FOE: Hooves of Fate: Chapter 7 review.

Chapter Seven: The Low Priestess.

And back to the increasingly awesome Hooves of Fate. And yet another rather somber and unsettling quote.

"Mankind can keep alive thanks to its brilliance in keeping its humanity repressed." - Berthold Brecht

Which is pretty obvious what it means, and how it relates to this chapter. That people can do horrible things. Things that they would normally never consider, that they know are wrong. If it's the only way to survive. That when it comes to a choice between being 'good' or 'right' and being alive, that vast majority will choose to live.

The story itself opens with Rose noting from the supplies still stuffed under the stage that the town once had a pretty decent community theater going on. (And a few other things make me wonder how old that theater really is, but more on that later.) And how unlike the uplifting and fun plays like ''Yokelahoma!'' or ''The Princess and I'' the vile tirade of 'innocence is evil bleh bleh bleh...' the Priestess now uses the stage right above them to create.

Two things with that, one. Just when exactly did Rose find out she was a 'Priestess'? I can't quite find the spot she started referring to her as, or why. Kind of bugs me. Second. I really want to see what the pony versions of those plays are like. Oh and third, really nice ponification of those names.

We also get some really great scene setting and description of what it's like under the stage.

When the bright stage lights poured down from above, it cast a hundred jagged shadows all over the place like something out of The Stable of Dr. Caligari or one of those fun house rooms that isn’t so much “fun” as it is a clumsy odyssey into the heart of madness and personal injury.

I really want to hear the story of just how she managed to mess up that badly in a hall of mirrors. I mean I don't doubt she could, but that would be one hell of a quick little story. Also, that title. I really REALLY want to see how that things would be when done by ponies.

She had time to consider all this because the herd had come to a stop, Rose and Twinkle to far back to be able to tell what was going on. The foals in front of them passing back the expected exaggerations and wild rumor's passed off as fact about what's gone wrong, they were all doomed etc... Rose simply looking up over the group and seeing a familiar green glow, figuring it was just Strawberry messing with another terminal. Which was more or less right.

But that fact coming back through set off another wave of rumors and exaggerations, this time about the good news and how they had found some help or something. One little idea really hitting Rose hard.

“Princess Celestia is back from the dead, and she’s fighting the whole town!”

The entire herd was teeming with quiet excitement. But I had to bite back a scream. The princess was dead. Not in hiding. Not banished. Not turned to stone. Not off fighting evil somewhere, waiting for the right moment to come back and set things right. Dead.

She tries to ask Twinkle about it, and about Luna. Simply getting dismissed as her believing in those 'princess stories' and reminded they needed to be quite and get moving. Which Rose does admit was right. They were moving out and had no time to deal with this now.

Alright, her reaction to that news. Yeah THAT is one hell of a hammer blow to her. Granted we know what really happened to the Princesses. And while sadly Luna is gone (As far as we know) Celestia is still around.. sort of. But she doesn't know this, in fact nopony does here. So yeah getting that type of hit. It will hurt.

But, on the other hoof. She JUST got done being directly reminded how stories and rumors grow and get distorted the more mouths they pass through. How unreliable simple word of mouth is. So believing that right away... I can see her assuming it might be true, but would still be something she should be a tad skeptical over. At least till she can learn details rather then wild rumor. Then again as shitty as the Wasteland is, and as bad as she already knows. Yeah doubt it will take any convincing to get her to believe the worst is happening or has happened.

We jump to them sneaking past the main group of Cloak-O's. Apparently the only way out involved going through the main theater area that was currently full of ponies, with the Priestess herself speaking on the stage. Or, maybe not. They might jsut be backstage. it's confusing, but I'll get to that in a bit. Strawberry at least managing to fake some emergency about a gas leak that took some of them away, and got the rest to all huddle on the far side of the room, giving them a bit more of a chance. But not enough as they eventually get spotted.

Okay so far this scene, just the set up and everything up to their getting spotted. Don't want to say I don't like it. What is going on is fine, but it really isn't handled well here. We just jump right into them sneaking through the theater without a word before this about what was going on. No set up for it just "We made it to the wings before we got caught" and then talking about having to sneak through the room. As they were doing it. Just, poorly executed set up sadly. It comes across too quickly for something this big a deal. From things that happen later, I'm guessing they are actually backstage. But again none of this is made clear. The story can do some amazingly breathtaking scenery descriptions when Its trying to me poetic about i. But does have an issue with just basic ordinary facts. Just doing a good job os setting the scene when it doesn't have some poetic way of doing so. Simply saying X is here, Y is there, and A, B, and C are that way. Type deals.

