Joe

by JMDARE

Chapter 12

Darkness was falling across Equestria and soon it would be time for her to turn the stewardship of her Ponies over to her sister. Before then Princess Celestia wanted to talk to Luna about the previous night and the letter she had just received. Princess Luna turned from looking at where her moon was becoming more visible and smiled as she saw who was crossing the room towards the balcony on which she stood.

“Tia,” Princess Luna said.

“I’ve had another letter from Twilight Sparkle.”

“More complaints about Joe?” Princess Luna asked. “Thee have that expression on thy face again.”

“He has annoyed her,” nodded Princess Celestia, “but I think I shall not regard that too poorly.”

“Because thy student is easy to annoy when her questions are not answered?”

“Perhaps,” smiled Princess Celestia, floating the letter to her sister, “but was more the quickly added postscript from Spike.”

Princess Luna’s own darker coloured magic took and unrolled the letter and as she read she nodded. “Indeed,” she agreed, “his claiming of blame and that he will speak to Twilight Sparkle further does show some fault was not Joe’s. And thee will have noticed that in her attempt to be fair thy student has mentioned Joe’s claim of being unsettled by dreams.”

“And could he claim that?”

“Some of what I saw in his mind, some of what I steered him towards experiencing so I could understand it through him… if those feelings lingered then he could be influenced towards this sort of mistake.” Princess Luna looked at her sister. “He dreamt vividly of taking risk to fulfil an assigned task, so when he was asked to aid a task some part of him might have felt taking the risk was correct.”

“So you say some fault was ours?”

“Only the most meagre of portions,” snorted Princess Luna, “confusing dream with reality is not something worthy of anyone, but aye. Had I not been acting on him then his rest would have been more peaceful and his ability to resist blandishments, perhaps, stronger.”

“Then, as Spike requests, I shall let Twilight deal with this,” Princess Celestia nodded. “Though that still leaves my other reason to speak with you.”

“To learn what I have understood of Joe through his dreams? I can tell thee now that I doubt his deeds will be of any concern.”

“I agree there are greater matters, but best to dismiss this minor hiccup of Discord’s making so we are not distracted by it.”

“As thee wish Tia, and thy words do make sense,” said Princess Luna. “In Joe’s dreams there was a disturbing amount of pride in the pageant of destruction I saw. Though, in his defence, he approved more where that destruction was in the defence of others and his pride in the deeds of his countrymen is balanced by shame and relief that he is not that ‘strong’.”

“So, you think him no danger?”

“There is an especially unpleasant fiction of grim perpetual warfare which he likes for the simple solutions that offers. If a deed is required, however bloody, then ‘tis done and without debate or moral qualm. This realm of Equestria he likes for the same but opposite reason, that matters can be settled so much without violence and that we are so without warfare and so lacking in grimness. He is like a burrowing creature in a stream, preferring the solid mud of the fiction or the crystal clear waters of here to the murk of mixing one with other.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “Which only says he is no deliberate danger, he can still be disruptive even if… unlike Discord who brought him here… that is not on purpose and would be something he regrets rather than revels in.”

“I think thee overestimate him, even were he to try his utmost thy realm would remain as thee have shaped it.”

“I think you overestimate the stability of Equestria,” Princess Celestia replied sadly, “our realm is peaceful, but it has taken great efforts to guide and nurture our Ponies towards this and the balance is a delicate one.”

“Tia,” said Princess Luna, moving to her sister and placing a forehoof on her neck, “thy efforts would not be so easily put to vain. Thy mercy in allowing the millennia of my exile to pass quicker for me let me avoid the insanity of loneliness, but did not aid thee in thy long years of struggle alone. Trust me in this, my sister, thou hast done good work and thy fatigue should not lead thee into pessimism.”

