared, but he knew they were capable of anger, and what was happening at The Hive could very well make them angry enough to retaliate. It seemed as though he would be forced to decide whether ponies or changelings would suffer. He'd done it quite often as a spy and kidnapper for The Hive, of course, and the choice had always seemed obvious. This time, however, the only option he really wanted — "nobody" — might not be possible.
His gaze drifted towards the cell door, and he looked listlessly through the bars. Twilight would be coming by soon to take him out to lunch. He could ask her. Her answers wouldn't be as authoritative as Celestia's, he knew, but he trusted her more. Satisfied to at least have a next step in mind, he turned his attention back to his book.
Hearing hooves approaching his cell, he looked through the bars. As expected, a few seconds later, Twilight stepped into view. Rather unusually, though, there was a second unicorn guard with her.
"Pincer? Someone wanted to come with us. I hope you don't mind," she said. The first unicorn guard wordlessly charged his horn and touched it to the cell door to unlock it, and the second stopped in front of the cell and peered in.
"It's good to see you again, Pincer," said the second unicorn.
"Savior," Pincer said in recognition, nodding. "It's... it's good to see you again, too." There was a clink, and the cell door opened. As he walked out, he cleared his throat and looked at Twilight.
"It's fine if he comes," he said quietly. Twilight smiled, then gestured for the two to follow her. Pincer felt as though he should say something to Savior, since he had been the first pony ever to show him compassion, but he wasn't sure what to tell him. Silence enveloped them as they began heading out of the dungeon. Thinking it over, he decided to simply let his appreciation be known.
"Savior, I wanted to say..." Pincer let his words trail off until the pony glanced over at him.
"I wanted to say... well... thanks. I know you had plenty of reason to hate me when you first found me, but you showed me compassion and made me comfortable until my legs could get treated. You did more for me than Chrysalis' doctors ever would. I just wish I'd recognized it for what it was at the time."
Savior shook his head. "You mustn't thank me. What I did was nothing less than what Her Majesty would expect of any of her healers."
At once, Pincer was reminded of the cold, quiet sadism of Nurse Clean Bill. While it was happening, he'd been so sure that saying something to the other staff would've led to reprisal against him for daring to complain. Now that he knew Celestia better, though, he regretted the missed opportunity to get decent treatment and possibly save future patients from cruelty at her hooves.
Before Pincer could come to a decision on it, Savior smiled. "It's good to see that you're looking much healthier now, though. We were getting pretty worried until Miss Sparkle was able to feed you."
Pincer nodded. "She's been... good to me. It's strange. After the first time, I've never had to try to take emotions to feed on by force. I only have to ask her, and she says yes. She has kept me alive and well."
Twilight's head turned away, but Pincer still caught the blush in her cheeks. "Well, friends are supposed to help each other," she said, ears bending back. "How I help you is just a bit... unusual, that's all."
Savior chuckled, and Pincer couldn't help cracking a smile himself.
When they arrived at Molto Delizioso's, they found it lightly occupied. The waiter greeted Twilight and Pincer by name, then asked Savior for his. He quickly guided to an out-of-the-way booth almost as soon as they walked in.
"You picked another good book, Twilight," Pincer said after the waiter had taken their orders. "I'd read a story before about Nightmare Moon, but I'd never really thought about how badly it'd spread fear in your whole country even after Celestia got her out of the way."
"It wasn't something ponies ever expected to happen," Twilight said, shifting in her seat. "The Princesses had looked out for us for as long as we'd been recording history, and then suddenly one of them fell victim to an evil spirit and had to be banished by her own sister."
"I remember the book describing just how bad it got. There were rumors spreading that Celestia was being controlled by a spirit too, ponies running or hiding from or even attacking her Royal Guards..." Pincer said. Savior, who had been surveying the restaurant, turned to look at the two.
"There's something I don't understand, though," Pincer continued. "She'd still get ponies paying — trying to pay — tribute. Gold, gems, land, good food, art dedicated to her, all years after it happened. Why'd she never take any of it? She wasn't forcing them to give it all to her. She was getting love and recognition and wealth without doing a thing, but she didn't even seem like she wanted it. The book didn't say why."
