Happy Families
Two loud knocks sounded on Twilight’s bedroom door, a shuffling of hooves barely audible on the other side. “Knock knock!” called a stallion’s voice. “Anypony h-”
“Shiny!” Twilight squealed, vanishing from her desk in a flash of purple light. Out in the hall, she appeared above Shining’s back, landing with a thump on top of his cadet uniform. He reared, she laughed, and her forelegs went around his neck for support as he tried -- not terribly hard -- to buck her off, his hooves clapping against the house’s hardwood floors all the way.
“Help! I think a witch got me!” Shining called, eliciting more laughter from the filly on his back. “No, wait. I think I got her! Hooah!” He bucked suddenly, and Twilight swung off his back, pulling around to his front until he could catch her with his magic. “Got you now you-!” He nickered. “Oh hey, Twiley. Where did you come from?”
“Noo, stop it!” Twilight giggled as Shining Armor ruffled her mane with a hoof. “I am not a witch!”
“Oh yeah? You’re just a cute little filly who likes showing off her magic tricks?” Shining asked. His voice cracked a little as he said it, but that had more to do with his age than anything. While his blue cadet uniform made him look mature, or at least disciplined, he hadn’t quite shaken off the awkwardness and acne of his teenage years. Nor did he look like he was fully done with childish things just yet, with his hat askance and a silly little grin on his face.
“Um…” Twilight scuffed the floor with a hoof, unsuccessfully trying to hide her smile, ears tilted back a few degrees. “Maybe.”
“Show me,” he urged. Twilight giggled and stamped her hooves, lifting her horn up to the air.
In a flash, she vanished, reappearing up the hall standing on one forehoof. She pushed off, and flew upwards to the ceiling, landing with a flourish, her hair tumbling upwards to align with gravity’s new direction. Finally, she summoned all her effort, a grunt escaping her as she visibly strained. Darkness coiled around her horn, and before Shining’s eyes, Twilight’s body transformed, boiling away into a cloud of blue mist. The cloud that was Twilight zipped down from the ceiling, whirled around him like a typhoon, and as he laughed, took solid form again in front of him, one leg held high in the air. “Ta-da!”
“No fair, Twiley! My little sister can’t go and become a real wizard before me.” Shining Armor lowered his head to look her right in the eye. “You give me no choice but to get big brother revenge.”
“What’s big broth-” Shining swept Twilight up off the floor, kicking open the door to her room to make way as he swung her through the air. “Aaah! No, stop it!” she laughed, as he whirled round and round with her held high over his shoulder. “Okay, okay! I give up!”
After one more spin for good measure, Shining launched Twilight clear off his shoulder and into the air. She shrieked and covered her eyes, only for him to catch her just as the height of her arc, and carefully lower her back to the floor. She beamed as brightly as she ever had, and hopped up towards him, jumping onto the little bench in front of her desk to gain just a little more height. “So, so. So so so so so, did you get it?”
“As if your big brother could fail you,” Shining pulled off his hat, reached into it, and pulled out the blue star-shaped pin he’d stashed there. Twilight let out a high pitched squeak as he attached it to his uniform, mounting it on the left side, just below the shoulder. “The officer’s academy just posted the acceptance list today. I’ve got leave for the next week, but when I go back…”
“You’re going to be in the royal guard!” The two shared another hug, and another laugh, and a bit more talk about magic and might and those mean old cadets who threw snowballs. Shining learned about what Twilight’s friends had been up to, her new crop of professors, and that Jump Cut’s dorky brother had finally gotten his cutie mark. All was joy and comfort, until a brief lull in the conversation.
“So,” Shining said, to fill the quiet, “What’s this I hear about my LSBFF going off to boarding school?”
Twilight's ears twitched, and she grumbled, the good cheer quickly fading from her expression. “Did Mom ask you to talk to me about this?”
“Maybe Mom mentioned it and I’m just curious,” Shining tried, but Twilight immediately let out a heavy sigh, crossed her hooves, and looked away. “Okay, okay.” He lifted a hoof. “You win. But at least tell me what you and Mom are fighting about?”
