71 - Trouble at Home
Soft Mane was led through the grand castle, walking nervously as she took in the splendor of it all. Stained glass appeared to be a common feature, depicting scenes that she had no reference to, save that ponies were the vast majority of what was depicted. No humans, no elves, no dwarves, not even a purrsian or griffon? The guards who walked with her were stoic in their expression. One was a dark grey color, the other a solid brown. Both wore the bright gold armor that she assumed was the uniform for a guard, or maybe soldier in general?
While the guards had minimal reaction to anything going on around them, the servants were not as shy about their expressions of shock and amazement when their eyes fell on Soft Mane. It only lasted a moment each time before the pony remember what they were doing and hurried off.
One of the guards nudged open a door, revealing an expansive and well appointed bed room, "This will be your quarters. If you need anything, pull the string on the left side."
The door closed after she entered and she heard the soft click from the door. Crossing her arms, she tapped a hoof on the ground, wondering what the others were up to.
The others had all taken seats around the table Celestia and Luna had started at. Celestia smiled at her guests, "It is very good to have you all here, acquaintances new and old." Her smile faded to a thin line as her horn began to glow. Before her sprung a map of Equestria, large splotches of it covered with red, white, brown, or blue smears. "I wanted you to be free to think clearly, Twilight. I know you have a little habit of panicking. Equestria is under attack."
Long Road pointed at the floating map with a hoof, "Are those all unbalances? I've never heard of so many at the same time, or so large."
Twilight shook her head defiantly, "They... can't all be? Why didn't you tell me to get back sooner! I thought everything was under control, Princess." Tears began falling from her eyes as she gaped at the image, suddenly surging to her hooves and pointing, "Ponyville! You can't even see it anymore!"
Luna reached across and placed a hoof on Twilight's tense shoulder, "Take a deep breath, Twilight. Your friends are safe. We are suffering from a housing shortage and we... I... fear our food stores will run low with time, but everypony fled when these disturbances began near them. They did not spring up overnight, or even close to it. Like a slow fire, they inched out just a few hoofs at a time, giving plenty of opportunity for the citizens to safely evacuate."
Spike huffed aloud, "Well that's good. We've closed one of these before, on Everglow. They weren't half as big as these are, however! Where is everypony then?"
Pinkie frowned, "Are you sure the Cakes are OK?" When Luna nodded, her smile returned, "Ok! Where are the girls? We'll kick this thing in the flank so hard everypony will forget it was even there!"
Celestia perked, "This reminds me. Twilight, in your letters you went to great lengths about magic even an earth pony can use, and healing magics as well?"
Twilight quickly nodded as she settled back on her cushion, "Yes. Pinkie has developed some healing magic of her own, but that's Pinkie magic. I already gave up on trying to quantify that. Our friend, Soft Mane, she is a conduit for one of the gods of Everglow." She glanced to Spike.
"Lashtada," he volunteered.
"Yes, that," continued Twilight. "This connection allows her to heal ponies, bringing about days of bedrest in an instant, even across an area around herself."
Celestia nodded slowly, "I see..."
Luna nudged Celestia lightly, "It is as I told you, long ago, sister."
Celestia frowned deeply, her features marred with a remembered pain, "I will not be their god. My little ponies will stand on their own."
Twilight looked with concern and confusion at her mentor, "Are you saying ponies could pray to you in a similar way, Celestia?"
Celestia's wings shot out behind her in a great fan, heat rolling off of her dangerously. "They will stand on their own!" she shouted before she deflated. "I don't want to be their Queen, let alone their god. It is bad enough they call out my name as if I were already serving the part, I won't validate it. Twilight, you must put an end to this." She directed a hoof at the map, "On your own."
"Alone?" squeaked Twilight.
Luna shook her head, "My sister does not mean that. She means with your friends." Celestia nodded but did not continue, which Luna took as leave to continue, "That is, in part, why my sister has groomed you so. The ponies must see that a mortal pony can rise against these challenges. Their hero must be born, bleed, and eventually die. Only then will they stand on their own, or so we hope."
