Chapter 7: The Chase Is On
"We're stopping for a break. Gather at the stream ahead. Pass it down." Joyner ordered.
The group was walking single file through the forest. They had started off heading the same direction Pering had gone then, following against the current of a stream, they turned sharply North. Looking toward the rear as he stepped out from the line, he could see they had listened for once, and were walking in an almost perfectly straight line. They continued passing him for quite some time.
He thought about the equipment they had stolen, 'Stealing all this still doesn't sit well with me. We really did need it though.' he opened the half of the saddle bag that rested on his chest. The other half rested against his back with a strap over each shoulder. He removed a thick, long piece of black colored chalk. It was one of a set of ten, all in different colors.
Within the front bag sat a type of large, heavy medical kit, a compass, a fire starter kit, a small shovel, a block of salt, four long lengths of thick, white bandages, a very tightly folded and wrapped tarp of some sort, and a cloth sack with dried fruits and nuts. Hanging on the front bag, suspended from a buttoned cloth loop was a length of fifty feet of rope. In the bag on his back was a thick blanket, a whetstone, a coil of twine, some sort of personal grooming kit, a detailed map of a very large area, two lengths of wrapped charcoal, ten sheets of paper, a small hatchet, a mess kit of some sort, several pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, various spices, and two crystals. The use of the two crystals eluded him as yet, but he had kept them anyway.
Joyner had a brown blanket wrapped around his waist. The top part was rolled down on itself, forming a type of kilt for him. His feet finally had covering. He thanked his lucky stars for the lengths of cloth in the bags. Everyone had wrapped up their feet with the cloth for use as simple boots. Tracks were a problem no more. With thickly wrapped feet and even weight distribution, they left almost no trace of their passing whatsoever.
He absentmindedly fingered the shaft of the trident he had acquired, while its net counterpart rested on a length of twine which was tied with a slip-knot to the front bag. He had a tiny bit of experience with spear fishing and both items could be used in combat. The trident was only five feet long, quite short but it was well made and the three tines were razor sharp and barbed. The net was weighted with almost perfectly rounded stones, each weighing, he guessed, a full pound each. The net was five feet wide and equally long, made of thick, heavy weave and only half an inch between each hefty strand.
The second person in line was Richardson. Wrapped around her middle, from her breasts to her knees, was a large blanket. She had a five foot long spear in her right hand and was using it as a walking stick while a two foot long, short sword and shield rode on her front bag and rear bag respectively. The short sword had probably been a long sword for the equine creatures but on the taller Humam frame, the size was greatly diminished. Saddle bags were hung over her shoulders just like everyone else.
She nodded and continued on toward the stream. Jason had recommended traveling single file to minimize the size of any trail that could be followed. They might not leave footprints but moving seven hundred plus people was guaranteed to leave a trail of some kind. Progress was slow but thus far there had been no sign of pursuit.
Jason had suggested that the reasoning for the relative ease of success in their mass theft, which by all rights should have been a complete disaster, was because human sense of sight was likely much better than that of the equinoids. Not a single person had been spotted. Granted there were only fifty people in the equine's camp at any given time, but even so, performing the feat at night and with not a single mishap was about as likely as unearthing an ancient porcelain cup, in perfect condition, with a bundle of dynamite. Yet by some miracle, the dynamite had pulled it off.
People continued walking in single file while talking quietly. Jason and Morris had suggested the Fellowship place themselves, one every fifty people with Jason leading in the front and Masonete bringing up the rear.
The next person to walk past Joyner was Leo. The argumentative, cantankerous young man was one of the few to acquire a pair of saddle bags that were extra heavy. The extra heavy bags held, ironically enough, an extensive array of medical supplies in one bag and a hefty load of food in the other. Leo was covered with a blanket and his feet were wrapped, just like everyone else. The weapon hanging from a scabbard and baldric, he wore as a belt was a long sword. It had been a claymore to the smaller equinoids but to him it was just a long sword. He had also acquired a second sword, but he had left it back at the field saying he didn't want it, 'I'm sposed to be helpin' folks, not choppin 'em up.'