"You honestly don't see?" asked Savior, "I'm afraid I must admit that my grasp of the history of the time is poorer than I'd like. I never took a liking to history books. Even so, knowing Celestia, it's obvious to me."
"I thought ponies from noble families were supposed to be well-read," Twilight said, hovering a fork off of the table and making it waggle at him as though to scold him. "Maybe I should give the book to you after Pincer's done with it."
Savior smiled good-naturedly. "I read plenty of medical texts to claim the title of a field doctor of Her Royal Guard. I appreciate the offer, though."
He turned to Pincer, smile fading. "Anyway, it sounds like they left those tributes for Her Majesty because they were afraid she would become envious like her sister had if they didn't show enough appreciation for her, and would punish them for it. It's quite possible that some of what they were offering was very precious to them, but they felt they had no choice except to give it to her. She wouldn't want to take things that they'd only given her because they felt they had to. I'm sure that alone would be enough for her, but she would also want to avoid making them think their fears were justified. If she had accepted the gifts, they could very well have taken it as proof that she was expecting and demanding them."
The waiter returned, sliding their plates and bowls onto the table. Twilight and Pincer exchanged looks, she staying focused on him.
"You mean she really cared that much?" Pincer asked after the waiter left, eyes flickering to his bowl of vegetable soup. "She turned down tribute because they were only giving it out of fear? And she didn't want them to be afraid?"
"That's exactly right," Twilight said, smiling approvingly. "She wants Equestria to be a place where we can live our lives in peace, with the knowledge that she will protect us. She wants to help us..." Twilight leaned forward and lowered her voice, letting a hoof rest on the table in front of Pincer. "And she wants to help you, too."
Pincer was struck by the look in Twilight's eyes; they seemed almost pleading. He looked at Savior, who nodded in turn. For a moment he simply stared down at his bowl as comfort, suspicion, and guilt wrestled in his mind. Not knowing what else to do, he picked up his spoon to begin eating. Twilight retracted her hoof, looking disappointed, and she and Savior brought their attention to their own meals.
He turned the events that they'd described over in his mind. He had never met Queen Chrysalis personally, but if life in The Hive was any indication, fear certainly proved useful for her. Celestia had actively worked to make ponies less afraid of her, though. What kept them in line, then?
His spoon dropped. "But fear is useful for a ruler. She wants loyalty from her ponies, right? Frightened ponies would be less willing to disobey her."
"I think Princess Celestia's done a pretty good job without ruling through fear, don't you?" asked Twilight.
Pincer took another bite of his soup. "I have to admit that I'm seeing a certain appeal to Equestria. But how does she keep you loyal without keeping you afraid?"
Twilight levitated her glass of carrot juice to her mouth and took a sip from it, then smiled. "Well, I'd like to ask you something in return.
"Do you remember what it was like when you first came here? How you didn't want to talk to any of us, and how you kept trying to attack us, and how you hated us? You've really gotten a lot more approachable since then, and I think you can agree that we're all happier for it. You're certainly better off than the first time I saw you. Can you tell me what made you change your attitude?"
Pincer took a breath and his head slowly drifted to the window. It was true, he realized, seeing ponies cross in front of the window. He didn't have to try to figure out why. It was obvious. It was strange to think of, though; if anyone had told him when he'd arrived that someday he'd be having a friendly lunch with Twilight and one of his guards, he would have thought it was a weak attempt at a joke.
"You were my enemies. It seemed like you were, anyway. You stood for everything I was supposed to hate. Being honest, I would've gladly... torn you apart. As time went on, though, it started seeming wrong to think that way. No beatings, no torture, no mind-breaking magic, just treating my legs and giving me ways to keep busy and talking to me like I was, well, one of you."
He took a breath. "I started going along with it because I didn't see the point in fighting someone who was trying to help me."
Twilight smiled approvingly. "And that's why we follow Celestia." Savior nodded firmly beside her.
"She doesn't need to rule through fear," Twilight continued. "We follow her because we trust her, and we know that with her guidance, we can have good lives and accomplish great things." Her smile had a look of invitation, as though she were extending an offer for help.
