Chapter 30
“What do you think Twilight will be in the mood for?” Fluttershy asked. It was their turn today to make lunch.
“I'm not sure.” Cliff replied. It had been eight days since his younger brother's letter had been printed in nearly every magazine and newspaper in Equestria, and while nothing major had happened yet, there was a definite sense of growing tension among the ponies in town. “She likes oats.”
Thankfully, the road between Fluttershy's cottage and the palace had very little traffic. The only major landmark was a new construction site. If memory served, it was going to be a new store for a pony named Filthy Rich.
“That's true, but we had oat cereal yesterday for breakfast.” She hummed thoughtfully. “We could make a batch of oat muffins.”
“Good idea.” Cliff hated oat muffins, but everypony else seemed to enjoy them. He would just have some eggs for lunch.
As they approached the construction site, the young dragon's enhanced hearing picked up raised voices. At first he didn't pay much attention to it, construction workers were always upset about something or other, but then he heard a furious response, from a voice he recognized.
Cliff stopped. “Fluttershy, please go get Twilight and bring her to that building.” He pointed. “I just heard Fire Eyes shouting something, and she sounds angry enough to attack somepony.”
The yellow mare's pupils shrank. “Okay. Um, please be careful.”
“She won't hurt me. It's the other ponies I'm worried about.” He gave her a quick hug before launching himself in the direction of the raised voices.
Fire Eyes and a tan earth mare with a light blue mane and tail were glaring daggers at each other when the young dragon landed next to them. The mare jumped in surprise. His old friend, however, barely even blinked. Other ponies surrounded them. Based on their uniforms and hard hats, Cliff assumed they were the rest of the construction crew. They looked to be about halfway through their lunch break.
Taking advantage of the ponies' stunned silence, Cliff rose to his hind legs and activated Empathy for a moment. Disgust, fear, and even hatred existed in the group, but those emotions were all fairly weak. For the most part, they were just angry. Prompted by that, he reached out with his magic and linked to Fire Eyes, who accepted it gratefully.
She was uneasy about being surrounded by hostile ponies, and extremely angry as well. Yet in spite of that, the dragoness remained in control of herself.
Silently assuring his friend that everything would be fine, Cliff turned to the mare who had been arguing with her. “What is your name?” The line was a bit of advice from Spike. It came across as respectful, but at the same time, made the other pony worry that a higher authority was about to be invoked.
The mare reacted just as he had expected, by swallowing and taking a less hostile stance. “I-I'm Sawdust, sir.”
“Just 'Cliff Runner' is fine,” he said in an emotionless voice. “Now, as an ambassador between wyrms and ponies, I would like to hear from everypony what was going on here, and since it seems that you two were in the middle of it,” he nodded to Fire Eyes and Sawdust in turn, “that is where I'll start. You may begin.”
Sawdust lowered her head just enough to avoid his gaze. “I didn't mean to start an argument. I just wanted to know why you dragons aren't going to help anypony else live longer.”
His old friend strongly disagreed, but Cliff motioned for Sawdust to continue.
“Fire Eyes here said that it's because Spike said so, and that she would follow his order even though she doesn't know or care why he gave it. I tried to tell her that he's wrong, but she wouldn't listen, and we kind of started fighting over it.”
The young dragon raised an eyebrow. “From personal experience, I know that you must have said something else to make Fire Eyes this upset. Will you tell me, or should I ask her?”
Sawdust frowned. “All I said was that it's wrong to be so greedy with all those centuries you have when there are tons of ponies who deserve them just as much.”
Greedy? Cliff felt his blood start to boil. They dare call us greedy?! He fought down his outrage and embraced the Stillness.
Fire Eyes helped with a wave of calming emotions, though she wasn't faring any better.
“A word of warning, Sawdust,” he said between gritted teeth, “'greedy' is the worst thing you can possibly call a wyrm. It is grounds for expulsion from the coven, or even a duel to the death. You should count yourself lucky that both Fire Eyes and myself remember that it doesn't mean anything nearly as bad in pony society.”
Undaunted, the mare growled back, “I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.”
In spite of the Stillness, Cliff was tempted to grab that smug pony by the throat.
“Perhaps he wasn't clear,” the white dragoness said, coming forward, “calling a wyrm 'greedy' means stating that she will very soon be responsible for murdering her own family, and everydragon she cares about. It means you are calling that wyrm a creature so twisted and evil that she has to be killed in order to keep others safe. So not only are you insulting us in the worst imaginable way, you are also making threats against our very lives. Now I'll say it one more time,” she pushed past Cliff to glare down at the earth pony. “Do. Not. Call. Me. That. Again.”