“I am so glad you are here,” Princess Celestia replied, bringing one of her fore hooves up to press against Princess Luna’s, “and you are right. It has been a struggle, to not do too much or too little, to not coddle them and allow them to fight their own battles rather than depend solely on us.” Princess Celestia gave her sister a smile. “As embarrassing as it was to be ‘defeated’ by a mere Changeling Queen.”

“Near as embarrassing as to have to pretend to not notice an entire invasion,” Princess Luna smiled back, “and then arrive too late and ask witlessly if anything had happened.” She frowned. “Though the suggestions that I could not be that foolish in truth, and therefore it might be conspiracy rather than stupidity do illustrate what thee means about delicate balance.”

Princess Celestia nodded as her sister withdrew her hoof. “And though the Element-Holders, Cadance, and Shining Armour showed courage and determination in the chance given them by my ‘defeat’ and your absence the rest was… disappointing.”

“Indeed,” Princess Luna agreed. “It was difficult to remain ‘unaware’ rather than try to nudge thy plan back to the proper course…”

It had been a simple plan. Rather than focus the power of the sun into incinerating the Changeling Queen, and giving employment to those Ponies who would repair the portions of the wall and floor that had been rendered molten, Princess Celestia had used a simple beam from her horn and pretended surprise and distress and to be overwhelmed. As strong as Shining Armour was for a Unicorn and as much power as the Changeling Queen had drained from him they were limited by the fact that were not a Deity with all the power of the Sun at their command. As surprised as the Changeling Queen had been by her ‘victory’ she had not been surprised or suspicious enough of the impossibility of it.

Pretending weakness and having artfully blackened the tip of her own horn, as if anything hot enough to singe that would not have also incinerated the entire room, Princess Celestia had gasped out to get the Elements of Harmony. Fearful of those the Changeling Queen had sent a horde of her subjects to intercept the Element-Holders and prevent them from reaching them, and sent even more to almost fill the hall where the Elements were stored. And that was where things had gone wrong and Princess Luna had been tempted.

The Changeling army was numerous but not so numerous that diverting that many of them was insignificant. This was the chance for the Royal Guard to rally and counterattack, their Captain might be bedazzled but they had been on alert for an attack so they should have been ready. As the Element-Holders fought their way out of the first ambush, six Ponies defeating several times their number in Changelings, Princess Luna had itched to intervene. To fight at their side and show the Changelings the true power of an Alicorn Goddess or to at least try to rally those that were supposed to defend Canterlot. But she had abided by her sister’s instructions and there had been no counterattack and where the larger, stronger, armed and armoured, and supposedly well trained Royal Guards did encounter Changelings they failed to emulate what the Element-Holders had done.

“…and I did contrast with what I had known before my fall,” Princess Luna concluded.

“Huh?” said Princess Celestia, her expression doing more to ask the question than her voice.

“Thy mercy to let me avoid insanity has perhaps also left my memories fresher of how the Pegasi used to be.”

“They were martial, they needed to learn harmony with the Unicorns and the Earth Ponies.”

“And under your guidance they have formed a wonderful realm, together they are far stronger than had they remained separate.”

“But,” Princess Celestia said more than asked, “they would have fought before?”

“I think so, though I also think they have gained far more than they have lost and are a far happier people.”

“And I think you have more to say.”

“The Crystal Empire, like me lost for a thousand years, and like Canterlot defended ultimately by love.”

“But?”

“But without the millennia of change their martial traditions seem more intact, their love of jousting remains and, had the threat been other than Sombra who had terrorised their minds before, I do wonder if they would have fought valiantly. As our Royal Guards failed to do.”

Princess Celestia sighed. “You realise what you are arguing?”

“I am not arguing anything, Tia. Simply explaining the contrast I had seen.”

“And that contrast proves I was wrong.”

“Oh no,” Princess Luna said, returning her forehoof to her sister’s neck, “that was not what I meant. You have created joy and happiness…”

“Wrong about Joe.”

“I… do not follow thy logic my sister,” Princess Luna frowned.

