166 - Wrath of Anugypt
Night gazed in a mirror with a scowl. That blasted mark was still there. Parting her fur seemed to show the same mark was on her skin, so even shaving wouldn't remove it. She scowled at her scowl. She'd been scowling too much recently. "Let's get this over with..."
"Get what over with?" asked Samantha, trotting over. "Are you alright, my alpha? You seem agitated."
Night felt the hot urge to tell her to go away, but fought it. Samantha was being a perfectly doting wife, and she wanted her attention, even if part of her wanted to run and hide. "Samantha? Have you ever done something you regret?"
"Oh, plenty of times." Samantha waved it off. "Science requires mistakes, or you're not really doing much science." She tilted her head. "You never did explain how you came to have that. Was it really NefNef's mark of affection?"
Night sagged a little. "No... It's about as close to the opposite of that as it could be. I'm going to talk to her now. Where's Silver?"
Samantha pointed off. "He's with the foals, but he has to go meet some important ponies soon."
Night raised her head. "Samantha, you're on foal-watching duty." Her voice raised to shout, "Silver, good luck. I'll be out a bit, hopefully it won't take long."
"Alright," came the reply from the nursery.
Samantha suddenly grabbed Night and pulled her into a warm hug for a brief moment. "You take care of that, but don't forget I'm with you one hundred and ten percent."
Night wriggled her nose and adjusted her glasses. "You can't do that."
"Watch me." Samantha smiled. "That can be my next experiment. Go ahead, I just wanted you to know I'm with you."
"Figuratively?"
"Sorta?" Samantha tilted her head. "I'll know if you need more of me."
Night clopped her face, remembering she was thoroughly tracked by the scientist she knew as wife. "I'll be back." She left the room with a soft snort and moved across the hall and one door down to reach Nefertari's room.
With a resigned sigh, she knocked with a soft clopping.
"Yes?" The door opened a crack, but nopony was there. "Ah, you... Perhaps there is some integrity in you after all. One moment." The door closed and faint voices could be heard before Nefertari pulled the door open wide, smiling down at her.
Night forced a return smile. "Good evening, Nefertari. How are you?"
Nefertari reached down, brushing that tattooed fur. "Not nearly as busy as you, I see. Come in."
Night advanced past Nefertari. "I was looking for my husband."
"And you thought to find him here?" Nefertari closed the door silently and shook her head at Night Watch slowly. "I trust you did not find him, here at least."
Night bristled. "You know I didn't. Look, whatever this mark is--" She pointed at the bright pigment with a hoof. "--get rid of it!"
"Not even curious what it means? Or are you more clever than I thought and learned our language?" Nefertari had her arms crossed and seemed smugly satisfied rather than angry.
Night let out a slow sigh. "Go ahead and tell me, since you look eager to do so."
Nefer reached for Night, brushing the pattern as she read it. "It's a complicated word, but basically it means Thief, with a subcontext of one who is untrustworthy"
Night raised a brow. "Are there trustworthy thieves?"
"Oh, certainly." Nefertari snorted softly. "Raiders who may steal, but they do it as warriors, not as shadows in the night."
Night sat. "Well, what will it take to have it removed?"
Nefertari raised a brow at Night. "I suppose I could make some grandiose request, but I won't."
Night was mildly surprised. "Does that mean you'll make a small request?"
"Word travels swiftly from one pony's mouth to the next pony's ears. Your husband, Silver Watch, has closed the path to me." She flexed her fingers lightly. "I make this one request." She extended one lone finger. "Spar with me. You are a warrior, train at my side. I feel you wish to be honed, and I can offer that."
Night tilted her head slowly, unsure of what to make of the offer, or was it a request? "What do you get out of it?"
"You may have wronged me, but that is because you view me as a threat." She circled around Night slowly, looking at the hanging Anugyptian artifacts as she went. "I would have an ally that knows the true meaning of battle. At least thrice a week, we will put claw to hoof, fang to fang. We will clash as a rock to a blade, and both emerge sharper for it."