Pincer bent down and took a bite of his soup. The questions that had bothered him earlier had returned, and sitting directly across from him was the only pony he trusted enough to ask them to. He needed to find out if peaceful coexistence were possible, if his fellow changelings could be granted mercy, and if (Chrysalis flay him) it might be best to replace their queen. It wasn't something he could ask while Savior was in earshot, though.
The rest of the meal went by slowly; Twilight tried striking up a conversation with Pincer, but he found himself too distracted and nervous at the prospect of what he planned to ask her later to get seriously invested in what she was saying. He gave only nods or grunts in reply, and after a while, Twilight gave up and turned to Savior. He was happy to talk with her about combat spells.
He was enormously relieved when the bill finally came, but they still had to walk him all the way out of the city, to the castle, down into the dungeon, and into his cell. None of this passed any more quickly than their lunch had. The path through that led through the streets and markets of Canterlot and to the castle seemed to curve and stretch endlessly in front of them, and several times Pincer had to measure his pace so that he wouldn't pull ahead of Twilight or Savior.
Finally, after moving through the seemingly endless tunnels and corners of the dungeon, Pincer's cell came into view, and for the first time he was glad to see it. Despite what he had hoped, though, Savior and Twilight were still talking with each other even after another guard had arrived and locked him back in his cell. He sat as patiently as he could, waiting for their conversation to run its course, staring at nothing in particular and mentally preparing as well as he could for the question he was about to ask. Finally, several minutes after they arrived, he heard Savior trot away. As soon as Savior was out of sight, Pincer trotted up to the bars of his cell.
"Pincer, is there something you want to talk to me about?" she asked, looking concerned. "You've been kind of jumpy ever since lunch."
"Yes," he said quietly. "And I wanted to wait until we were alone. You're the only one I can talk to about this. Can you keep it between us?"
Twilight glanced away, eyebrows lowering. "Well, that'd depend on what it was. If you want me to cover for a changeling spy or stay quiet about a planned attack or something else that would probably end up hurting ponies, I couldn't do it. I won't tell anyone if you've just been feeling bad and want to talk about it, though."
"Actually, it's neither. I'm starting to feel differently towards Celestia. And ponies. It's something I wasn't really prepared for."
His mind raced. So much had changed, so many of his old ways of thinking had fallen into doubt. He struggled to put his conflicts and new ideas into words. Finally, he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I wanted to ask you if you think changelings and ponies could live together."
He sounded as if he were confessing some sort of heresy. In a way, he supposed, he was. If he'd sincerely asked the same question to Commander Formic, or even Scarab or Antenna, he would likely have gotten a lengthy "reeducation" in a prison cell for his trouble.
At first Twilight just blinked a few times, leaving the question hanging in the air. Then she frowned, head tilted toward the ceiling, drumming a hoof against her chin. Pincer's nerves had worn thin by the time she looked at him again.
"That would depend on a lot of things, I think, but can you tell me why you wanted to ask that?"
Pincer let out a brief hiss and looked down. Why did she have to press him? "It just occurred to me. Even though I was an enemy, even though I was one of the ones attacking Canterlot, you still helped me. And now, you're freely giving me love and I'm staying alive without hurting any of you. Could this happen with more changelings? We could find ponies who would feed us willingly and we wouldn't have to lie or steal or fight for it? Could we... have... peace?"
Twilight's eyes were wide. She raised a hoof, as if to touch him. "Pincer, is that something you truly want?" she asked softly.
After a short pause, he nodded slowly and lightly.
At first, Twilight just sat back and looked away, seeming to stare very hard at nothing in particular. When she looked at Pincer again, she was smiling.
"I've got to say, that's something I never thought I'd hear from a changeling. I don't want you to be our enemies, and I'd love to actually work on changing that. I think we could learn a lot from each other."
Twilight then frowned. "But how can we get Chrysalis and the others to feel the same way?" She asked in a lowered voice. "From what you've told me, they still hate us. I don't think they'd feel the same way you do about trying to get along with us. I'm sure Princess Celestia will be glad to make peace with you, but if changelings don't want—"
"Celestia? You're telling her about this?" Pincer said.