“If the loss of some of their martial tradition means the Pegasi of our Royal Guard failed to fight,” explained Princess Celestia, “or the Crystal Ponies retaining more of that means they would have fought, then should I have regarded Joe and his knowledge as a threat, or an opportunity?”

“Human traditions would not apply to our Pegasi or other Ponies.”

“But you note how Rainbow Dash has reacted to Joe’s caution about what to say.”

“Perhaps,” Princess Luna said, sounding unconvinced. From the few times she had met the holder of the Element of Loyalty it seemed Rainbow Dash saw challenges in everything, a different Pegasus would likely have accepted humans had warrior traditions and been quietly confident those were not as fine as their own. “But my defence of him was that he liked the peace of this nation and did not wish to spoil it, not that I thought he should be allowed to spoil it. And do not mistake my saying how things differ for saying I prefer the difference.”

Princess Celestia nodded to her sister. “How do you think Joe’s people would have dealt with the Changelings?”

“With much blood and violence, and little love.”

“They are that aggressive?”

“They, like our Ponies, are as their bodies shaped them,” Princess Luna explained, her hoof dropping as she thought. “When a Pony is threatened and flees they can kick at their pursuers while continuing to run. A human cannot flee and fight, they have to turn to face the danger, so they place greater stock than we do in those that hold their ground. And by extension place value on the ground being held and resent any invasion.”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes for a moment. “I do not wish Equestria to change, but I must be certain…”

“Certain of what?”

“Certain of what Joe is,” Princess Celestia continued, opening her eyes and meeting her sister’s gaze, “certain of what he could do…”

“What ‘he is’ is seeking to live peacefully, what he could do is little even if he wanted,” replied Princess Luna. “Joe could tell his stories but they would disgust rather than educate our Ponies and he knows that.”

“I must be certain though,” Princess Celestia nodded. “So we must test this.”

“We?”

“Allow me to also see his dreams, and let us shape them so we can be sure of your answer to my question.”

Slowly Princess Luna nodded. She was already sure but if Tia needed this then she would do all she could to help her sister. “Very well.”

==

Joe lay in bed and looked at the inside of the roof of his hut. The walk back here had not been pleasant as he’d had to be doubly careful. As much as he enjoyed the various games of swords and magic and the like he had some qualms of the morality of killing things and taking their stuff unless that was provoked. So he felt it unlikely these Ponies would feel it moral at all. He’d also not known how much and what Spike had said so he’d needed to gloss over the dangers and try to speak more of the mining methods.

He was sure that in the morning he’d realise all the mistakes he’d made in what he’d said and all the ways in which he could have balanced honesty and caution better but for now it was time to sleep. He’d bid the three mares goodnight and had gone through his nightly routines and was weary after the combination of disturbed sleep and less restful day than expected. Joe relaxed and tried to slow his mind, succeeding and drifting off into sleep. He twitched in his bed as the blur inside his mind began to take shape into a dream.

A great cathedral stretched out around his mental eye, the edges and some details fuzzy as it had been years since he’d visited this place, years since the events unfolding had occurred, and as happy as he was for the couple he’d not paid much attention even at the time. He felt a sensation as if others were watching and were surprised by the jacket the bridegroom was wearing, as if it was some coincidence, but then his own feeling of being an outside observer vanished as he began to just experience rather than watch events.

The bridegroom was the oldest child of the oldest child of a pleasant looking human woman looking at him and his bride-to-be with pride, a tug of enquiry and information flashed that this made the bridegroom second in line to his Grandmother’s throne after his father. A priest was droning and dignitaries were trying to look attentive for watching cameras… pictures and sound were being sent to many outside the cathedral as this was a Royal Wedding… and a feeling of rising triumph began to be felt. Love, so much love, was being focussed on this couple by their families and by crowds waving flags outside and by those listening and watching the service through the transmissions and this was reaching its peak.