“She’s just making a really big deal out of nothing,” Twilight insisted. “Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns has always been a boarding school. Most of the students stay there. Jump Cut’s my best friend and a straight-A student and her family lives in Manehattan.”
“Yeah…” Shining Armor agreed, drawing out the word. “But her family lives in Manehattan. So she has to stay there. Mom and Dad live right here. Doesn’t take half an hour to walk.”
“So I won’t be going far,” Twilight lifted her muzzle and crossed her forehooves, letting out a curt “Himph!” Shining crossed his own forehooves with a more skeptical expression, and a contest of wills ensued, the two staring eachother down for several long seconds. Finally, Twilight gave in, uncrossing her hooves and letting out a little sigh. “All the other students hang out in the dorms in the evening. I’m missing a perfectly good chance to study. Or… make friends and stuff.”
“But wouldn't you also be missing out on a perfectly good chance to spend time with your family?” Shining wheedled, and Twilight rolled her eyes. “Hey, hey.” He raised a hoof. “I left for a boarding school when I was your age, so I promise, I’m not just here to talk you out of it. But it’s hurting mom’s feelings and that’s not like my sweet little sister. So I just want to know what’s up. Is that okay?”
Twilight grumbled a moment, tilting her head from side to side. Finally though, she let out a breath, and looked Shining in the eye. “It’s just… I’ll need to get used to life in the palace eventually, won’t I?” she suggested. “Celestia is clearly grooming me for a role, and I want to do well. And she expects me to make friends, but I need to study and… well. I can’t keep being apart from the other students. She’s somepony worth changing myself for, and I need to be willing to do that.”
“Woah now.” Shining lowered his head a degree and twitched his ears. “What’s this about her grooming you?”
“Oh, come on.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m twelve, Shiny. I’m not a little filly anymore! She took a huge personal interest in my education, she’s made sure I’m known around Canterlot, and she cares that I’m able to make close friendships with the other future wizards and noble children in attendance. That’s what a ruler does to groom an heir, but since Celestia isn’t going anywhere, she’s probably thinking of one of the viceroy positions. Court wizard, a governorship, scholar arcana, something like that.”
“Um…” Shining lifted a hoof to his face and gave a stiff smile. “I think you might be reading a little too much into things, Twiley. It’s not like Princess Celestia has said anything like that, has she?”
“No, of course she hasn’t. I’m twelve.” Twilight gave him a searching look, then relaxed and went on. “You don’t tell somepony they’re being groomed for a job. Then if they don’t get it, they’ll be angry and resentful and plot against the crown. That’s how you get insurrections. You keep two or three good prospects around, and hint to each of them that they might get it, and then let them compete to see which one is best.” Twilight let out a huff and kicked her legs against the side of the bed. Her eyes went down to the floor. “I mean, there’s still plenty of time for me to fail her.”
Shining whinnied, reaching over to rub his sister’s mane between the ears. “Okay. Twiley, where did that come from?” he asked, scooting closer to her. “I do not remember my LSBFF being that cynical when I left.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said, quietly. “I…” She trailed off, and Shining pulled her close against his side. She leaned against him and, after a moment, went on. “It just happens. The other foals make fun of me for it too.”
“You know,” he urged, “I bet you could stop if you tried.”
“Of course I could!” Twilight snapped. Shining’s ears shot up, and she looked up at him with a worried face. He rubbed her mane again, and she shook her head. “Sorry. Sorry. I only meant… of course, I could. And it would probably make me happier, but that’s like, I could tell you what you want to hear so we can stop talking about this stupid stuff and go play outside. And that would make me happier but I’d still be lying to you because it’s not true.”
She took in a deep breath and let it out. “I wish I didn’t see things that way. Like, always seeing the worst in ponies? But I do. It’s like when I was little and went around telling all the other foals that Santa Hooves wasn’t real. I shouldn't have done that but I couldn’t not. It was the truth. And I just… I had to. And sometimes it’s the truth that ponies aren’t quite what they seem. And that’s not always a bad thing, but it’s…”
She trailed off, and Shining gave her a little nudge. “I believe you, Twiley,” he said, and after a moment, he added, “any other terrible revelations I should know about?”
“History is a lie the powerful perpetuate upon the foolish.”
