This story is a sequel to The Code's Apprentice
Sequel To : The Code's Apprentice
The land of Equestria has been changed forever.
New monarchs sit upon the thrones of the Sun and Moon, the once almighty power of Harmony overturned to make way for a new Diarchy of Balance. Political unrest and turmoil have engulfed the land, and at the very center of it all, Princess Celestia - renamed Tia Sunbeam - seeks atonement for the crimes she committed in the name of Eternal Harmony.
With much of her power sealed away, Tia must live amidst the citizens of Ponyville as the world changes all around them. As Ponyville works to rebuild following the struggle between student and teacher, they must cope with the edicts of a new government determined to bring equality to all creatures, beliefs, and ways of life - even those that were long since banished to the dark places of the world.
Tia Sunbeam will struggle with her own deeply held convictions on the way the world should be, versus the way it will now become. She will face a truth she has long since denied, and realize the true meaning of Harmony. And perhaps, most importantly of all... She must make some Friends.
Cover art by SinSays at http://sinsays.tumblr.com/ - Go spend some money with her! :D
Oh, and go check out my new side story - Rise - It's going to become relevant here!
(character tags are not comprehensive! Some are being kept secret! ;3)
Poor Celestia-reduced to just being a unicorn.
When I look at the cover image I have the feeling Tia is going to be very bad-flank somewhere in this story. Already Fav'ed it but I have to wait for time to read it.
Finished reading both chapters and lovin' it!
I like how we are seeing things through other ponies now, but will we have some POVs from the main 6, or will we not? I'm a bit curious. It's no problem if you decide to not saying anything, sometimes things can change when you are typing the story out.
Anyhow, I like how Celestia is acting here, it's believable. And Cheerilee, now I have a new headcanon about her... Cheerilee is awesome in reading body language!
O.o sounds interesting but i must read the first story! @w@
when I heard this All I could think of was this.
as for the rest of the chapter.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/288/d/e/prepare_your_anus_by_drax99-d4cwlf7.png denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw3191-PREPARE_THY_ANAL_CAVITY.jpg fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/271/4/f/prepare_your_anus_luna_pip_by_madman32395-d5g7qw2.png
I think that is enough said about this chapter and future ones.
Why the HELL am I not following you?
Time to fix that.
~Skeeter The Lurker
You are a brilliant writer!now imma follow you!
You haven't disappointed. You've continued your excellent level of work and the story here is as fantastic as the others you have written thus far.
I'm waiting for some to let it slip that Tia is Celestia, or for someone to figure it out on their own. It seems like Cheerlie is in the proper position to figure it out, but at the same pace I've learned it is an unwise idea to guess at those tiny little clips you give, unless there is only one clear outcome. Here there are several and it is that chance that adds to me wanting to keep on reading. I also love the idea of Cheerlie being Mayor Mare's child. It somewhat makes sense, as they both work in a government controlled position. Mayor and Teacher. Speaking of the Mayor though, I do have a tense feeling that she is going to grow tired of not doing anything to Tia and is going to end up getting herself imprisoned or at the very worst killed. Not that that matters to me terribly, since she was never a super important character in the first place.
Excellent work.
Of course cheerilee had a crush on twilight, because who doesn't?
2680220 Christ... Them pictures aren't half creepy...
2680694 Ditzy. She's not into mares.
2680782
Of course she's not...
And it begins!
I've been waiting for this one! I've read both chapters and love it.
Cheerliee being Mayor Mare's daughter is interesting, though they don't look anything alike, I wonder who the father is?
I'm really enjoying Tia's character. Seeing her grown and adapt will be very interesting to see. Of course, we all know that the introduction of the new races to Ponyville is the least of the changes Tia will face seeing as how at the end of the first story we know that Discord is up to something and will surely take advantage of his old foe being a mortal pony now.
Keep it up!
i cant wait for the nex chapter
If this goes the direction you're hinting, this will be the first Cheerlestia fic I'll have ever come across.
*Watches intently*
2681677
Think I just threw up in my mouth a little... yup, sure did.
Interesting direction thus far. I'll have to thoroughly deconstruct it once some more content comes out though. Speaking of, still need to poke at the prequel.
Any focus going to be given to Twilight here, or just a few trickle down things letting us know things are going on with her?
2681756
Twilight and members of the mane 6 will have a role here, but it will be more secondary.
Twilights exact role... Well you'll see.