Interruption! Doors swing open and a burly red-haired human burst in, an expression as if he’d have driven his head through the doors if they were locked on his face, and men in uniform with him. Other men in uniform try to block their entrance and there is confusion as people and cameras turn to look. An old grim looking human stands and demands to know what is going on, the bridegroom protests that he had told his brother not to attend after all the trouble he had been causing with wild accusations. Then the brother gestures and a dirty but recognisable woman steps out from behind him to level her finger at the bride and accuse her of being an imposter. A dazed look came to the bridegroom’s face as he struggled to understand. His grandfather looked between the newcomer and the one at the altar, his expression becoming even grimmer. And the newcomer continued and said the obvious thing would be to say something that only her and her fiancé knew, but most of those would make him blush, like he did when…

The ‘woman’ at the altar interrupted and screeched ‘enough’, magic erupting around her and some of the Guards and Dignitaries, and this magic clearing to reveal Changelings. Another feeling of others watching rather than dream just flowing as those others note these look different, shaped more like humans than Ponies, but still recognisably the same. The unmasked Changeling Queen declares that if they cannot take by deceit they will take by force, and… and then her cackling is interrupted as the Grandfather takes a few quick strides, defying his age and then defying her by punching her in the face. This breaks the paralysis of shock and the Guards that had entered with the brother spring on those that had tried to stop them and whose true form could now be seen. One Guard growls to the brother to help his Grandfather, sir, and the red-haired human begins charging down the aisle.

With a swing of her arm the Changeling Queen knocked the Grandfather flying backwards. The Grandmother, the Queen, cried the name of her husband of several decades but then her expression changed to one as determined as her red-haired Grandson’s and she snapped to ‘get her’. A wobble passed through the images as where people were sitting could not be remembered, but then these firmed again as the front row sprang to obey their monarch, or their mother or grandmother. Information flashed of centuries of Royalty and Nobility leading the charge, repaying their status in life with service, fighting and dying alongside their soldiers rather than simply sending them to their deaths like politicians.

The Grandfather snarled to those hurrying to his side to never mind him, to protect the Queen. Humans flooding out of the cathedral and Guards that had entered with the brother manage to get the real bride to safety, despite her protests, as they were still near that door. A knot of people form around the Queen and her husband and begin to escort them out, a slight wobble as try to remember if dress swords worn, and the brother is fighting against the flow and getting closer while the groom just stands there in a daze still. Changelings flood into the cathedral to cut off the retreating knot and herd the fleeing people outside, several interpose themselves between the red-haired human and their Queen. The Changeling Queen made threats and demanded surrender and the human Queen told her they would personally surrender, as her prisoners, but would not surrender their country. More threats and more obstinacy…

Outside the crowds have thinned as they are evacuated and the last of those inside reach safety, the Guards outside have slotted different metal boxes into what they were carrying… flash, loaded their guns with live ammunition, image of expanding propellant driving bullets down barrels… Changelings start to fly and walk out of Cathedral, a call of command, a crackling, and those bullets begin to shoot the Changelings to pieces. An idle observation from a watcher about the strange hats, a flash of other humans, elite soldiers from a different country, fighting and dying in bloody mud, finally surrendering though they had never before. The humans from this country taking the hats of the fallen elite and those becoming part of their uniform in remembrance, and the uniform of that time becoming the ceremonial uniform though they carried the same guns as they had, or would, on active service.

Other Changelings reveal themselves further afield and try to panic the humans. Some do run, but others tell the Changelings to do anatomically impossible things to each other or themselves. Not impressed by these invaders when almost nine hundred and fifty years since the last time they were conquered. Police responding and a slight flash of pride that most police still did not carry guns. Changelings advancing and ignoring warnings, small plastic gun-like objects raised and darts fired trailing wires behind, electricity through wires into darts and Changelings fall. Other police taking canisters from belts and spraying into Changeling faces to irritate and temporarily blind. Still others relying on humanity’s simplest weapon, though in this case they preferred to call it a truncheon rather than a stick or club.

