6. Baltimare (Stop 5)
6. Baltimare (Stop 5)
“Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
“Because I already told you nothing is wrong!”
Rose and Dusk continued to glare at each other as the train they were in zoomed past the trees and mountains on either side of the tracks.
Timetable and Organizer sat on some of the chairs, refusing to make a sound for fear of directing any attention onto themselves. Unknown to them, Discord was floating right behind them, staring at the scene with his usual lack of interest. And so the three watched as the argument continued, much like it had over the past day.
“Oh, please,” Rose exclaimed, “I know you seem ok but-“
“Seem ok?” Dusk interrupted. “Did it occur to you that I might seem ok because I am ok?”
“You know, it might have if you had not been upset for three days in a row,” Rose responded. “I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive; I’m just trying to help.”
“I haven’t been upset Ms. Rose,” Dusk countered, “And I am not being defensive. We both know that I don’t do defensive well. Offensive on the other hand, I happen to have some experience with, as do you it seems from the way you have been incessantly badgering me.”
“Ok, that’s it. I give up.”
Everyone in the compartment turned to look at Organizer who had stood up from his seat.
“I don’t care if I lose the bet anymore,” he exclaimed, looking at Timetable. “I was probably going to lose it anyway from the way these two were still arguing, but it’s just not worth it to stick around to find out.”
He then turned to look at Dusk and Rose.
“You two may be extraordinary ponies, but you are also the most hardheaded creatures I’ve ever had the pleasure or displeasure to meet,” he said, “I’m still figuring out which. Now, if you excuse me, we have maybe two hours before arriving at Baltimare, and I think I’ll spend it sleeping. Timetable, do you want me to pay up now? Or can it wait until after I’ve gotten some sleep?”
Timetable shook her head in response.
“Don’t even worry about it,” she said, “I was about to give up on this bet as well. Even if I was about to win, no amount of bits was worth listening to this much longer.”
Organizer nodded, leaving the compartment towards the sleeping chambers while Timetable turned her attention to the remaining two ponies.
“As for you,” she said, “You do realize that you two are arguing because you are concerned about the other’s feelings, right? That immediately makes this the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard. Now you two make up and play nice for the remainder of the trip or so help me I will write to your parents.”
She then turned around and left the compartment, slamming the sliding door on the way out.
Dusk and Rose exchanged awkward glances between themselves and the now deserted doorway, with each pony letting the silence wash over them as they processed the words they had just heard.
“Wow,” said Dusk at last. “I do believe we have been… oh what’s the word.. Told?”
Rose nodded slowly in agreement.
“Yea,” she said, “I do believe we have. Quite thoroughly I might add.”
The two then continued to stare awkwardly at each other, with Rose cracking first under the pressure of what just had happened.
“Look, I’m sorry,” she said, “I know I shouldn’t pry. I’m just very worried about you. Ever since Vanhoover you’ve seemed rather off and if there is anything I can do to help, I want to be able to.”
Dusk gave off a mild chuckle at that.
“Ms. Rose, there’s nothing to be worried about,” he answered, “I know you mean well but I’m really doing fine. In fact, the only part I’m upset about is that somehow my demeanor caused you to worry at all. I know you think that you saw me upset, but know that I was not. Wanting to help me so badly is something admirable, and something I am very grateful for, but you have other things to be worried about without adding to it for little old me.”
Rose took a deep breath.
“I guess so,” she said, “Just promise me that you’ll talk to me if something is wrong.”
“I promise I will Ms. Rose,” Dusk responded, “But for now, how about we agree to let things go and just enjoy the time we have left before ‘work’ in Baltimare?”
Rose nodded, spurring a smile to appear on Dusk’s face.
“That’s my mare,” he said, “Now, Baltimare will not be a cakewalk in any sense of the word. I’ve yet to brief you on the political climate, but I feel like I can assume that young Mr. Summer’s family told you enough. As such, I believe you should follow Mr. Organizer’s advice and get some rest.
“I’ll try,” Rose responded.
“That’s the spirit,” Dusk said. “Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to go take my own advice.”
With that final statement, he too left the compartment, leaving Rose on her own.
Well, almost on her own. After all, Rose was seldom alone these days.
“Well that went well,” Discord chimed in, “At least you have both agreed to let things go, which to me says that you are not planning on letting things go at all, right?”
“Of course I’m not,” Rose said, “He hasn’t talked yet and I can tell something is still bothering him. I just don’t know what it is yet. I will get to the bottom of this.”
“Of course,” Discord said. “To be honest, I cannot believe he would not talk to you about it after you did such a great job trying to convince him to open up his heart to you, and with such subtlety too.”
“Hey,” Rose exclaimed, “Nothing wrong with being a little direct.”
“’Dusk, I know something is wrong with you and I am not leaving until you tell me what it is,’” Discord deadpanned.
“Ok, so I may have been more than a little direct,” Rose said wincing, “But I felt like telling him exactly what was on my mind was the best way to approach this.”
“Oh Rose,” Discord said, shaking his head, “For such a smart pony, you can really be dumb sometimes.”
“You really think I’m smart?” Rose said with fake glee in her eyes.
“You’re pushing it,” Discord responded.
“I know,” Rose said laughing, “Sorry. I’ll stop. Anyway, as for the thing with Dusk… I really could not come up with a good way to approach him about it. We’re friends now, I think, but not really close friends. And a lot of our relationship is based around essentially being co-workers. I could not come up with a way to lead into a conversation this personal in a natural fashion, so...”
“So you decided to breach the topic in the most unnatural and jarring way possible,” Discord finished for her, “Kudos. If you were having such trouble, why not write it out in that notebook you are always carrying?”
Rose cocked her head to the side.
“You mean my traveling notebook?” she asked, “Oh, that’s because I’m running out of room in it.”
Rose removed said book from her saddlebag, opening to random pages to show them filled with her writings.
“I’ve been writing about everything that happens in this trip,” she explained, “Every day I write about what happened, every conversation I can remember, all important events, descriptions of things, everything. I figure that this will help me write some great stories or poems when I get back home.”
“When you say everything,” Discord began, eyeing the notebook with worry, “Does that include things with me?”
“Yea,” Rose responded. “You are a part of everything aren’t you? No need to look so sour about it, you’re actually portrayed as a fairly good individual.”
“Well excuse me if I find it annoying that my interactions, thoughts, and actions are written down on a notebook for all to read,” Discord said testily, “Ponies reading about me being sentimental in the desert is going to take a lot for me to live down.”
Rose chuckled for a bit.