Sawdust flinched away from the venom in her voice, but many of the other ponies shifted forward, like they were about to rush to her aid.
Cliff registered that fact as his mind scrambled for a way to diffuse the situation. Both dragons fueled more willpower into their defensive spells, just in case. “Though you didn't realize the severity of what you were saying,” he gently placed Fire Eyes behind him, “the fact is that you knew it was an insult. I won't push for the kind of punishments that would be leveled against a wyrm in your situation, but I will be reporting this incident to your overseers.”
The earth pony looked at the two of them for a long moment before nodding. “Fine, but this doesn't change the fact that all ponies deserve to benefit from longer lives, not just the ones that you happen to like.”
“You're welcome to that opinion.”
Sensing that a fight wasn't about to break out, the other ponies relaxed slightly.
Fire Eyes took a long, unsteady breath, then stormed off with a muttered, “and they call us greedy.” Most of her lunch was left on the ground behind her.
“Fire Eyes,” Cliff called after his friend. “I'm going to have to talk to your overseers about this as well, and Princess Twilight.”
“I know,” she said back, “and I don't care. I'm going back to work.” She cut the link as she walked.
Maybe we need to find her a different job, Cliff thought. It's no wonder she always seems on edge lately. “As for you, Sawdust,” he returned his attention to the earth pony, “how would you suggest that my fellow wyrms and I use the lifetimes we have been given?”
The tan mare raised an eyebrow at him, but remained silent.
“You obviously disagree with our decision not to share life-force with anypony who is not a member of our family, and so I'm inviting you to propose an alternative.”
“Share it evenly,” she said at last. “If everypony got a couple of extra decades, and dragons only lived as long as ponies, then things would actually be fair.”
“And by the same logic we should cut off the wings and horn of every pegasus and unicorn in Equestria, and neutralize your earth pony magic, removing your greater strength and connection to the land. That way nopony would have anything that the others don't.”
“That's not the same!” she snapped.
“How?” he demanded.
“Pegasi don't just clear the clouds over their own homes. They help all of us.”
“We're already healing everypony in town for free,” Cliff pointed out, “and we were nearly killed protecting you all from that drake. Yet in spite of that, you dare to claim that we are the ones being selfish when you ask us to give up our very lives and we say 'no?'” He got up and walked away in disgust. “Princess Twilight will be here shortly. Tell her that I'm with Fire Eyes.”
He found his old friend pounding a piece of wood into place. She looked up as he approached. “So you couldn't stand listening to her crap either?”
“We didn't give her what she wanted, so we aren't giving enough.” Cliff sighed as he grabbed a hammer for himself. “It was either come help you or try beating some sense into her.”
“I doubt Fluttershy would have approved,” she said wryly.
“Why do you think I left?”
Fire Eyes wordlessly motioned for him to give her another board.
He did, and they worked in silence for a few moments.
“...You're lucky, you know,” the white dragoness said suddenly.
“For finding Fluttershy?”
“Yeah, but more than that.” Fire Eyes paused to finish pounding in another nail. “You came halfway across the continent, right in the middle of our most powerful enemies and their bizarre culture, and yet somehow you found family, friendship, and even love.” She gave a humorless laugh. “The closest I've come is a handful of ponies that don't try to pick fights with me every day.”
“Wait, every day?” Cliff was shocked.
“Yeah, for the past two months or so.” She grabbed another nail. “It's kind of admirable, when you think about it. They know I could overpower any of them in a fight, but they still stand up to me because they're trying to keep the others safe. Herd mentality, I guess.”
“Fire Eyes, we need to get you a different job.”
The dragoness shrugged. “It's fine. I'm used to their crap by now. Besides, everydragon else was able to make things work here. Call me stubborn, but I just don't want to feel like I'm the only one who needed special treatment.”
Cliff gave his friend an appraising stare. “Just think about it, okay?”
Fire Eyes glanced over his shoulder. “It looks like the Princess is here.”
Following her gaze, the young dragon saw that Twilight had indeed arrived, along with a small group of reporters. She was talking with Sawdust, and doing her best to ignore the camera flashes.
“I guess we should go get things resolved.” The dragoness set her hammer down and walked away.
“Fire Eyes?” Cliff asked.
She sighed. “Yes, Cliff, I'll think about changing jobs.”
Satisfied, he followed after her.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Spike facepalmed. “You're kidding me!” An annoyed Twilight and embarrassed Cliff and Fire Eyes had just arrived at the palace and told him about the incident. Fluttershy, never one for tension, had excused herself to the kitchen.
“Look, Spike,” Cliff said, “I don't think you understand just how bad being called 'greedy' is among wyrms. There's literally nothing in pony culture that even rivals it.”