Night considered this a moment. "How do I know this isn't another angle to get closer to our herd?"
Nefertari raised a brow at that. "Did I not tell you? Yes or no, I needed a reply, and it has been given. It is a no, and so I am free, if humbled for my error. Will you accept this?"
Night licked her lips softly. "Your magic, it doesn't require a horn." She thrust a hoof up at Nefertari's brow, which was smooth and furry with no such protuberances.
Nefer burst into laughter. "You would learn such sacred arts? You hardly know of what you ask for. You would have to face your ancestors first, and you have never so much as looked at them before. Most who try become broken inside, or I wouldn't be as well-regarded as I am."
Night spread her hooves. "Then let me try and fail. Will you help me?"
Nefertari's laughter died. "You're serious, yes... Your eyes shine with the fire of a warrior challenged. Very well, but know that this will hurt. Your very mind will be battered, and you very well may shatter with the effort, but... should you withstand it, learn, and rise, you will have earned my respect. More importantly, you will earn their respect."
"You would teach her?! She's a thief and a skulker! She's a pony! Look at her, little prey animal. What are you thinking?" scolded a voice very much like Nefertari's from the air.
"You are here to guard, not lecture me. Begone until next I call you." Nefer made a soft gesture, and the air grew silent. "Do you accept this risk, and me as your mistress until you give up or are broken?"
Night considered the angles a moment. "If you break me, he'll hold it against you, so try to avoid that, hmm?" She sat up tall. "Besides that, I accept. We will train one another, by sparring and learning, and you'll show me your ways." She put a hoof to her chest. "I promise to treat it with the seriousness you've suggested it deserves. Perhaps we should begin with the culture of it, so that I approach it with the right mindset."
"Ah... That relieves me greatly. Perhaps you will treat this properly afterall..." She snapped two fingers and Night's face tingled softly as the mark vanished from it. "Thief you are no longer. Now instead you are a student. An adult student, which is a disadvantage at times. We begin to think we've learned all we must learn as we grow, but you will have to learn that you know nothing, and accept that."
Night shook her head. "I already know I know... nothing, when it comes to magic. Please, teach me."
Nefertari reached as if to pet Night, but caught herself. "None of that. Even a student of this art demands some level of respect. This is not a magic given by merit of birth, unlike unicorns. You will either succeed, or fail, and it is entirely up to you. I will guide you, but it is by your hooves that you will move, not mine."
An uneasy smile spread across Night's face. "Can we begin now?"
"I have had a long day... But tonight is as good as any. A warning, the first lessons will feel useless, but you will endure them. They prepare you for the real work ahead and if you can't handle them, then we're done." Nefertari's nose wrinkled faintly. "Now come here." She fetched a bowl of water and placed it before Night.
"Gaze into this. Do not blink, even if your eyes scream with torment. If you blink, we start over. When dealing with the forces of the other side, sometimes you must gaze into their eyes in challenge, and to blink is often to lose, and you do not wish to lose to them."
Night shivered softly, imagining losing to some fell and terrible spirit and her imagination ran wild with what might occur as a result. Determined to not allow that, she looked down into the water and began to stare at her reflection. It was a one-pony staring contest. By definition, she had to lose eventually, but she was determined to defeat the odds.
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Well this will be interesting. I can't wait to see what Nefertari does with Night.
the spirits are harsh, at most their should be a trespassing mark. and i think it needs to be explained that he did not denied her simply not allow anyone to join till the politics are handled
... How very prophetic.
When Stars fall, the Night shall pierce the veil and gain the gift of magic, even if she must turn the very foundations of the world on their head.
If you are not allowed to blink, to keep constant eye contact, then by Odin, can you wink alternate eyes?
7206710
Bbbbuuuuttttt nnnnoooo, he said wait and it was heard as no.