And then, while looking at the stage the foals see a pile of other foals unconscious under a tarp. Rose fighting the urge to rush over and try to help them. Alright that was well done, and her talk with Twinkle about how each of them manages to prevent themselves from doing just that is really well done. And ties into the opening quote. Putting off what you know to be right, doing what you know you should. For doing what is smart and won't get you killed. Not a full exploration but it does touch on that a bit and well done.

No my issue is that out of nowhere Rose comes up with "they have a plan" and the proceeds to detail just what it is out of nowhere. Without a single hint about this before hand. It just comes out of nowhere and feels really disjointed being given as it is, same with the opening off the scene. Great ideas, just the execution could have been a lot better. Give more time to build up, see things like this happening AS they happen, not suddenly out of nowhere tell us they did. Show us what is coming, don't just drop us right into things.

Knowing they were spotted the foals bolt, running for the door they had been aiming for. Rose noting that if they had been in the open, able to spread out they would have been doomed. They would have gone nuts, ran every which way, separated, become easy pickings for the larger ponies to overwhelm. But being in the theater, and in an aisle with only two end points, one back the way they came, kept them together in one giant see of panicking foals. While one foals might not be much of an issue. forty of them charging in a blind panic was more then enough raw mass and force to be unstoppable. As one pony that didn't get out of the way found out.

By the time his body reached us kids in the back, it had been mashed into some kinda gak.

Okay, first, had to simply facepalm and chuckle at the reference. But, then had to groan at how little sense it makes. Yeah it's fun as a reference. But poorly done. The best way to use a reference like this is making sure that it makes perfect sense to someone who doesn't get the reference. If you didn't know what 'gak' meant in the fandom. Didn't know about that meme it would still make perfect sense. This does not.

Now the intent is clear, and it is rather vivid. And somepony getting trampled like that is going to be fairly painful. But, 'gak'. The foals just don't have enough weight or force to do THAT to a full grown pony. Not with the small a group. The choice of wording implies he's pretty much a smear on the carpet, a pile of goo. Yeah he's going to be bruised, maybe a few cracked bones if the foals hit right. Knocked out even. Not nearly liquified like the wording, outside of being a meme, suggests. Not really a bad bit, and yeah it made me chuckle. But one that falls apart if you actually think about it as anything except a reference.

Okay okay being to critical need some happy. (And yeah, some flubs but, they are rather minor overall, just tings I can't help but see could have been done way better. Not anything that ruins the story at all.)

Knock back a cold pint of foal’s blood after a long hard day of giving speeches that made no bucking sense.

Yet more great leveraging a child's over the top perspective and imagination to make what would otherwise be a rather gruesome image, into something rather comical.

They make it to the doorway. At least the ones in front start getting in. Despite some heavy attempts by the unicorns in the room to toss stuff in there way, knock out some of the foals, put up barriers, whatever they can to slow or stop them.. While staying away from the fate of the gak'ed pony. The unicorn foals doing their best to return the favor, block them, protect the herd. All leading to something Rose names a unicornado. A word that is to damn awesome not to be used as often as possible. Rose however notices Twinkle had fallen behind. Her legs to small for her to run fast enough. A Cloak-O inches from grabbing her by the tail. Until a large fast moving ball of pissed off Rose Petal slams into his face. Tossing her friend on her back she races for the door, knowing that even if she makes it they were screwed. Even if they could lock the door it would only buy them a few seconds. Not enough time to escape.

The plan wasn’t just shot to Tartarus. It was fucked. We were fucked. Yes, I actually said ‘fucked.’

That’s how completely and totally fucked we all were.

Language Rose. But, yet again. Something that actually works really well given who it's coming from. And adds a tiny bit of not at all out of place humor to a situation that needs it. While still being incredibly serious. Definitely one of the stories greatest qualities is how well it can do this.

Spying Misty, Rose get's an idea. Apologizing to Twinkle she reaches back, grabbing the tiny pony's mane and throwing her into the room, slamming the door shut after her. With Rose on the outside.

BFF Death Pacts are one thing, but I had a shot at getting us all out of there alive, and I was gonna take it.

“Whatever you do, just keep going!” I hollered back.

Okay this part was just amazing. And on so many levels. First, something Rose herself makes a direct allusion to shortly before this. The cage and electric death water creeping closer. Her feeling like that's what was going on here with the Cloak-O's surrounding the foals. There she bailed, saved herself, left the other foal to die. At least in her mind, already pointed out how that wasn't the case. But now, she's staying, working to distract the guards all on her own, giving the others time to flee by sacrificing herself. Proving she isn't some coward. She left the foal in the cage because there was no other option. Leave, he dies. Stay, they both die. There was nothing she could have done to prevent that. Here, there IS an option. Going back to the "Almost" certain death from before. There is hope. It IS possible for the others to survive if she does this. It isn't a pointless sacrifice. Yes it might not work, but there is that small glimmer of hope. And that is enough.