Leo passed Joyner with a disrespectful salute but a playful smile. Joyner resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Leo had been a pain in the ass but no one ever sincerely complained about him. He had taken to Jewel's instructions and directions very well. He had also been hounding all the former medical students for any knowledge they were willing to part with. Richardson and Jewel had somehow earned Leo's respect, but in regard to everyone else, he couldn't care less what they thought.
Joyner considered the dangers of people who suddenly found themselves carrying weapons they knew relatively nothing about. Brinsin, Hord, Morris, and Spearman knew how to use archaic weapons thanks to their studies or martial arts training and many of the ninety four military service men and women knew a little about close quarters fighting. Joyner knew that weapons training would soon be necessary.
The next person to pass him was Jewel. He had the standard apparel on both torso and feet. He had a bow and arrows in a quiver which hung suspended on the bag on his back. He also had a foot long dagger, probably a short sword to the equinoids, in a brown sheath on the front bag. He had said he wanted to keep his hands as free as possible so he could do what he needed to when seconds counted. He was one of the other lucky ones to have a heavy medical pack.
Joyner leaned his trident against a nearby tree and rotated his bags so that they reversed their positions. Reaching into the bag that was in front of him, he removed the map. He knew how to read maps but he couldn't find any meaning in the legend or the size ratio compared to real life. He knew which way was North though, and that would have to be enough. He carefully studied the map, searching for a possible safe haven. Their original location in the field was easy enough to identify. It was a tiny speck just to the North of the mountain, 'We would have to end up next to the only mountain with a fortress on the West side. That must be where they're keeping Pering. I wish we could do something for him, but we have to keep the best interest of the group in mind as our first priority.'
Joyner looked up as Morris Allmond walked past. His bags had apparently belonged to a crafter of some kind. They were filled with grease, simple hinges, small tubes, gears, hundreds of spare parts, and tools. Best of all, everything was made of metal. The contents of his bags were the heaviest of anyone else in the entire group. Morris hadn't initially wanted the bags but they had them and everyone needed to bring something and they didn't want anything to go to waste. Morris had been lucky in one regard though, he had obtained a crossbow and had a quiver with twenty quarrels inside. He also had a small dagger which was hanging on the front of the bag. The foodstuffs his bag had were puzzling. They resembled thick, heavy cubes of condensed wheat. They filled the rear bag from top to bottom. He had tried chewing on one but had only managed to bite off one corner of one. He said it tasted sweet but hard and grainy. He theorized that they were meant to be soaked in hot water and ladled out in bowls, perhaps as dried oatmeal or porridge. Morris waved as pleasantly as he could, considering the weight of his bags and continued onward.
Joyner went back to looking at the map. To the South-West of the mountain fortress was a small hamlet, to the West was what looked to be a floating city of some kind, as indicated by the formations of clouds all around it. The floating city puzzled Joyner but he didn't have time to worry about it. To the North-West of the mountain was a small city and just to the East of that city was a much smaller village. The village was almost directly in the direction they were headed but the forest ran far enough to the East that they could likely bypass the village without any of its inhabitants noticing them. At least that was what Joyner was hoping for. The forest ran all the way up to the Northern most portion of the map and likely beyond that. The forest also bordered on a very large lake to the North-East. The lake appeared to be fed from a wide river in the North and drained away into a slightly smaller tributary to the South.
The next person to walk by was Calvin. The mountainous man could have scarcely looked more happy. He carried two sets of bags on his shoulders, both loaded with food. He had tied the straps of four more pairs of bags and wore them like a bandioleer. These four sets of bags were filled with tools, blankets, and cookware.