7206703
Makes her into a warrior.
••••••••••••••••••••••
Man, this chapter has good things about it, but it's length leaves something to be desired.
7206771 ok!
Enter Night the Shaman.
The spirit that travel with Nefertari leave me with the impression of a thoudsand years old arrogance disrespectful brat that people afraid to say no to and with too much power. Make me want to scream in her face that she is still young and weak, that she is a brat and need to learn some respect, to cowered her with a being far older and much more powerful and truly wise.
7206713
Sounds like something Loki would do.
Putting her fur apart - Pulling her fur apart --or-- Parting her fur
one pony mouth - one pony's mouth
*****
A relatively quiet chapter, not even a hint that anything is brewing in the wings, though I presume that Luna will need to make an appearance before too much longer, if only to resolve her place in the new circumstances that surround Silver and his herd. Of course, she has up to very recently been very good at avoiding unpleasant or troubling encounters, I don't expect that she has changed that much so quickly.
A simple no and Nefertari is freed from her debt? I wonder if it can ever be as simple as that, or if Nefertari is being less than completely forthcoming. It is her business after all and she has no obligation to tell Night Watch the full truth, whatever it may be.
Silly Lunar pony. It is rare that the teacher breaks the student. The student often breaks themselves.
I wonder who Silver will be meeting with. It was mentioned in such an off-hand way that it must be something important.
7206711
This doesn't seem to be in any of the stories so far... I just downloaded them all and searched for it.
7206852 Perhaps not, but that's how it worked in the dream. Silver Stars 'fell', Night was imbued with magic (the armor), and the foundation of the world was rattled nicely in their attempts to bring him back.
7206839 Typos fixed! What do you think of Night's chances with this foreign magic? It'll be her own ancestors she has to reach an accord with, according to Nefertari.
7206852
7206859
David's got it right. I was translating the dream into metaphor where it coincided with the 'real' world. I could probably do more if i re-read to try predict further things but I'd rather just take it as they come.
Scary thought: This might be how Celestia thinks. All the time.
7206859
I agree, it sums up some of the events in the dream very precisely. Maybe too precisely to be a good prophecy, actually.
7206865
If mental fortitude and perseverance are the primary qualities that Night Watch will need to succeed, then she has a better than 75 percent chance of achieving her goal. However, you've hinted strongly that she has a fault line in her personality and the pressure has been building up behind it for some time before the sudden shove of Silver's ascension. When that gives way I can't guess the odds on how well she will endure the shake up.
Pony ancestors should be easier to deal with than Anubian ancestors. But Night Watch is a lunar pegasus, and her ancestors have until very recently had a pretty bitter past due to their association with Princess Luna. Having said that, I suppose that her ancestors and Nefertari's may not be all that different in attitude even though they differ in experiences.
Also, I will be visiting Neigh-pon for a couple of weeks and so will have limited access and time to comment on your work, though I will try to perform my typo hunting duty as time and circumstances permit.
Well, this chapter was a disappointment. It might be a semantic distinction, but when the chapter is titled "Wrath of Anugypt," I sort of expect it to deal with actual anger; instead, the use of "wrath" here appears to be foreshadowing of the harshness of the training to come, which is decidedly not the same thing. Quite the opposite to the furious Nefertari I'd envisioned, this chapter had her being calm and compromising the entire time; that's certainly in keeping with her role as an ambassador, but at this point I wonder if she's pushed down her more aggressive urges too much.
I say that because, besides having been humiliated in being outright rejected in her bid to join Silver's herd, Night also seriously disrespected her by breaking into her private chambers, and Nefertari's willing to let all of that go because Night 'fessed up to it (to say nothing of acting like being rejected is a freedom, rather than a loss of face)? Going that far makes me seriously think of her as being de-fanged as a warrior; I'm honestly expecting her ancestral spirits to call her out for being weak. They'd be right to do it.