“I get that it's bad, Cliff,” the younger dragon assured him, “but I warned you all that this was a powder-keg situation. All it's going to take is one spark to make everything blow up in our faces.”
“Do you think this will be that spark?” Fire Eyes asked nervously.
“We'll have to wait and see,” Spike replied glumly. “For right now, though, we're going to find you a different job.”
She shook her head. “Cliff already tried to talk me into that. I'm fine where I am.”
“We're going to move you anyway.” The young dragon's tone left no room for arguments. “Staying there after all of this will just seem like you're trying to provoke them.” His expression softened. “Look, Fire Eyes, we always knew that at least one of you was going to get a crappy boss, or a bunch of jerks for coworkers, or something like that. I know you're tough enough to put up with it, but there's really no reason that you should have to. After all, weren't you the one who told me that a true warrior knows which fights to avoid?”
Some of the tension went out of the white dragoness. “Okay, fine.”
Spike visibly relaxed as well. “I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that. Anyway, we'll talk with the rest of the P.R. team tomorrow morning. Be here by nine. Until then, don't let anypony goad you into arguing with them, and if they ask about a life extension, just apologize and tell them that you're out of years to give.”
Fire Eyes nodded again. “I'll get back to work then.”
“No. As of right now, you don't work there anymore.” Spike pushed aside the books he had been studying when they walked in. “I'll go tell your boss. It'll make those idiots think you were fired. Hopefully that will keep them off our backs for a while.” He paused at the door before adding, “I meant it when I called this situation a powder-keg, and things are going to get even worse before they get better. So until then, don't do anything that even remotely seems like it might be the proverbial spark.”
Twilight finally spoke up after Spike closed the door, “Fire Eyes, would you like to join us for lunch? Cliff said that you didn't get a chance to finish your meal earlier.”
The white dragoness hesitated.
She's going to refuse. Cliff could tell. He nudged her in the side.
Fire Eyes turned to him, and they had one of those conversations-in-a-glance. “...Okay,” she surrendered. “Thank you, Twilight.”
Giving no sign that she had noticed their little disagreement, Twilight led the two dragons into the kitchen.
-_-_-_-_-_-
“I'm sorry, but I just can't afford to hire her,” the brown earth stallion said. He and Cliff were standing inside 'Quills and Sofas,' one of the most unusual businesses the young dragon had ever seen. “Filthy Rich would stop carrying my sofas in his stores if I did.”
“Of course he would,” Cliff sighed. He hadn't been there for it, but apparently the businesstallion had gone to the Dragon House the day after Fire Eyes was 'let go,' and attempted to buy an extra decade for his little brat, Diamond Tiara. The same Diamond Tiara who did everything she could to make school a living nightmare for the Crusaders. After Fire Claws made some very pointed comments about him, his money, and his daughter, Filthy Rich had come down firmly on the side of the anti-dragon sentiments that were sweeping the town. “Can you think of anypony else that might be willing to hire Fire Eyes?”
“Sorry, I can't.”
Cliff thanked him anyway and walked back into the crowded street. That was the last business on Twilight's list, and still no luck. The most frustrating part was knowing that if she or Spike had been doing this instead, they probably would have found at least three different jobs for his old friend. Unfortunately, they were both so busy with the P.R. team lately that they barely even had time to sleep.
“Excuse me, Mr. Dragon?” a young voice said.
He looked down and saw a light blue unicorn filly with a purple mane and tail. Cliff immediately sank down so their faces would be at the same level. He noted that her eyes were the same purple as her mane. “Hello there, little one. What can I do for you?”
She was obviously nervous, and fighting to remain calm. “I, uh, I wanted to ask if you would please help... my grandmother.”
A weight settled in Cliff's stomach. “Is she sick?”
“No, she, uh.” The filly swallowed, and tears began to form in her eyes. “She's really old. I know I'm not supposed to ask, but please, could you give her just a little bit more time? She's the nicest grandmother in Equestria.” Her eyes seemed to bore right into his soul. “Please?”
Cliff had to look away. “I'm sorry. I've already given up all of my extra years.”
“You mean,” her voice quavered, “you won't help her?”
This never gets easier. “I wish I could. I really do.”
He heard gentle sobbing. “Please! The doctors say she only has a few days left!”
“I'm sorry,” Cliff repeated. It seemed like such a pathetic thing to say. Every instinct within him was begging the young dragon to ignore what Spike had said about how giving in would undermine the entire future of dragon-pony relationships, and offer the filly's grandmother an extra year. What's one year anyway?