“Don’t worry so much,” she said, “These are for my own personal reference. For as long as I’m alive I’ll be the only one looking at the notebook, and I promise not to let anyone else know that you can be a softie when you want to be. After I’m dead, you’ll have to bring it up with whoever I leave my notebooks with, but I’m sure they’ll agree to keep the sections about you to themselves if you ask nicely.”
Rose expected the comment to ease Discord’s nerves, but such was not the case. Instead, the draconequus continued to stare at notebook with a thousand yard stare. She then clutched the notebook up to her chest defensively.
“If it bothers you that much I can rip out the pages concerning you,” she said, “But please don’t hurt the rest of my notebook. I have so many things here that I want to remember and write about, and I’m not sure I’d be able to get it all from memory alone.”
Discord looked at her in confusion before chuckling to himself.
“Oh, no no, you misunderstand me Rose,” he said, “I was just lost in thought, that is all. I was thinking that, I am the god of chaos. I do not do things for my reputation; I just am an ancient being with an eye for disruption and a sense of humor. I should not be so concerned with what others, especially mortal beings like ponies, think of me. You can do with your notebooks what you will; I am too old to care about such trivialities as my ‘portrayal,’ as it were.”
Rose relaxed her grip on the notebook.
“That’s good to hear,” she said, “I have enough to worry about with trying to cheer up one moody, self-obsessed, and stubborn megalomaniac without having to tend to another.”
“A megalomaniac has fantasies of grandeur,” Discord noted, “So even if you had to cheer me up as well, you would still find yourself with only one. My grandeur happens to be quite real.”
“Right,” Rose said, rolling her eyes.
“In any case,” Discord said, ignoring her tone, “How do you plan on going about cheering him up now that outright demanding he let you help did not work?”
“I’m not sure,” Rose admitted, “I guess I’ll just have to wait and see if an opportunity presents itself. Otherwise I’m not sure there’s much I can do.”
“So you’re stuck hoping that something will happen that will upset him enough that he will tell you?” Discord asked. “I may not be an expert on friendship but, that seems rather counter intuitive.”
“It’s certainly not ideal,” Rose grimaced, “But it’s the only way I see it happening. Make no mistake though, I’d rather be left in the dark than having him be upset like he was or is, so hoping might be the wrong word.”
“Are you talking to yourself?”
Rose and Discord turned their heads to face the doorway, where a very confused Timetable stared back.
“Oh, Timetable! I didn’t see you there,” Rose stammered, blushing furiously, “How long have you been listening for?”
“Only from ‘it’s certainly not ideal’ to when I talked,” Timetable responded with a raised eyebrow, “Which tells me that there was more to the conversation and that you were talking to yourself.”
“Ok, quick,” Discord said, “What do you think she will react to better? You saying you were talking to yourself, and therefore could possibly be insane? Or me appearing to show that you were talking to me, the god of chaos that has been following you around?”
“Yea,” Rose said, quickly, “I was talking to myself, sorry.”
Timetable continued to stare for a second, before a smile appeared on her face.
“Things with Dusk really rattled you huh?”
Rose smiled and nodded, happy to have a lifeline out of the awkward situation.
“Yea,” she said, “I know I’m not wrong and that there’s something there, but I can’t help and it’s frustrating. Not to mention that Dusk is rather frustrating on his own. It’s just really bothering me recently and so I was thinking very hard on how to fix things. When I think that much though, sometimes I talk to myself on accident, to order my thoughts.”
Timetable nodded in understanding.
“I do that sometimes too,” she confessed, “And I completely understand about Dusk. He has this thing where he does not like to ever be vulnerable, and he becomes rather stubborn about hiding any and all perceived weakness. It’s his way of coping I guess.”
“That makes sense,” Rose conceded, “But why does his way of coping have to be so infuriating?”
Timetable laughed at the comment.
“To be fair, it’s his right not to tell you what he feels,” she said through her giggles, “We all have secrets and we can keep them from whoever we want, he’s no different. I think that what’s really going on is that we have all been traveling together for long enough now that we’re starting to get sick of each other.”
Rose’s eyes went wide at the comment, and she began to shake her head.
“Not at all,” she exclaimed, “I love spending time with you all, and this trip has been a lot of fun. I could never be sick of you. We’re friends! Aren’t we?”
Timetable smiled and nodded.
“We are, and I feel the same way, but I was not talking about getting sick of us as ponies,” she explained, “Even the best of friends need some time away from each other to recharge right? You don’t spend every single waking moment with somepony, no matter how special they are. But we’ve been traveling for a week now, spending all of our time in the same events, in the same train carts and chariots, in the same hotels, and basically having only each other as company. Under those conditions, we were bound to get annoyed by each other’s quirks sooner or later.”
Rose looked out the window.
“It’s hard to think it’s only been a week,” Rose muttered. “We’ve seen so much, done so much, and met so many ponies… It feels like months have passed.”
“That it does,” Timetable agreed, “To be honest, I am surprised we’ve moved as fast as we did. The trek up to Baltimare was supposed to take half a month, but we made it here in half the time. The planning committees in each city deserve an award for their efficiency.”
Rose nodded but said nothing.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be back in Ponyville soon,” Timetable said, “Just three more stops counting Baltimare and you’ll be able to celebrate with your friends over all we’ve done.”
“Will you be there?” Rose asked, “In Ponyville I mean, when we get back for stop eight, or will you be going back to Vanhoover?”
“I’ll be in Ponyville, at least for the stop,” Timetable answered, “After that I’ll go back to Vanhoover for a while, until I’m needed for another project that is. But I promise that I will request any project that takes me to Ponyville so I can see you, and we can keep in touch via mail.”
“I’m that easy to read?”
“I’m afraid you are,” Timetable said smiling, “But it’s ok. We will still be friends after this whole thing is over. I promise. As for Dusk, try not to worry about him, but be ready to help should he ever need you. I have a feeling that if he’s going to trust somepony with his problems, it will be you.”
“Thank you,” Rose said, “I’ll make sure I’m ready.”
“I know you will,” Timetable said, looking out the window, “It looks like we have a bit under two hours now before we arrive, but still enough time for a nap. I suggest you take it. Baltimare will be… rough.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yea,” Timetable said sadly, “But nothing you haven’t seen before, and nothing we cannot deal with.”
Timetable walked away, leaving Rose with her thoughts.
“You really should get some sleep,” Discord said.
“Yea, if I’m hearing it this often there’s probably a reason,” Rose thought. “Can you wake me when we’re arriving?”
“Certainly,” Discord said.
“Thank you,” Rose thought, “Well, I’m off to sleep. Then off to war apparently.”
“Well, I must say this is not what I was expecting,” Rose said as she stepped out of the train.