More humans joining the fight, civilians getting their own improvised weapons and Police being called in from surrounding areas. Activity at other buildings and soldiers in combat uniforms, rather than ceremonial, begin to deploy from their barracks to help their friends. The images wobbled again from uncertainty exactly where the barracks were and how many soldiers would be there rather than already deployed for the ceremonial, then wobbled more violently as seeing the body armour reminded of wondering if the Canterlot Royal Guard also had Kevlar rather than steel. The observers dampened this wobbling before it could divert the images and return the feeling of knowing it was a dream.

Changelings abandon open conflict and return to disguising themselves as humans. Police continuing to channel civilians to safety, crowd control barriers slewed around as checkpoints, people being funnelled down into underground railway stations for trains or simply to be out of the way. Barking and snarling at one checkpoint, handler puzzled what has upset his dog, other police approach man who dog is straining and growling towards. The Changeling panicked and reverted to its true appearance. It had had the look of a human but not the smell and so Man’s oldest and most faithful ally proved his worth again. To the police dog’s mind the solution to that contradiction between eyes and nose had been simple, bite strange thing until it smell like dead thing and not look like human, and it did not seem to have changed its mind when the Changeling changed its form. Fortunately for the Changeling it was instead stuck by two of the dart-and-electricity weapons and the humans began to debate over its fallen form how effective the restraints they carried would be as the handler praised and calmed his companion.

The Changeling Queen started a fresh tirade as things began to go so badly, another wobble of uncertainty in the images about if she was linked to the other Changelings and could feel the deaths and injuries. Or whether she just knew what was happening to any Changeling that tried to leave the Cathedral or reach her with news of what was happening. In either case she would be frustrated and angry and more than ready to resume issuing threats, so with that certainty the images firmed up again. The bridegroom still standing at the altar in a daze as his grandmother and his relatives were threatened, his brother glowering at the Changeling Queen as she ranted and their father and uncles and aunt and cousins formed a protective cluster around their matriarch and patriarch. Focussing on the brother the Changeling Queen blustered that it would have worked, that it would have been perfect and she would have become invincible, but she could not meet his eyes as the rage and anger in them were the opposite of the love she had wanted to absorb.

A flash of elite special forces and infiltration and hostage rescue missions, another of men creeping across rooftops and along ropes onto the cathedral roof and through doors there. Those men looking down on the scene and muffled conversations through the boxes they carried about how to make sure of their targets. Knowing which were captive and which were captors could be difficult enough if they were simply dressed alike or had been forced to switch clothes and the hostage takers had mixed their people and those they were holding. Here it was even worse as these enemies seemed able to assume any appearance and all of those standing guard looked like Guardsmen, so which were Changelings and which might be friendlies forced to stand there through threats to those they were sworn to protect.

Inspiration! Though the images wobble with uncertainty that would work or be thought of, then firm without intervention by the watchers as faith in the special forces asserts itself. A man looks through goggles and sees heat, the Changelings showing a different temperature and pattern, and especially compared with the genuine Guardsman in his long insulating coat. The targets are marked and, with what sounds a single retort, a volley of heavy high-velocity bullets blow huge holes in the Changeling guards. The real Guardsman takes cover and some of the hostages, most of the Royals, react and flatten themselves. A second volley kills some false hostages, finishes the Changeling guards, and strikes at the Changeling Queen. She’d the few moments of warning and with the power she’d already absorbed managed to protect herself enough she was only wounded and staggered.

With a roar the red-haired human sprang towards her and tackled her the rest of the way down while she was off balance. Then he wrapped his hands around her throat and brawny forearms flexed as he began to throttle her. This did not trouble the Changeling Queen as much as it would most foes and she grew and squirmed beneath him, her throat rippling to spoil his grip and a forearm shifting into what the observers recognised as similar to the horn Chrysalis had. She swept this jagged edged spike in and through the brother’s calf, heaving him up with her as she rose, his weight dragging him around the wound to dangle head first from her arm-horn.