(That's leaving aside that the Anubians aren't denizens of Anugypt; or at least, they weren't in Silver's dream - being residents in an area immediately to the south of it, and certainly not being considered citizens - so having that place's name in the title is rather awkward.)
But that's not my main complaint about this chapter; rather, it's that Nefertari is willing to teach her shamanism to Night Watch in the first place. That idea is such a bad one that I'm honestly having trouble figuring out where to start in terms of articulating why it doesn't make sense. But to try and put it simply: this is an act of high treason against her people on Nefertari's part, and it's inconceivable to me that she wouldn't have thought this through and come to the same conclusion.
The reason for this is, quite simply, that magic is the apex of military ability in this world. The Anubians might still fight with swords and fists, but unless Silver's dream-depiction of them was wildly inconsistent with the reality - and that's not what's been suggested by Nefertari's presence so far - then it's the shaman(esse)s that lead. They're the ones with the connections to the spirits that not only allow for divination and foresight, both of which are extremely important to a culture of raiders, but they're also at the top of the warrior hierarchy. In other words, the magic of the shamans plays a central role in maintaining and defining their culture.
The importance of this cannot be overstated, and because of that it becomes vital to keep the practices and intricacies of these things a secret. If knowledge of how shamanism worked became known to other races, then the Anubians would lose the only major advantage they have (since opposable thumbs aren't really much better than mouths and hooves, or horn-based telekinesis, in this world), since knowing how a technique works means that you'll know it's limitations and weaknesses as well. This would lead to major setbacks that would likely never be reversed, and could very well result in the Anubians being driven to extinction.
One could very well point out that Night Watch isn't likely to use this against the Anubians in the future, but that's not the point. She's a pony; ponies - as found in Saddle Arabia - are one of the two traditional enemies of the Anubians (the other being the cats of Anugypt)...and Saddle Arabian has a close relationship with Equestria to begin with. Is it really too hard for Nefertari to not see how this could result in unintended consequences that could be catastrophic for her people? Even if she swears Night Watch to secrecy, that would seem hideously naive when done to someone who had just acted dishonorably by violating Nefertari's trust. She'd be essentially giving Night Watch the equivalent of her country's launch codes and then making her pinky-swear not to tell anyone else.
This is something that's only magnified by the asymmetry that's inherent in pony magic vs. Anubian shamanism. Even if she wanted to, Night can't teach Nefertari anything about pony magic to make the exchange more even; pony magic is entirely biological, whereas Nefertari's shamanism can apparently be learned by anybody.
I can understand Nefertari respecting Night Watch as another warrior, and wanting to relate to her on that level. But with this, Nefertari might as well put a collar around her own neck and declare herself to be the ponies' plaything...much like Silver did when he first met the Anubians in his dream.
7206919 Welcome back!
But I'm going to turn this around and challenge you. You've found a thousand things you think are wrong. Instead of insisting it must be bad writing, you tell me why these things might be.
Why is Nefertari accepting Silver's statement, which certainly didn't have to be a 'no' as a 'no'.
Why is Nefertari forgiving Night instead of running her over hot coals for her crime?
Why would she consider teaching Night magic?
You tell me. Get in her head, and think of some reasons.
Don't tell me 'that's wrong'. That's useless. The story itself said as much already. The spirit present told Nefertari, 'Yo, that's fucked up, what are you doing?!' before being banished, so the story is already aware of... most of what you just said.
Tell me why this might be.
7206949 I think you're reading my analysis a bit too harshly. I never once used the word "wrong" or the term "bad writing" in my previous post; rather, I was pointing out something that seemed to go against Nefertari's character. That said, you're right to bring up a challenge of trying to reconcile what's here with the wider implications. So, let's give that a shot...
If we hold that my previous premise that Nefertari's actions are treasonous make sense unto themselves, and also hold that the story isn't "wrong" to write Nefertari that way, then how do these two positions match up? If we look for an explanation that makes the fewest assumptions possible, then it would probably go something like this:
The reason that Nefertari's acting like a traitor is because she is one.