In his massive hands he carried a small sized maul. The shaft was only two feet long and the head was perhaps ten pounds. Honestly it looked far too small for him. His bags bristled with small, sheathed, viking style swords, each sheath was tied to the straps of a bag. Calvin was a walking armory. With every step he clanked like a tank. His smile was as colossal as his array of gear. He could supply six people with what he carried. He had obtained his 'stack of yes' as he called it, from a supply wagon he had stumbled across. Joyner was amazed that he could even walk with so much weight and how he managed to get away from the equinoid's camp unseen and unheard was a puzzle for the ages.
Joyner meant to find that North-Eastern lake if possible and perhaps establish a more long term outpost or settlement there. In time he hoped to perhaps make contact with the village and just maybe gain the trust of the locals without the government finding out. He put chalk to map and began slowly tracing the route he wished to take.
"Got a second, L.T.?" Hord asked as he stepped out of line.
"Sure, what's up?"
"I was thinking, almost no one has any idea how to use these." he said tapping the small war hammer in his right hand against the small shield in his left, the war hammer looked more like a long carpenter's hammer, "I mean, some of us do, but most people are more likely to hurt themselves than an enemy. Now thankfully I haven't seen anyone playing with their weapons yet, but I did have to stop a guy from hacking through branches in his way with his sword. We can't just take the weapons away from them, but they should have the chance to learn how to use them properly. Obviously I don't know how to wield everything we have. Spearman though, he studied European and Asian weapons. I figure he should take the lead. I know we can't have mass practice sessions while we're traveling but after we find a place, we should get right on that. Divide everyone up by weapons and have a series of instructors who have a working knowledge of how to use them. It's going to absolutely pale in comparison to any sort of military training obviously, but it'll be better than nothing."
"Yeah, I've already been thinking about that. You've got an idea there, with dividing people up by weapons. We should be able to find a good place to stop soon." he held out the map, "This place looks pretty ideal for us. Huge lake, plenty of open grassland to the South. It'll be a bit of a hike but we can have people out there stay on a couple of days rotation. What we really need still is seeds, lots and lots and lots of seeds. We may be able to find something but we're going to have to be careful. We won't be too far from this tiny village here." he said indicating the village on the map, "I'm hoping that at some point in the future, maybe we can make contact and perhaps trade or something."
"That would be nice." Hord turned and looked at the moving line, "I'll see you later L.T."
Eduardo walked past next. He had a quiver of javelins strapped to the bag on his back and a foot long dagger, just like Jewel's strapped to the front. His bags held a nice assortment of tarps and food. The food was in the shape of cubes, just like Morris' bag. He smiled and casually waved a javelin in Joyner's direction. Everyone seemed to like Eduardo, there was plenty to like. He was open, honest, caring, and willing to do whatever he needed to do for the betterment of the group. He was easy to get along with and friendly. Joyner couldn't imagine him being a gang member, but Eduardo claimed he had been in a gang until recently. The admission troubled the entire Security team, but they were willing to give Eduardo the benefit of the doubt until he messed up.
Joyner looked back to his map. The lake appeared to be close to twenty times the size of the original field and had an even larger adjacent field. It seemed to be an ideal location for a settlement.
Vacca walked past next. He had a spear in his hands while his short sword and shield rested on his bags. His bags carried an assembly of gear that was identical to Joyner's except it lacked the map and crystals and had more food instead. Vacca had expressed an interest in Morris' bags and was keen to ask if the two of them could switch. Never the less, he plodded onward toward the stream with a friendly wave.
Joyner sighed, 'I didn't sign up to lead almost eight hundred people on an alien world. I'm just playing this by ear most of the time. I need to though, there's no one else qualified for it.' He looked back down at the map, 'And now we have to worry about being captured or killed by these horse things, who are probably out hunting us right now.'
Ludwig walked past with the small battle axe he had claimed held in both his hands. He wore a neutral expression but his eyes were always roving. His bags mimicked Vacca's and he carried them just as well. He hadn't seemed very keen on theft but he had done well and brought his group into and out of the equinoid camp without incident. His position as chosen executioner and his weapon had apparently been noticed and already some people were tossing the name 'Headsman' around. Ludwig, true to his nature, was utterly unphased by the development and simply took it in stride.