“Were you expecting them to throw stuff at you and yell obscenities at us?” Dusk asked, standing beside her.
“Actually, yea, yea I was,” Rose muttered.
“Ponies here are not like that,” Dusk explained, “They see such behavior as classless and undignified, good for the riff raff in Cloudsdale but not for good old Baltimare. What we have here instead is the passive aggressive capital of Equestria.”
Rose gulped as she walked into the city, accompanied by the rest of the team.
On either side of them, the path into town was filled with ponies, holding signs and glaring at the intruders with venom and malice. However, none of them yelled. Instead, the sound of hushed whispers could be heard. The gossip grew the further they got away from the train station and into the town proper, until the sound seemed more like the rumblings in a giant wasp’s nest more so than the exchange of vile words and insults by the populous. That is not to say that Rose and the rest of the team could not make out the comments being made, which caused Rose to wince and cringe through the walk.
“They are certainly showcasing the aggressive part,” Rose muttered, “No wonder Timber and Spring moved Summer out of here as fast as they did, this is awful.”
“Could be worse,” Dusk whispered, “Right now I’m just happy that they’re staying passive, aggressive as they are they are not getting in the way or attacking us, so let’s take victories where we can get them shall we? All we have to do is get to the event. Once there we can begin to change this town’s outlook for the better.”
Rose nodded and the group quickened their pace, making their way to the town square where the event was already set up and underway, whereupon Dusk went to meet with the representative in charge, allowing Rose to survey the area.
The first thing that she noticed was that this event had a much higher attendance than the last one had had. On top of that, most of the ponies in the square did not look nearly as hostile as those she had seen around town. If anything, they looked nervous, often looking around as if someone or something were just about to attack them from the side or from behind.
“Remind you of anyone you might now?” Discord asked mockingly.
“Oh shush,” Rose thought, “You know full well it’s a medical condition I can’t help. Still, if you’re making fun of my paranoia, then that means you’re seeing what I’m seeing. It’s almost like they’re scared to be seen here.”
“Can you really blame them?” Discord asked, raising an eyebrow, “You are in a town where gossip and hostility towards your community is at an all time high, and you hosted an event that was open to the entire public in the middle of the town square.”
“Yea, I know,” Rose conceded, “If I were a gossiping hate-filled resident, I would sneak in to see who of my neighbors I would talk about behind their backs. Still, no reason to act this paranoid, gossip is just gossip after all.”
“I wonder, how do they know who is here to spy on other attendees and who is here because this concerns them?” Discord asked.
“I’m not sure,” Rose thought, “Maybe they don’t.”
“So… Spying is essentially useless, as is worrying because there is such an easy avenue of deniability?”
“Basically,” Rose responded, “The only way they’d know for sure is if the ponies show interest in what’s going on. I have a feeling that we’re going to have a very silent Q&A session today.”
“Everyone, gather around” Dusk called, tearing Rose from her conversation, “I’ve got information.”
The group congregated around Dusk, who was holding a series of papers. He looked through them for a bit before addressing the gathered ponies.
“I’m not going to lie,” he finally began, “It is going to be rough out there.”
The other three ponies shuddered at his tone, allowing a solemn silence to pass by before Timetable disrupted the peace.
“How bad?” she asked.
Dusk looked at his papers again, revising his information.
“The mayor has received 5,000 letters, petitions, and threats all in attempts to get him to revoke our permission to be here,” he explained, “Skimming through the list I can say that we have so far been decried as a travesty, revolting, unethical, dangerous, and, quite possibly my favorite, 'a bit odd.'”
“Do you think he’ll pull the plug?” Rose asked nervously, “If he’s receiving this much pressure, he might just cancel everything.”
“Not a chance,” Organizer said, shaking his head, “The mayor is an upright stallion. He stands by his beliefs and he never caves into pressure. He’s also an old friend of Dusk’s, and he trusts us to help make the city better.”
“Eh, trust is a big word,” Dusk commented, “He has been very uptight recently and our conversations have been less than cordial. He will not pull the plug on the event because, as Mr. Organizer has mentioned, he stands up for his views, even if they are unpopular, but he’s also been rather forward with making sure I understand how much rides on this event.”
“How so?” asked Organizer.
“Well, as you all know we are doing this to strike up conversations,” Dusk explained, “Even if we don’t win over everyone, we’re at least making ponies talk about this, pushing towards local debates and lawmaking, which we can capitalize on to make major political gains. In simple terms, we’re raising tensions to where action has to be taken, and then we’ll try to shape said action. The problem is that the mayor is convinced that the rising tensions, as well as my involvement, will make things worse.”
“Pff, what’s he so afraid of?” Timetable asked.
“Chaos,” Dusk answered coldly. “He’s afraid that the arguments that will ensue will spark something too big for us to manage. Instead of forcing legal actions, he is afraid that ponies will riot, and fight. He is afraid that the movements will be too large for us to control, that harmony and our society will break, and that the wrong side might end up winning.”
“A bit overdramatic don’t you think?” Organizer asked.
“Oh, certainly,” Dusk said, “Even if it were that bad, when have we met something we cannot handle? No, I assure you all that I have everything under control, but the mayor is not convinced so ‘trust’ might not be the right word for what he has for us.”
Timetable suddenly noticed Rose, who had been quiet and pensive.
“Hey Rose, are you alright?” she asked.
“Oh, yea, I’m fine,” Rose answered, “Nothing wrong, and Dusk is right. Our actions bringing about chaos? Ridiculous.”
The other three exchanged worried glances.
“Way to go Dusk,” Organizer said, “You’ve gone and scared the rookie.”
“Yea Dusk,” Timetable added, “You can’t go into nitpick mode all the time, she hasn’t been around you enough to know to tune out your glass half empty point of view. You didn’t need to go on about how the mayor doesn’t trust us.”
“What? But I…” Dusk began to argue, trailing off as he saw Rose’s still concerned face. “No, you’re right. Ms. Rose, I’m sorry for scaring you but trust me, everything is going to be alright. This event will be great, we’ll show the mayor that he’s wrong, and we certainly will not bring about the end of Equestrian civilization as we know it. Besides, this town is far better than Cloudsdale and we survived that ok, right?”
Rose nodded slowly.
“Yea, you’re right,” Rose said, “I’m ok, really, just had a few things in, I mean, on my mind. I’m not scared though, I know we’ll do great.”
“That’s the spirit,” Dusk said, “Now, if I am looking at these notes correctly, it seems like the prep team has been very busy making sure everything is run correctly, and they also seem to have taken care of everything ahead of time, no doubt nervous about the locals. Anyway, this means that the only one with actual work today is Rose.”