Think about it. In all of the time that she's been here, have we ever seen Nefertari actually engage in anything that looks like political activity? She's there as a diplomat, but everything we've seen from her has been either personal undertakings (e.g. fighting Silver), with the occasional bout of public posturing (e.g. sitting on a panel). Have we ever seen anything, directly or indirectly, to suggest that she's actually trying to influence Equestria's foreign policy? Admittedly, since the story has been following Silver around, she might have been talking politics with Celestia and Luna at some points that we just don't know about, but so far there's no indication of this.
That leads us to conclude that there's an alternative theory: that Nefertari isn't a diplomat at all, but rather is a refugee from her own people. Of course, this leads us to question why she's be given a diplomatic title at all, let alone why she'd go to Equestria rather than Saddle Arabia or Anugypt, but there are plausible explanations there also. She'd run to Equestria because the bad reputation her people have is likely too strong in Saddle Arabia or Anugypt to make them consider harboring her (let alone keeping her safe among the citizenry, who likely have lost friends and loved ones to Anubians over the years), and also because Equestria is the most powerful nation, and so couldn't be pressured to turn Nefertari over to some other nation that wants her extradited. Likewise, giving her the title of diplomat smooths over political pressures; saying that she's there to explore the possibility of peace, or at least keep the lines of communication open, is much more palatable to the people of Equestria than admitting that they're harboring someone who is, at least in her own lands, a criminal.
So what about the proliferation of her native shamanism among the ponies? Well, most likely that was what Nefertari offered in exchange for being harbored in Equestria. New magic would be a powerful asset (mostly militarily, though I suppose it could be applied culturally as well), and Nefertari could bargain that away in exchange for a promise that she'll be sheltered and not extradited back to her place of origin or to another country. That would also explain why she's trying so hard to acclimate to her surroundings; assimilation would make her permanent exile easier, and a high-ranking marriage even more so (though to be fair, the story painted that one as more of a cultural custom than an issue of pragmatism; someone who betrays their country is a hypocrite for wanting to maintain its customs).
Would that play into why Nefertari's so accepting that Silver's thrown her away? Possibly. If she's feeling guilty about turning traitor against her homeland, then she must be feeling very conflicted, and probably angry with herself. If she's upset enough, then she'll likely doubt her own sense of self-worth, which makes it natural that she'd expect others to doubt her as well, even if they don't know about her circumstances.
What's notable here is that this interpretation rejects the idea that Nefertari is doing this for any sort of "greater good," at least where her people are concerned. Giving away the secrets of their shamanism, their most powerful military and cultural asset, is a blow of irreducible proportions to her people's ability to continue living as they are. Even if there's been some sort of shift in the status quo that drove her out, she's permanently given away their greatest asset, which is likely to be thoroughly condemned by her people and her ancestors, regardless of the circumstances. She's chosen to save herself at the expense of everyone else.
That interpretation might not be in line with the Nefertari we know, but most of how she's been acting lately isn't in line with the Nefertari we know. (Of course, this makes us wonder why she's turned traitor in the first place, which has yet to be hinted at.)
I wonder if Nefertari brings out Night's warrior spirit? The dream might have had something there, but it's doubtful she would turn humanoid...
Keep going! ;)
Night it is no blinking, not winking, close one eye at a time and... Ah never mind, it would be no fun if they thought about it
there is much wisdom in this chapter,
over all I think this story ark is going to bring Night in to her own light.
7207051
Couple of things to consider... also, not saying 'wrong' or dismissing your thoughts here...
Historically, counting coupe was a method of 'winning' a battle, even if you didn't kill a single enemy. The act of touching a foe, then leaving them alive (sometimes completely uninjured) was seen as both honorable and glorious. The simple fact that you got close enough, that you were able to touch and chose not to harm them, was both humbling and a disturbing proof of both power and skill. The idea of 'scalping' stems from this same root.