“No. No.” Shining shook his head. “You are too young to start talking like that. Next you’ll be dying your coat black and changing your name to Heartbreak Futility.”
“No, Shining! I’m serious!” Twilight insisted, but it was hard for her to maintain her grim countenance while being viciously noogied, and soon she laughed. “Okay, okay!” They both shared a moment, and Shining helped her back down to her hooves.
“Twiley?” he said, leaning down to look at her head on. “I’m sorry you’re having some trouble with the other foals. You’re a very strange filly, in a lot of ways, but I wouldn’t change a thing about you. You’re perfect just the way you are.” He nudged her shoulder and gave a little grin. “And if you really want to go to boarding school, I’ll tell Mom I think it’s a good idea. Okay? But I want you to think about it. It would really hurt Mom’s feelings. She doesn’t want to lose you.”
“All parents lose their children in the end.” Twilight forcefully shrugged, looking off into the corner. “Mom should be happy that I’m going to go make something of myself. I know she regrets letting you go to boarding school, but I don’t see how her empty nest syndrome is our problem.”
Shining stared at Twilight for a long moment, his ears folding back a few degrees. “Twilight…” He started, only to trail off. There was a considerable pause before he was able to finish. “I… I want you to think about what you just said. Really think about it. And… think about this too, okay little sis? Even if Celestia is grooming you for something, do you think leaving your family is really what she wants?”
Twilight hesitated. Her ears twitched. “I mean, no, but…” She paused. “Princess Celestia… cares about me.”
Shining stared at Twilight for a long moment. She scuffed both her hooves together, and quickly said: “Come on! Let’s go play outside.”
She trotted out and down the steps without waiting for his reply.
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
1,060 users online
2,152,099 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Luna, ya done fucked up.
Even as intelligent as she is, Twilight is way too young to be having all these concerns.
Also, there's no Shining Armor emoticon, so I have to lampshade myself with a sentence.
"If you tell me the truth, I promise I won't get mad."
7316929 There's only ONE Dragon Duelist here, buddy...just a word of warning to you.
7314080
FORESIGHT!
7310720 Those are some pretty sweet strokes, I must admit.
Hmm, yes yes, quite, yes.
7308407
Sugar, doo doo doo-doo doo doo, ah, honey honey honey!
7308412 Lamplighter, light the path that leads us home!
7307636 That's a damn good mask the ferret is wearing; can't get it off!
6481437 There's no writing on the wall, but there is text in the comment post.
5885158 Oh I get it!
You're a Brony...AND you're a writer!
It all comes together!
You deserve a Follow! Have one!
5819412
indeedyouare
5808222
You can tell because he's wearing glasses.
5759287 Sauron's a Brony? Wow! And all this time I thought he was the kind of guy who wanted to destroy the world and build it up again in his own terrible image...
I'm surprised to see a chapter with no counter-balance. Like, the 'lies' here is the unrealistically cynical view Twilight's developed, right? In all the other chapters there's been a counter-argument. I guess this is just a different kind of chapter than the usual.
7326154
Yup, it's an interlude. We'll be back to normal next chapter, then alternate.
7326154 I think hanging with Luna is making her like that
Good to see Luna's effect on Twilight from an outside perspective. I can't say I disagree with Luna's lessons or even her methods, but those night lessons would have some effect at least. Well done, and good to see this continuing!
...Yeah, Luna went too far. Twilight's casual optimism and faith in others has been well and truly shattered. She ignores feelings because 'they don't really matter,' but that's probably one of the worst things you can do socially. Twilight should have been respectful of her mother's feelings, but firm in her belief that she was doing the right thing for her future. A little cynicism is good for your health, a lot of cynicism is poison to your soul.
*Want some more lies we tell children?
1. Just because someone has a point, doesn't make them right.
2. There are no 'right' answers, existence is far too complex to ever be divided into such simple categories as 'right' and 'wrong.' What we think and what we believe is something we must all discover for ourselves.
3. You can objectively agree with something without personally internalizing it.
4. Sometimes the people we trust most hurt us the worst.
5. People can be intelligent, knowledgeable, experienced, persuasive, and have mountains of evidence supporting their claims... and still be wrong. Or at least, not nearly as right as they think they are.