Secondly, because all that above, while true in what she is willing to do. Isn't quite accurate because of just what her plan really is. And it all hinges on that last sentence she yelled. This was just so well done. I didn't even see it the first time until I got to the end and she directly mentioned something about it. And it's not a twist, not some hidden surprise. It's something that is right out in the open, something the reader is more that able to figure out on their own, or even come up with before Rose. But while there, it isn't emphasized. And it even subtly hints at this by her getting the idea after seeing Misty. Yeah this might be a sacrifice. She might get hurt, maybe even killed for doing this. But, she did mean ALL of them out alive. Including herself. She's only here to save Strawberry Lemonade. Soon as the filly is safe, Rose will go back to the past, wake up in bed and be safe. So all she has to do is buy time for Strawberry and the rest of the foals to get away, and she's got her own built in escape route.

Again something I didn't even realize at first, but is so obvious... and yet so well done in the story that it makes it easy to see why I would miss it. To caught up in what's going on to take the time to really think about it. And the story handled it perfectly. There, obvious, and making perfect sense. And yet at the same time not put on display. Not explained, letting the reader come to their own conclusions about what's going on. What Rose is doing. Really great and well done bit.

We had a chance to get through this. I had to do something so crazy, and so stupid – something so catastrophically ginormous – so in your face – that the guards would think that I was more important than the exodus of forty some-odd child sacrifices rummaging through the Priestess’ junk and slipping out the back door.

That whole whole thing is awesome in more ways then I can describe. It just, is so damn fun to read, awesome, and the whole point, doing something so absurd and huge that nopony can resist. Well seems right up Rose's alley. It's pretty clear that making a huge ginormous plot of herself in public is right up her ally. Now we just need a few well placed trees and maybe a hall of mirrors.

And we are not disappointed. As Rose stumbles into a curtain, nearly getting so tangled up she gets caught, only to manage to to drop it on the ponies trying to nab her and escape. Just as she totally planned. Phase two was to dash to the stage, grab a box cutter some Cloak-O had dropped, and use it to slice right through a rope holding up a sandbag, that conveniently was right over the Priestess' head.

Good plan, foiled by the ponies that built this place not being idiots and making the ropes to the sandbags to thick for her to simply slice through, though she gives a good try of it before having to jump onto the stage to avoid the goons coming for her.

There I was. I was a child. Awake. Unchained. Not some deep secret de-ponified anonymous sacrifice prettied up to look like something holy. Not an enemy. Not an ideal to be fought and conquered, but a pony – a living breathing pony. With feelings and stuff.

Making them confront the reality of what they were doing. Making them see her as what she was. A foal, a child, another pony. Not some faceless number, some object that they had reduced foals to in order to sate their guilt. At first I thought that was what was going to happen, she was going to give a speech, make the common ponies realize what was going on, stir a rebellion. Something along that lines. But, yeah I was in for a surprise. really this chapter was amazing at taking me completely by surprise and not doing what I expected. But in ways that tended to be even better then what I expected.

Though another criticism. While it does the character stuff DAMN good. The settings are really vague and hard to parse. So she's on stage now, and just now being visible to the audience. So what was going on with all the other foals? Was this all happening back stage? How did the audience not notice all the commotion and yelling from the goons? At first I thought the ones pursuing the foals were the same ponies that were in the audience now, but no. And, this is the first time they see Rose. So yeah logically it means that everything before this had to be backstage. It just, does a very poor job describing the scenes. The settings. What things look like and where everything is in relation to each other. Not a major things, but does get a bit distracting having to stop and try to work out just what is going on spatially.

Well they get a speech, but it's from the Priestess. Though all we get is the occasional key word and Rose pretty much just tuning it out while she tries to find a way out of this. Simply letting her drone on since her whole plan is simply to buy time for the other foals. Noting the goons waiting just off stage, knowing why they hadn't rushed her. After all, dozens of hulking thugs ganging up on one little filly? Even as programmed as the townsponies were, that wouldn't be a sight many of them would forget, and just might set off some lingering feelings about what they are doing.

Eventually it ends, the Priestess giving the signal for the pile of foals to be lowered down to Baal, enraging Rose that nopony was doing anything. All of them just watching as those foals are sent down to who knows what kind of fate. The goons getting closer, her and the Priestess locked in a stare off with each other. Nopony moving, all of them locked in indecision. Until the rope Rose had tried to saw through before leaping onto the stage gives out, dropping the sandbag onto the stage. Though sadly no longer right on top of the Priestess. The confusion breaking the spell, setting everypony moving. The Cloak-O's to grab Rose, Rose leaping onto the Priestess. All of it ending with Rose slipping into the hole the descending platform made, clinging to one of the sprite-bots that had been filming the whole thing.