"Pincer," Twilight said, sighing a bit. "Look, I know you're still nervous about her, but if things are going to get any better between us, her support will probably make all the difference. How's she supposed to offer friendship to people who don't give any sign they want it?"
She was right, Pincer had to admit. Celestia's ponies had very recently been attacked by changelings, and she surely knew that they still had spies in their ranks, planning to use them as food. She couldn't be friends with someone like that unless they wanted and planned to stop. But sooner or later, it would mean confronting the reality of what changelings had been doing to her ponies, and she might not be in such a forgiving mood after learning it.
"I know, I know," he said. "But to be honest, I don't think most of the other changelings will agree. Not a chance Queen Chrysalis would. I'd have to give away some Hive secrets before Celestia could even contact them, so there's risks involved. I mean, imagine if she decided there was no chance of peace. She'd still want to keep her ponies safe, and she'd have better chances attacking The Hive, so she still might do that. Now, I admit I was wrong about you. You specifically, and ponies in general. At the end, though, our people are still enemies and it could very likely stay that way, and I don't want you or us getting hurt."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Look, you don't have to be afraid of her. I'd hoped you'd realized that by now. She's Princess Celestia. Equestria's been in conflicts with gryphons, diamond dogs, buffalo, and even Discord without going crazy and destroying all of them. It takes time to build trust and convince someone that they don't have to fight, but she's been doing that sort of thing for thousands of years. You've attacked us, and you've spied on us, and those things made her angry, but I can't really think of anything that would make her mad enough to... to drop solar flares on you or something!"
It was time. He'd already committed to trying for peace, and for that to happen the secret would have to be known one way or another. There was no reason to hold back anymore; either the ponies would forgive changelings for what he was about to tell Twilight or they wouldn't. If they did, then changelings could finally take the first steps toward being free of Chrysalis' cruelty, free from a life of stealing and kidnapping, of hatred and pain. If they did not, then what point was there in putting faith in anything, or trying to change anything for the better? If changelings' crimes were so terrible that the pony in the best position to make things better for them wanted to kill them for what they were, then what hope was there? He would be saving them from death only to condemn them to their current life as givers and receivers of misery indefinitely.
"I can," he finally said, quietly, looking at his hooves.
Twilight rolled her eyes, but it only lasted a moment before worry colored her face. Her eyes began to widen and her mouth drew into a frown. "What do you mean? Why—" Her voice cracked. "Has something been going on at The Hive? Something you were afraid we'd find out about? Something... something terrible?"
Pincer looked Twilight directly in the eye. "Yes. It's time I told you how we've been gathering love."
OH shit!
...And now I have to wait for the next chapter, ugh.
nice ending there, way to keep interest high. can't wait for more.
also, this story update was read in lieu of sleep (it's over-rated anyway)
Typo.
Extra space between and and It, and It doesn't need capitalization.
Other than those nitpicks, good chapter.
3395448 Thanks for catching those, fixed
welp, things are about to get uncomfortable
Next chapter: Pincer lays the bloody chips on the table. this next hand of cards may do the changeling hive in forever.
All bets are off. The hand of fate shall soon be dealt... Luck be with us all.
Missing word here?
I dont remember the last time this story was updated. Did you get caught carrying drugs to Artotzska Jorji?
Well, now stuff is going to get VERY interesting VERY fast! Eager to see how this will resolve itself, if it does at all.
I'm still waiting for a teary reunion between Antenna and Pincer.
with a contended life
I suspect you mean "contented"; "contended" means something entirely different.
3395844 Yeah, I did. Thanks for catching that, it's been fixed
Noooo....that cliff hanger!
"Pincer would have found the situation downright pleasant, he thought to himself one morning as he broke open a history book of the Post-Banishment period for the first time." Something about this sentence's syntax or whatever doesn't flow well. Think of it like this: "He would have verbed, but..." That's one example I thought of.
"He quickly guided to an out-of-the-way booth..." Add a "them" to that sentence. "Quickly guided them"
"I'd hoped you'd realized that by now." This stretches out to "I had hoped you would realized that by now" or "I would hoped you would realized that by now." Try "I [had] hoped you'd realize that by now."
(Remember, the more detailed my corrections, the more I care about and enjoy a story.)