Joyner reflected on the nicknames being tossed around by the people, 'Masonete has been dubbed 'Specter' I suppose that's appropriate enough. Ludwig is now 'Headsman' that's rather gruesome. I'd rather not have people think of him like that, but I can't actually stop them. I've heard the occasional person call Jewel 'Stitch'. That doesn't make much sense to me, why not just 'Doc'? He hasn't stitched a single injury since we've been here. So far the most appropriate nickname name I've heard had been 'Path Finder' for Jason. Oi, why am I even thinking about this? I've got plans to make.'
He waved as Kaneesha padded past. Her bow was nestled in the quiver on her back but she had her dagger in her hand. She had been extremely useful. Her vision was five-five and her hearing was incredible. She wasn't on the same level with Masonete when it came to stealth, no one was, but she was working on it. She may have had a rough personality but she was quick on the uptake and took initiative when asked to perform a task. Her bags were filled with almost nothing but different types of ropes, twines, cords, and even some spools of thin metal wires. Jason had jumped for joy over seeing those, saying something about snares. In any case, Kaneesha had clearly specified that as long as she had food from somewhere, she would happily haul around the bags. She seemed impressed with her bow and arrows and Spearman had to remind her several times not to waste arrows practicing until everyone could participate.
Joyner knew the end of the line was coming up quickly and turned to the map once more to finalize the route, 'North for five days then angle East North-East for two. There's a small field, or at least it looks small on the map, out there. We can stop, find a stream, fish a bit, and refill our stores of yarrow and water. We need to save the medical supplies for real emergencies.'
Spearman walked past next, waving happily. Joyner chuckled slightly, Spearman was almost as happy as Calvin. Spearman had managed to snag a seven foot long pike with his bags. He had said he didn't need anything else to go with it and no one argued. Spearman's bags were an exact match for Joyner's, crystals and all, but with several scrolls and an entire box of crystals. The box held ten crystals, packed in sawdust.
Joyner finished with the map and rolled it back up just as Brinsin walked past with his spear, short sword and shield. Joyner carefully replaced the map and chalk and closed his bag just as the last few people strode past. Almost everyone had the spear, short sword, and shield combination. The Fellowship of Leadership agreed that the unusual weapons likely belonged to higher ranking officers or specialists. That didn't bode well, officers were much more likely to hold a grudge for the dishonor of having their things stolen, everyone with any military experience agreed.
Masonete brought up the rear with a large, leafy branch in his hands. He swept it back and forth over the path, stirring up the leaves that had been trampled flat by over seven hundred pairs of feet. Masonete had a quiver of javelins and a dagger and his bags were filled with powders and liquids in various jars. He had absolutely no idea what any of it was for but Jason seemed eager to have a look at them once the opportunity presented itself.
"Seen anything following us yet?" Joyner asked.
Masonete answered without looking up,
"Seen a couple of those pegasus things flying over the trees earlier in the day but nothing recently. There's nothing following us on the ground unless it's by scent alone. I'll know more by the end of the day. How's it looking up front?"
"We're stopping for a break at a stream up ahead. Go on, I'll take care of our tracks." Joyner offered.
"Thanks, but no thanks L.T. I got this, easy." Masonete said.
"Your choice. I'll have Calvin bring you some food." Joyner said as he turned and made for the stream.
* * *
"There's been no sign of them, your Majesties. It's like they just vanished." reported one of the Pegasus Guards.
The Pegasus Regiment had been running themselves ragged since the morning. There were many unhappy Unicorns and Earth Ponies. They felt the theft of their equipment was an insult directed at them personally. None were more upset than the Unicorn Communication Specialists. Of the three that were deployed with the Royal Guard, two of them had lost their entire batch of communication crystals, one of them had been carrying a total of twelve of the expensive, imported jewels. The Pegasus Regiments had been set upon by irate Royal Guards and told to attack the Humans on sight. Celestia had demoted nineteen officers that morning.