7326237
7326361
Luna isn't good with kids...
Seems Twilight is taking more from Luna than from Celestia. This will make Nightmare Moon's return interesting.
7326049
7326054
7326057
7326065
7326068
7326073
7326077
7326084
7326087
7326089
7326092
7326100
7326550
Alright, no. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is spamming.
Cool your jets or I'll have to start weeding out the excessive posts.
Oh... Wow.
7326606
That's normal for children her age, right?
"myself for and I need"
"for, and"?
"his head a degree, and twitched his"
"degree and"?
"to his face, and gave"
I think that the comma works here in the flow, but, just in case: "face and"?
"a huff, and kicked"
"huff and"?
"him, and after a moment, went"
"him and, after a moment, went"?
"me happier but I’d"
"happier, but"?
"I had too. And sometimes"
"to"?
"always a bad thing but it’s"
"thing, but"?
"her shoulder, and gave a "
"shoulder and"?
"I’ll tell mom I think"
"Mom"?
"in the end,” Twilight forcefully"
"end."?
"He started only to trail off"
"he started, only"?
Yep, clearly no issues whatsoever there. :)
And now we see how filly Twilight comes to the conclusion that friends are unnecessary nuisances, stepping stones to positions of authority at best. Does Nightmare Moon somehow KNOW that Twilight making friends will result in her undoing? And if so, what REALLY makes the whole thing interesting is because none of her lessons are wrong.
7326361
Gotta take issue with a few things here.
1. Just because someone has a point, doesn't make them right.
I fail to see how this is a lie. Someone may come to a conclusion that to them seems perfectly sound, yet are misinformed/don't have all the facts.
2. There are no 'right' answers, existence is far too complex to ever be divided into such simple categories as 'right' and 'wrong.' What we think and what we believe is something we must all discover for ourselves.
Here I agree, the most evil lesson you can teach a child is that there is no such thing as "evil".
3. You can objectively agree with something without personally internalizing it.
If their position isn't mutually exclusive to your own, you can.
4. Sometimes the people we trust most hurt us the worst.
But this is TRUE. Being betrayed by someone you trust hurts way more than having someone you aren't close to hurt you. That's what makes infidelity so heinous.
5. People can be intelligent, knowledgeable, experienced, persuasive, and have mountains of evidence supporting their claims... and still be wrong. Or at least, not nearly as right as they think they are.
If we accept the premise of an objective truth and are speaking about contradicting arguments, ONE participant, by definition of The Truth, MUST be wrong, unless of course BOTH are.
Are these really toxic views to have? It seems more like Twilight is just going through that "objectivity" stage where she only concerns herself with "efficiency." I think that a lot of people come to some sort of conclusion like it, only to be discarded later. I assume that we don't see the full extent of what Luna tells Twilight, but I can't really see how anything Luna has told Twilight would lead to the "extreme" cynicism displayed here. It seems more like it's coming from another source.
Telling Twilight that Santa Hooves isn't real isn't like earth shattering or anything, and telling them about how sucky most of history was isn't really either. Neither is understanding when to change yourself for someone else.
I just feel that what Twilight displayed in this chapter doesn't really fit with what Luna was telling Twilight. Luna seemed to have a much more calm and less spiteful way of explaining it than Twilight is making it out to me. But perhaps that is just a side effect of telling Twilight through her dreams.
Nevertheless, I do enjoy this story.
Turning into blue mist? Probably better not do that around Celestia, Twilight. That's a distinctive spell.
By the way, one thing I meant to mention last chapter but forgot:
If she exists in this continuity, Sunset Shimmer's relationship with Celestia failed to completely warn her of the dangers of her approach to children, I see.
7327029
I don't know about 'extreme' but dismissing a mother's worry as 'empty nest syndrome' is probably a bit toxic, yes.
I'd lay odds that one of the biggest causes is that Luna didn't just tell Twilight how horrible history was, she showed her first hand. Experiencing the act of committing cold-blooded murder while feeling yourself think casually racist thoughts has got to be a jarring experience, especially for someone who's only 11 years old. I wouldn't be surprised if most of this is spillover from last chapter, a continued feeling that ponies are all terrible because she's seen inside another pony and it was terrible. Is that generalization rational? No, but a lot of the things that move people aren't.