“Standard speech and Q&A?” the mare asked.
“Yes,” Dusk said, nodding. “The schedule is posted on the side of the stage if you want to check it, but you’re up for the speech in three hours, with the Q&A two hours after that, after the rest of the speakers. You’re free to go wherever you want but I would advise against leaving the square due to the… local reception.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on straying into town,” Rose responded, “After being on the train for a whole day it’s going to take a bit for me to get used to walking, although the fact that most of this town blames me fo-“
“What are you doing here!?”
The yell startled the group, turning their direction towards one of the pamphlet tables, in front of which a small group of ponies had gathered.
After exchanging a short glance between each other, the four ponies rushed towards the commotion.
Stepping closer, Rose noticed that the group was surrounding two ponies. One of the two was a very angry looking earth pony mare. She was the one who had yelled, Rose discovered, as she was still yelling at the other pony, a small earth pony colt.
“First you run off without permission,” the mare continued to yell, “And then you come here when I specifically said that I did not want you anywhere near here! Come on, we’re going home.”
“No mom,” the colt said, “I need to be here. I… I’m not sure if I’m transgender or not.. but I might be. I have a lot of questions, and I need to ask them. I need to figure things out.”
A moment of silence passed, which was followed by a resounding crack of sound as the mare slammed her hoof against the colt’s cheek, prompting gasps from some in the surrounding crowd.
“Don’t you ever say something that stupid again,” the mare yelled. “Just wait till we get home, I’ll erase any doubt from you. That or send you to live with your father. He’s been trying so hard to get custody; I might just let him deal with you from now on.”
The mare waited for a respond, but she was only met by the sound of sniffles as the colt tried to fight back his tears.
“Stop crying and get up,” the mare said, “We’re leaving now.”
“No!” the colt said, “I’m staying and I’m not leaving until someone answers my questions. This is important to me mom, I have to figure out what I am. This might be my only chance to talk to someone that has gone through what I feel.”
The mare was fuming as she stepped towards the colt again, only to be intercepted by a rather angry pegasus mare.
“Don’t you take another step,” Rose said, stepping in front of the colt.
Shock and confusion coursed through the mare, before coming to a realization, at which point her scowl became more pronounced.
“Step out of the way,” she seethed, “This doesn’t concern you degenerate.”
“I believe it does,” Rose said, standing her ground, “If your son is going through all this trouble to get his questions answered, I’d say that this concerns me a fair amount.”
The mare took a step forward.
“I’m warning you freak,” she said, “Get out of the way. It’s bad enough that you are corrupting the youth of Equestria without you trying to reward rebellious behavior. Step out of the way or there will be consequences.”
A soft whimper sounded from behind Rose, causing her to turn to face the very emotional colt.
“Then I guess there will be consequences,” Rose said, taking a deep breath.
The mare growled, prepping to charge.
“I do believe that’s enough!”
Dusk came up beside Rose, stopping slightly in front of her. Timetable and Organizer, meanwhile, stood perfectly next to Rose, creating a wall between the mare and the distraught colt.
“What, so you’re all going to gang up on me now?” the mare shouted indignantly.
“What?” Dusk asked, raising an eyebrow, “Oh, this, you misunderstand. My colleagues behind me are standing together to stop you from harming the colt, that's all. As for me, well, if you want to strike Ms. Rose, my colleagues or even myself, we promise we won’t stop you, but do know that the moment you do we will go through every legal tribulation, stipule, and process necessary to make sure that it will be a decision you regret for the rest of your unsavory life.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, you’re very much excused,” Dusk continued, “You see, I’m the person in charge of this whole thing. I hired Ms. Rose, I got the permission from the mayor, and it is my organization that has organized and enacted every event from here to Canterlot. As such, it is my duty to tell you that if any harm comes to me or those who work for me, I will personally go to Celestia herself to ensure every possible penalty is enacted upon you. Make no mistake; it will be an act of revenge, not justice.”
He turned to look at the three ponies standing behind him, shielding the colt from view.
“And to be honest, I have half a mind to do so already after watching you strike a colt in the middle of a crowded square,” Dusk said, sighing, “But I had offered no such warning and I’m not sure exactly how much we could do legally since he has the misfortune of being your son. Do be aware that I will be reporting this to the mayor to make sure that this incident is followed up on, so it would be unwise to mistreat the kid more so than you already have.”
The mare took two steps back, before she began laughing.
“So this is it?” she said, “You’re threatening me? Do you have any idea who I am? No, it doesn’t matter; you’ll regret talking to me like that regardless Mr…”
“Dusk,” the stallion responded.
“Dusk,” the mare repeated. “Well Mr. Dusk, you’ll find that I’m not a mare who is easily intimidated by lobbyist groups with oppressive agendas. And Sunspot, when you’re done playing with you new friends you can go to your father’s house. He can pick up your stuff tomorrow if he wants.”
She waited for an answer, but was met only by the whimpers from the colt, after which she walked away, the gathered crowd parting to allow her to pass.
Dusk continued to glare at her until she disappeared from view and the crowd dispersed, at which point the group turned to look at colt they had been defending.
“Are you all right sweetie?” Timetable asked.
“Did she..? She left me?” Sunspot asked, stammering in between tears.
“I’m afraid so,” Organizer said, “But don’t worry, she’s just a little mad. We’ll make sure you get to your dad and I’m sure that she’ll cool off and take a lot of things she said back once she comes to her senses.”
“But.. what if she doesn’t?” Sunspot cried, “What if she doesn’t love me anymore?”
The ponies looked at each other awkwardly as Sunspot continued to cry.
“Dusk, what do we do?” Timetable asked.
Dusk closed his eyes, thinking for a couple of minutes before speaking.
“Ok, I got it,” he said, “Timetable, take young Sunspot here to the mayor, explain everything that happened and arrange an escort for the young colt to his place of residence. Organizer, I need you to go alert everyone in charge of this event as to what happened, and to be on alert. I am not certain that the mare we encountered is the type to retaliate, but from what she said I would not put it past her. Make sure we’re ready for anything. Rose, you keep your mind clear and focused for your parts of the event. Meanwhile, I will go write a few letters and talk to a few ponies. There were a lot of spectators to this little scene and we’d do well to manage the flow of information before it gets out of hoof.”
“May I interject?” Rose asked, prompting Dusk to nod. “How long do you figure it will take to set up an escort for Sunspot here?”
“Well, it would have to be official ponies from either the police department or a social services office,” Dusk responded, “So it will probably take an hour or so to get word to them, gather the necessary ponies, and bring them back, seeing how it’s not an emergency. I’d volunteer us to do it, but we want to go by the book with this.”
