Fic Previews; Deterrent · 2:11am Aug 4th, 2013
Continuing my usual project hopping, I've been working on a Slice of Life, all OC story, as well as a semi-sad Luna fic that I'll preview later, as well as my two wacky comedies. The Slice of Life is nearly done, and I expect it to be ~4k words before editing.
In the meantime, have a chunk of a different story; Deterrent. [Tragedy][Adventure]. Very tentative FIMfic entry may be found over here.
Be warned; still in conceptual stages. This is very much a rough draft, completely lacking proper editing, even from me.
“Hello, Princess. You wanted to see me?” Twilight noticed a distinct lack of guards and other officials as she entered the royal audience chamber. It was a little unsettling, for some reason.
“Yes, Twilight. Thank you for being so prompt.” Celestia waved a hoof at a cushion in front of her. She waited for Twilight to sit before she continued. “I know you have been busy with your duties in Ponyville, but I have a very important favor to ask of you.”
Celestia leaned towards Twilight. “There is a war brewing.”
“What!?”
“The minotaurs have been pooling forces around our borders for some time now, and there are rumors that they are trying to get Arcadia to break their alliance with us.”
“But, that wouldn’t make any sense…”
“Politics rarely does. But I have a plan to…deter such hostilities.”
Twilight let out a visible sigh, her wings settling ever so slightly.
“This plan involves you, Twilight. And I know normally you would jump at any request I made of you without thinking. This time is different.”
Twilight frowned. “How so?”
“This time I must ask you something that I am not sure you can handle.” Celestia held up a hoof, cutting off Twilight’s response before it had even begun. “I do not doubt your ability, Twilight. Just the opposite, if I am honest. That is why asking this of you is so difficult…”
“Princess, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”
Celestia sighed. Even after eons of practice she still found herself dancing around the problem, avoiding the question subconsciously “You’ve studied your history well, I’m sure you know Equestria hasn’t had a standing military since long before you were born.”
Twilight nodded, a dash of pride peeking through her academic expression.
“You’ve also studied culture, so I’m sure you’re aware of how much minotaurs respect power and strength.”
The same nod.
“We do not have the resources to raise an army. Nor do we have the culture for it, not anymore. So I have planned a stratagem. In one month’s time I intend to hold a summit with representatives from all five great nations, to hold a peacetime demonstration of Equestria’s newest weapon.”
“What weapon?”
Celestia hesitated. “You.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. “I…I’m sorry, Princess, I don’t…”
“Word of your ascension rippled through the entire world, Twilight. Every nation heard about it, eventually. My plan, if you desire to help me, is to teach you war magic, and then use your abilities to scare off this potential war.”
“Well, Princess, of course I’ll…”
“I knew you’d say that.” Celestia shook her head. “No, Twilight. This is not a short decision. War magic is nothing like civilian magic or academic magic or even combat magic. War magic is about scale. It is meant for enemies. It is the opposite of benevolent in every possible way. It is…not pretty.”
Twilight had to lean in to hear Celestia properly, but at the last words she leaned back.
“Power corrupts. I’m sure you’ve heard that cliché before, but it’s true. War magic is all about power, Twilight. I’ve used it before, I would know.”
Twilight noticed the twinge of regret in Celestia’s voice, but chose to ignore it. “Well, if you know war magic, then couldn’t you do this demonstration yourself?”
“No. The other nations already know what I’m capable of. I’m just one mare to them. I have been for a long time. I was born an alicorn. I have earned my power with age. But you, Twilight. You become an alicorn with your abilities, not your birthright. Your power doesn’t merely represent a threat to any other nation, it represents a thousand hypotheticals. An army that could be, even if it doesn’t exist yet. That is the true deterrent, and it is why I had to ask you this.”
“Princess, I—”
“I warned you about answering quickly, didn’t I? Think it over, my faithful student. If you say ‘no’ I will find another way. I always do, eventually. But if you say yes, you will never be the same pony again. You’ve learned many dangerous and spectacular things in your studies, but war magic is something else entirely.”
“But…” A stern look from Celestia stopped her sentence.
“Power corrupts, Twilight. Remember that as you make your decision. Take as much time as you need to decide.” Celestia stood up, and Twilight took the cue to leave.
She trotted to the door, the silence broken only by the doors scraping open.
“And Twilight?”
She turned back to Celestia.
“I’m sorry.”
My favorite may be a bit premature, but based on this excerpt, I'll definitely want to stay up to date with this.
Interesting premise, I'll give you that.
1260314 Your optimism is flattering
1260352 All of my ideas are great (with occasional exceptions), but more often than not the execution could use work.
Still, thanks for saying so 