Meanwhile, that bitch Priestess was kneeling over the edge, rubbing her own head, trying to figure out which way was up. She just barely avoided stumbling into the hole herself.

“In the Name of The Great De-Innocentizer of Souls.” Said the Priestess with a tremble in her voice. “Let this sacrifice be consecrated.”

Even as she faltered, she had not forgotten her audience, or her purpose. A true showpony to the end.

Niiice foreshadowing there. Just remember that last line for later.

Her grip gives out, dropping Rose after the descending foals, with the Sprite-bot zooming back up. At least giving Rose the fun last sight of it slamming into the Priestess' face as it shoots up before she falls into blackness.

And soon afterwards, just as she's starting to wonder what's going to be at the end of their trip down, when looking up, she sees something else falling down the chute. Turns out the sprite-bot so eagerly trying to get back to it's mistress it slammed into her face, caused the mare to topple into the hole as well. Rose just barely managing to get out from under her before she hit. Hard enough to be knocked out.

She spends some time wondering what to do. Figuring that somepony else might use the chance to kill her now, or at least capture her in some way. But she can't do either. A very good point. Yeah she's made a lot of talk about how she wanted to kill the Priestess, stop her. But, that's all it was talk. When it comes to actually killing a helpless pony. No, it's not something most ponies could go through with. Especially not knowing as little about what's going on as she does.

This is another place where this chapter just really surprised me. Every time something happens, I have an idea where it's going, but it just goes a complexity opposite way. But one that still makes sense. On the stage, I thought she'd give some big speech to the townsponies, try to make them see the lies and what they are blindly letting happen. Nope. Then, I thought her being awake for the trip would put her at the bottom, but able to fight back, letting her do something against whatever is at the bottom. Then, oh, no it's the priestess being brought down with her that will be the key. She'll be facing the same fate as the foals now. That that would be the solution, or the way the story goes. Again, nope, and the real climax. The real way this ends, at least the trip down, was something I never expected, but, well.. we'll get to that. Basically this chapter kept me on my toes and unable to guess what's coming next, in the best possible way.

The lift passes an empty mine tunnel, full of the leftover debris of the work that went on. The Priestess waking up, but unable to move. Whether just injured and too sore, or outright paralyzed isn't quite answered. But an odd thing. With the last mare, the one I at first thought WAS the Priestess that Rose took down. The story made a big deal about her neck twisting, but nothing ever came of it. Here, not a word is made about anything, and yet she appears as though she might be paralyzed. Or again simply stunned, and her body able to move, but nothing major said about it. Just.. odd.

The two start talking and we find out the Priestess... is fucking nuts. She really does believe her crap about foals being evil and wrong, and the cause of the war. And how them daring to have the time to play and hope and not be miserable means they need to suffer. Yeah, her whole spiel makes no damn sense. But in a way that's clear, it's not supposed to. Other then in that twisted, bizarre logic only the insane can have. But not gibbering utterly divorced from reality insane. No she's still collected, rationale. Just, with that one bizarre twist in her mental processes. The kind, you just can't reason with. As Rose's attempts just end in a "Did to" "Did not" back and forth.

She passes another tunnel, and this one had ponies in it. A foal crawling out of a tiny hole in the tunnel, being yanked out be a Cloak-O, spitting out a gem, and being kicked back down the hole, coughing and hacking all the while. While another filly is being forced to pull a massive cart of dirt.

Okay, another example of the one persistent flaw I keep finding. Not adequately setting up the scene. Only having something come up when it does something. And so feeling like it came out of nowhere. Here is the full description of the tunnel.

Another tunnel. Like the one I’d seen just a few moments before, only this one wasn’t at all bare. Instead of great big old empty hallways, it was full of wormholes. I couldn’t quite figure them out at first, but a small avalanche poured from one, and out from the mound of rocks came a squirmy little dirt creature, wriggling to the surface.

And then a Cloak-O comes over, yanks the foal out, and it's revealed to be a well, a foal. Now the issue is, at no point in the description did it mention there were ponies in the tunnel. So when suddenly there is one, it just comes out of nowhere. Like he just blinked into existence. What is going on? The set ups for the scenes, do tend to be a bit lax and not detailed enough. Not a MAJOR issue, but a noticeable one.

