Chapter 3: Adjustments
Twilight focused carefully, her horn glowing as her magic flared to life. An instant later a large bushy mustache blinked into existence on the High Scholar’s face.
“Oooh my my.” The lemur stroked the finely groomed addition. “Amazing, a complete transmogrification with magic.”
“It’s a conjuration technically.” Twilight replied, “Some people call it growing magic.”’
“Yes, yes.” He waved vaguely at her and kept admiring the mustache in the mirror. “And you say these are just basic spells?”
“Oh yes! Each of these tricks is designed to show off a different branch of magic. Most unicorns can only cast spells related to one or two but I’ve learned countless spells in these and some more abstract fields, including magic only alicorns can perform. And of course I have the library or other references to help me if there is something I haven’t come across.”
“Mmm, yes yes, I’m pleased. This is very promising.” The High Scholar’s muttering was interrupted as the door to Twilight’s library opened and his two main travelling companions arrived, dancing and hopping into the main room.
“Meerca, what is that on your face?” Prince Lemma gave a little laugh at the mustache, something a lemur couldn't naturally grow. The prince danced over, his red silk cape flapping behind him and his crown bobbing precariously as he walked. Sir Rington, the General of Mangolia, followed close behind the prince but didn’t add anything, as he was a lemur of few words. The two other alicorns, Celestia and Luna followed along behind them, waiting to be prompted before they would speak. Both were bare of the crown and other jewelry that had come with their former roles as princesses. Now that the annexation was official, they were simply Lady Celestia and Luna, important managers but subservient to the Prince’s authority. The annexation would be fully complete in five days once Prince Lemma formally took the crown.
The High Scholar stroked his new black mustache,” This is a gift of unicorn magic. I think I’ll keep it. It makes me look wise.” As High Scholar, he was to be the most learned lemur of the Kingdom, though he had been appointed by his childhood friend, Prince Lemma, rather than the traditional method of being elected by the council of elders. The word traditional was practically a tradition itself though. Of the last hundred High Scholars, only four had received their title by the vote of elders.
Prince Lemma laughed at his friend and hopped close to pat him on the back. “Keep it then. Maybe it’ll impress the council of old men. But we have much to do today still. Rington and I have surveyed the town and agree it’s a good place to begin the project. We’ll make the visits you suggested in addition to their confectionery shop. If things go smoothly we can expand the project to all of Equestria.”
“We currently only have Canterlot and Ponyville.” Sir Rington noted gruffly. “If you had not insisted on this coronation party we could have already visited the coast.”
“Always the pessimist. Or maybe that’s my father’s council coming from your mouth.” The Prince gave a little laugh. The General had been brought along more or less to keep his eyes on Prince Lemma for his father. He did not fear usurpation, but knew the young prince could become distracted easily. “We’ll make it to the coast that much faster once we take our tour around town. Meerca, I assume the proper documents are prepared?”
“Yes, I’ve put everything I need into one of Twilight’s saddle bags and she’ll be able to bring it along with us.”
“Let’s go then. The sun is up and we’ll make use of the daylight. I would hate to be forced to command the sun to stay longer in the sky.”
They all capered outside while Twilight lifted her saddle bag with the various scrolls and papers Lemma had placed inside. She had looked with some curiosity as he’d assembled the various scrolls, but had not asked what they were. Once outside, Prince Lemma clapped and the three alicorns knelt down, folding front and hind legs underneath themselves to allow the lemurs to climb on their backs. Prince Lemma took Celestia, Sir Rington, Luna and Meerca crawled into place on Twilight’s back. Soon the whole group was mounted.
“Ahh very good.” The prince stroked Celestia’s mane slowly. “Now which location should we start at?”
“I think the school would be best, what do you think Twilight?” Meerca gave Twilight a similar stroke along her head and mane.
“Oh yes, Miss Cheerilee will be happy to let us visit, and the fillies and colts will be thrilled to meet the royal lemurs in person.”
“We’ll meet quite a few people today.” The High Scholar replied, wrapping his arms around Twilight’s neck. “If Equestria is to be a proper territory of Lemuria, we must learn all about it and set it on a prosperous path.”
“Yes, what do you alicorns think of our progress so far?” The Prince asked with a smile.
“You have been very helpful.” Celestia smiled, eyes shifting green for a moment. “You are most wise and generous to guide us, Prince Lemma and I know you will bring even more great insights in how Equestria can advance forward.”
“Indeed sister. Sir Rington has told me of many important battles he has fought and the glory he won. The lemurs are courageous and honorable and will bring that honor to all decisions they make for us.” Luna gave the same smile and nodded at Celestia. The three alicorns had each taken to their riders quite well, Meerca noticed. They were bonding especially with the lemur they spent the most time with. Meerca had been with Twilight since the day before and he knew with a little prompting she would compete with the others in praising him for his his intelligence and insight.
They soon arrived at the school and knocked at the front door. It opened a moment later and a small filly stared up in shock at the visitors and dashed back into the room. There was a wave of gasps and surprise as they came inside. All the students quickly left their desks and crowded around the three alicorns and their riders while Cheerilee walked up and bowed down. “Princesses, I had no idea you would be coming!”
Celestia stepped forward, smiling warmly at Cheerilee. She leaned down and guided the teacher to rise back to her hooves. “There’s no need to bow. I’m just Lady Celestia now. We’ve come with Prince Lemma, they wanted to see you.
“Oh yes, I’m sorry Prin-, I mean Lady Celestia. It’s a force of habit. Anything I or the children can do for the lemurs, just say the word.”