The Changeling Queen was now at least half again as tall as him and she straightened and shifted her arm to bring the brother up so she could look into his face. She began to hiss about him daring to lay hands on her but he spat in her face and snarled God save the Queen, my Granny. Before the Changeling Queen could recover from her shock and sheer paralysing rage ropes dropped from the gallery above her and men slid down ropes. One called out here, sir, and threw something. The red-haired human twisted on the support of the Changeling Queen’s arm-horn, widening the wound and ignoring the pain, and caught the handgun. Then he sent a full clip of bullets from it into her upper chest and neck, from too close and with too much surprise for her to protect against, her attempt to fling him away coming too late but sending him flying to hit the man who’d thrown him the gun. The Changeling Queen fell and the human Queen quickly ordered ‘prisoners’ before her troops decided to make sure of kills with point-blank fire.

Panic! Either through a link to their Queen or hearing the announcements on the human news. Some try to take to the skies and are met by human machines that fly like Rainbow Dash’s tortoise, Police helicopters mounting cameras that can ‘see’ in heat as well as normal light. A slight wobble of images as not sure any were deployed or could have reached the skies in time but then the feeling that his dream so it will work, dammit, and chunkier helicopters painted in olive brown and bristling with weapons arrive. A flash of information that the red-haired human trained to fly those and flew them in combat, but then the images almost break apart. He saw combat after his brother’s wedding but could he recover well enough from that leg wound to…the observers clamp down on that chain of thought to see what bloodiness the humans would now unleash.

Humans riding inside the army helicopters look at the Changelings and the guns under the ‘chins’ of those swivel to follow where the humans look. Then the guns are triggered in short controlled bursts of no more than a second or two. Changelings began to fall from the sky, though only those with the reactions to dive for the streets were recognisable. With the power of the projectiles being fired and how many were fired in even that scant time those Changelings that were struck fell as shredded remains rather than corpses. The Changelings that had escaped instant death began to be tracked by both sets of helicopters.

On the ground below the army and police were also cooperating. There were not enough dogs and not enough thermal goggles to be sure so the humans began babbling what sounded like nonsense to the observers but, unlike the Changelings, they gained the flash of information that these were phrases from history or entertainment. Larger groups had to be kept under guard for checking but individuals could be challenged and given the chance to finish the phrase. Some Changelings were smart enough to take subtly different human forms and pretend to not speak the language, but that just meant they had to wait for the dog or thermal scan. And some of those ‘Changelings’ were genuine foreigners so the images shuddered with cynicism about how some humans would cry racism in an attempt to advance their own political aims.

Other Changelings don’t pretend to be human and choose to fight rather than hide, their forms shifting to blend with the walls and allow them to cling to those above the line of sight of the human searchers. Narrow alleyways which the helicopters cannot see into and men having to sweep, and then being pounced on from above. Arm-horns forming and slashing into soldiers and police, truncheons swinging back and knives… bayonets… flashing and stabbing and cutting as in such close quarters the solders decline to fire the guns these are fixed to. Then medics rushing in to treat the wounded, both human and Changeling, and stabilise them to be removed to hospitals. A flash of doctors getting annoyed with the questions from other humans when they are trying to treat their patients. But could the Changelings heal with their shapeshifting abilities, could they be sure all those assumed dead actually were, did Police anti-stab vests work better against the Changeling attacks than the Army anti-bullet/shrapnel vests?

The human search teams swiftly learn, the soldiers were trained in street to street fighting and some had recent combat experience of this. Even where there were no fire escapes or windows for enemies to jump from or drop or fire things from they knew now they needed to keep a watch skywards and how well these enemies could hide themselves from the naked eye. So they made their eyes not naked and made sure that where a helicopter could not see they were using thermal imaging, some requisitioned from fire fighters, to check. Gunfire crackled as ambush after ambush was spoiled and Changelings fell wounded rather than being able to pounce. Others of these began to flee before they were shot and being driven from the alleyways were able to be tracked by the helicopters. Or fired on where the streets were broad and the army helicopters could take advantage of there being no parked or abandoned cars since traffic had been cleared for the Royal Wedding procession.