She latched onto his arm. “I don't wanna lose Nanna. You have to help!”
“I can't,” he forced his unwilling mouth to say.
“Yes you can.” The crying filly released his arm and collapsed in helpless sobs. “...You just won't!” she eventually shouted before the sound of rapid hoof-steps announced her departure.
Angry mutters sprang up in her wake.
Cliff released his hearing spell. He already knew what the crowd of ponies would say. There were many variants, but it all added up to one question: 'How could that dragon be so selfish?'
“I don't want to be selfish,” he whispered to nopony in particular. Maybe I am anyway. These ponies all seem to have so much love for life. Perhaps they would use the years better than I would... He cut off that train of thought. It was so much easier to deal with self-important ponies who demanded extra life than the ones who simply wanted to help an elderly relative.
Even without his enhanced hearing, Cliff could tell that ponies were arguing about him. Some claimed that he was a monster for denying the filly's request. Others pointed out that saying 'yes' would have meant killing himself a little bit. Fluttershy and the other Elements of Harmony were brought up, like they always were, and the argument started winding its way to the inevitable discussion of choice and love versus fairness and equality. 'Discussion' was probably the wrong word though. It implied a certain lack of anger, insults, and shoving.
Cliff moved away from the arguing ponies and into a back alley as quickly as possible. The disagreements tended to fizzle out when there wasn't a wyrm around.
He had only gone about a block when Derpy landed in front of him. A satchel of letters was at her side, but in place of her normal work outfit, she had one of Rarity's newest pieces, a shirt that read 'Their life, their choice' over a stylized picture of a wyrm. She didn't say anything, but her sad smile told him that she knew what had just happened.
“H-hey, Derpy, how-” He was cut off by a firm hug.
The gray mare's wings came up to cover his face. “It's okay,” she whispered. “Cry.”
He did. The filly's expression of desperate pleading stabbed into his heart. “How could I do that to her?” Cliff whispered through the tears. “How?”
Gentle words of comfort soothed the young dragon as he wept.
It took a few minutes before Cliff could pull himself back together enough to thank Derpy, and apologize for getting her new shirt all wet.
She just gave him another smile before passing him a piece of paper and a muffin from her satchel.
“Thank you,” he repeated, mustering a weak smile of his own.
Derpy nodded and patted him on the shoulder before taking to the air once more.
The paper was yet another flier by the Doctor, defending wyrms and pleading with the citizens of Ponyville not to ask for any more years from them.
Cliff skimmed through it, and took a bite of the muffin. He grimaced immediately. Oat. Of course. He ate it anyway though. For some reason, it felt like he owed Derpy that much.
As he made his way back to the palace, Cliff received glares and insults from some ponies, and smiles and praise from others. He did his best to look friendly for both groups, all the while trying to remember a time that living in Ponyville hadn't felt like being stuck between two warring berserkers.
-_-_-_-_-_-
After making a simple lunch for Spike and the rest of the P.R. team, Cliff left it on the table along with a note, explaining that he had failed again at finding a job for Fire Eyes. He forced himself to eat a gemstone and a few eggs before leaving again. It was Applebuck Season, and he didn't want to keep the others waiting any longer than he had to.
Granny Smith was overseeing their efforts when he arrived. She directed him to the field where Fluttershy was working, just past the one where his grandparents were competing against Applejack and Big Mac to see who could harvest the most apples.
He was in for a surprise when he got to the field. Fluttershy had somehow convinced Angel to help.
The white rabbit was glaring over a map as he directed squadrons of forest animals around the orchard, harvesting, sorting, and storing every apple in sight. He wore the metal pot on his head again, as he always did when leading the 'troops.'
“Good afternoon, Cliff.” Fluttershy swooped down from where she had been picking apples. “Were you able to find a job for Fire Eyes?”
He tried to act casual as he shook his head, but he knew he wasn't fooling anypony.
“Oh, I'm sorry.” She paused, and looked deep into his eyes, noting the tear stains across his cheeks. “Did you have to turn down another foal too?”
Cliff looked away. Unfortunately, that brought him directly into the line of Angel's (probably) soulless gaze.
“Angel,” Fluttershy said as she wrapped a wing around Cliff, “would you please let the two of us speak alone for a moment?”
In a move that shocked the young dragon to his core, Angel looked from Fluttershy back to him, and his expression didn't harden into its usual death glare. Instead, the white rabbit nodded slowly and saluted. A sharp whistle drew the attention of the other animals, and Angel directed them all to follow him to another part of the field.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy called after them. Then she turned and enveloped her fiance in a hug. “I'm so sorry, Cliff. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Her grandmother is dying of old age,” he whispered. “I was her last hope.” He shook his head. “What right did I have to refuse her? My life isn't worth more than the life of anypony else.”
