Cadance could never have written these things. I know her, she's my sister-in-law for Celestia's sake! And here I am, clutching the latest issue of The Celestial Equestrian, Equestria's most reputable scholarly newsletter, in my own two forehooves and gawking fearfully at what could never, ever be true. Both Cadance and I have been under Celestia's wing. No matter how different our relationships were with the sun goddess, she was a beloved mentor to the both of us and we learned the same things:
Harmony is achieved through selflessness, or as I have put it in all the best-selling and critically acclaimed copies of my memoirs and studies on friendship and similar teachings: 'socially optimal behaviors and thinking'.
Happiness is in other ponies.
Selflessness over self-thinking, and on a larger scale, the group over the individual. Collectivism has always been an important political ideal in Equestria, and it should be one reflected harmoniously by trickling into the lives of everypony outside of political contexts too.
Humility is a virtue to be embraced by everypony, and pride is one of the greatest vices any pony can have, because then their thoughts are centered around them. That is the core of every villain, and I've never needed Celestia to teach me how to see that.
Work hard. Learn. And use your skills to better Equestria. Using ones skills for oneself or for any other purpose, first and foremost is one of the most horrible kinds of selfishness. After all, why paint the most beautiful pictures in Equestria if you aren't going to share them? Or bake the world's best cake if nopony else gets a slice? Why be a mage if you aren't going to place your life and magic under others, or be the best flier if none of your skill is going to go into industries dedicated to societal gain? If somepony has discovered great insights from the natural world, why should there be a choice on how to use those experiences that doesn't involve others?
Happiness for the majority is to be held in high esteem. This is commonly called 'What would Princess Celestia do?' in the vocabulary of the common pony.
No matter how true it is that we work, play, talk and live among gods like Celestia, Luna, and Discord, the common pony who thinks selflessly and works for others, their home, and their friends as they live a happy, productive, safe, sociable, and comfortable life is the ideal. And it is something everypony should strive to have, cherish, and maintain. A normal life with family, friends, and so much happiness is something so many ponies deserve.
A pony who hides away, lives too reclusive a lifestyle, keeps secrets, deceives, or behaves in frank and abnormal or eccentric ways needs the love of friendship and a community. Ponies can change through friendship, and a pony who has yet to do something so wrong that they no longer deserve it, and hit an antisocial downwards spiral that is beyond forgiveness, can be accepted and changed, so that they fit in happily with others.
Idealism, not pragmatism is a philosophy ponies should uphold. Who wouldn't want to be the best them that others see?
Why wouldn't somepony want to aspire to be helpful and friendly, and live in amity?
All these things and so much more were what I was trying to live by from the moment I was a little filly hearing stories about the Goddess-Princess Celestia from my parents and Shiny, and how she was the kindest mare in Equestria. I never doubted it, and becoming her student made all those tales come to life. Cadance had even more years with Princess Celestia. She had so much more time to really immerse herself in the ideals of Princess Celestia and Equestria in ways I never have, and she never should have thought something like this.
Part of me was anxious, and a little voice at the back of my head was nagging me. Maybe I was still asleep. Maybe I wasn't sitting here and having pre-lunch tea with my wife like we always did when Gallant and Stellar Streak were at school, and there was peace and quiet.
This couldn't be true. Those principles were inscribed on the heart of every Equestrian. Every little filly and colt learned them in school, and even my father, who home schooled me before my time as a Faithful Student basically had to teach me them too, and why wouldn't he? Ponies lived good lives because of those rules, infinitely content and fond of one another through the bonds of friendship.
There's so many things about this paper and what the stark black letters in front of me say that is so very, very wrong. Cadance and I are almost the same! That too, was a principle of Celestia: differences divide; Starlight twisted it into something ugly and wrong, a product of madness, falsehoods, and isolation. Cadance and I learned from Princess Celestia herself: focus on what makes ponies the same and bring them together forever, not apart. As a Faithful Student, I was tutored in Equestrian sociology more than Cadance was, and magic too. She may have learned magic more fitting for her role as a demigod and Princess of Love, but I learned more of the academic and technical side of things.
So hearing from a newspaper that Cadance published an essay that went against Celestia's teachings was heartbreaking. The only other things to make me feel so disgusted were the controversial, scorned, and insane treatises that Sombra occasionally published on whatever subject his horrid mind came up with — historical topics, supposed government issues he could never adequately solve, philosophy, arcane studies, spellcraft, and numerous things he has no authority on. He's lucky Princess Celestia allows him to publish those things anywhere, and of course, he'd ignore her generosity...
I can't imagine how Luna puts up with it...
Breathing shakily, I put the paper down and looked despondently across the table to see Rarity nibbling her lip with a dainty perfection that had my heart melting a little despite this. "Rarity?" I croaked, "Did you see what Cadance wrote? You read this too, didn't you?"