This makes Rose realize what is really going on. There is no Baal. No being in the mine that needs sacrifices. It's all a ruse, an act. Something the Priestess made up to get the ponies to go ahead and let this happen. Something she outright admits to, but tries to justify herself.

Trottica was a town in the mountains, secure enough to be safe from raiders, and far enough away from the Hellhounds that they weren't an issue for the mines. But their only resources was the gems. And so they needed those to survive. (it's not mentioned HOW the gems do this but it's likely though trade. Though why there would be such a huge market for such overall worthless things... ) Saying that even before she showed up, the ponies were sacrificing their foals to the mines to survive. Doing it because they needed to. If they didn't everypony would die. And that the guilt of doing so caused a lot of ponies to commit suicide out of guilt. All she did was give them a nice little story to sooth their minds.

So, how much of what she's saying is bullshit? Well quite a lot. But there is some truth in there. We really don't know how much though. All we have is her word and, she's not exactly the best source. Even without outright lying, her rather twisted view of the world will lead to a rather unreliable interpretation. But some things are clear right off. First, they only did that with their own foals. What they needed to for everypony to survive. They didn't raid other towns, burn them to the ground, and foalnap others. Didn't imprison dozens of foals and force them into a life of abuse and slavery.

Next, she says they 'sacrificed their foals' to the mines. Okay I can see an argument for them having to make the foals work in the mines. But not like this. Beaten, forced to do ALL the work? Not even sure why they HAD to have the foals work, beyond everypony in town working in them. There is so little know about what is really going on, and the way she describes it seems... almost impossible to be the truth.

I see two somewhat realistic possibilities for how the town worked before she came in. Obviously the foals were working in the mines in some way. That much almost has to be true. But, was it JUST the foals, or everypony else as well, and the fact the foals were forced into as well was what hit ponies so hard? Now just the foals. The only reason I can see is the whole wormholes thing. Them being small enough to dig through those tiny tunnels to find the gems. But, how were those tunnels formed in the first place? Why couldn't they dig bigger ones? None of the makes any sense. And I doubt they had the foals pull the huge ass carts. Something an adult could just as easily do.

If it was the adults just tossed the foals into the mines and let them wok themselves to death. No, just no. There is no way that could happen, it makes zero sense. Even in a "Survival first" type situation. It just makes no sense to do it that way. Far more likely, is that Trottica did make their foals work in the mines. Alongside everypony else. Hence why they now need so many other foals they have to kidnap them. To make up for the loss of the adults who worked alongside them. As well as to replace the ones that are now dying far quicker due to the more brutal conditions. But before this, the foals weren't abused. Would have been cared for. But yes would have hurt many to see them have to work in this still dangerous mine. And likely many did die from it. And it would hit the adults hard. But it is NOTHING like what she is doing. Slavery, abuse. Working them to death intentionally. So yeah it's likely Trottica, while hardly ideal, was a far better place before you showed up. And I really want to learn more about what really went on. Just how bad was life? What lengths did these ponies have to go to? Why their foals? there is so much left to question, and the only source we have is about as unreliable as possible.

All of this just makes Rose start to figure out more about the Priestess. Working out WHY she is this way. Even figuring out she's a 'Stable Girl'. Now, unlike a lot of other places where Rose's insights seem to come out of nowhere. Or be a little to convenient. This one really works. All of it flows well, and you can see how she got to those ideas. She doesn't know what a 'Stable Girl' or even a Stable is. But she heard enough to get an idea what it might mean. Is using it the same way she heard the others use it. Even putting together that thing on her hoof is a 'Pip Duck'. Everything she figures out here, comes from stuff she knows, and it's clear to see why and how she came to those conclusion. Unlike certain other cases where it seems the knowledge just pops into her head from nowhere.

The 'Priestess' actually had a good foalhood, did all the stuff she hates foals for doing. Then came to this town. Somewhere along the way, things didn't go her way, she didn't get what she wanted. And now, she's just taking out that frustration on all foals. Using the situation in Trottica as an excuse to make them suffer. Taking a tragic situation, and making it just freaking evil. Her reaction making it clear Rose was, if not correct, at least close to the mark. Wanting to see more, to try and figure out what else she might be hiding, she grabs the cloak off of her. Pulling it away to reveal her Cutie Mark. A Comedy/Tragedy mask combo. She was an actress. Something that, makes complete and total sense. And really does fit everything we've seen. recall that line about knowing how to play to he audience from earlier? This is an example iof a twist done perfectly. It makes complete and utter sense with everything we've seen. Had lots of tiny bits of foreshadowing. But never anything that screamed that it was coming.