The idea of an ambiguous doom or looming threat was often ascribed to deitic forces (also called godly wrath). This has taken many forms over the years, including the idea of mutual destruction. The concept of being untouchable because of some form of supernatural agent or power is nothing new and the application of such a thing extends to letting someone else smash themselves upon the rocks... figuratively or literally.
Sometimes, when you lose the immediate goal, you open up other options. NefNef (heh... Samantha's got me chuckling now) felt honor bound to seek Silver and now, through events, she has been effectively rebuked. While this is humbling and (to a degree) insulting, it also means she no longer has to challenge him openly... since she is no longer trying to win his favor (or that of the alpha female of the herd he is in). She no longer has opponents or obstacles in her way. She no longer has an untouchable adversary. She no longer must prove her strength or herself. She now has a few options she didn't before (culturally speaking)... like playing nice.
She might also well believe that her form of 'magic' is unlearnable by Night. Many ideologies frame their ideas as being exclusive. Many animistic and Gnostic views premise the same concepts but approach them in ways that are diametrically opposed. She could honestly see Night's admission and request as little more than a token apology that she can twist to her advantage - or she might see it as a chance to reopen connections with the alpha female... which trumps political or social limitations. Remember, the request had to be unanimous in regards to the herd... she's not heard a 'no' from Samantha, Silver, OR Night... only other ponies, and even that is debatable due to the nature of the communication and events.
As to learning the magic as a tactical factor, from what we've seen of NefNef's 'magic', it appears to be spiritual in nature. In fact, the descriptions seem to exclusively evoke a sense of actively aware ancestor spirits which both surround and respond to NefNef and the environment in very diverse ways. This sounds considerably like the practice of Voodun (please note I said Voodun, not Voodoo... there is a difference). In the Voodun religion, the family takes center court. The living members are seen as a direct channel or conduit for the lives of their ancestors... for good or ill. They must make right by their family... taking care of, protecting, appeasing, and paying tribute to those that have come before, and in return, the loving and loved spirits of their ancestors are seen as being both present and caring. This is important since poor choices might anger their (spiritually) living ancestors, stripping them of allies and aid or even inflicting harm upon themselves as the spirits attempt to affect a change. NefNef's familial treatment of the 'spirits' seems in line with this, but also in line with her use of them in battle. Her combats have been 'honorable' and 'worthy' when actively engaged and her commentary and displeasure at the results seem in line. Though Voodun is not the only such ideology (indeed, the Greeks, Romans, various native peoples, Celts, Danes, and EGYPTIANS), many share similar traits in this respect. ... What do you think she might have to gain by bringing such a sense of 'family' to another 'warrior'.... alpha female or not?
Additionally, we don't know that Night can't teach NefNef some pony magic... if anything, Anubians might well be FULLY capable of learning a 'strictly biological' magic such as those known to the pony races. Remember, much of Silver's 'dream' has proven true in one way or another... and if anything WAS shared in some far, distant, past between the Anubians and EITHER ponies or HUMANS, their DIRECT CONNECTION TO THEIR ANCESTORS might well enable, if not the Anubian herself, their ancestor spirit to channel the same effect by proxy. In a way, the Anubians, like NefNef, might not be magic users so much as clerics or avatars of a bloodline... in which case a few hundred (or thousand) years since pony/human contact/breeding might have infused an entire species with the wisp of 'biology' it needs to be drawn forth. After all, an enzyme is nothing more than a chemical that bonds and then stops bonding... you don't need much to affect a large change.... if given time or the right conditions.
Additionally, NefNef has implied that her 'name' is actually a title or possibly clan. She might ACTUALLY be a reincarnation or be the distant relative of ANY character or family... Anubian, Pony, HUMAN, or otherwise.