Princess Luna nodded,
"Thank you for the update Corporal. Go get some lunch." she turned to her sister as they sat in a large tent in the field, "Anything new sister?" she asked.
Celestia had been studying the devices and tools the Humans had left behind when they fled. She set down a flat rock that was covered with dried blood and shook her head.
"It is troublesome, little sister. One of the first tools they made were medical in nature, yet they stole so many weapons. I shudder to think what they could do now. We have to find them as quickly as possible. The situation is getting out of control. The Humans have stolen weapons, equipment, and food from us. Nopony in Equestria is prepared to defend themselves from enemies with weapons. If they decide to attack a town or village our ponies will be effectively helpless. The caches of weapons and armor in each settlement are only used for three days each year for the annual emergency preparedness program. Seeing how Ponyville has fared in the past, I do not have high hopes of any sort of solidified defense in case of an emergency." Celestia admitted.
Luna pursed her lips in contemplation,
"We could send out a proclamation to all local cities, towns, and villages to prepare for attack. However I see a problem with that course of action as well. If the Humans wish to establish any sort of peaceful contact with our ponies, they may end up being attacked by well-meaning but overzealous militia. Perhaps a messenger in each town to inform the populace of the potential of contact with new beings who may or may not be friendly?"
"It bears the same potential for misunderstandings as any other course of action. I dare not send any of the Royal Guard. News of the theft will spread like wildfire among them and the hard feelings will be equally spread as well. They would be looking for a reason to fight. Our Guards are good at what they do but there is a great deal of pride among them and more than a little bit of an elitist mentality. I should have snuffed that out ages ago." Celestia lamented quietly.
"We cannot undo what has been done sister. What thoughts have you, pertaining to our current predicament?" Luna asked.
"Waiting to see what happens is merely a reactionary course of action. An minutia of preparation is worth a kingdom's worth of reaction. We need to prepare. I've already thought of several possibilities. This course of action by the Humans was possible but I had deemed it unlikely. It seems I miscalculated."
"Possibly when you were neglecting to acquire the input of your tactically minded sibling?" Luna asked with a slightly smug tone.
"I'll not argue my oversight sister. You are here now though, so may I ask your input on some of my ideas?" Celestia asked.
"But of course." Luna responded eagerly.
Celestia nodded sitting upright,
"We could set up interspersed check points held by our Royal Guard throughout the surrounding forest, one of each breed for utility purposes."
Luna shook her head, "The Humans may see the Guards as a threat to be eliminated since they apparently think we mean them harm. Although even if the Humans attack, a Pegasus is likely to escape and we would know the Humans approximate location, but again we would look like the instigators, which is something we wish to avoid." Luna said sitting down on her flank in the grass.
"You know that lives may be lost if the Humans attack. Alright what if we have the Pegasus Regiments drop hundreds of weighted scrolls into the forest and hope the Humans find one. The scrolls would be written in their language and assure them that what happened was a misunderstanding."
Luna stared at her sister incredulously, "And how exactly do you plan to do so? Do you speak their language?"
Celestia nodded, "I do actually. When I removed the memories from the filly, I absorbed them into my own mind. The scrolls would be a more expedient resolution to the issue."
"I do not believe it would be a good idea. Let us give them some room to breathe. We should not push them too hard or else they might react poorly if they feel cornered." Luna shook out her mane, "From what you've said, Humans are distrustful by nature. They may well turn any meeting into an ambush. We could fly over the forest and scan it with magic to see where the Humans are. There would be no danger to us even if they see us." Luna hinted like a peal of thunder.