“And that’s not counting answering the questions that the mayor might have about all this,” Rose said, “Could I then watch over the colt while Timetable carries out her task? We can be here ready for when the escort arrives. I feel he needs to calm down more anyway.”
Dusk looked at Organizer who nodded.
“Yes,” Dusk said, “I do believe that’s acceptable. Just make sure to keep him safe. Now let’s go, we have things to do.”
The trio left in different directions, leaving Rose with the distraught colt.
“Hey there,” Rose said hesitantly, “Mind if I talk with you for a bit?”
“Not like it matters,” Sunspot said, “Nothing matters anymore.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Rose said soothingly, “It’s going to be ok. You’ll see.”
“How would you know?” Sunspot said angrily, “Do you know what it’s like for your mom to not want you anymore?”
“Yes.”
The colt looked up in surprise, noticing for the first time who he had been talking to. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable, allowing for Rose to keep talking.
“I lost my parents for a while,” Rose said solemnly, “And the story of how it happened is actually a lot worse than what you’ll read in the papers. That’s not the important part though; the important part is that when I was in Canterlot last week, I ended up having dinner at their house. I’ll admit it was still a bit awkward, but they wanted to reconnect with me, the new me. It might take them a while, but I don’t think parents are programmed to give up on their kids forever.”
“You really think that?”
Rose shrugged.
“It’s what I’ve seen,” she said, “I know not every case is like mine but… I really thought I would never even see my parents again, let alone having them ask me to come and spend time with them and my brother. If they can get past it, I’m sure your mom can too.”
This seemed to ease Sunspot’s crying.
“Thank you,” he said, “Sorry about crying like that, I was just scared.”
“I understand,” Rose said, “I’d be scared too, but for what it’s worth, I think you’re being awfully brave.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Now, if I heard correctly, it seemed like you might have a few questions you wanted to ask me.”
“Well, that was… Come to think of it, I’m not sure I have the word for what that was.” Discord said as Rose walked down the steps.
“Quiet, brief, awkward,” Rose suggested through her thoughts, “Take your pick, because it was all of those at once.”
“Yes, I know,” Discord agreed, “But that’s still not it, something else…”
Rose took a deep breath as she reached the ground, walking towards the backstage tent.
“Well,” she thought, “If you figure out what it was, do let me-“
“Calm!” Discord exclaimed, “That’s the word I was looking for. Calm.”
“Calm?” Rose questioned.
Discord nodded his head.
“There was a certain stillness to the crowd,” he explained, “A lack of chaos or uproar, but there wasn’t peace either. There was tension there, anxiety, and the air was thick with it and everyone could feel it. They were waiting for it quietly, as if the simplest of moves could trigger whatever it was.”
“A calm before the storm?” Rose thought, “Seriously?”
“Hey, cliché as you may find it, I will have you know that I’m quite adept at discerning this type of thing,” Discord said, “I’m usually the one creating the storm after all, and there are certain signs.”
“So, I take it that whatever I’m doing is happening today?” Rose asked.
“What do you mean?” Discord responded, “Oh, the chaos thing, no that won’t be for a while, this is completely separate.”
“For a while?” Rose asked, raising an eyebrow, “You didn’t know when it was happening, that’s why you’ve been following me around 24/7 isn’t it? Did you lie? Or did that change?”
The draconequus halted in his tracks, spending a second in silence before setting his face into a scowl.
“I’ll have you know that neither of those things happened,” Discord said testily, “I can feel chaos approaching and I can tell you that it’s not here yet. Your actions may be leading it to it now as we speak, as they have since we began this trip, but the event is not about to happen.”
“Well, that’s a relief at least,” Rose thought, “Still, a smaller amount of chaos is still chaos. You don’t think it had anything to do with Sunspot do you?”
“No, I’m sure that he’s fine,” Discord responded, “You four did all you could for him. At this point, at the risk of being blunt, what happens with him and his family does not really concern of affect you. Whether for better or worse, I doubt that whatever becomes of him will reach your ears.”
Discord noticed that Rose was lost in thought, a dangerous state to be in considering the topic.
“But as I said,” he added hastily, “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“I really hope so,” Rose said.
Rose and Sunspot got to talk for over an hour after the group left for their individual tasks, during which the colt got to ask a lot of questions regarding what it felt like to be trans. The conversation was a very emotional one, with Rose recounting stories from when she was growing up, and the colt bringing up feelings and thoughts that he had doubts about. Rose did the best she could, but in the end there was not much she could do since what the colt had described was different than her situation.
It seemed that instead of identifying as his born gender or as the opposite gender, this colt identified as neither or both. He found qualities in both that he identified with, and qualities from both that brought on feelings of discomfort. The symptoms he described amounted to the same type of gender dysphoria that Rose suffered from, but the things causing it were different, meaning that so would be the solution.
Rose remembered reading something about 3rd gender or gender fluid ponies during her time of research, but there had not been much information, much less information she remembered.
Soon Timetable returned, looking rather shaken up, with local policeponies who offered to escort Sunspot to his father’s house, but not before Rose gave the colt her mailing address should he have any more questions in the future.
The rest of the day went by quickly enough, with Rose delivering her speech and doing the question and answer panel she had just finished, both of which had been taxing and demanding tasks for Rose. However, through the whole ordeal, Sunspot never left her mind, weighing her down.
“I’m just glad today is almost over,” Rose thought, prompting Discord to nod.
“Are you heading out?”
Rose turned in the direction of the voice, finding Dusk walking briskly towards her.
“Assuming you don’t need me here anymore, yea,” Rose said nodding.
Dusk looked through his papers, flipping a few pages and skimming over his reports.
“No,” he said, “It looks like you’re done for the day. You are free to go to the hotel or stick around. You’re also able to go explore the city if you absolutely want to, but as I’ve said, I advice against doing so.”
Rose thought quietly for a second.
“Our bags are back at the hotel right?” she asked.
“They should be,” Dusk confirmed, “They should have been locked in our rooms, so if you go to the reception desk and ask for your key, they’ll give you the one to the room with your bags.”
“Good,” Rose said, “Then I think I’m going to go back and relax, maybe write a few letters.”
“Sounds good,” Dusk responded, “Just remember to be up tomorrow by six. We don’t want to-“
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The pair turned to look as an older looking pegasus descended from the sky, landing beside Dusk. The stallion, Rose noted, was well dressed and stood with a posture that commanded strength and respect. That said, the stallion also had the air of someone who was worn and tired. This combination of signals stirred a sense of unease from Rose, which caused her to take a step backwards. Dusk, however, stood his ground.