What did surprise Rose was the Priestess' reaction to her cloak being taken away. Just how desperate she was to get it back. Why? Clearly this thing meant more to her then just a simple robe. There is still a lot left unanswered about her. Why exactly is she this way? What happened to turn her? Why does that daisy print cloak mean so much? What Stable was she from and why did she leave? The sheer need and desperation for having it back actually making Rose feel sorry and get ready to do just that. Until...

“You’ve made your point, now gimme my fucking cloak you motherless cunt!” She snapped

So yeah, she really doesn't know when to shut up. Just making Rose put on the cloak and dance around simply to spite her. Though, that insult. Hmmm, possible mother issues that led to her hatred of foals? So many possibilities. Did she lose her mother Or, is it possible.. was she at one point a mother? Did she have foal of her own that died? And the grief and rage turned into a hatred of all foals for making her feel that way? So many possible explanations. Or, is she just plain nuts.

They came to the bottom of the shaft. Rose adding one last bit. Her realization that the Priestess, had no friends. Nopony that actually cared about her. Just the lies she spewed out. The comfort they could take in them. But nopony that was an actual friend.

“That’s sad.” I said shielding my eyes from the light below. Too damn bright.

...

“You underestimate me.” Said the Priestess dryly. “I’ll manage.”

“No, you won’t!” I said. “Cause you’re the underestimater of things. And you won’t manage, cause you’re a great big stupid jerkface!”

Not the most badass of things to say to somepony before you put your cards on the table, but hay, I’m being honest. It’s what came to mind. Think it’s lame? You do better the next time you’re a mile underground and telling off a priestess who sacrifices kids in the High Holy Name of a Bunch of Stuff That She Made Up Off The Top Of Her Head.

Yes rather lame. But, hey being able to make lame stuff like that work through leveraging the fact she's a foal is one of the things that makes this story great. And as the bottom comes into view. Ponies ready to unload their latest batch of slaves. Rather then sitting around and being alert, in position to do just that. They were all around a monitor. Watching the Priestess. Not a recording, but an image of her as she was now.

I could see the Priestess chomping at the bit. She clenched her teeth, straining to look upward. The stringy bits in her neck were all tense and bulgey-like. Then suddenly her pupils shrank into two sharp terrified little dots, and all the color ran from her face. She’d finally caught a glimpse of what lurked above.

A pair of sprite bots trained to follow her and film her every motion floated down. Cheerful. Eager. Ready to please.

You’re right, Priestess. I thought to myself. The cameras have always loved you.

You always come up with the best one-liners when it’s too late to say them out loud.

HELL YES ROSE PETAL! That, that was just plain freaking brilliant. And it's clear she knew they were up there he whole time. Knew what she was doing. And not a hint about it to the reader. But, it works SO DAMN WELL! This, might just be one of the best parts in the entire story so far. At least as far as FUCK YEAH! moments go. Getting her to unveil everything. Her hatred for the foals. Her contempt for the townsponies. Why she's really doing this. The truth about.. everything. Her entire house of cards crumbling down. Like I said, I had no idea where this was going, and never saw this coming but It was so much better then anything I pictured might happen.

As the platform reaches the bottom and the cage swings open, Rose hides under the tarp with the unconscious foals. Feeling the Priestess get dragged off, pleading and yelling before a gunshot silences her. More and more of them filling the air. One pony proclaiming the heretic to be dead, and taking the title of the new High Priest. I have dubbed this one Starscream. And like all such beings with that name, his taste of power after usurping the former leader, last less then a minute before he too is shot. Truly a glorious reign. And one of the longest lasting and most effective ones of all Starscreams.

Even long after the noise stopped Rose hides there. unwilling to venture out, afraid of making herself a target. Unsure just what might be waiting for her. Trying to psyche herself up. Get herself to look out. Only doing so after a very familiar, if odd sounding, voice calls to her. Strawberry Lemonade. The best way for Rose to be saved, is for that filly to run as far away from Trottica as possible. But she was still there. Unwilling to leave Rose behind. Despite Misty trying to show them why it really was the best way to save her.

Misty Mountain jumped right on in there. “I try, Rose Petal. I try! Dee feelies are crazy. I tell dem you be safer if we leave you down there to die. Do they listen to reason? No.”

I said he tried. I never said he wasn't an idiot about it. Seriously, who the fuck would listen to someone when he puts it like THAT! I mean, sure odds are they wouldn't believe the truth, at least not from him. But still. that's like, the complete opposite of helping. Though it does solidify Rose's thoughts on Misty being a fellow traveler.

Rose does get some good news. The whole town seemed to be in revolt. So while it meant she couldn't come back up the lift without getting right in the middle of the fight, the ponies did have bigger issues then hunting for a few escaped foals. Accepting that the only way to get Strawberry and her other friends out of town was to go with them, Rose agrees to follow their lead. Strawberry asking her to pull up a map on the computer. Then remembering she had to tell Rose just how to do that.