Twilight sank into her seat, looking uncertain. Pinkie bobbed her head, "Makes sense to me."
Spike raised a brow, "Glad you caught all that."
Long Road perked an ear forward, "A god that will not be a god is also the queen who is not a queen. You have brought me to a curious world, Twilight Sparkle, but I remain ready to fight at your side. Let's bring balance back to your people."
Twilight nodded at Long Road's words, "Alright. I don't agree with everything you just said." The last said with an angry conviction, but it turned to soft support, "But the people of Equestria come first. We can argue afterwards."
"People?" asked Luna.
"Er, ponies. We should start where the food comes from," said Twilight as she drew lines in the air with her magic, circling Appleloosa and Ponyville on the map. "Ponies can be uncomfortable in makeshift houses, but we can't let them starve. I'm sure Applejack has to be going out of her mind with her farm out of reach."
Celestia spoke up, "Actually, she has been instrumental in putting a large number of the refugees to work in a new farm. They are being kept busy, and the food will slow the time until we run through the emergency stores. She is on her way here, along with the others. I sent word for them the moment I received your letter that you had returned to us, Twilight."
Philomena, Celestia's pet phoenix, came to a rest on the table. Her presence distorted the image being projected, which she ignored. In a talon she held a scroll, which was soon held up towards Celestia. A golden glow wrapped around the scroll before it lifted free of the talon and unfurled itself. Celestia's eyes scanned left and right as she read quickly. Philomena took flight and landed on the railing going around the balcony, preening herself.
"It seems there is a sudden issue," spoke Celestia in firm tone. The map flickered and changed under her control, showing the Everfree Forest. The brown that had buried Ponyville seemed reluctant to penetrate the forest, most of it clear of the coloring. "Your friend, Zecora, noticed your departure from Everglow when her method of scrying failed. She thought something was wrong and attempted to come here, only to be intercepted."
Pinkie blinked softly, "Interwhatted? By big rock guys?"
Celestia shook her head, "While Equestria is under siege, some of our less kindly neighbors see it as a chance to make strikes against us. In this case, the diamond dogs that dwelled near Ponyville were pushed close to the forest. They have Zecora and have made a hostage request for her return."
Twilight frowned, "Alright, this changes nothing. We clear out Ponyville and we rescue Zecora while we're there. How long until the others get here?"
Celestia looked down from the balcony, to the railway visible in the distance. "They should all assemble by the end of the day, or tomorrow morning, depending on--"
She was cut off as Pinkie bounced to her hooves, "Gotta go!" In a flash, Pinkie Pie dashed into the castle, leaving scarcely an outline of smoke where she once stood.
Spike snorted, electricity crackling around his nose, "I think she just went to plan a party for everypony."
Celestia gave a gentle smile, "That may be for the best. It has been a trying time for everypony. While we wait." She turned to look at Twilight directly, "It is time for you to do as I have done for you. I want to see these new spells you have hinted at, and this way of recording and memorizing them. It is time for you to be the teacher.
Twilight's eyes went wide, "M-me!? Teach you?! Uh..." She began to sway dangerously before slumping in place, passing out with a goofy smile on her snout.
Long Road moved to her side quickly and gently placed her in a more comfortable resting position with careful hooves. "It is a pleasure to meet you, your majesty. Twilight has spoken of you in only the kindest words."
Celestia looked Long Road over as he worked, "I hope I live up to her kind words. Tell me, Long Road, do you also worship a god?"
Long Road lifted an ear at her, "Er, yes, your majesty. I am loyal to the Sun Queen."
Celestia jerked back, "We've barely met, knight."
Long Road shook his head, "The ponies of Everglow also pay heed to the sun. She does not live with us, in a castle." He gestured at the castle as a whole, "She has a realm of her own, which she rules from. My power comes in large part from a dedication to the ideals of goodness triumphing over evil. My dedication to the Sun Queen is largely my own business, but I find her a very agreeable god to bow my head towards."
Luna tilted her head at Long, "Power? Do you have powers beside the blade at your side, the bravery in your heart, and the steel that you wear?"