"No Luna, it's lazy. We don't just take the easy way out because we can. That is not our way. We work for our successes. We use magic for tasks we cannot perform on our own, but we work hard to find a solution that can be utilized by all breeds and species, otherwise Unicorns would rule, like they have in the past. What most Unicorns label as using a tool is actually closer to cheating. We grow as a species as we find solutions that are usable by all. Though it is sure to achieve results I do not think it is a good time to do so. We need to give them space." Celestia explained, "Besides if we intervene ourselves then everypony will expect it in the future. We will not always be present to solve problems for our subjects, they have to learn to do things on their own. It is one of the Human's greatest strengths." Celestia said with a sour expression.
"Then by that logic, Celestia, we should step back and allow our Royal Guard Officers to handle the situation." Luna said pointedly.
"No, the failure was my own for not correcting a small problem and allowing it to become a serious one. We will guide our ponies as we have in the past. Eventually they will have to be on their own but I wish to do all I can to see they are prepared for that day when it arrives. Do you have any more suggestions sister?"
Luna nodded,
"Verily, select lower ranking Guard ponies and interview them for the preferable mindsets then set them the task of commanding small groups. They will retain their command according to the relevance and effectiveness of their ideas. Our subjects solve their own problems and we can guide and direct them as necessary. The new commanders will foster their mindsets into their troops and thus encourage the kind of thinking we wish to instill." Luna suggested.
"The interviewing process will take some time." Celestia pointed out.
"You said the Human's cannot travel at speeds even remotely close to that of any of our subjects. Our fastest would take days to reach the closest settlement even at a full gallop and given a direct path. We have some time to put our plans into motion. You have the memories of one of their number. Use those memories to predict the path the Humans will take." Luna suggested.
"I've already done that, sister. The most likely path is toward the Northern Basin. They will have the cover of the forest the entire way. We know they fish, the Basin is brimming with fish. We know they eat vegetables and fruits, the land around the Basin used to be cultivated farmland. It was abandoned three hundred years ago due to a plague that swept through the village there and the land was never resettled. That is where they will head. I'm certain of it. The problem is that in order for us to make contact successfully, we will have to barricade them in so they cannot run. That will make the situation tense and Humans make poor decisions when stressed. The best course of action would be to catch them off guard, like when they are traveling and make our point before they can react. If we make our point before panic sets in we have a very high probability of coming to an agreement."
"Hmm," Luna pondered, "We need to begin the interviewing process immediately. I may be able to help at night . . . "
"No Luna," Celestia said quickly, "No dream-walking. The Humans would think they were being manipulated by our magic, if they don't already think that when we confront them. We will have to be careful." Celestia said solidly.
"What other possibilities do you foresee?" Luna asked.
"The other one that is likely is that the Humans attack one of our settlements. If that occurs, we will likely have to take drastic measures. It may end up being a bloody ordeal. If they attack a village or town the citizens will be outraged and our own Royal Guards may be out for blood. Any situation after that point has a much more slim chance of success, and a much more grim likely outcome." Celestia said sadly.
Luna raised her head regally,
"Then let us waste no time in filtering out possible candidates."
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I previously had a 'Chapter 7: Waking Up' posted but I erased it due to a severer editing S.N.A.F.U. on my part. This 'Chapter 7: The Chase Is On' is not the same one I originally put up.
I was honestly not expecting much out of this fic when I opened it up. Here I am, three hours later, wishing there were more chapters to read. Well done! I'm a pretty picky reader, but you've met all my usual standards of grammar, word use, and spelling. Also, the plot drew me in. Your writing has markedly improved over the course of just a few chapters. The first chapter was a little difficult to get through because of the large amount of explaining you did, rather than showing the situation. This has improved drastically. Go you! I like the fact that you have been mostly realistic about the survival aspect. The only thing I question is the raid on the Guard camp. It went over unrealistically well I think, but it seems to be an important plot point, so I'll deal with it. Overall, I'm impressed. You get a fave and a thumbs up from me. :)
so out of the 800 people are there children and expecting parents in the mix? I just see it as there teen adult children and maybe grandparent there as well.
4074524 College students, mostly.
The con/pro part was really cheap.