“Fine. Hit Horseshoe, Apple, 6 on the keyboard.” She said in the bubbly condescending tone of a kindergarten teacher talking to a kid who doesn’t even speak Equestrian. “Hold it down for the count of three.”

Okay, I can buy keyboards made to be used by hooves. And they are rather dextrous with them. So yeah a keyboard they can use with them, completely believable. But commands that require inputting THREE separate keys at the same time? What pony in their right mind would do something like that? Are they supposed to use their tongue on the key's too?

But even this stumps Rose. Leading to another issue...

“Great.” Staring blankly at the console for another moment, I just had to ask. “What’s a keyboard?”

“Arrrrgg!”

On the other end, I could make out a harsh banging sound. It was not the sort that came from those cloak-o weapons that spit fire and death.

No. Strawberry Lemonade was whacking her own head against the console in frustration.

BWHAHAHAHAHA! Okay after the seriousness of everything up to this, really needed that. Once more, this is something I love so damn much about the story, able to add these small jokes, without feeling out of place. And helping to keep the mood from getting TO dark and grim. While not detracting from the seriousness.

Between all her friends on the other end, Rose manages to workout at least how to get to the next console to get more instructions. But she hesitates. It wasn't enough just to get free. And besides, how would she make it past all the cloak-o's? getting an idea, she gets Strawberry to patch her through to all the consoles. To use the Priestess Sprite Bot for Rose to make a broadcast of her own to all the ponies in Trottica. Or at least, all the foals.

We quickly see that while Agility was her main dumpstat. Rose also doesn't have very many point in Charisma. And also a really abysmal speech skill. (Clearly she has maxed perception to compensate. And likely a really high Luck stat as well.) As her speech is rather jumpy, she trails off, and in general just has little clue what to say. Till, out of desperation and knowing this was the foals one chance at freedom, she realizes what is at stake. Just what to say to motivate them.

It was then that I realized what I feared the most. I thought of Roseluck, and Twinkle. They deserved to see me again. Alive.

“Do it for your friends!” I said at long last.

I was crying now. “Do it for each other.”

I’m coming, Roseluck. I’m coming.

“It’s now or never, Trottica. Now or fucking never!” I squeaked and growled. “Cause living in a mine totally sucks, and we’re. Not. Gonna. Take it. Anymore!”

As big dramatic speeches go. Not the greatest, but, heartfelt. Effective, and definitely moving. If the delivery was a bit awkward. Yes there are better ones, but this one feels so real. You can feel the emotion, the heart in it. this wasn't some rehearsed, perfectly done speech crafted by script writers. This was exactly what it was. One sacred little filly trying to inspire others. Trying to help in anyway she could.

She ends with telling all the foals to get to a console. That there would be ponies there to help guide and coordinate them. Strawberry not liking the idea, but unable to back out now. As he speech ends, Rose dwells in silence. Worried that all she's just done is get more foals killed. That those that rose up would just be shot down. not enough coming around to be effective. Yes the foals outnumbered the Cloak-O's who were in the middle of a war of their own. But they were bigger, and better armed. And the Foals were tired, beaten down, exhausted. Fear and worry racing around in he head till finally, Strawberry comes back on, telling her one of the mines had checked in, and patching the audio through to Rose.

That crumbly paper noise came up on the console again and suddenly I could hear what Strawberry was hearing.

Too many voices to count. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed a hundred thousand billion. All chanting in unison. “Trottica! Trottica! Trottica!”

((Okay, you named that city Trottica, JUST for that line, didn't you?))

Shivers ran all down my spine. There was fire in those cries. Not just for freedom. For vengeance.

“Guys?”

They all responded with some variation of “yes?” or “what’s up?”

“Um…” I stuttered in disbelief. “Did I just, like, you know…Start a war?”

“Yeah.” Said Twinkle Eyes. This is so fucking boss!”

And this, I'm not sure which bit I love more, this ending, or the reveal of the Sprite bots? Either way, it is EXTRAORDINARY!

And it calls back to so much that's already happened. This isn't out of nowhere. Everything till this was building to it. Rose even looking back on a few of those moments. This is the culmination of everything the story has been building up. The need for some small sliver of hope. The desperate feeling on the Hard Yellow Line. The fear of stepping up. The ability to latch on to any hope, no mater how vague or fleeting. The need for it. The power. That is what Rose is giving them. Hope. And leading the way, being the first pony to cross the yellow line. To show the rest it CAN be done. Much like Littlepip will do for the Wastes as a whole a few years later. It is powerful, moving, heartwarming, and just make you go HELL YES! At seeing the foals rise up. After the last few chapter all went from bad to worse. this one ends on a really high note. On a sense of accomplishment, on things feeling like they are turning around. But with the knowledge this isn't a wholly good thing. Yes a war has started. But now they need to win that war and survive. This has to be my favorite chapter ending yet.