Fluttershy's hooves tightened around him. “I think I'm starting to understand how scary it was for you when you didn't know if I would accept the extra years or not. If you start saying 'yes' to the ponies that ask for more life, then you'll die soon, and I'll have to live without you for centuries.” A few wet spots formed on his shoulder, where her head was pressed up against his scales. “You wouldn't let me or my friends sacrifice parts of our lives, so please, let me be just a little bit selfish; don't give up your own life either. Spend it with me instead, please.”
Cliff was silent for a long time before he finally answered, “Okay.” Even though hoarding his life when it could be used to help others went against everything wyrms stood for, he silently resolved to do so. For Fluttershy.
-_-_-_-_-_-
After a long day of harvesting and hauling apples, Cliff was more than ready to get back to the palace and collapse, but not before escorting Fluttershy back to her cottage, of course. As he walked the dirt road back to town, the memories of six different crying foals assaulted the young dragon's mind. He shook them off, and tried to focus more on his fiance.
Cliff was just passing the outer edge of houses when his instincts began screaming at him to move. He barely had time to look up before light flashed in the corner of his eyes and pain exploded across his side.
His vision swam as his body jumped forward, narrowly dodging another beam of light. Cliff rolled to his feet and threw up a shield, hissing in pain as something wet began to flow down his side. The shield appeared just in time to block a third energy beam, shot by a unicorn from the second story window of a nearby house.
There wasn't enough time think about what any of this meant. Cliff's shield was barely strong enough to withstand the assault. He surged Energy Resistance, dropped his shield, and launched himself at his attacker, ignoring the scales that were being blasted off of his forearms.
The unicorn ducked just in time to avoid Cliff's claws as the young dragon shot past him and into the room beyond, landing vertically on the far wall.
Cliff's first look at the unicorn revealed a stallion with a gray-blue coat and a yellow mane and tail. All of that was pushed aside for later though, as the dragon spat out a burst of green fire, setting the room around them ablaze.
Unfortunately for him, the stallion teleported away before the flames could reach him. He reappeared in the street outside with a look of horror as smoke began to pour out of the windows of his house. “You monster!”
The ground at his hooves exploded upwards into a cloud of dust as Cliff shot after him.
A unicorn shield appeared just in time to block him, and a blast of telekinesis knocked the young dragon backwards into the house.
The stallion grit his teeth as he poured everything he had into smashing his opponent against the wall.
Energy Resistance dissipated enough of the unicorn's magic that Scale Armor could save Cliff from being crushed to death. Even so, the pain was incredible, especially across his wounded side and arms. He surged Speed Burst, knocking himself to the side and out of the unicorn's telekinetic grip. Cliff went invisible before he landed, shooting away from another beam of energy.
The unicorn stallion let out a shout of frustration before charging towards the house. “Liza! Are you okay?”
He had only taken a few steps when Cliff reappeared right next to him. With his Strength spell at maximum power, the young dragon delivered a vicious palm-strike to the side of the unicorn's head, knocking him flat.
Cliff didn't bother to check if he was out before running towards the house as well, intent on putting out the fire before 'Liza' could be hurt by it, whoever she was. He realized what a mistake that was when a field of telekinesis wrapped around him, slamming him into the house across the street.
“I won't let you hurt my sister!” The stallion gasped as he struggled back to his hooves.
By now, several windows had been opened on the houses nearby, and shocked faces within stared at the two combatants. The door of the stallion's own house opened, and a light blue filly with a purple mane and tail came onto the front porch.
Surging his Strength again, Cliff ripped off a piece of wood from the wall behind him. Speed Burst plus Momentum Transfer sent it hurtling right into, and through, the stallion's left foreleg.
With a scream of pain, he released his telekinetic hold on the young dragon.
The filly gasped and shouted for her brother.
Cliff was in front of the stallion instantly, and this time he left nothing to chance. Momentum Transfer sent the unicorn crashing into his burning house, hard enough to leave cracks in the wall. He didn't even have time to hit the ground before Cliff grabbed his head and slammed it down. He pulled the unicorn's head up by his mane and slammed it down several more times, until he was absolutely sure his foe was unconscious.
Ignoring the shouts of fear and denial from the filly, Cliff brought the unconscious stallion's head up one more time, and bit down on his horn. There was a sickening CRUNCH, and then Cliff spat out his foe's broken horn, leaving nothing but a bloody stump on the unicorn's forehead.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Cliff took a few gasping breaths before hefted the stallion over his shoulder.