A sequel is up? Huzzah!
To reading!
I have a question. How is it in your stories you ascribe greater freedom to forces who are able to and willing to use mind control?
2681756
Lol, someone needs cheering up!
2682044 Ugh.
CODES APPRENTICE SPOILER WARNING GOES HERE.
Okay. I'm going to make this speech one more time.
First off, one needs to understand that Harmony V.s Dissonance is an ideological conflict. As such, some of those who believe in either side are going to proclaim with absolute certainty that they are in the right, and the other side is wrong. You can see this effect in every single world religion, belief system, or philosophy which has competing doctrine.
Secondly, following the first - That means that those who believe in the tenets of Dissonance (Which focuses highly on achievement through expression of personally gained power) Are going to proclaim themselves to be in the right over those who believe the tenets of Harmony (Which is much more collectivist, focusing on achievement through group action.)
Third, As countless characters in the last fic stated - Dissonance's core belief (May we know Freedom from Harmony) centers around achieving [freedom from fate and not the traditional, Western culture driven view of freedom. The ultimate goal of their belief system is to ascend to such a level of power that they can purposefully remove their own Cutie Mark, thus freeing them from the limitations imposed on them by Harmony - which decides what their 'special talent' and thus their fate in life is long before they were born.
This concept of "Freedom" has everything to do with the personal choice to follow the path THEY wish to follow - and by extension of that same belief system, they follow those who are stronger than they are, because they believe that Strength is what they will need to achieve Freedom. (For those of you who are keeping track, this is a very Sith-Like mindset, with a lot of alterations)
Fourth - as to the mind control aspect of things. Please note, that once again this is an Ideological Conflict. No ideology or nation or whatever has EVER purposefully thought of themselves as "Evil" regardless of what actions they take. They believed that what they did, morally right or morally wrong, was righteous because it was necessary for them to be victorious.
Was it morally right for Twilight to cast a purposeful spell of Obedience on Luna to force her to reveal herself? By some peoples standards, absolutely not... But in that moment, Twilight believed she had to do something to force the truth out of Lilith. That she was being heavily manipulated - both emotionally and mentally at the time - could be considered a mitigating factor, but I leave that up for the reader to decide.
Ultimately, THE ENTIRE POINT of the Dissonance / Harmony conflict is thus - Dissonance power can be used for good (To save innocent civilians from being killed/kidnapped by Changelings) or for evil. (The actions of King Sombra to mentally dominate the crystal empire)
Likewise, Harmony can be used for Good (The Elements of Harmony imprisoning discord, and some examples you will see in this fic) or Evil (Celestia using Harmony to exterminate followers of dissonance because she believed them to be evil.)
Power itself is not evil. It is entirely dependent on the actions of individuals, and what they choose to do with it, that defines their moral character.
There are those that would argue that many things Twilight did in Code's Apprentice were reprehensible, and those who would argue she did what she had to do to ensure her own survival, based on your individual beliefs.
"Freedom" is a concept which depends entirely on the view of the reader. What one person sees as freedom, another could see as tyranny. THAT is why I am writing this fic. Because "Good and Evil" "Freedom and Tyranny" "Justice and Injustice" are not merely words - they are perspectives.
In The Codes Apprentice there was a very strong theme of Dom/Sub. I am not judging that at all .. I would just like to know if it will be a theme of this story as well before getting too attached...
Dark Twilight (voluntarily or not) was All about the Domination / Submission (heck just look at her friends new elements Kindness -> Submission, Loyalty -> Obedience ... etc.)
Will Tia still be Harmony? or will she have to Dominate others/ be Dominated By Others in this story?
2682310 The ultimate theme of this fic will be different, I can assure you.
Also, this fic will focus on the powers of Harmony, and how they affect the world around Tia - and how she must re-learn their true meanings. So you wont see much D/S interaction going on here. :)
2682325
Thank You
as dumb as this sounds ... I can now read and enjoy without worrying what will happen next.
dumb question time ...
Will there be new Elements of Harmony? (to keep things in balance with the old Elements)
2682468 In the immortal words of Robert Jordan,
Read, and Find Out.
2682263
Nah, personal preference. Celestia is one that I don't like seeing put with anyone except Twilight. That is obviously out of the question here. Thus, I'd rather not see her paired with anypony. Period. End 'o story.