As to the traitor bit? Nothing says that a diplomat (or whatever amounts to one) can't poison the well. There's an old phrase that says a person is easy to kill, an idea difficult, but the knowledge from saying it is invincible. The idea being that regardless of what the outcome is, if NefNef can sway the mind of even one pony, that is something that is untouchable. If an assumption is shaken, it's no longer inviolate. If it's no longer immune to reflection, it is subject to change. Even from a completely noble approach (which might be NefNef's intent) the notion that her culture has something to offer Night, the mate of one who she was honor bound to seek and has been foiled time and again, might just be the key she needs to redeem herself or appease her ancestors. Such a thing, setting in motion a potential conversion of an entire species, is not without merit or its own type of glory.
As to the wrath...<shrugs>...any number of other possibilities exist. From something as simple as petty vengeance in menial tasks and pointless 'training' to something as grand as a full religious conversion of her rival... what kind of upheaval would that cause? Remember also that the land where NefNef comes from is terribly inhospitable... and such a life often breeds a type of dire patience. Such a patience allows things like drawing a fight out and letting the enemy be the victor... only to let them perish to the elements as their 'subjugated conquests' persist and lose nothing. When your world is a desert or a frozen waste, you can win a 'losing war' by simply retreating until the attacking force draws itself too thin and dies. The mummy's curse, after all, didn't hunt... it let those who sought it get what they deserved.
I can see NefNef very much approaching the suddenly dishonored Night in a very different way than her normal, high strung, violent, and aggressive self. After all, she has nothing left to prove.... and Night just lost a whole lot of ground after getting caught in an empty room.
<shrugs> Other perspectives make for interesting approaches.
7207959 Oh my, that's quite a thought burst there. I'm pleased I prompted such a fury of words from the both of you! I could say who's closer to the truth, but where's the fun in that?! I shall continue the story as best I can during my con excursion and keep the story moving. We'll discover the truth of things.
7207959 Some responses that come to mind:
I'm not sure why you're bringing this up, since it doesn't seem to relate to any particular point I raised. The idea of fighting to something less than death, or of performing an act of valor that results in prestige, is one that's intuitively understood, but that has nothing to do with the question of Nefertari acting in a manner that seems treasonous insofar as her people's national and cultural interests are concerned.
Again, you're posting this as part of a reply to what I wrote, but I'm honestly not sure why, save that you seem to be trying to introduce a new definition for "wrath." This doesn't survive scrutiny, however, as the term "godly wrath" is used to elicit the idea of anger on the part of supernatural forces. As such, that doesn't really add or alter what I said about the title of the story suggesting anger, and then not delivering on it.
This is only true insofar as Nefertari could very well be in a position of having nothing left to lose, since she's failed in her initial goal (through strictly speaking, she hasn't failed, as Silver's moratorium on new herd members was said to be temporary). For that matter, she wasn't "challenging him openly" after he won the third match with her; the period of time when she was trying to fight him effectively ended when she started asking to join the herd, rather than when she was denied entrance to it. Likewise, she was already "playing nice" when she was petitioning to be a new wife, hence why she was sitting on panels and going out with the family on Nightmare Night. In other words, so far we've seen no particular evidence that Nefertari has been given more room to maneuver, so to speak. She might very well have that, but so far it hasn't been demonstrated.
I find this idea implausible in the extreme, since the conversation in this chapter was held under the direct assumption of all involved that Night could be taught Nefertari's magic. I suppose it's possible to say that Nefertari played some extremely parsimonious word games regarding actually "teaching" Night anything, and whether learning it was technically possible for her, but that strikes me as exceptionally disingenuous.
I'm calling this particular sentence out because it highlights what I feel is one of the central weaknesses of the points you're laying out here. When referring to a given thing, contrasting it with something completely unrelated - even if they bear some cosmetic similarities - does not inherently give us any greater insight into the original thing under discussion. Telling us that "many" ideologies frame their ideas as being exclusive does not tell us anything about whether or not this ideology does that. Simply noting that something is possible because it's been done in other cases does not necessarily mean that it's been done in this particular case.