“Oh, Mr. Ring, nice of you to join us,” Dusk responded. “And to answer your question, I’m not going anywhere, Ms. Rose here is going to be heading back to her hotel room, but I will stick around for the remainder of the day. Why? Is there something you needed?”
“You could say that,” the pegasus said, “First of all, call me Mayor. You and I are not informal or close enough that you can call me by name. Second of all, you and I are going to have a little talk about your operation.”
“You mean this event?” Dusk asked. “I think it is going great, don’t you a-“
“Yes, you would think that wouldn’t you?” the mayor said, cutting him off. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Brought information, awareness, and conversations to a city that prides itself in its ability to not talk about anything?” Dusk responded testily. “I do believe you’ll find that I’m rather aware of what I’m doing.”
“Oh, are you really?” the mayor snarled, getting angrier after Dusk’s response. “Then you are completely aware that you’ve just ruined the ability of any transpony to live in Baltimare. Then you are aware that because of you, this city will now be on par with Cloudsdale on open discrimination and hate. You are aware that you’ve broken this city and thrown away all the work we did towards tolerance, and that soon transponies will have to flee this city. I’m glad that you are so aware that I don’t have to explain your actions to you, that way I can just focus on being angry.”
Dusk stared at the mayor, refusing to blink.
“I do believe you’re overreacting sir,” he said calmly. “Things are-“
“Are what Dusk?” the stallion yelled. “Salvageable? Not as bad as I say? Well I’ll tell you this, they are far worse than before you showed up. Far worse than I imagined they could get. That’s the only reason I let you do this. I thought from the beginning that your idea was thoughtless, but I allowed it because I had faith in you and because I figured that there was a limit to the damage you could cause. You really let me down on both counts.”
“Pray tell, what am I responsible of?” Dusk asked, letting his eyes narrow into a glare.
“It would be easier to say what you weren’t responsible for,” the mayor said. “This city has never been accepting of change. You’re not responsible for that. They’ve always been prone to xenophobia, and irrationality for the sake of tradition. That’s not your fault either. But we had a system Dusk! We had a system that protected the minorities within our populous and you broke it!”
Dusk said nothing, and the silence urged the mayor to continue.
“The city gossiped, the ponies stuck their noses in the air, and it was left at that,” he said wistfully. “Whispers and glares Dusk, nothing more. The minorities felt the discrimination, but they were left alone without any real action being taken against them, and the populous felt like they were doing enough so they frowned upon further hate. It was not perfect, but it was something we could work with.”
The mayor closed his eyes, as his anger rose again.
“But no, that wasn’t enough for you,” he yelled, “You had to poke them with a stick, aggravate them, stir up the nest. Well I hope you’re pleased, because you’ve gotten their attention and they’re reacting. The way they’re talking, it’s like you and your group have ‘invaded’ Baltimare, and they’re fighting off the invasion. They are now talking about how they didn’t take enough action and how now they must make up for it. Do you know what this means Dusk?”
“Enlighten me,” Dusk said coldly.
“They are going to start harassing transponies and probably the rest of the LGBT community. They’re going to boycott stores, call for resignations, and not just for those in the community, but for sympathizers. They are calling for me to take action against those ‘corrupted by perversity’ and there are a lot of them. Failing that, they’re asking me to step down.”
“So is this what it’s about?” Dusk asked. “You are going to change your stance because the majority told you to?”
“Are you an idiot?” the mayor yelled. “I am not going to change my stance and I am going to do everything in my power to fight this, but this isn’t about me. I am going to be replaced next election cycle by someone who runs on the exact opposite platform as me, and what then? You’ve escalated the conflict to a point where they will take any measure to ensure that you, and Ms. Rose, and anyone like you will be gone. Everything has escalated, their intentions, their actions, everything!”
His final shout lingered in the air for a while, followed by silence. Dusk, stood there saying nothing.
“And I wish I could believe that you were surprised by this,” the mayor said softly. “I wish I could believe that this has caught you by surprise, that you messed up somehow. But you didn’t. From the beginning this has been your plan, to escalate the conflict and make sure the arguments would come to a boil. If every citizen in Equestria is arguing, then you can make your plans work right? It doesn’t matter at all if you throw an entire city’s population of LGBT ponies into a fire right? Ponies that you promised hope and understanding to.”
The mayor looked sadly at the town square limits, where a crowd of ponies was gathering but not entering the actual area of the event.
“They’re getting organized,” the mayor said. “The wolves in this city are more riled up than ever and now they’re getting together and strategizing. Your actions have given birth to a group specifically designed to oppress the ponies we swore to protect. The exact opposite of your group has been founded in Baltimare, and your little event has congregated their prey. Every nervous mare, stallion, colt, and filly that you saw at this event, asking questions and looking for support, you’ve hoof delivered them to a group that will try its hardest to get them to leave by any means necessary.”
He turned back to look at Dusk.
“Your event is almost over, and I will let you finish it,” he said. “But after this, I want nothing to do with you. You’ve done enough damage to this city and the ponies that trusted you to bring them safety, using them as expendable pawns. You sicken me Dusk, and I hope you remember this next time you think up one of your plans and decide that a city is worth sacrificing for the larger picture. I’d also hope that your actions kept you up at night, but we both know how good you are at rationalizing.”
“Are we done with this,” Dusk asked tersely. “Or are you going to keep lecturing me until you pass away?”
“I believe we are done,” the mayor responded. “In any case, I have nothing else to say to you.”
“Good,” Dusk said nodding. “I have some important work to do, so I guess I’ll see you around.”
Dusk walked away towards one of the secondary tents, leaving Rose alone with the mayor. Rose was still shocked by the exchange, meaning it took her a minute to realize Dusk was gone, before awkwardly following behind him.
Rose watched as Dusk entered the tent, and was surprised to see two ponies leave said tent almost immediately. Afterwards, she stood at the entrance for a long time, fear causing her to hesitate.
She knew that Dusk wanted to be alone, and if she was honest with herself, she was scared of what she would see on the other side of the tent flap. However, as minutes passed by, she felt herself becoming anxious. She took a deep breath, and entered the tent.
There was very little light inside, causing her to have to wait for her eyes to adjust before she could make out any shapes. What she eventually saw was a blue earth pony stallion with a blond mane sitting by a desk, writing a letter in the darkness of the tent.
What she heard was crying.
Rose began walking slowly towards the stallion, her hooves clacking softly against the stone floor. The noise caught the stallion’s attention.
“Oh, Ms. Rose, I thought you were going back to the hotel room,” he said bitterly. “I bet you couldn’t pass up the chance to see me like this though, right? After all, isn’t this what you wanted? What you were bothering me on the train about?”