Spike burst in, "Way more! He can heal with a touch. Hay, he's even better than Soft Mane at it, but I never saw him do more than one pony at a time. He can also hurt bad things like they're wearing tissue paper." He made grand sweeps of his claw. "Armor, swoosh. Super tough scales, crack! And that's not even all of it!"
Long shook his head, "They must have evil in their heart. Things that are simply destructive without concern, such as elementals," He pointed at the map, "are spared my full might. I am the shield and sword wielded by good against the forces of evil, and I have given myself to Twilight."
Luna nodded slowly as she glanced at Twilight, "She is fortunate to have such a knight. She has become a true princess."
Celestia seemed to brighten at those words, "Yes, she has. And you, Spike. Your trip has been kind to you."
Spike hopped up to his feet, "Watch this!" He immediately shot up. He was so fast that Celestia, Luna and Philomena jumped at the sudden motion. Taking it as a challenge, Philomena spread her own wings and flew after Spike, resulting in wild chases around the castle. Though Spike had more raw power, Philomena had much more experience with flying and the race came to a halt when she led him into a turn he couldn't quite make and he crashed with a tower's side. Those on the ground winced sympathetically, but Spike's good-natured laughter put them at ease.
"Best two out of three!" he shouted at Philomena, and the racing continued.
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This may be the pitfall in having your god live with you. In Everglow, even though gods are everywhere, it's pretty clear that someone has to actually go out and do things to enact change, that simply believing won't do it. One can ask for help, one can channel power, but nothing will change without action.
But Celestia... well she could. She could come down and solve all the problems (Well, a lot of them).
5575774 This was a very delicate thing to bring up and display properly. I can only hope I did a decent job. Celestia wants what's best for her ponies, but the very best means them having initiative and bravery, not hiding under her skirt for all eternity. This is a huge knot of frustration and agony for her, where she wants to soothe her pony's problems and wipe away the tears, but resists interceding.
5575787 In the Spike and Celestia Friends Forever comic, she basically said the same thing. She wouldn't use her power if she was confident that ponies (or in this case, Spike) could solve the problem for themselves, because she wanted to let them learn and grow.
But when they came across a problem that Spike *couldn't* solve, she stepped in right away.
5573040
You know, that would be an excellent game. EqG being invaded and the Human 6 having to master heretofore undiscovered powers in order to save the world from the lower realms. All the while turning into Pony Human things.
Sunset: Totally a Synthesist summoner after being forcibly retrained by the corrupted Element of Magic
Pinkie: Bard
AJ: Gunslinger
Rarity: Rogue
Fluttershy: Druid(duh)
Rainbow Dash: I really want to say Barbarian, but I suppose a Martial Artist Archetype Monk would work too.
Would a rocket launcher count as an exotic weapon?
5576103 A touch weapon with a -4 for not being proficient is still pretty accurate enough much of the time.
You are entirely free to steal this idea and run with it as far as your fingers will carry you.
Typo alert: You describe Long Road as "he gestures at the castle as a whole", but the tense used in that phrase means the sentence should be "he gestured at the castle as a whole".
So, Celestia has the power to grant clerical spells to worshippers, but will not, as she wants to ensure her followers are independent?
The spellgranting ability makes sense; in D&D lore, a lot of powerful mystical beings have that ability without technically being gods. From the Immortals of 1e Mystara through to the Archomentals, Archfey, Demon Lords and Archdevils of today, spellgranting is easy enough for those beings born magical.
The "refuse to empower" is... a little more contentious. On the one hand, her attitude is benevolent enough, and it's a legitimate worry for Powers of Good that they may cross the line between gently supporting their people and doing everything for them. On the other hand, there IS a difference between "give just an extra bit of power to someone who will use it to help others" and "save everyone yourself", so I can see why Long Road is subtly disappointed with Celestia and Luna's refusal to champion Clerics or Paladins.
5576383 If she empowers, then she encourages the idea of worshiping her as a god, which she really doesn't want. She has all the qualifications to mete out divine spells, being immortal and terrifically magically endowed. It's a mental pickle for her that she's gently tussled with for over a thousand years. The last time she took things into her own hooves, Luna was removed from her for a thousand years.