In all honesty, absolutely nothing. That's because Night Watch already had a "sense of family" before she made her deal with Nefertari, having two children and a wife and a husband of her own. Likewise, there's nothing to suggest that "family" is important to Nefertari, since ancestor-reverence is not the same thing; I suppose you could make a case for this with the marriage-challenges, but that seems like a stretch since this has less to do with any sort of interpersonal bonding than it does with proving one's strength to earn the right to engage in preferential breeding.
That's also leaving aside the fact that anything gained via giving away secrets that are central to another culture is going to be a net loss in all but the most extreme circumstances. One does not give a sense of family to someone by trading national secrets for it.
There's absolutely nothing to suggest this, and a great deal of evidence to suggest exactly the opposite. Ponies have magic inherently, and unicorns cast spells via a particular organ (their horn), the same way that pegasi have special organs to use their magic (their wings). So right off the bat it stands to reason that not having those organs would make those forms of magic unusable to races that aren't so equipped.
Silver's dream has also been shown to be false in myriad ways, and the lack of any sort of "war form" among Anubians is one of the largest. Leaving aside the fact that there's no reason why Nefertari wouldn't have used that during at least one of her duels with Silver, a connection between humans and Anubians doesn't speak at all to the idea of either race using pony magic. The only idea that there's any kind of connection between humans and ponies was that Celestia herself had a "war form," and that seems even less plausible outside of Silver's dream. As such, it seems eminently plausible to dismiss that particular idea, particularly insofar as somehow providing a way for non-ponies to use the magic of ponies.
Again, there's nothing to suggest this. I'm going by what the story has laid out, and drawing conclusions that make as few presumptions as possible, and what presumptions are made are made as conservatively as can be reasonably kept. Saying what "could" or "might" be is little more than a guessing game, which puts everything on the metaphorical table.
Leaving aside that you're not making it clear whether the "well" in this analogy is Anubian culture or Equestria, if you're suggesting that Nefertari is deliberately sabotaging things between their two countries - e.g. the "poison" - then it's hard to see how giving away the secrets of her people's most important magic to an outsider helps her people in the long run.
This is completely beside the point. What you're suggesting is that there's something to be gained in Night Watch learning Nefertari's ways, and I'm sure there is. I'm just suggesting that there's far, far more to be lost, and that even being willing to gamble with something that important falling into the wrong hooves is something that Nefertari could not possibly have overlooked, and so must therefore be doing willingly. As a highly-ranked individual from a nomadic tribe of warriors, the concept of "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" should not be something that Nefertari is unfamiliar with.
It is entirely without merit if you're selling your own people up the river in order to do it. The idea of dishonoring yourself for the sake of another is an honorable one (e.g. self-sacrifice), but this isn't what Nefertari is doing; she's sacrificing, or at least severely risking, the prosperity of all of her brethren, and when you put other people on the proverbial chopping block then it's no longer a case of "self"-sacrifice, but the sacrifice of everyone else without their knowledge or consent, and so there's no honor to be had in that. There's a reason why we saw that spirit in Nefertari's room react so poorly to the idea of her teaching Night Watch; to say that that would appease her ancestors is directly contradicted by that.
See above; wrath means anger. Maybe that will come later, but it was nowhere to be found in this chapter (unless we look at that spirit that was angry at Nefertari teaching Night, but that seems like an odd thing to highlight in the chapter title).
One that's far and away smaller than the Anubians' magic suddenly losing its effectiveness because the ponies of Saddle Arabia have learned exactly how it works, what its limits are, and how to counter it, which they received from Celestia, who got it from Luna, who got it from Night Watch. Even under the best of circumstances, Nefertari is gambling with what she can't afford to lose.
This depends on what those perspectives are. Having a different take does not, by itself, necessarily mean that there's anything interesting to be found.
after all