Rarity winced a little bit. "It's the gossip of Equestria, darling. Only the wedding and coronation of, ah, Prince Sombra have stirred this much discontent."
'Discontent' was a mild word for what Rarity was describing, but once a self-styled lady of a mare, always that lady. Unlike Sombra, Rarity was tactful and as elegant as ever. Her purple mane was pulled away from her face, but the curls show lustrously in the soft sunbeams that shone through the window. Diamond earrings winked with the same light in her ears. Deep sapphire eyes showed a soft, contemplative side in their depths and a small, thoughtful frown perfected the look.
"What do you make of this then, love?" Rarity asked carefully, her eyes searching me for any hint of a response with the same care she showed looking at her mannequin when planning a design — 'an artist's gaze' is what she called it, always stressing the passion an artist needs. Personally, I always discounted passion... it was such an irrational thing, and I'd always found myself just politely listening to all these things about having 'heart' and 'inner fire'. Passion was such a deadly, unrealistic thing that was better tamed. To me, Rarity was a rational mare, caught up in a craft where she conducted herself logically and with dignity.
"I'm not sure, but..."
I just trailed off, not sure of what I could say. My eyes roamed to the paper lying among Rarity's fine teacups. Cadance's words were in plain view.
Bubbly, fun, sisterly Cadance was not a scholar. The pegasus part of her still considered magic to be very fanciful, and she still struggled with some things, like teleportation.
There were the words, the crime — at least in my eyes — that Cadance had committed herself to writing:
Ponies, especially Equestrian ponies, are raised to hold others in the highest esteem, and encouraged to be socialized accordingly. As little fillies and colts, we are taught that family, friends, mentors, or peers are what we need to complete us, and that our special talents are a puzzle piece meant for an 'us' and not 'me', the very ponies we usually seek to find our marks for. Those who lack these things, and a background with them, are not usually given the same consideration as others. This is not something the average pony would ever stop to consider or look for, but it is not nearly as odd as we might think.
I stared slack-jawed at the excerpt. If this had been anypony else's essay, I would wonder why it's in a fine a newsletter as The Celestial Equestrian. It lacks an educated tone, but then again, Cadance isn't exactly the scholar I am. Though, I am surprised by some of it. She must've gotten some help, something to back up what her claims were, didn't she? Or was this rough emotional piece published purely to be controversial and because as royalty, she has the right to publish something like this? But why would Cadance want to?
I read through the following paragraphs, past mentions of a Dr. Chickadee Peachbottom. That name admittedly did sound a little familiar. From where, I wasn't sure. After reading on, I was able to glean that she was a psychiatrist... but not an Equestrian one. Ponies outside of Equestria have made many very dubious claims in regards to the behavior of ponies, and lacked a lot of the benevolent ways and specific criteria of Equestria. Rarity and I — and anypony who read this — had every right to be stunned by the words printed here.
"By the Acheron's waters," I whispered, letting a startled curse slip from me in a hushed tone. This situation... I felt so torn about it all that it felt right to use the name of the river that ran through Tartarus freely. Even Rarity looked a bit pale at me mentioning it, but I didn't have the sheepish, apologetic smile she wanted to see right now. This was big.
My eyes zeroed in on another excerpt, trying to see the logic behind this, and the 'gears' Shiny used to tease me about working their very hardest to come up with an answer or some kind of plan that could explain something so... unconventional.
The enemies of Equestria, former villains like Discord and Sombra—
"King Sombra, a former villain?" I snorted. He's just changed how he implements his evil: by spreading lies and trying to destroy the foundations of personal relationships, sabotaging friendship and all it stands for. Family, love, and friendship don't mean what it should to him, and it's by Celestia's graces that he's allowed to live the life that he's been maintaining, as unbearable as he is.
—along with supreme antagonist Lord Tirek have little in common, save one thing that is the broader focus of this piece. Each and every one of them has had their behaviors exaggerated to the Equestrian public. No, it is not their deeds that were exaggerated. Tirek did try to destroy Equestria and the Crystal Empire.
My frown deepened. "Cadance," I murmured, giving Rarity a quick, sad look. "The way she wrote some of this makes it sound like the Crystal Empire isn't a part of Equestria and that King Sombra—" I paused, blinking once before correcting myself, though I did so with an uncharacteristic bitterness, "—Prince Sombra wasn't defeated so that the Crystalline citizens could find a new home, and new friends in Equestria."
Rarity lifts a forehoof to her chest, resting it there below her pearl necklace. "Dear, I'm sure that isn't what she meant at all. Perhaps you can finish reading later, darling. Why don't we go out for a walk? The weather is quite lovely today, and I'm sure that Zecora and the Ponyville Guard wouldn't mind us stopping by to see how their Everfree patrolling is going. What do you think, then? Does a little adventure sound good? I'm sure Spike wouldn't want you to stay cooped up and fretting about this all day. It’s not every day that he visits us when his dragon quests take him so far across Equestria.”