“No!” The filly shouted. Now that she was closer, he recognized her as the one he had met in the marketplace earlier that day. “Don't hurt my brother!”
Cliff didn't respond. He only paused long enough to cast a spell that would smother the fire upstairs before tightening his grip on the unconscious unicorn and then shooting away into the night.
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..Oh, he's the monster and you tried KILLING HIM!?
..If i was there, i would put the law down. Hard.
"Nice to meet..."
*BOOM!*
So Cliff took his assailant with him? I can only imagine the things that will happen next; jail time, trial, and a bunch of bad press for dragons all around. And why did that unicorn attack Cliff? If I had to guess, that unicorn is the older brother of the filly who asked Cliff to give her grandmother more years. Either that, or he was paid off by Filthy Rich to attack Cliff, hoping to get some payback at what Fire Eyes said. Well, if there is a trial, Cliff is lucky enough to be friends with a princess, who can afford to get him the best lawyer in Equestria. Of course, I wonder if there's a spell that forces others to tell the truth, and is restricted to being used only during a trial?
Anyway, good chapter.
4720211 Oh, there's a few things I would do... after making sure he couldn't run away... using physics and applied force.
and the journey downhill just hit a 90 degree slop. and for the record that powder-keg was set next to a nuke. so yeah you can guess the outcome for the next few chapters obviously. I just wanted to say what is on everyone's mind.
Attacking an ambassador is a very serious offense right?
Selfish isn't the word for what Cliff did with Fluttershy and her friends. Self-centered is the word. They're eagerly spreading joy and happiness... if you're already important to them. Otherwise they can't help you, no matter if you need it or not. Your family living a few more years is not as important as Fluttershy being secure that she won't lose her friends or her fiancee except by accidents.
Mostly I don't know how the problem is planned to be solved... Either the Mane 6 live a long ass time, and no other dragons can give life to ponies by rule, and it's still really unfair for normal ponies, or the dragons give away all their lives and it's really unfair to them because it's their nature to live a very long time. There is basically no way to make everyone happy, and no way to not be unfair to someone.
4720238 The problem is that even with the best possible lawyer in Equestria, Cliff is in trouble. He simply went too far. It's going to be hard for them to convince that it was the unicorn who attacked first since, at least by my understanding they didn't have that many witnesses. Permanently crippling an already unconscious opponent is not going to look good. Let's hope that Cliff will actually get some friendly witnesses that saw the whole thing.
A lot boils down to whether or not the court will believe that Cliff was fighting for his life and even then He most likely won't escape without some level of punishment for going overboard. If the punishment is too small it's going to seem that the wyrms are being favored over the ponies and those claims are going to be big trouble.
Oh man the getting's good...
4720374 Part of the problem is that if the ponies force the wyrms to give their years too generously then it's basically genocide because the ponies will be sucking the life out of the whole species. And it's going to be extremely hard to come up with rulings that don't either destroy the wyrms or cause serious anger in ponies. And is it self-centered to understand that making a single exception in that kind of situation will be the start of slippery slope to extinction for the wyrms. I understand why the ponies act the way they do but personally I'm more inclined to respect the wyrms right to keep their species alive.
4720374
Yeah, this was meant to be a situation with no easy solution, or possibly no solution at all. I still can't think of a way that would be entirely fair to everyone, wyrms and ponies alike.
Flash news all ponies must die, expect for some main characters.
I feel sorry for Cliff having to endure this sh@@
4720437 Its the same principle as what would happen if humans had to deal with something like, a lot of people are blind to looking at the alternative view, thinking someone as being selfish, greedy, or even cruel for doing something or not doing something, when what that person did or didn't do was in fact selfless, generous, and kind. And the unicorn attacking him just because, is a reaction humans have had many times in the past.
You know the saying "straw that broke the camels' back"? This is more of stone tablet that was sent hurling towards its' spine.
I don't see why he bit off the horn. He was already unconscious, so removing the horn would've been overkill and needlessly cruel. Cliff isn't the kind to be needlessly cruel. It's not even needed for drama or plot, as the battle alone would've set the powder keg off. You don't have the excuse that he can make it grow back with healing magic, either, because the stallion would be ungrateful and immediately end him, and that's assuming he'd even be allowed to try in the first place.
This is an interesting situation I'm in now. It's only the third time since joining FiMFiction that I've had to call an author out because his/her own original character was OOC.
Well, crap. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
4720437
See, I don't support the dragons giving away their lives until they die either!
The problem came when they started justifying why they CAN give away their lives. If they lived a long time, and ponies didn't, alright I guess that's fine, it's not fair but it's not fair because nature said so.