3396076 Thanks for the suggestions!
You bring up a good point on the first one. I'll reword it.
I don't think the second one is a problem, though. It works if you remember that "you'd" can expand to "you had" as well as "you would," and the sentence works if you read it has "I had hoped you had realized that by now."
My favorite part of this chapter right there. Nice to see someone who doesn't feel the need to make Equestria's backstory and behind-the-scenes a bloody affair that would have made Skaarj proud.
I'd upvote this story twice if I could.
Oh, the comments on this... You don't need a proofreader because almost all your readers pitch in to help! There are so many other authors out there who could use that kind of help, too. I love seeing so many people being helpful on the internet. I'm not jealous, though, since I don't need such a thing myself-- I'm awesome enough at grammar as it is.
*sigh* Yet another story written by someone who either does not understand how politics work, or does not care enough to make them more believable. Here, let me get on my soap box.
First of all, let me get a couple of things straight. We are assuming that ponies think and behave similarly to how humans would. However, with the information provided by the show, we can also deduce that ponies are generally more altruistic than humans; despite that, it is still not a communist utopia there. Egoism and cruelty, stupidity and pretentiousness, anger and bile - all of these qualities are still present, even in muffled forms.
This brings me to my main point - a country does not survive merely by being very nice to everyone. Let's say, for example, that the griffin kingdom wants to have a large portion of Equestrian land for itself and provides Celestia with an ultimatum - either pass the land over willingly, or face war. In fact, the griffins have been preparing for war for several years now; their army is in an excellent condition, well-equipped, and eager to fight. How exactly do you imagine Celestia convincing them that they "do not have to fight" through "confidence and trust"? She can attempt to negotiate a trade or threaten them with economic (read: form a coalition of several countries to embargo the griffins) or military (read: burn down the griffin capital with a solar flare) repercussions, but you can be damn sure she won't be able to just talk them out of it.
Moreover, Celestia certainly does not rule over Equestria using only the love and respect of your subjects. The President of the United States can plunge the world into a nuclear winter, but do you see anyone prostrating themselves on the ground whenever they see him? Yet this happens every time Celestia meets her ponies. Even Twilight Sparkle does that, and she has been very close to her for years now. Ever heard of civil unrest or rioting in Equestria? The answer is no - this means that Celestia's intelligence services (if not secret police) are doing their jobs exceptionally well. No wonder - she had centuries to polish them out to perfection.
While we are on the subject of trust, let's talk about Pincer for a moment. In particular, this line bothered me a lot:
This is borderline insanity. The people who try to push bills like CISPA and the like are also "trying to help me" - does this mean that I should just go with whatever they are trying to achieve? Of course not, that would be absolutely and utterly insane.
But then again, this is a story about colorful cartoon horses, ruled by a nearly omnipotent immortal alicorn. What do I know?
3396105
3395361 Exactly what this man said. Eeyup.
I was so hoping this story would continue!
An amazing and fun chapter. Though it ends on a cliffhanger, the bomb waiting on the next update will be something else. Love the indecision here. Its fun to see this want and fear balancing so well. Worse when he knows how that will be received.
huh, pretty good story. giving the changlings some so and so humanity an all. do like it..................... do you think the pincer was informed about the fact that the only reason chrysalis overpowered celestia was because she was overfed on shining armor's love? it seemed quite clear that if that factor was removed, celestia would be hanging her crown on chrysalis's broken horn.
It looks like a particular True Queen has been putting their Political Science classes to good use and may be reading into things a bit too much...
Good chapter, Ghost, thanks for continuing the story.
Glad to see an update, and that Twilight's kindness finally broke the rest of the way through Pincer's previous convictions.
3396448 I disagree. Though it is fun to argue the Kim Jong Il version of Celestia, I find it slightly less likely than the goddess-empress Celestia. For your first point, there are many factors here, as to how and why Equestria may have never faced a serious military threat before. First and foremost is the fact that according to the Canon Map of Equestria, the Equestrians control their continent from sea to sea. All their potential rivals exist far over the sea...and large bodies of water do serve as huge logistical nightmares for invasion forces. Equestria may also be larger and/ or more technically advanced than their rivals. Who wants to challenge an ironclad with a galley? No one with common sense.