Especially the expensive paper argument, if it's so scarce, then why the heck do they have printers, the FOAL free press, meaning there is another local press. They have magazines, Fluttershy was in plenty during her short model Carrier. Canterlot has their own press, tabloids, magazines as does Manehatten and whatever town there is. They can waste paper on tabloids and magazines for chit chat fashion sass, so Paper is NOT a scarce or expansive resource, especially when you just talk about a few hundreds of scrolls, or how about newspaper scrolls instead? Rainbow was sending out flyers (pieces of paper for the record) for everypony in ponyville during the Hurricane Fluttershy episode too.
While prior reasons on the cons held steady, this one was making me scrunch up my face, because it sounds illogical and just made up on the spot. The "despite what Twilight thinks" is also pissing me of, because until this point, Twilight didn't even make an appearance yet, it's also inappropriate for her majesty to say something like this when discussing urgent and serious matters.
But this isn't all, why would she even consider writing a translated letter, if they don't have anything in the matters of human language on their hooves, or did Celestia suddenly gain knowledge of their entire language system by pulling out the vile memories from the filly? This was never mentioned or explained anywhere, so it's an idea that came out of nowhere, the readers weren't even made aware of it's possibility.
The con response of Luna on this is also inane, since if they locate the humans first, then drop the letters/scrolls/papers in their immediate area, maybe with a bit less weight, the humans can't miss them, especially when they have some people on the lookout.
So while we didn't even know that Celestia could translate human language, the option would be one of the most sound as a preemptive measure to prevent further misunderstandings.
Talk about misunderstandings, here is another thing, despite just recently having experiences a camp raid enacted by the humans, with the result of the guards being demoted, she actually considers creating guard posts within the forest. Really? After what happened? Does she want more raids? This line of reasoning seems illogical for the princess to use, facing recent events, that clearly speak against such an idea.
I also criticize Celestia's rebuttal on the third idea: Flying over the forest and scanning with magic for their location.
"Con: it's lazy. We don't just take the easy way out because we can. That is not our way. We work for our successes. We use magic for tasks we cannot perform on our own, but we work hard to find a solution that can be utilized by all breeds and species, otherwise Unicorns would rule, like they have in the past. What most Unicorns label as using a tool is actually closer to cheating. We grow as a species as we find solutions that are usable by all. Pro: it is sure to achieve results." Celestia explained.
'That's lazy' made me face palm hard enough to crack the palm. I mean what is this now? A crisis situation, or not? If the safety of her ponies is important to her as she claims, she'd do everything she can personally to ensure that they are alright, and if searching the forest via her own magic contributes to that, why would she lay it of as 'Lazy'? What exactly is the easy way out here? Locating their position? I think not. That's rather important intel. The rest of her argument, starting at 'We work for' is just pointless propaganda, that has nothing to do with what they are trying to handle here. A Crisis situation that urgently needs results to work with, to ensure 'safety for her subjects'. If she herself can prevent any harm coming to even her guards as well, and gain crucial intel from it, why would she say the above?
So yeah, the con/pro argumentation part of this story was really cheap and not sound enough to be considered legitimate, or lets say true. Might want to work over this again. For being rulers of that old age, but not having aged physically, they really seem like amateurs failing to initiate peaceful contact with another sapient species.
Well apparently, you do to Celestia, whether it's the authors fault or her actual character flaws, I'm not sure.
5706784 Good point. Fixed.
5922526
I have to agree about Luna's suggestion to find them with magic. "It's lazy" followed by her explanation why is the dumbest thing anyone has said in this fic so far. What, is she playing the game on hard mode? She can't use an obvious, easy solution to save lives? This is killing my suspension of disbelief.
The hunt begins...
Wait, what? Using the skills inherent in a species is cheating? So each time a pegasus takes wing, they are breaking the rules? Each time a unicorn levitates something they are doing it wrong? Does it count with earth ponies too since they magic is not outwardly apparent? All ponies have magic, it's a part of them. To call it's use wrong strikes me as shallow and tribalist (or speciest or racist or whatever). Quite frankly, this seems like the kind of idea th a t Celestia would be all over, as it requires cross-breed cooperation. A pegasi to bring a unicorn over the cloud layer and keep them aloft while the unicorn does the scan.