Except you can give away your time! So what is good criteria for giving away lives, and who should be expected to give the time away? Someone who doesn't want to live without their spouse: yeah okay, you and possibly some of your immediate family can bring that spouse up to your level... it's not fair but it's understandable, this is an exceptional bond that becomes just as unfair when a spouse outlives the other on both sides. Oh, but now your spouse wants to bring all her closest friends too? As sad as it would be, it's not destroying their memory to remember them fondly and find new friends. So, you ask people who aren't quite your family to give away a bunch of time. Oh so giving away time is perfectly fine then for friends of family?
But now you have to stop because you can't let anyone else do it. At what point does the arbitrary line of "who is important enough" get drawn? Who's the unfortunate person who gets right on the other side of that line? Who gets lucky?
I almost hate to say it, but this isn't Cliff's fault, or Spike's fault: it's Fluttershy's fault. The slippery slope of "we get to judge who gets to live how long arbitrarily based on who was friends with someone who falls in love with a dragon" was started by her, then Cliff did his best to reel it back to "immediate family only" which is probably the rule that makes the most sense. It seems to be the one that's genuinely minimizing suffering without going straight to "these ponies are important enough for more time, but these other one's aren't."
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I'm sorta surprised that you are keeping this that vague. Normally when granting immortality in fics the authors just assume that everyone would be cool if Twilight were immortal. She's the one that has the tough time living too long, and noone would ever be jealous about her increased importance through long life, or feel jilted that they don't get time with their family, or favorite hobbies, or get to do more with their lives. And if they do it's because they're the bad guys. We all know jealously is an evil emotion, never felt by reasonable people for reasonable reasons.
I knew something like this was going to happen. Whenever something comes along that can extend someone's life span people will jump on it. And in this case they can't. In this kind of situation there is no real right or wrong in this. And with Cliff being attacked this will stir up a massive hornets nest on both sides.
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It was in case the unicorn regained consciousness before Cliff gets where he's going. He isn't going to give second chances or risk another surprise attack with his own would-be assassin.
This chapter demonstrated how unstable the situation is perfectly. On one hand, some ponies are simply enraged that the dragons have a longer lifespan than them. If that were really an issue, than why don't they complain about Celestia or Luna being immortal? The answer is because they are useful. They serve an important role that makes life easier for ponies. If this weren't the case, they would be getting just as many complaints as the dragons. This group stands as the ones who want the years for the sake of their own greed. I think your statement about removing each pony subspecies' unique abilities proves why their thinking is flawed well enough.
On the other hand, there is the group who wants to give those years to the kindhearted who are standing at death's door. That filly didn't want them for her benefit, she truly believed that her grandmother was more important than her. This is where the unstable factor comes into play. What's more important, the lives of those who seem to deserve another chance or the lives of those who had the years to begin with? It all boils down to opinion at that point. The deciding factor is what the afterlife is like in this universe, something that no one could possibly know. Do the dead move on to another plain of existence or do they just cease to exist? As someone who doesn't know the answer himself and is genuinely afraid of finding out, I can see how this would be such an issue for some ponies. I think you've done an excellent job at making this conflict. It's one that leaves even the most active of thinkers without a true answer. Even Angel understands just how much weight it leaves on their shoulders.
Now for the matter of this unicorn assailant. It looks like the small army I gathered didn't block out all possible threats. Oh well, one had to slip by eventually. I wonder what was going through his mind. He should know that dragon magic balances the scale against him in a one-on-one fight. He should also realize that Cliff's good enough at it to be appointed as Twilight's mentor for a short period of time. If both of these statements are true, than what reason could be important enough to make him go through with the attack? Perhaps we're dealing with someone who's on the verge of having nothing left to lose if he does fail. He could either be the among the most greedy of the first group or the most generous of the second group. If he's from neither, it means that there's even more conflict to be had in the form of an anti-dragon group. This still leaves the question of what the fallout of this incident will be.
You were right, waste matter has come into contact with the rotating cooling unit. Now we can only sit here and guess where it will land. In short, this was a good chapter. You know how to build up tension. I look forward to the next update.
... Well, shit. Short of Celestia or Luna coming down and giving some divine order I can't see this ending without a lot of rioting.
Well, there is one way I can see it end well without them getting involved, but I won't say it on the off chance that I've already predicted what will happen.