Second. Celestia's subjects seem to prostrate themselves at her hooves because they see her as a (pseudo)divine being, one with the power to literally raise and lower the sun. I don't know about you, but let's not piss off the sun-god who could literally fry or freeze us to death! However, for a more mundane explanation, bowing to your regent/ king/ emperor is the common reaction in the presence of royalty (in a country with said ruler(s)).
Finally, I think what the ponies are doing is effectively different than what the proponents of CISPA are trying, that's apples and oranges. Celestia seems to be helping Pincer for little to no personal gain (at this time). The proponents of CISPA will gain greatly if said bill passes. One is lying to you for personal gain and the other is
effectively interrogating younot lying to you for personal gain. Being able to determine if and why a person would lie to you, is essential in said situation.Honestly, I think this is a kids show, so yes, things are being sugar-coated. However, I think that what they are trying to portray - a kinder, gentler world - under select conditions, I do see being remotely possible. Hence the problem with trying to make a more mature story fit in said world - one of the two's gotta give a little for the story to be even slightly believable! In other words;
Suspension of thy disbelief is necessary for maximum enjoyment!
All right! You have a way to keep ending on interesting notes! First Pincer's own integration into Canterlot, now the crimes of the Hive! Keep being awesome :)
By the way, spotted one error:
> In many ways the situation downright pleasant
the situation [was] downright pleasant
3396448
The "magical kingdom of Equestria" does. Deal with it
3397225 Thanks, fixed!
3397087 I guess, you are right - trying to create a "better, kinder" world requires the readers to let go of some logical assumptions and just accept some things as given. It still makes me cringe every time I see some botched-up political scheme spring up.
Essentially, all I am saying boils down to one simple idea: I find it difficult to believe that Celestia would willingly discard effective instruments of power. I mean, seriously, she has been ruling for many centuries; why would she not use something that will protect "her little ponies" from dangers within and without Equestria.
The fact that ponies outright fear their ruler (hence the deep bowing every time she passes by) only supports the idea that Celestia bases her power on more than just love and respect. It is not that she could "literally fry or freeze [ponies] to death" - pretty sure that almost every unicorn could potentially harm others through magic - it's that she probably did do that at some point in the not-so-distant past.
Then again, out favorite librarian at one point is having a nervous fit about Celestia imprisoning her, or banishing her, or imprisoning her wherever she banished her. No matter how minute the danger of that happening to Twilight is, in order for a threat to be real, it should have happened to someone.
Let me finish by saying that I do not believe that every single story should be a grimdark tale of tyrant Celestia who has deceived everyone into believing that they live in a utopia while actually living under constant supervision in a police state dystopia. However, the writers should at least show some respect to the readers by making the political system at least somewhat believable. By all means, show Celestia as reasonable and forgiving - just don't insult my intelligence by making a country run on Celestia loving every single of her little ponies.
3396699 Guilty as charged.
3396448
Hm, yet another juvenile, hyper-cynical and militaristic political philosopher-wannabe?
If you want to communicate with people, you need to strive for the ideal of understanding their point of view and using that as a starting point in phrasing your criticism. Saying "you're stupid, now let me enlighten you" will get you ignored.
If you don't care about communicating with people and primarily seek to elevate yourself by putting others down, then I urge you to mend your dark ways.
EASILY the best Changeling story I have ever read, and now we're making real progress!
3397546 I concur, what truly enrages me are people who just rant about a story and have a "I am better than you" attitude.
On the other hand, he has a point. A country just doesn't survive by being nice to everyone, not if there are countries who don't follow their ideals. What if - for an example - the Griffin Empire is angry about something the ponies did or the other way around. The Griffins won't back down just because Celestia asks them nicely and there are only two ways out of it: Either they start a war or they don't.
As seen in the show, there wasn't any big war between the countries for centuries and there's one big reason for that: Fear.
As far as we know the ponies are the only race who can actively use magic or move the sun and moon, this obviously creates fear and Nightmare Moons tale isn't helping at all, or it could just be an economic dependence. However, it still means that making the the ponies angry or starting a war would mean the Griffin's doom. You can compare this situation with North Korea, they may have nuclear weapons, but they know that they cannot use them without fearing BIG consequences!