Rose stood transfixed but said nothing.
“Well if you’re expecting a show, go away,” Dusk continued. “I don’t really care what reason you have for being here. I don’t want you around.”
“Discord?” Rose thought.
“Yes?” the draconequus said, appearing next to her.
“You can either go back to the hotel room or stick around here, but for the foreseeable future, I don’t want to hear or see you ok?” Rose thought. “It’s nothing personal, but I think this requires my full attention.”
“Understood,” Discord said, disappearing into thin air.
“Whatever you may think of me, I’m not glad to see this,” Rose said, addressing Dusk. “I mean, I won’t lie, I really wanted you to come to me for help, and you being really upset was the only way I saw that happening, but I would never wish for you to be upset, especially this much.”
Rose walked closer, coming to rest beside him.
“Do you know what it’s like?” he asked her. “Do you know how it feels to have so many depending on you?”
“I’m starting to,” Rose said, smiling sadly. “But why don’t you tell me about it?”
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Dusk said. “A lot rides on me and I have to be right all the time, but I can’t. He was wrong about me; I did not know that the town would react like it did. I thought the impact would be smaller, that the status quo of the city would hold. I made a mistake.”
“It’s ok,” Rose said soothingly. “I believe you.”
“I can’t make mistakes though,” he continued undisturbed. “My mistake here has made this city dangerous. My mistake in Vanhoover could have caused in-fighting between liberal groups which could have caused dissent. A single mistake and thousands suffer for my actions. I try. I swear I try. I should be able to work harder, to not miss anything, but I keep messing up.”
“Dusk, it’s not your fault.” Rose pleaded, “I know you’re trying. You work so hard to ensure everyone is taken care of. You’re doing everything in your power and you would never turn your back on anyone.”
“The sad part is that he was not completely wrong,” Dusk said, not meeting Rose’s gaze. “Even if I had known, even if I had been aware of what could happen, I would have still done it. I would have had to. It was the right choice to make, looking at the whole picture. I have to keep all of Equestria in mind, even if the local transponies have to pay the price.”
Rose said nothing, simply looking at the sad stallion beside her.
“What gives me the right?” Dusk asked, breaking down into tears. “I make mistakes, I can be wrong. And yet everyone relies on me. Everyone expects me to get things right and everyone expects me to make the hard decisions and keep everyone’s interest at heart. They trust me blindly even as I lead them by the hoof into a fire. Who am I to deserve this?”
Dusk continued to try to talk, but his sobs made such a task impossible. Every once in a while he would utter the words “I’m sorry” as he wept, with Rose watching.
The mare slowly stood up, before wrapping her hooves around the stallion.
“You are Dusk,” Rose responded. “You are a pony who tries very hard to do what’s best for everyone. You are smart, and caring, and mortal. You’re not perfect, but you do what you can, and each time you give your all to help every pony in need.”
Dusk’s sobs stopped, but he remained silent. Rose continued.
“I know you’re upset Dusk, but you’re doing all you can,” she said in a pleading tone. “You carry so much weight on you, all the time on your own. I’m here now though, so please let me help you, even if it’s just giving you a shoulder to cry on.”
“Thank you,” Dusk muttered, causing Rose to tighten her hug. “I should tell you though, before anything comes up… I’m not into mares.”
Rose rolled her eyes.
“I am hugging you as a friend, nothing more,” Rose said. “I want you to know you can rely on me Dusk. You don’t have to be strong around me. I’ll help you fix what’s broken.”
Dusk nodded, burying his face in Rose’s mane as fresh tears loosed themselves. And so, slowly but surely, Dusk began to weep away the weight of his responsibilities and of the choices he had to make. His friend continued to hold him through the hours, letting her warmth bring him peace while rubbing his back in as soothing a way as she knew how.
“Shh shh,” Rose said as she held onto the stallion. “It’s going to be ok.”
“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Rose nodded as she continued her walk towards the hotel, not breaking her stride as Discord appeared next to her.
The draconnequs made to speak but hesitated as he took his first good look at Rose since leaving the secondary Triple-E tent minutes before. He noticed that her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were red, but that wasn’t what got his attention. It was the way she walked as if she had just endured a serious injury that worried him.
“Actually, are you ok dear?” he asked.
“Yea, I am,” Rose answered, making sure no one could hear her talking to herself. “I’m just emotionally exhausted. Tending to Dusk, it was tough.”
“I do find it interesting that he chose to confide in you,” Discord said. “I mean, I am sure you two are the bestest of buddies and all, but he seems to like that little mask of his too much to let anyone see underneath it.”
Rose gave a sad chuckle at that.
“I don’t think it was on purpose,” she said. “One thing you learn about wearing masks is that when they break, you can’t just make another one and put it on. The pieces are everywhere and it takes a while to put it back together. In the meantime, you are left vulnerable. I just happened to be there when his shattered.”
“Talking from experience?” Discord asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You have no idea,” Rose answered. “Anyway, enough about me, you had a question.”
Discord looked confused for a second before remembering how this conversation had started.
“Oh, right, yes I did,” he said, “Or rather, I have a statement. I need to go away for a bit.”
“What? Why?” Rose asked. “I thought you didn’t want to leave me for a second because you didn’t want to miss the big event. I mean, tantrum aside.”
“Yes yes, I know,” Discord responded, sticking his tongue out, “But something important has come up and I need to talk to Celestia about it. I just need to go to Canterlot for a few days and then I’ll be back. And for what it’s worth, I’m sure I’ll be back before whatever thing you’re doing takes place.”
Rose frowned but nodded.
“I mean, it’s not like you need my permission in any case,” she said softly. “Thanks for the heads up though, so when are you thinking of leaving?”
“Oh, I was going to leave right now,” Discord said, “Teleportation and all.”
“That makes sense,” Rose said, avoiding his gaze.
“Why? Is something wrong?” Discord asked.
“Nothing is wrong,” Rose said tentatively. “I just didn’t want to spend tonight alone. It’s been a tough day and, well, I’ve gotten used to you being there. I kind of wanted your company.”
Discord looked shocked for a second, before letting a smile grace his face.
“Very well, I can leave tomorrow morning,” Discord said, “But you are going to have to put up with being without my charming personality for a few days regardless, deal?”
“Deal,” Rose said, smiling.
The sound of voices reached Rose’s ears as she walked closer to the hotel.
“I know you don’t like displays of emotion, but I’m really thankful,” Rose thought.
“Displays of emotion, no,” Discord agreed. “However, I’m always up for congratulations, admiration, and… hey isn’t that your favorite mare in this city?”
Rose’s smile dropped from her face as she looked in the direction Discord pointed.