I'd love to see Celestia and Luna's reactions at finding out that a human taller than they are walked in to one of their military's camps, literally hefted all the goods (many of which being weapons, pots/pans, and other metal items) from an entire wagon onto his shoulders, and walked out without a single one of her military trained force even knowing he was there til morning...
6863416
I agree.
If magic is "lazy", what would that make Twilight to Celestia?
"The Princess of the Lazy", "Bearer of the Element of Laze"?
I think i have an solution why Celestia is acting like an idiot! He has adsorbed memories, "knowledge" and attitudes of an idiot who has no idea how world and humans work. The stereotypical idiot guard who thinks he is too cool and studies military history and fancies himself something of an warrior would be PRIME candidate for something like that!
Think about it, if she took memories like that then she has an perspective of an idiot on how humanity works and thus makes bad decisions which would seem bad to non-idiots!
I mean how novel of a concept would "send in an emissary" be? No, they send in ALL THE TROOPS in first meeting and then plan to drive them to corner before they talk! Case and POINT main character is an idiot and has poisoned Celestia with stupidy!
sadly, as much as I am upset with how much of an idiot celestia is being, it's actually in character some what. nightmare moon she knew existed, she knew would return, and made no plans on how to solve it except telling twilight to go make some friends. even if you believe celestia worked behind the scene to make likely candidates of the elements be in ponyville, it's still weak. at the royal wedding, celestia totally blows off twilight's concerns about cadence. yes, Twilight didn't make a good case, but celestia could have easily took some time alone with twilight and get a better explanation out of twilight then just ignoring her. the list goes on and on
If they haven't figured out how to do things on their own after a thousand-plus years of rule, then clearly what you are doing is not working. Seriously, this is the most ridiculous justification for anything, ever. If you want them to be prepared, you fucking drill them, you don't back off and see how the cards fall when lives are on the line.
On an unrelated notes, swords are a terrible weapon for ponies, especially long ones. Swinging by mouth is incredibly awkward. Not enough leverage, not enough flexibility, and you have to keep thrashing your head around. Swinging by hoof is plausible, to a point, but limited in two ways. First, they need at least three hooves to walk or balance on, so one hoof only. Second, they are low to the ground, relatively speaking, and that restricts their range of motion with a longer blade. That means pony-sized longswords and claymores are ridiculous, unless you suppose they can fight completely bipedally.
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Swords would probably be limited to pegasi
I've been liking the story so far but this chapter was a chore to go through. The whole part describing each person with their whole inventory was unnecessarily wordy IMO and should have been greatly condensed.
Also, while from reading some comments it seems the biggest issues were already addressed, this part
Seriously strains my suspension of disbelief and makes Celestia look like an idiot. This is a potential critical situation that is on a razor edge of going tits-up and she's concerned about being "lazy"? How the hell did she rule a country for 1000 years while being this idiotic?
10021413 It takes a while, but she realizes her problem. There is a LOT more background that explains the 'why' of their reasoning. I'll admit the inventory bit was a bit long-winded, but there is a reason for it. You will see soon.
To be fair, Celestia has done some pretty idiotic things even in the series too. But it is more that she is an idiot toward dealing with Humans because she doesn't understand the differences between Kavim and Humans yet. I will admit, it gets worse before it gets better and believe me it DOES get MUCH better.
So in short, you'd risk the lives of your ponies, to prevent racism? If you ask me, the life of someone or in this case pony, is irreplaceable, while the political problems could be corrected... with time, of cource.
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One of the things I emphasized in the series is the fallibility of the Alicorns. They are NOT perfect.
10551123
No they are not perfect, but they are freaking stupid!!!!
10551123
You would think thousands of years would teach them some but it doesnt show in your story