On the other side of this, because she hasn't supported them, the ponies have advanced in medicine far more than any D&D world typically does(why learn doctoring when a cleric can do any of that, safer, and more reliably?), as well as engineering and other sciences. She is encouraging their independent strength by denying them that divine crutch.
So... ponies never tried beating up the incursions, then? I mean, I wouldn't expect the citizenry to do so in most cases, but isn't that what the Guard is for? Defending Equestria? Especially if Celestia refuses to, despite the incredible scope of the problem? I'm not even saying she needs to allow ponies to worship her, but when your entire country faces deportation and starvation, that is not the time to stick to your principles. That is the time to solve the problem before everypony dies.
Also, why can't Luna grant spells? She doesn't seem to have the same compunctions as Celestia. Still recovering, I suppose? Of course, that still raises the question of why she isn't taking down elementals. I know Equestria is a relatively gentle land, but they do have an army, and it seems like the solution to the problem would be determined eventually. Possibly in Ponyville. You can't tell me the girls wouldn't at least try to tackle this problem.
In fact, even going by the "need for a mortal hero" theory, hasn't Twilight already shown exactly that with all of the foes she and the rest of the Mane Six have vanquished? Why does she need to demonstrate it yet again, after becoming an alicorn, which rather dilutes the message? And why does it need to be Twilight? Rainbow Dash would be all over this kind of thing. Point her at an air incursion and she'd probably resolve it in... no, no, I'm not beating that horse. You say Celestia has been grooming Twilight for this kind of thing, but I don't really see how. And up until Nightmare Moon, neither did Twilight.
Long story short, you're really straining my suspension of disbelief on this one. I can buy Celestia's inverse god complex, but not the entire nation laying down quietly and waiting for the one destined hero to get back from her vacation.
I found one target for Celestia, if she ever dares to face it:
This is actually one sentence.
5576646 You are assuming a heck of a lot there? There were only about eight guards in sight in the whole time Soft Mane was moving through the castle, including the two escorting her and the two still on the balcony, as opposed to the legions shown in the same castle during the show. They are not sitting idly by, though I would wonder how effective they would be, considering past performances. They haven't succeeded in taking down a 'Twilight Grade' menace so far, but they can at least facilitate the movement of people and supplies while scouting the affected areas and attempt incursions.
If they just attacked the first elementals they saw, it would be an unending battle, since you have to get the one holding the unbalance in place to dispel it, otherwise more spill out of the elemental plane and the ponies get nowhere. No one informed the guard of this, nor do they have past events to work off of.
Luna is a wild card. While she is busy tending to the many troubled minds of Equestria, she is the one most likely to take this information that other worlds have taken on gods and came out alright as a reason to stop hiding the ability as Celestia demands. There is a much higher chance of a lunar cleric, oracle, or paladin than a sun one coming out in the near future with her emboldened with this knowledge. Until this was tossed back in her face, it was an extremely old topic they discussed eons ago and likely forgot about until prompting brought it fresh to memory.
I apologize if I have failed as a writer. Don't lose faith in me yet!
5576672
Sorry. I guess some of this is headcanon I don't realize I'm dragging into this, some a failure to read deeply (the bit with the low guard count completely went over my head at first,) and some just frustration. I respect Celestia's position and her conviction... but from the sound of it, the entire nation is on the brink of collapse. Sun clerics wouldn't immediately fix the problem, of course, but...
Well, it just doesn't feel like they're even trying. All I've seen are abandoned Appleoosa and the castle. I haven't seen any kind of resistance, countermeasure, or attempt to solve the problem rather than run from it. Such actions may be going on—indeed, they may have tried everything in the book to no effect—but if the reader doesn't know, they might as well have not done anything.. I can only work with what I know, and as far as I can tell, the plan seems to be "abandon any imbalanced area and wait for Twilight to get back." Not even "ask Twilight if she can get back." This has been a somewhat gradual process. If Twilight is the lynchpin, then calling her before the housing and food crises had grown to an acute degree might have been a good idea.