You do realize every cutie mark in this show has been come from doing something the individual loved or at least enjoyed, right? THey were defined by their own minds. In fact that's the exact reason it's suggested that the CMC haven't gotten their cutie marks. They're just doing random stuff.
So Dissonance followers are freeing themselves of their own minds to follow the wills of other ponies.
Honestly, my perspective is dissonance power is pure evil, any ability to use it for good is a complete accident, that would just be overshadowed eventually. You mention changelings but it seems like this would just be trading one dictator for another.
Celestia was completely right to kill any followers of dissonance based on what you're describing to me.
2682509
I could go into a long, drawn out discussion why you are still boiling this down into a matter of "Black and White" with no room for subtlties or shades of gray.
Of course, you have just advocated the murder and annihilation of those who see the world in a different light than you - based on an ideological belief - so I think you've already proven my point for me.
2682509
Dissonance seems to be less about free will than it does about Domination. Submission to others (not necessarily more wisdom but with more power than themselves) and Domination of others who have less power than themselves... Wisdom has very little to do with Dissonance (proven by the way that Submission replaces Kindness as a element)
I am hoping that there is NO D/S going on but I will take what I can get ...
VHAT NO TWILIGHT TAG
grumbles about sequel stories losing a main character
2682603 I did basically telegraph this with the Code's Apprentice Epliogue chapter, you know. =P
2682644
the amount I care is lacking 
2682652 Twilight is gonn show up a bit. =P Besides, you'll have Twilight War to look forward to, and the sequel to THIS Story which is Twilight Focused again.
2682658insert yesyes gif because Im to lazy to find it
2682575 2682559
they're tossing out ideas of domination, in the name of freedom, while mind control is an option to some members. Choosing would quickly become an illusion, if it was ever actually real.
It reminds me of a comic called Blue Beetle that I was a big fan of. There's an alien group called the Reach, they make contact with Earth and they're going to trade with Earth, unlike most alien races in DC who just drop a member or two around to be a superhero. Only they're planning on taking over the world. They're using their tech to put stuff in the water that will bond with human genes and make people easier to control. Then in a hundred years or so, stage a disaster that Earth willbarely survive, swoop in and offer help for a price and people basically become slaves for them without even realizing it.
You mention it being Sith-like. Well, in the Star Wars universe as I understand it, the Sith were not meant to be part of the system, the Force worked better when they were wiped out.
"A true town square was being born right before her eyes, with shops and businesses that would not have shamed the suburbs of Manehatten or Baltimare."
I think you should remove 'not'.
----
Yes it begins!!! I'm partially wondering how Twi is gonna send messages to Tia.... *totally imagined Philomena vomitting scrolls*
2682559
There are shades of grey in Good vs Evil or Order vs Chaos but ...
There are no shades of grey in Domination vs Submission.
Twilight (with the sole exception of Sombra) Dominates everyone around her. Dissonance will not allow anything else. All I have to look at are Twilight's encounters with Luna and Mayor Mare as examples of this...
Dominate or die.
Submit or die.
I fail to see a middle ground.
I could easily be wrong ... I know little to nothing about D/S subculture ...
2682979
While I don't really know about the D/s subculture, one thing I know is that it requires trust. If there's no trust, you can't let yourself be dominated by anyone.
But yes, in the fic, I don't think I see any middle ground, but the Domination vs Submission itself is not bad. It's when other people who don't understand saying they are bad, misunderstanding, miscommunication are the problem here.
2682714
In my view, 'freedom' is whether how one sees it, freedom from choice and the freedom for choice are different, is it not? But they are both freedom. This fic, is more on thought-provoking fic, a fic that is fun to be discussed, and it touched the basic sense of 'freedom vs fate' thing.
And there's that Cutie Mark thing, the Dissonance is more on, I don't want to be restricted by this Cutie Mark, aren't I allowed to do so? No, in Harmony you don't. You are cooped up in the Cutie Mark you have, but in Dissonance, it's more taking fate into your own hands kind of thing. I don't say Harmony is bad though, Harmony and Dissonance both needs to be in balance, if not, what you have is Chaos.
I guess I'm leaning towards Dissonance though.
2683059
Did Luna Allow herself to be dominated? or did Twilight force her?
Did Mayor Mare Allow herself to be dominated? or did Twilight force her?
Maby I missed something but there was no trust involved ... just an application of Force, Will and Power ...