Even more frantic the Changelings flee, down manholes into sewers and into tunnels that carried cables and pipes, through whatever entrances they could find into the far larger tunnels that carried the underground trains, and into the parks and the cover of the trees. The last of those had less luck as one reason the police helicopters had thermal imaging was that you could see better through trees with it and their crews well used to guiding people on the ground to the fugitives. Some Changelings made for lakes and ponds and forced those to be surrounded and the humans to weigh the lives of the fish against the simple solution of throwing some grenades in to explode and flush the Changelings out.

But as ably as the humans searched and closed off escape routes there was one path that was far more difficult to block. The very reason why their city had been built there and grown over two millennia, after the false start of being founded by invaders and burnt by a native rebellion, was the river that flowed through it and the trade this could carry. The docks had moved downstream and the river had been channelled and narrowed by embankments but it still wove its way east and west. It was still broad and deep where Changelings dove into it from banks and bridges, their forms shifting to become more dolphin like and causing a flash of very mild regret the river was now so clean. Had it still been as polluted or raw sewage still been being dumped into it then this would have been a less pleasant swim for the Changelings.

It was the turn of the observers to cause the images to wobble as they were the ones unsure if that was possible or if these Changelings were being confused or combined with others. Flying was fine as the Changelings had done that in Canterlot and the arm-horns had seemed plausible since Changelings had been able to gain or lose horns and wings in looking like Pegasi or Earth Ponies or Unicorns. But they dismissed their concerns and went back to watching as the Changelings swam, some upstream and some downstream towards the sea. Humans reported what they had seen and to the east men worked in a control room and vast machines slowly turned to raise a barrier, intended to protect against tidal surges and flooding but at least a hindrance to the escape.

Police boats began searching as humans debated whether devices intended to detect underwater ships would be any use and had the same debate, writ large, as had those beside the lakes and ponds about using explosives. There was a danger if any Changelings escaped, which it seemed they would. What would the sort of spot checks needed to find them do to civil liberties? What if they could learn to make their masquerade better, how would they be detected if they became able to fool thermal cameras and dogs and knew enough to respond to catchphrases? What could be learned from the corpses and prisoners and where would the prisoners be kept? Would this be more a prisoner-of-war camp or more a zoo? What rights should these prisoners have? They could talk so it seemed civilised to extend the same conventions to them as to humans, but it could be argued this was not a legal obligation.

As the debate continued and became messy the observers retreated, one highlighting Joe’s mixture of pleasure that morals were being considered and frustration that it was not simpler and the other agreeing that confirmed what had been said before. They let Joe withdraw from his own dream as well and soon the images had faded with the end of this.

==

The two Alicorns looked at each other as their perceptions returned to their bodies. Then the smaller spoke, quoting herself. “Blood and violence, and little love.”

“But some mercy,” replied Princess Celestia to her sister, in the tone of someone trying to be fair. “They did not hesitate to use the weapons they had, but if the Changelings survived or surrendered they were taken prisoner and given medical care.

“Which is only Joe’s dream and opinion, perhaps not the truth,” Princess Luna countered.

“Does that matter? It is Joe we are judging and knowing he thought his people should act that way says much of him. For good or ill.”

“A fair point, my sister,” nodded Princess Luna. “Do what thee must and then show what mercy thy can.”

There was a brief silence as they thought more about what they had seen. The power of the weapons was insignificant compared with the power of their magic but there had been no wobble in Joe’s dreams when he expected the humans would fight and be stubborn. He might be wrong but he had been confident and they had felt examples from history lurking on the edge of the dream.