Don't think I've lost faith, though! I'm getting this upset because I like this story so much.
I really love this chapter, and the contrast between Iliana, the Sun Queen, and Celestia right between them. I don't really have a strong opinion on whether Celestia's decision to not to act as a god is the right one or the wrong one, I just love the irony and the contrast here. Celestia won't answer the prayers of her subjects or grant them healing magic (and this post 5576410 makes a good case why she doesn't). However, she will directly govern them, write their laws and negotiate trade deals on their behalf.
Does Celestia give her ponies more independence because she gives them a lot more space in their day to day lives (and the mayors do a lot of local governance), or does the Sun Queen give her ponies more independence because she lives in a different plane and lets a mortal lead her entire nation without any high level (overt) interference? I'm not sure, but I do love the question.
5849992 Thanks! It's always nice to see when someone fully grasps the magnitude of a question, even if it has no clear answer.
Ooo, ooo, time to play guess the classes of the rest of the mane 6!
Rarity: probably Rogue, but with at least a few feats put towards increasing her normal unicorn magics.
Fluttershy: Druid. Because really...what else?
Dash: Probably Monk. We know she has martial arts training, and her element, loyalty, would probably point her towards a lawful alignment, which would exclude Barbarian. So yeah, Monk or Fighter, either way she'd have every feat and skill point she could spare put towards improving her flying.
Applejack: I'd say either Fighter or Ranger. Though I know the answer will eventually be Magus.
No the there
6007403 Fixed
I think you meant to say " acquaintances new and old" or something like that. Or perhaps rephrase it to "It is very good to have you all here, those I have known and those I have just recently met."
I think you meant for him to say "They weren't have as big as these are however!". THe connotation makes it sound like them being bigger makes them easier.
6022920 Fixed.
"You must gather your party before venturing forth."
God damn it! I heard that in the voice. Now its stuck in my head.
6125180 Mission complete.
6125580 so is celestia a god? is the sun queen a god?
7035726 The Sun Queen is a Goddess without any doubts.
This has to be one of the best explanations as to what Celestia feels what Twilight should be to the rest of ponykind that I have read. I have always felt it reasonable for the leader of the government not to be constantly going out to personally fix problems so this chapter has really struck a chord within me.
I know I've been kinda nitpicky about some things so far, but this story has gotten me to read 70 chapters within 3 days.
The only downside is that I only have experience with D&D 5E so I can't fully appreciate the world like some of the others can. While this story is definitely getting me more interested in Pathfinder, I can already see that character creation is much more complicated. 
One question I have is while "The Apple Falls Far From the Tree" is clearly a sequel, are "The Everglow of a Twilight Sunset" and "Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone" side stories or their own separate stories?
9404125 Both of the stories you listed - Roots of Stone and The Everglow of a Twilight Sunset - are stand-alone stories (though there's a rare hint back to this series here and there). The same could be said for the current Everglow story, Duet in the Dust.
That said, The Apple Falls Far From the Tree does have a few direct sequels that continue the main plot-line. Book and Stars is a short story that hints at another adventure brewing. Tarnished Silver and Clouded Diamonds is a more lengthy sequel, but was cancelled before it was finished. Finally, Lateral Movement is a direct sequel that goes in a different direction, and as of now is still being written. You won't find that last one among David's stories, however. Rather, it's written by me (with his permission) and can be found over here.
Thanks for the info man.
While I can understand not noticing your story, Book and Stars, and Tarnished Silver and Clouded Diamonds, how the hell didn't I notice Duet in the Dust?! It had the D&D tag and had Ponyfinder in the cover art for crying out loud. 
I'll make sure to check out your story as well.
9404125
They all take part in the same 'universe'. Enjoy them!
Sidenote, knowing Pathfinder should not be needed to enjoy things. It's all D&D at the core.
9404375
One thing that I should clarify was that I was specifically talking about the provided Character Sheets. In story I'm able to get a pretty good gist of what everything is, and I read the comments which also helps out on that front. So yeah you can say I can't fully enjoy some of the supplemental material for this story.
Thank you for clarifying about all of the stories taking place in the same universe.