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One of my biggest pet peeves in writing is characters that are just jerks for the sake of being jerks, or who have some logic behind their actions, but it's so unbelievably stupid that it makes your head hurt. That's why I'm trying to present a world with shades of gray and situations where neither the 'good' nor 'bad' guys have the obvious moral high ground. Fluttershy wanted her closest friends to enjoy the same gift that she had been offered (not an inherently bad thing), Cliff wanted to share his life with his, at the time, marefriend (not bad either), the coven just wanted to help (they're basically an extended family, after all), and the ponies of Equestria just want fairness and/or more time for beloved relatives (certainly not evil of them). Of course, then I spend so much time coming up with a problem that doesn't have any clear solution that I'm stumped when it comes time to wrap things up. Give and take, I suppose.
congratulation! you have 666 likes!!
And here we have a problem, one that will be nightmare handle no less.
4720374 One can be greedy if you demand others to give something precious they have to them.
Ponies are pretty much saying "we are better than you, so we need these years more than the dragons."
Wyrm master race.
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And on the chapter where all hell starts to break loose no less. Go figure.
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and Unicorn horns
This will not end well for him
Yep but ponies won't see it that way.... Lol I love how ironic that Cliff was the one who suggested that they cut off Pegasus wings
Aww... The poor filly....
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. Let's pretend that was cleverly placed foreshadowing on my part.
Wow, I didn't even realize
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Yeah, she probably got a lifelong fear of dragons out of that. Her full name is Liza Doolots, by the way. I have to feel bad for how thoroughly this story crapped on her home life.
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Sweet lets go with that
Well... Stuff just got real.
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4720689 Even so, what I don't see is why they haven't explained only a such amount of years can go before the wyrms begin to die due to giving them up. Even if they are screwing up due to saying not everyone can have it because we say so, the life endangering of it should help ponies understand.
4720273 you bastid, when are you going to update.
I miss your fantastic works
also good chappie I hope cliff has the sense to bring the uncorn assailent straight to twilight even if the'll be cringing at the sight of the bitten off horn.
Sorry about the lagg post.
4720832 Oh the irony.
Well, there go pony-dragon relations for the next MILLION YEARS. Now, onto a similar note, who else watches Fairy Tail, the anime where dragons are practically demi-gods? It's pretty cool. Not to mention, IT'S HILARIOUS!
From a young age I learned that death is a part of life; the death of a loved one causes pain and can make you stronger while still not forgetting them, it can give relief to those that have suffered for so long, it also gives reason to fight and reason not too. No matter if you get another day in a second you could meet your end and leave that day wasted.
Clif was attacked, because others were so selfish that they only think of the ponies and not of the Wymn that gave that life. Old age is something that has been looked up to, it is an honor because you have wisdom from a lifetime to give to the next generation. Life is about how you live not how long you lived. Celestia might have to tell the nation of her heartache for living so long and how they should not be greedy.
I'm starting to think Fire Eyes would be the one on their side who would start openly questioning whether or not dragons and ponies can co-exist together. She'll admit that in smaller groups it might be true, but wonder if it holds true for wider society. With constant attacks against the dragons, with her having the hardest time of it, I wouldn't be surprised if she's the one to want to leave. Spike's attitude in this chapter probably didn't help things.
I mentioned this before, but since the situation has begun to spiral out of control, I wonder how long it'll be before the conflict between these ponies and dragons is joined by others. Who knows, the dragons may find themselves with odd allies. Ponyville certainly didn't give a good account of themselves when faced with a zebra. Perhaps mules will start speaking up because they believe ponies perceive them as 'lower' than them. A little push here, a nudge here.
As always, looking forward to the next chapter.
This is random but wouldn't it be great if during Cliff and Fluttershys' wedding, a certain... 'wyrm'... if you want to call him that... stopped by and gave those two his regards and best wishes?
"And that Spike," Cliff said as he patted his dumbfounded brother on the shoulder, "is what happens when you reach true enlightenment.... or if you hoard radiation and fish."
4720943 You could fix that some how later down the road but hey that's just my opinion.
based solely on the blast marks from the initial attack, it can easily be demonstrated that Cliff was acting in self-defence... but obviously the prejudicial/racist ponies aren't going to see it...
But that might be changed if memory spells exist that can project somepony's memories for others (preferably not just the casters) to see with their own eyes...
Oh my. Who is that Stallion. I guess we now see if the Dragons will be staying, or not. Great job with this chapter. I feel sorry for Cliff.
So I have a question for you. If the wyrms have agreed not to give up any more of their extra years to ponies that ask them, why not start to offer to transfer some of that ponie's years to the one in need?
Is it not unfair of them to give up something that the ponies themselves are not willing to give up?
P.S. Cliff runner, you did the right thing.
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It is neither selfish or self centered for anyone to want to live their lives for their own goals and their own happiness.
No one has the right to ask anything of anyone that is not freely given.
There is a word for what these ponies are trying to take from dragons.
It is called Rape.