7327131 That's fair, I guess.
7326038
As unfortunate it is for Twilight, Luna has made Twilight wary of Celestia. She can start to see Celestia playing with her strings in the background. (i.e. the chapter where Celestia EXPELLS the fillies Twilight was with when she messed up her ear on a drill press.)
I do agree that Twilight is too young, however I feel like its Celestia's teachings that are too mature/manipulative. You can see the idolization when she says "Celestia cares for me" and completly ignores her mother's feeling in the same paragraph. I mean, Twilight clearly knows that her mother is having trouble, considering she says that she has empty nest syndrome, but she shares no empathy with her. Even in the show itself, where Luna never interrupts Twilight's behaviour, she is a recluse, living entirely for Celestia. Idolizing her and stuff throughout the series, though most notably the first episode.
7326910
I wasn't writing the lies, I was writing the things we are taught to believe from a young that are blatantly untrue.
We're taught that the 'truth' looks and sounds a certain way, debaters abuse this all the time. Arguing against your beliefs is actually encouraged if you think you have a stronger case for it.
We both agree on this one.
Again, we're taught that we either have to be for something or against something, the truth? It honestly doesn't matter. You can agree with someone's argument and go 'Yeah, you have a point, but I don't think that's for me,' Luna constructed an illusory choice; believe the 'truth,' or believe the 'lie,' when in reality Twilight had to do no such thing. She could of agreed with Luna's lessons for logical reasons and still chosen to keep an open mind.
Again, we completely agree. Just because someone loves you doesn't mean they won't hurt you.
But there is no 'Objective Truth,' that's my point. There is the truth... to the best of your knowledge, and THAT is about as close as you are going to get. Just because you read something in a book doesn't make it true, just because you were taught something doesn't make it true, you can live it, experience it, personally witness it, and it can still not be objectively true. The lie is that truth is objective, the truth (as far as I know) is that the truth is subjective. Luna isn't teaching Twilight 'THE' truth, she's teaching Twilight 'HER' truth. And just because some of her insights have easily observable evidence backing them doesn't mean her other points are right, heck, it doesn't even make the original point itself totally right.
7327540
The definition of 'true' is "In accordance with fact or reality." As an axiom, this requires that any position contrary to the truth must, by definition be 'false'. Truth MUST be objective, otherwise it isn't actually true.
The problem is that none of us are omniscient, and therefore cannot know anything with 100% certainty. Even things that have been observed to be correct 1,000,000 times out of 1,000,000 could theoretically be wrong one day. Rather than saying that there isn't an objective truth, it's better to say that in the fallible human interpretation of fact and reality we arrive at subjective 'truth'.
Yay! Another awesome update! Small, but perfect.
I've realized that I was characterizing Luna as J. D. Salinger and that Twilight has taken the role of a reader of "The Catcher In The Rye," that has taken the depression and cynicism of Holden to heart.
What she hasn't learned is that the individual may or may not follow the general rule. Or that there are good honest ponies that defy the general "absolutes of pony/human nature." She believes in the percentages, not the ponies, such are the learned scholars."
This may be a good lesson for Luna, the debbie downer, to teach her.
"Winwood Reade is good upon the subject," said Holmes. "He remarks that, while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant. So says the statistician"
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Wow I am Preachy.
7326703
All corrected. You sir, have an eagle eye.
7328840
Oh, thank you. :)
Hm... everyone is saying Twilight was being too cynical, but after re-reading the story, it doesn't seem too out of place.
In chapter 2, Twilight is temporarily a pegasus mare pulling Santa's sleigh to deliver gifts due to Luna casting an illusion. Now, when questioned Twilight said it "Made her have deep thoughts" - We can infer from this that Twilight's mind temporarily is in sync (has thoughts she wouldn't have normally, ex: when she was a pegasus, she thought like an adult) with whoever she "turns into" when an illusion is cast by Luna.