Love and tolerance may help within a country, but on a international scale it's useless without having a monopoly of power.
Back to the story: VERY good chapter
I can truly understand why Pincer feels that way and why he fears the ponies, he clearly shows the way other countries think of Equestria and the princesses.
Oh boy, no turning back now. Twilight's gonna flip
I'm going to bet five dollars that it involves illegal migrant workers.
3396448 Okay, to be honest my first impulse was to just respond to this with a smart-ass image macro, especially since you openly insulted my intelligence right off the bat, but aside from giving me a cheap laugh, that would benefit no one. Instead, I'll deal with it piece by piece.
Did you forgot about how he was mistreated by one of the nurses, or how the Canterlot ponies in all likelihood would've outright attacked him if Celestia or Twilight hadn't been there?
When did I at any point claim that Equestria never, ever had to fight? It's been in tussles before. Celestia drove off the changelings centuries ago with heavy casualties on both sides, and at the time the story takes place, is trying to get information from Pincer so she can shore up Equestria's defenses in case of a future attack. Then there was the gryphon war, which featured rather prominently just a chapter ago. Celestia is not be any means a pacifist, she just considers violence a tool of absolute last resort. You know, like any person with a functioning conscience would.
Or that their lives are good enough that they don't really have sufficient motivation to riot. Civil unrest comes from anger, and it takes a lot of anger to spark open rioting.
And now you're just splitting hairs. Even if you take CISPA in good faith and not as the obvious power-grab I consider it to be, there's a clear difference between doing that and, say, giving much-needed and much-desired medical treatment, food, leisure activity, and protection to someone who would have died without your intervention, all without extracting anything as ransom for it.
3397502
Or they could've done it because they respected her. Kind of like how I always addressed my college professors as "Dr." even though none of them expected or demanded to be, because I respected them for their knowledge and all that they taught me.
Keep in mind, too, that we've only seen certain groups of ponies bow to Celestia - certainly short of the entire population of the country. With a sample size that small, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that the crowds reacted that way from a combination of ordinary respect, with the rest just giving in to social pressure (which need not come from the top).
You're right. It happened to Nightmare Moon (who Celestia really didn't want to do it to) and Discord (who was later freed, then redeemed by Fluttershy being nice to him).
You have a lot of nerve saying that after implying that the only reason there aren't riots in Equestria is because dissenters would be disappeared by an omniscient pony NKVD.
As much as Celestia wanted Pincer to come around in his own time, I have a feeling that once he relates that the Hive is abducting Ponies & draining them for food, she'll feel compelled to step up the timetable. If there's one thing she won't tolerate, it's harm to her little Ponies.
3397836
There's one thing in acknowledging that it's not feasible to be always nice (and I agree with that) but it's another to insist that every vision of a brighter world be reduced to gritty, violent shit in the name of "realism".
Similarly, if others know that you won't always be nice and will fight back if given no other option, this will make them less inclined to attack you. And if they don't know then they will learn the first time you're pushed over the edge. This is kind of an inescapable fact. But it doesn't really merit jumping to the conclusion that prosperity has to be built on fear and therefore terror, war and secret police, hurrah!
There's a whole spectrum of possibilities between the namby-pamby pacifist doormat and a ruthless conqueror of nations. How about a hypothetical Celestia who truly, really values all sentient beings. It's a core principle for her, not just a slogan to be discarded in favor of gleeful application of violence as soon as a justification presents itself. This Celestia hates it whenever she's forced to resort to violence. She never falters and feels any sort of glee while hurting others. Instead, every time she resolves to understand what could have been done differently to avoid violence, to prepare and do better next time. And she does it for thousands of years.
It doesn't seem all that easy to me, to put a hard limit on what such a Celestia could accomplish. I probably can't even imagine how it would feel to talk to the most charismatic person currently alive on Earth. And thousands-of-years old Celestia could be many times better. But no, that's unrealistic. As opposed to the idea that Celestia is a walking magical weapon of mass destruction with a secret police. That is obviously realistic -- why, you can look it up in any textbook on magical-horseology.