A group of ponies was gathered around a mare who was in the middle of a speech.
“The time has passed for us to sit by as these degenerates undermine our traditions and values. The Coalition for a Better Equestria will directly combat these oppressive efforts, but to do that, we need your help.”
“So this is what the mayor had talked about,” Rose thought, walking closer to the group but remaining out of sight.
“We allowed for same sex couples to exist in this town. We allowed for them to be protected, and they work in our schools, and our shops, and our town. Just a little bit of tolerance, that’s what the current mayor asked, but it was never just a little. Each day we are asked to make new concessions and soon nothing will remain but their warped lifestyle. Our children will become theirs and the traditional family will die. But we can stop this, by appointing a mayor that works for us, rather than against us, and by removing these ponies from role model positions. We’ve been tolerant long enough, but we need to take our city back, or watch it crumble. I choose the former.”
Shouts of agreement rang out as the ponies in the crowd clapped and cheered.
Rose quickly turned to look into her saddle bag, removing a scrap of paper from her notebook and a quill, with which she began to write.
“Planning what you’re going to argue against her with?” Discord asked with interest.
“I never plan an argument Discord, it just happens,” Rose answered. “But no, I’m not about to argue with her, I’d lose. I’m too outnumbered and reason won’t cut through. What I’m doing is far worse.”
As she finished, Rose put her things back, grabbing the paper and walking into the crowd.
“Oh, look who has decided to join us,” the mare yelled. “Not only did you have to meddle with my attempts to correct my son, but now you’re here too. Does your kind never know how to keep your noses out of every other pony’s life?”
Rose ignored the comment, stepping as close as she could to the mare.
“I’m not here to stop you,” Rose said, giving her the paper. “I’m here to give you this, you can keep ranting and raving all you want and you won’t hear me meddling.”
“What’s this?” the mare said, reading the paper.
“That’s my mailing address,” Rose said. “I take it you love your son right? Even despite everything? And yet you threw him away like he was nothing.”
Anger showed on the mare’s face but Rose kept talking to stop her from intervening.
“My parents were like that too,” Rose said. “Or maybe they still are. In any case, eventually they decided that they wanted to reconnect. That family was very important, and I was right there, easy to reach when they came looking for me. I don’t think you’ll have the same chance though.”
This took the mare aback.
“You did a great job at alienating your son,” Rose continued. “And what you’re planning now will alienate him even more. I’m not sure that he’ll want to talk to you if you ever change your mind about him. And if that happens, then I know you’ll need somepony to talk to. That’s what the address is for. If you ever need help reconnecting with your son, after all is said and done… I can help. Keep the address, just in case ok?”
Rose saw that the possibility of losing her son struck a chord with the mare, but still she said nothing, and so Rose began to walk away, the crowd parting to let her pass.
“Don’t you get it?” the mare yelled after her. “I am going to make sure ponies like you are never the norm, I hate you and those like you. Why are you offering to help me?”
Rose did not turn around or slow down to answer.
“Because I don’t think you’re a bad pony,” Rose said, “I just think you’re wrong. I can’t blame you for that, but I can offer to help you learn.”
And with that Rose was gone.
Before long, she arrived at the hotel, ignoring the amused looking draconequus floating beside her.
“Kill them with kindness huh?” Discord asked.
“As much as I know that frustrated her, no, that wasn’t the point,” Rose said. “I want LGBT families to be happy and to do so, I have to help everyone in that family, not just the ones I like.”
Discord said nothing as he followed behind her.
“Ok fine,” Rose suddenly said, “Maybe I enjoyed it a little.”
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Well this was "nice". I figured Dusk would crack after that, but an actual mobilization was slightly unexpected. Nice execution, but why didn't he lock the door? Anyways, consider my bloodlust satiated... for now.
Cant wait for the next chapter!
2659134
It's a tent, so I guess he could have zipped it up but it didn't occur to me at the time.
In any case, I'm glad your bloodlust has been satiated for now. All those lives saved
Kill them with kindness?
More like brutally executed with kindness.
That scene with Rose and Dusk was really special and it's great to see another side of Dusk. Also Rose has a ship? WHO IS IT!?
2660059
I already put clues all through Dysphoria (all Arcs) as to who it is. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure there's more hints up ahead.
We'll see I guess
2660059
I know who it is, and I ain't tellin'.
So, arc 5 will end in two weeks... do you still want to write arc 0, that prequel?
And who willbe that misterious pony? I have no clue
2660857
Yeah, Arc 0 is actually 100% (heavily) outlined, meaning I went as far as to script the conversations so all I have to do is fill in stuff.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten ;)
I finally caught up by reading the 5 most recent chapters in one day. I will say, wow! Talk about a variety of city reactions. Oh, and I really like the way you did Celestia (I still don't know if I agree with the reasoning you gave her, but I think you did her well). I am really liking Discord in this and the whole Rose and Discord interaction.
I really like the way she handled the feminist in Vanhoover (I totally saw what her counter argument was going to be before she even said it) and I think she did really great in that last scene where she approached the mare who just disowned her foal.
You really have me wondering what chaos is coming.
Also, you really have me wonder what ship you are planning. You said that there were hint in all of the arcs, so that greatly limits who it could be. It obviously can't be Dusk, Timetables, Organizer, or Discord then. I am going to say it can't be Celestia or Luna either because they appear too little and plain and simply, Rose doesn't really know them that well. I'm also counting out Octavia and Vinyl - not because I don't think that poly can't work, but I just don't see it happening with them and there have been no hints in that regard (Rose appears to have had something for Octavia in the long past, but not anymore). Mane 6 is of course on the table, but there didn't seem to be any hints towards them in Arc 3. Applejack or Pinkie maybe. Who knows. I guess I will find out.
Dusk's despair was delicious. Now for reparations
Also, I hope I will be prepared...
Foolishly dreaming a nightmare,
so unfound,
so cruel,
and yet reality can not change your ways.
We shall read on.
I will not lie, this made me giggle.
I'm not sure that the moral in this chapter is the best. It would be one thing if Rose was confronting someone who she thought was a friend and helping them see the error of their ways, then 'kill them with kindness' would make sense. Here, she's foolishly extending kindness to openly aggressive ponies who mob together, shout that they hate her specifically, and call for violence. That's not admirable, that's a moth trying to befriend a bug zapper.
Also, it's really hard to understand why Equestrian standards for what is perverse/degenerate is exactly what an old LGBTphobic Southern WASP's is. We really don't get a sense of their culture, and the use of stuff like 'degenerate' and other morally (and sometimes religiously) charged words fails to carry any weight when we don't have insight into their specific situation.