An involuntary smile curled across my muzzle, which had crinkled a little at 'adventure', something I had retired from completely. It wasn't any match for Rarity's warm look. "I think I'll stick with having no other surprises today..." I looked sadly down at the newsletter, my smile vanishing. "Not after this."
And so my reading resumed, meanwhile Rarity sipped her tea politely, looking between her fashion magazine, Ponyville's newspaper, and reading the slight changes in my expression with a critical eye — something I never realized she did before we started dating years ago. I guess I really did have my muzzle in books a little too much, huh?
Discord did try to take over Equestria again, and turn it into his chaotic playground before the Element Bearer Fluttershy and Princess Celestia were able to show him a different way. Sombra did frighten the Crystalline citizens I now rule before going his own way and entering a relationship with Equestira's own Princess Luna, and becoming the prince he is today.
It was a horrible thing for me to do, but I found myself wanting to just shout. "What was Cady thinking?!" I exclaimed, but not with the force I wanted to.
Rarity blinked calmly, humming a little as if she didn't mind the outburst. "Yes, Twilight?"
"This isn't a foal's fairy tale, and yet Cadance refuses to give a more descriptive account of some of the deeds of Kin— Prince Sombra and Tirek. They killed ponies, Rarity. Thirty ponies died in Tirek's rampage from related accidents, soul drains, magic loss, and other things that were his fault. He sits remorseless in Tartarus for the things he has done. But Sombra? Hundreds of crystal ponies were s-slaughtered by him... and all she says is 'frightened'. Even the stories that parents are telling to the youngest fillies and colts highlight his evils more than this essay published in an academic newsletter."
Rarity continued to sip her tea thoughtfully. "What if..." There was a slight dramatic air to her pause. "That simply wasn't the focus of her essay, dear? The princess surely needn't extensively reiterate what must be common knowledge to her audience, wouldn't you agree?"
Biting my lip, I nodded a little. "I guess, but it still comes across as condescending, which isn't something I could have ever imagined Equestrian publishing being capable of."
"Then why not keep reading to see if it retains the tone? One stitch does not define a dress anymore than one word should limit that essay, no?"
Smiling despite myself, I nodded with a little more confidence, though still quite sheepishly. "Alright, Rarity."
Just like many 'villains' throughout Equestrian history and legend, the characteristics that are exaggerated and presented to an unsuspecting public in order to fuel a feedback loop of increasingly intensifying scorn would be what is called 'antisocial behaviors'. To many Equestrians, these two words are nothing short of something meant to encompass what is held as a hated social taboo. The behaviors, thoughts, and characteristics, as well as what they can lead to are very frightening to the masses.
Hysteria can be spawned, and the collective behavior of others and the superstition, prejudice, and other beliefs that arise from such circumstances will have a profound effect upon the herd mentality of ponies, which can cause them to become violent towards the individual, mobbing against them in ways both physical or social.
Because of the state of mind a crowd of ponies will be in, their perception against what they have perceived as a threat will be skewed. Traits that stand out as not belonging can be exaggerated or used to incriminate. If the majority of ponies do not understand what they see, they will figuratively paint a picture of something they can. Or, they will rapidly adopt the most agreed upon and simplistic version of the 'picture' held by others and join in the antagonism, highlighting the effects of a herd-mind.
I swallowed as soon as I realized my mouth was dry. "No," I whispered. "No, no, no..."
My nervous muttering was stopped by Rarity reaching across the table to rest her forehoof on my wither with a careful touch and even more cautious, concerned tone. "Twilight, are you going to be alright?"
"Cadance wouldn't do this!" I cried. "She shouldn't have done this! Nothing in here is true. Why would anypony read this? Why would she try and make the herd-mind sound bad, or use such a snarl word for a completely normal thing? I know Cady, Rarity! She was my foalsitter! Cadance is the kindest, caring, and one of the ponies who exemplifies good and love itself in the way that Princess Celestia is wise and selfless... she ruled for a thousand years without her own sister for pony's sake!"
"Go on," Rarity said, nodding encouragingly, her concerned deep blue eyes transfixed on me as she waited.
"So why would she write something... an essay that couldn't have possibly come from her? Nothing in here is anything that a kind mare like my sister-in-law would be writing. This isn't even a field that she knows about... and... a-and..."
I looked down, at a freshly printed newsletter resting right in front of the best selling author that was the Princess of Friendship. Bold, new words filled with nothing but controversy faced me with nothing but a stark twisted frankness that had me squirming a little in reaction. Just what was this?
"She's defending a murderer," I whispered. "Sombra's a monster... and Cadance is defending him..."
After that, I just stared at all of Cadance's words numbly, trying to find any of my own, only to realize I didn't know what to say.