3399153 The only problem in the theory - that you can solve ANY sort of conflict without violence - is: how?
Of course you can say that Celestia is so charismatic that she can solve any conflict without the use of violence, but you simply CANNOT expect every single being to react positively to her.
Lets imagine the following:
A random country (Griffins, Minotaurs, etc...) wants food from Equestria and the leader of said country would want it at ANY cost! There are two options now;
1. Celestia/Luna give it to him, so that they can keep up harmony.
2. Celestia/Luna don't give it to him, because they can't.
If the second one happens, the leader of the other country will still want it. He has three options:
1. Just give up and let his country feel the consequences (food shortage).
2. Plead and hope that the princesses help him.
3. Start a conflict to get it.
Now lets say he puts his people's well being over the Equestrian's and chooses 2 or 3. If the princesses help him the country will be dependent on Equestria until the food shortage has been resolved.
If they don't help, he will need to take it by force. Now this could go into multiple directions:
1. The princesses want to avoid the war and just give up and give his country food.
2. He wins the conflict and takes the food.
3. He loses the war.
I highly doubt that Celestia or Luna would want a war and would do everything to avoid it, but if it still happens they would need to defend their country. They would need to defeat the attacking country or lose everything they know.
So, either we have a world based on cooperation (resource trading) or a world based on fear.
A world based on cooperation would only work if everyone (and I mean everyone) would give up their ideals, of course you could say that every race follows the same ideal in their race, but looking at Trixie and all the nobles says otherwise.
So, the second option, a world based on fear seem WAY more plausible. Just take a look at all the ponies who interact with Celestia, they ALL seem very nervous around her, even Twilight, who lived under her supervision for years still fears her sometimes. And take a look at the Cakes, they looked like they thought they would be executed for a single mistake.
I am not saying that Celestia or Luna are tyrants who use their power to their own good (in fact they are the EXACT opposite), but their mere presence and status is alone to make any conflict with them obsolete.
And before someboy says: "They defeated the changeling with pure love"
What if they have to face an enemy they cannot beat?
The changelings are beatable and they know that.
Chrysalis also knows this and would have to decide between accepting their friendship or just attack again and probably fail. It would be decision made out of fear...
3399019 Firstly, I apologize for what seemed like an insult to your intelligence. In my defense, I have to say that I wrote that comment at about 1am, so I was not exactly thinking straight. I never meant for my comment to sound the way it did - I should have worded it differently, that's for sure.
Going back to the point I tried to make, the point of this so-called argument is moot. The world you are crafting is yours to make, and it is really not my place to give pointers. Plus, I have already expressed my opinion, and arguing for the sake of arguing is really not my thing; therefore, I would prefer to gracefully drop the topic altogether.
Once again, I apologize for the comment that you found offensive.
3397836 It was late, and I was frustrated. I apologize for the attitude - I could definitely have worded my message better.
3397546
No, just an exhausted college student who spent too much time studying for the political science exam and decided that the comment section of a fanfiction is a good place to give a rant. I apologize.
cliff hanger!
wow that was one hell of a ending! i am dieing to see if the changelings will be spared and i hope they are D:
Oh, wow. This was delicious. I absolutely loved Pincer's thoughts here, and his internal struggle. Eagerly awaiting what happens next!
Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I really like your pacing. I think it's what makes your fic shine.
The wait?
Worth it.
^-^
3400083 Takes a big guy to apologize.
Anyway... the horse apples are hitting the fan, aren't they. This will NOT go down well for Celestia. Great chapter!
Yeah...this won't end well.
Celestia's going to be pissed, but there's no chance of her doing anything particularly bad to the changelings -- if for no other reason, the fact that Pincer came forward with it marks them all as potential friends. The main risk is that she'll have to press Pincer for contact info, then push to resolve what's essentially a hostage situation, which might cause Chrysalis to do something incredibly stupid and/or hasty. And she'll have to be quiet, because chances are the ponies will riot and prove the changelings right if they hear about it too soon.
I expect to see EXTREME DIPLOMACY.
God damn, that's some flawless Celestia characterization going on.
How exactly did he do that?
3405330 It was thick soup, with lots of peas and carrots and stuff