The other elements of Harmony (and Shining) Submitting to Twilight and becoming the Elements of Dissonance ... That was trust but they seem to be the only ones who had a choice in the matter...
for example ... If Twilight decided that she wanted Mr. Cake to lick her hooves she has the right (by dominance) to force him to do it and at this point in time no power in Equestria could stop her from forcing him to do her will. By the precepts of Dissonance she could re-write his own will and force him to enjoy it and it would be a just and good thing. Her Ability to dominate is the only justification she needs To dominate...
The only thing stopping her from being the most evil creature that ever existed is her tenuous d/s relationship with her friends.
If Twilight flipped her table (and took down her friends with her) what power could stop her from doing anything she wanted? to whomever she wanted?
It is my guess that you see yourself as Top ... A Bottom who does not have the power to say no ? or a Top without self imposed limits? ... that view is not quite so pleasant ...
2683330
In fact, in both situations it was very explicitly established in the story that tthey DID allow themselves to be taken.
In the case of Luna, she purposefully lowered her divine defenses so that she could directly influence Twilight further down the dissonant path. She actually outright says so, after the second Obedience spell. The second spell was also a manipulation by Luna - she wanted to drive Twilight to the point where she could complete the True Path, and that meant forcing her to acknowledge that in order to control the monsters, she had to do what Twilight would perceive as a monstrous thing.
As to Mayor Mare - she had already accepted that Twilight was supposed to kill her because her will was too strong to dominate, and had prepared a book containing all of her wisdom to give to Twilight. She was prepared to die, until Twilight refused that path and instead nearly killed herself in order to keep the Mayor alive. The mayor was cognizant of what Twilight did, and dedicated herself to her by virtue of showing the strength to do what she thought was "The Right Thing" even at personal danger to herself.
All of this was IN THE STORY. I'll be happy to reference you chapter-and-verse if you like.
2683330
No, I don't tell the D/s from the fic side, I tell D/s from the Real-Life side, which requires trust, since there's no magic involved. I guess I didn't tell things through. *facepalm*
And I said that in the fic there's no middle ground, and yes, it's forced, and Twilight is giving herself justification to do it, *and* it's different than real life.
That's why Dissonance needs Harmony as well, to keep each other at balance, the world can't have Dissonance and Harmony imbalanced. She can do what you said, but she didn't do it, did she?
And no, I see myself as Bottom if I ever go into a D/s relationship. I always find more appeal being the one under, just letting them dominate me, but I can't do it with someone I don't trust. I don't even tell anybody my feeling about this either. :( And by Dissonance, I do lean towards Fluttershy's role, but that doesn't mean I'll let anybody just going through me. ...
It's hard to explain a lot of things through here, why don't we just PM each other and we can discuss things much easier there? (Just PM me the reply for this if you want to bring it there)
2683365
I do remember it I just took different lessons from the event.
2683387
Sorry.
To be brutally honest this conversation got Far Far more serious than I intended it to
I Really should learn to enjoy a story for its own merits and not try to tell a writer how to write their own fic.
I Am Sorry.
You and your work deserve far more respect than that.
with that said ... i will shut up now ...
2683585
Pfft, it's okay. I don't mind the serious discussion, in fact, I think I'm getting too angry when I'm typing my response...
2683585 Hey look.
Dont be sorry. I invite discussion - and I engage in discussion - because I think that people taking my fic seriously enough to have this kind of discussion is a good sign that I'm doin something right.
If you are passionate enough to enjoy my fic and feel the need to discuss it's merits with conviction ,then I am damn proud of the work I've done.
I hope you'll stick around and continue to comment as the fic goes along. :)
2683595
I used the old method of stopping .. reading what i wrote and thinking before i hit "add comment" ... i deleted a whole lot of ... bad ideas
2683613
I may disagree about some things but it is very well written and emotionally moving.
...
as long as Spike is OK ...
Spike is (or was since i do not know what happened to him) an innocent in all of what happened. The potential of what Luna did to Spike kinda scares me. Everything i can imagine comes down to mind rape, body rape or some other kind of involuntary manipulation that Luna did on Twilight's behalf ...
no matter why Luna did it Spike is still a child . (somewhere between a ten and twelve year old child)
The highest goal of any adult should be the protection of children and as far as i can tell Luna betrayed that trust. and That breaks my heart.
2683675 Aha!
Don't be worried about spike. He's actually going to show up here in a few chapters! That's when you'll find out exactly what's happened to him. ;D
And so it begins. Let's see if I can get a big update streak going again!