Now, she 'became' a unicorn when racism and other such things were rampant. She temporarily was that unicorn. The aforementioned unicorn was racist, has little care for other creatures (Diamond Dog), and was very non-nonchalant about mind-control and sending a horrid gas down into the Diamond Dog's home to flood them out. Now, granted Free Soil most likely wasn't a bad person, but I digress.
What do you think the effects of a young child temporarily being put into an adult body, being forced to have adult thoughts, and not just adult thoughts - But racist and cynical ones at that.
It doesn't surprise me that this is subconsciously effecting how Twilight views the world. And regarding how she feels the need to correct others when she believes someone is wrong (Santa Hooves, and how history is a lie) - You need to remember that Twilight is a child. Children can and do say things they shouldn't - If they hear something that they think is wrong, you better believe it that they will 'correct' the individual in question, and with Twilight being a social introvert I doubt she has much in the way of 'social etiquette' and 'things you should not say to others'.
And regarding Twilight's seeming (This doesn't mean she doesn't care) lack of empathy for her mother - Considering she is being taught by Luna in her sleep, it doesn't strike me as odd. Luna doesn't seem to be very good at the emotional side of things.
Love the story, more?
Hence why I think Twilight will cut Nightmare Moon head with a blade made of hate.
Luna did not just teach Twilight things, she has been brainwashing her.
Quite ironical for somepony who just wanted ponies to love and appreciate her work, that all she does is play the hard and cruel teacher and doesn't even try to make Twilight Sparkle appreciate the night.
Is like Luna wants Twilight Sparkle to eighter die or kill her.
Is one thing to tell the truth and another to tell the truth and be cruel about it.
Almost every culture agrees that children should be loved and protected. What Luna did was hurt Twilight then erase the memory of doing so, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! Or at least every night that followed a lesson by Celestia.
Well good job Luna, you may get your eternal night only for Discord to ruin it later.
Heck I fear what Discording an adult version of this Twilight would do.
7331576
Yeah, she's definitely doing a form of brainwashing, even if it's at a subconscious level.
I do agree that Luna is being overly harsh and could indeed be seen as 'cruel' in her teachings to Twilight, but that doesn't mean Luna doesn't care about Twilight on some level. It's hard to treat someone with 'love and kindness' when one has not experienced such things. If the story follows cannon at least regarding Equestria's past, we know that the ponies of the time did not appreciate the night, and her relationship with her sister might not have been too good either (Celestia should have noticed something was wrong).
Taking the aforementioned points, if Luna was hurt deeply by the way ponies treated her back then (Ex. She tried to instate eternal night), she may be trying to prevent Twilight from facing a similar hurt by using a 'Trial by fire' philosophy in addition to exposing her to harsh realities of the world - Realities that no child really should be exposed to at that age. Twilight either takes Luna's teachings and becomes a stronger pony because of it, or she doesn't handle the revelations too well and has a bit of a breakdown.
Being that Luna is a mare out of time (1,000 years ago), she most likely doesn't see a problem with how she is teaching. I mean, from what we see of the ponies from the time period (Free Soil), ponies weren't the nicest bunch. They most likely needed to 'grow up' far quicker than ponies of the modern era (Starvation, needing to provide for oneself) - Luna may think she is simply rectifying Twilight's naivety and lack of maturity, cruelty most likely hasn't entered her mind.
Such a mindset was shown in our past too - Children had to grow up fast (a 12 year old getting a job anyone?) back then, and parents could be extremely strict and unforgiving. It was normal for the time - They didn't see anything wrong with it.
I don't see Twilight going 'Nightmare Moon', but she may turn out far more cynical and dark (Gray? Realistic?) than she would have otherwise. I wonder if Celestia's teachings are getting through to Twilight? From what's been inferred from the conversation between Twilight and Shining Armor, I don't think that's the case.
I don't agree with everything Luna is teaching Twilight, but I also don't agree with Celestia's view of 'everything should be happy and harmony is amazing'.
I also don't agree with Luna temporarily locking Twilight's memories away until she goes to sleep again, but I can understand it. Either Luna doesn't want to be discovered, or (As she said before) she's really awkward in social situations and doesn't like the discomfort of conversation, but locking someone's memories away still seems like a horrible way to deal with it though.