“I wonder what he thinks of how we dealt with the Changelings,” Princess Celestia mused.

“I do not think he knows,” replied Princess Luna, “but I think as much thought as he hast given it he assumes Our Royal Guards fought and the magic of Cadance and Shining Armour tipped the balance rather than being the victory entire.”

“Which comes back to how he regards the world differently, if there are soldiers and they have been alerted he assumes they would be significant.”

“And tis not an assumption unfair, since is the same as what we both had thought.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I think we have learned enough from dreams, my sister,” she decided. “Let Joe sleep and recover and we shall see what actions we need to judge him by instead, once there can be no excuse of tiredness or an unsettled mind.”

“Agreed,” said Princess Luna, nodding back, “though we may have learned more than you yet realise.”

“How so?”

“The start of the dream was as we shaped it, to be as things happened here where the Changeling Queen revealed herself and her subjects descended on Canterlot openly.”

“Which was more unfortunate for them in that dream, since here they were not slaughtered for it.”

“But you note, my sister, that when we let Joe’s mind build from that start that the Changelings began to also be more deadly,” Princess Luna continued. “To use their ability to change their appearance to confuse and ambush and hide.”

“He assumes victory,” nodded Princess Celestia thoughtfully, “which may be no more true than anything else in his dream, but he does not assume it would come without problems.”

“He assumes competence on both sides,” Princess Luna said, making a slight correction before continuing. “I do wonder how well our Royal Guards would have fared had they fought and had Chrysalis’ Changelings fought back with intelligence.”

“Unicorn magic would have unmasked them,” replied Princess Celestia, giving her sister a slight smile as she went on, “or Cadance sending a wave of love to overwhelm them so they lost control and reverted to their other appearance.” Then she winked as her smile broadened. “As would have been the plan if they had done that…” Then the smile vanished and Princess Celestia sighed. “And if she had not needed to combine her magic with Shining Armour’s to expel the Changelings rather than, as you put it, ‘tip the balance rather than being the victory entire’.”

There was another brief silence.

“Rest now, my sister,” Princess Luna finally said. “If Joe needs sleep after a mere two nights of unrest so he is not unsettled or tired then so do thee after this night.” She smiled to her sister. “And I doubt thee have yet caught up on a millennium of missed sleep in the scant years since I was returned so thy efforts could return to encompassing the day alone.”

Comments

[Maeroon]

You know what. I don't like the way the Celestia and Luna is treating Joe. Invading his dreams and all that. It looks like they're treating him like a lowly guinea pig, doing whatever they can just to satisfy their curiosity. Why can't they just leave him alone? They are clearly overreacting to Joe here.

[JMDARE]

2899885
They checked his dreams when he first arrived and found him harmless, and that ‘check’ was more Princess Luna entering them to soothe them and guide him as she did for Scootaloo. When it seemed he’d ‘woken up’ they checked one night, saw there was quite a lot of worrying things he could dream of, and so tried the more focussed threat to compare like with like. Although they weren’t too impressed they thought it not bad enough to bother him a third night or take any action against him. So they did leave him alone, though there was still enough uncertainty for a few conversations.

Princess Luna does see Joe’s dreams again but only in the same way as she sees dreams of Ponies in her role as Goddess of that.

[amiamera]

2927042
I'm probably reiterating a few points from my last post but the problem with this is she does it without permission and without considering cultural implications. Which is a little ironic considering the 1000 year missing princess should have cultural differences well in mind. If Joe ever learned about what they did, I'm pretty sure he would be very angry. Humans from western societies have developed a very high deference to individualism, autonomy, and the sanctity of the human mind.

[Theresa]

4065970
Plus celestial is acting like he going to start a war when that the last thing he wants. He tries to defend his friends but he prefers threats over actual bloodshed and would prefer a non violent route every time. I think he wishes twilight would stop trying ask him stuff because he trying to keep their worlds separate as much as possible.