Thoughts: Okay actually have a few things to talk about that weren't covered above.

First, the Cloak-O's turning on each other after the reveal. There are actually a good amount of questions about that. Now the townsponies up in the town who just found out this was all a lie, and they were doing this to foals. Facing the realization of what they were allowing to happen. And how little their leader gave a shit about them. Was just using them. Yeah them rebelling and fighting the Cloak-O's I can see. But why did the Cloak-O's down in the mine start fighting each other? All of them would know what was really going on. But, what if not WHY! What if a good amount of them, or at least some DID still believe her speeches. Just not the Baal part. Did believe this was right, because she said so. And then finding out, hey it's all a lie. Or it could just be power squabbles. The leader is dead, now I'm the leader. Like with Starscream. Still why that vicious a fight broke out in the mine is a question.

As is where so many Cloak-O's came from. All the ones in the Mine new the truth, but none of them spilled the beans. Going by how they acted, is it likely she just recruited bandits of her own to do this? They were just hired goons, not ponies that actually lived in the town before she came? Still so much about how the city worked we don't know.

Strawberry and Twinkle and the rest of the foals refusing to leave Rose behind. Yes doing so would have been the best way to save her. But, they would never do it. THAT is true friendship. Even if they did know, I don't think they would run. They would take her with them. They would need to know for sure that she made it back. It's something Rose is starting to understand about friendship. And it's what gives her that fire, that inspiration for the speech that gets the rest to rise up. This story, despite being so dark, despite Rose learning so much about the worst ponies can do. Is also about her learning about the best. Learning what true friendship is. Coming to understand what it means. How powerful it is. Even in the bleak hellhole of the Wastes, there is still hope, light, friendship. And in the end, it is more powerful then any darkness.

It's also interesting to look at the theater. There is no way it could be that well maintained, and that recognizable, and have that many props and sandbags, and just general everything working after two hundred years. Everything looks and feels to new, or at least to not decayed. Plus the outside is described as looking rather cobbled together, as if it was built, or at least fixed up, after the War. I don't think, like Rose did, it was just a leftover from before the War. I think Trottica's citizens kept it working even after. Used it during the centuries. Life was hard in the town, we know that. Even if The Priestess was lying or twisting HOW bad, it likely wasn't pleasant. The theater could have been a way for them to try and lighten the mood. To relax, to escape the horrors of everyday. A community project that held them together in the dark times. Something they needed and used to not go mad from grief, sorrow, and stress. And I think it says even more towards how her view of what Trottica was is horribly flawed. Ponies that didn't care wouldn't create something like that.

And yet, they just stand there and watch when Rose gets on stage. None of them react in more then shock. They have been so beaten down, so indoctrinated that they see foals as evil. Vile. They are scared of Rose. it's not them not caring. It's them simply having walled away that caring. If things were as bad as they were when the Priestess go there. I could see them being so desperate for the illusion they would block the truth out unless forced to see it. And, even that is another callback to something the story had been building. How hope, any hope, even false hope can make a person accept things they shouldn't. Do things they should know are wrong or suicidal. That is what she was giving them. Hope that they weren't evil, that they didn't have to work everypony to death. Just giving them some hope of things being better in some small way. But like Rose's own brush with this. When given false hope, only to find out it's a lie. The reaction is even worse. That hope crumbling, it turns to anger, rage. Like the townsponies rebelling against the Cloak-O's. And another nagging question. how long would this whole things have lasted? If all foals had to be put to death by Baal. In a few years, there would be nopony left in the town. No foals. No next generations, society dies. So how were they planning on handling THAT detail?

One other lingering question. Who was that mare in the pens? The one Rose puled down by her cloak? At first, and till here, I thought she WAS the Priestess. (Again slight bit of could describe and set up things better for the story). But, she also had a Pip-Buck. How? Why? Was she from the same Stable as the Priestess? Did she know her? Come to town with her? What was her story?

Overall, a simply AMAZING chapter. It keeps you one you toes, keeps you unsure just what is going on, what will happen next. And pays off in the most amazing way yet. It was just, plain incredible. It brings together so many of the themes and issues brought up already, showing they are staying with the story, not just one off things for a single scene. But actual themes. Aside from a few issues with setting up scenes and giving setting details, it's just extraordinarily well done.