And yeah, I think she has to be careful with Twilight. When Twilight remembers, she has been getting angry at Luna, however - A thing to note is that Twilight eventually accepts what Luna is teaching her (Concedes to her points, ex. after being Free Soil). I doubt this is without some form of resentment though. Or who knows, she might eventually be grateful to Luna - After all, Twilight seems to be conforming (Not that she knows it) to Luna's views.
That's my hypothesis anyway.
That was pretty spectacular.
Oh my. *squims in ecstasy*
Ah-Ah think yer amazin.
7332323
Celestia tried to brainwash Twilight first.
:3
You know, sometimes I can't tell if you write these to make everyone feel bad or if I in particular am a terrible person. Just for the sake of presenting Twilight's side, and I'm totally not projecting here, let's try this.
Twilight, impressionable young filly that she is, has been told her whole life that she can, and should, be successful, and that being successful is what your parents want from you. Your family loves you, right? And the one thing that those-who-love-you seem to do consistently and differently from others is push you towards becoming successful. It's the one constant during her filly years, and it makes sense. Love = push towards success, or at the very least they're related. Very closely related.
Now someone else shows up who also pushes you towards growth and success. Let's call that someone Celestia. She pushes you hard, and it feels good to get so far so fast. Really good. She's trying to better your life, and you really appreciate it, at least when you get some moments to calmly reflect. Maybe it's for her own purposes, but at least it's for some purpose, and that feels good. She cares about you, not quite like your family, but in some way. She understands you better, and she pushes you harder.
But it's stressful sometimes, and you don't get a lot of moments to calmly reflect. A lot of the people that "love" you keep asking for things that have nothing to do with success, whether yours or theirs. It's not like you can just ditch your other work or duties, and you don't have a lot of time, and it's not really helping anyone, and god damnit that was your only chance to relax in three months why are they doing this now, and it's stressful. Your family keeps doing this, and it's just stressful. But not Celestia. Celestia only pushes you in ways that make sense.
And now Celestia is pushing you in a slightly new direction. It makes sense, as it always does. This one makes a lot of sense. Your family, though, is trying to keep you back, and that makes sense in a different way: they only love you when it's convenient. They spent your entire life teaching you that success was what mattered, and now, once everything is finally lining up, now of all times they decide that that's not what they really want from you. You'd think they could have dropped a hint sometime in those twelve years before you were up to your neck in obligations.
That's when you hit the breaking point, and you come to a realization. It really isn't your problem that your mom is getting empty nest syndrome. Celestia still cares about you, in some way at least. There's no reason why you can't just drop some of these obligations to your family— obligations that you can now clearly see are artificial— and simplify your life. It would be so easy, and it really isn't your problem.
And that's that. You can spend however much time reflecting on it as you want, but it's so simple and so pleasant that it's really hard to believe that it's wrong.
Is it silly? Sure. She's just a filly, so can you really blame her? It's unfortunate though that Shining's response will do nothing but make Twilight recede even further. Poor guy.
7341829
img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/RaptorRed/Pony_Episodes/TwiHelmet.png
With you so far...
I mean, it's not like Twilight objects to taking time to help her family. She cares about them! But they seem to demand a lot of her time for things that don't really seem to be helping anypony. And that's just wasteful and inefficient.
"Family is the most important thing in the world, Twilight." Oh, really, is it? Is it? Was it the most important thing in the world when I was studying for twelve hours a day? Was it the most important thing in the world when I was busting my ass so hard I was living at work to build a future? Oh, or do you mean that family is the most important thing now that the kid's moving away might mildly inconvenience you?
Like shrugging off a weight you didn't know you were carrying. And you wake up, and open your eyes, and it's quiet, and you could call your family but you're not going to. And that's okay. Because it wouldn't help you or any cause you care about, and you're finally making the rational choice, instead of doing things out of a vague sense of obligation. And you finally feel free.
I mean. Yes. Twilight. Twilight finally feels free. Because we're talking about horses.
My characters are entirely fictional and not at all based on the author.
7342609
Hmm. Yes. Horses are good.
7346117
Nope. Google "ancien regime."