Meerca hopped down from Twilight’s back and scampered over to Cheerilee. “I am the Honorable High Scholar, Healer, and Historian of the realm. I wanted to review your educational system, and provide some possible updates.
“Oh of course!” Cheerilee moved over to her desk and pulled out a large booklet titled Curriculum and she quickly opened it with her hooves, moving to the appropriate page. “This is the current lesson plan. I adapt things based on the students, but new lessons follow along this guideline.”
Meerca scrambled up onto the table to get a better look and started flipping through the pages, finding an assortment of math, history and science lessons. It was a backwards educational program with none of the deep reading concepts necessary to understand Lemurian writing and contract negotiation. He was amazed Lemuria hadn’t managed to sneak some beneficial clauses into previous trade deals, but it was possible Celestia had more sense than she was teaching her subjects. He quickly grew bored and closed the book.
“Yes yes, this is all good. With our arrival, though, we need to make some adjustments to your lessons.” Meerca motioned to Twilight, who walked over and shifted to give him access to her saddle bag. He reached inside and found the appropriate scrolls, laying them down on the table and partly unfurling them. He noticed that Twilight peered at them in anticipation. “This is a history of Lemuria.” Meerca explained. Twilight’s eyes seemed to glitter as she realized the content. “It’s important for ponies to understand our past and the students need to catch up. I want you to make sure your students get up to speed.”
Cheerilee looked over the scrolls quickly. “There’s a lot of new material, but I can delay the rest of their lessons and focus solely on Lemurian history.”
“That would be good,” Meerca nodded
“Maybe the students could put on a play about Lemurian history.” Twilight offered.
Meerca was surprised at her unprompted suggestion, but it did have appeal. “That would be entertaining, and would fit with the coronation in five days. Would the students have time to create and perform that soon?”
“I’d be happy to help them” Twilight cut in before Cheerilee could offer a response. “I’ll help read through your history with Cheerilee and speed things up.” The alicorn glanced hungrily at the scrolls. Meerca realized this was all a cunning plan on her part. It was hard to say no to the idea when Twilight wanted so much to read those scrolls.
“With Twilight’s help I’m sure we’ll be able to create a marvelous play for this coronation.” Cheerilee offered.
That was enough for Meerca. “That should be fine. Tomorrow, Twilight can come join Cheerilee and help with production of the play.” The look of joy on Twilight’s face gave Meerca a warm sense of satisfaction.
The lemurs soon departed, allowing a little time for the fillies and colts to pay some respects. They started for the outskirts of Ponyville, each lemur once again riding his assigned alicorn. The prince waited a few minutes into the trip to chat with his friend.
“You’re a bit indulgent with your alicorn, Meerca. Weren’t you going to have Twilight work on the compatibility problem tomorrow?”
“There will be plenty of time for that. Twilight was desperate to learn more about us, and this will give her the chance. If we deny ponies from pursuing any of their old interests, they’ll get restless and it could cause it’s own troubles.”
“I can see your point old friend, but what about when we come to a time where indulging them gets in the way of the plan?”
“Not to worry,” Meerca smiled. “Ponyville is all about experimentation. If the plan requires less indulgence, we can make such adjustments.”
General Rington said nothing, but his expression revealed his annoyance with Meerca’s liberal approach to things. He saw the plan in terms of a military conquest, wanting to take each pony city in turn and proceed with the plan immediately. Meerca had relied on his friendship with the prince to make sure they proceeded more carefully, even still speaking vaguely about the plan while in earshot of the alicorns and mentioning no details. Lemma had agreed, finding the ponies more entertaining in their current state. He had taken to toying with Celestia, having her praise him on command. It was enough, at least. Rington saw Meerca’s caution as libertine and counter productive. It was good that while Rington stood in for Lemma’s father, the prince was officially in command. Meerca's real concern he couldn't say outright, even to his old friend because it went against doctrine.
Soon they arrived at the house of the pony known as Fluttershy. She had been given forewarning of their arrival; Twilight worried a surprise visit would go poorly and noted that advanced notice would give her friends time to welcome them more formally. This pony was a noted caretaker of animals and it Meerca suspected those skills could relieve a burden the lemurs had brought with them from their homeland.
The yellow pony opened her door as they approach and offered her best smile to the group. “Oh hello. It is such an honor to have you come visit me. Won’t you come in?” She led them into her living room where tea and lemon cakes had been laid out on a table. “I hope the teacups aren’t too big. I only had pony size and ones made for squirrels, and felt that too small might be even worse.”
The prince took to the large teacup quite well after hopping up into a seat, holding it with both hands and taking a long sip. Meerca and Rington each took a place at the table, sampling the tea and lemon cakes that had been prepared. Fluttershy smiled as the lemurs tore in, but looked at the three still available teacups and the three alicorns who hadn’t joined in and stood silently in a line. “Um, would you all like tea as well Prince...I mean, Ladies?”
“No no, there is no time.” Prince Lemma cut in with a wave of his hand. “We should get to business. I was told you take care of a lot of animals? Where are they all?”
“Yes, I’m sorry to confuse you. I wasn’t sure how you’d react if you met them all inside. You might feel crowded or scared, there’s a bear after all. So I thought tea first and then you could head into the back yard and meet them there.”
“Mhmm, I see, yes, let’s look shall we?” Lemma stated in between mouthfuls of cake. Fluttershy headed towards a back door and the lemurs followed after. Prince Lemma looked over to the alicorns. “Celestia, Luna, Twilight, wait for us to return.” The three nodded and Fluttershy led only the lemurs out into her backyard.
A group of animals was sitting around in the back, but once they noticed Fluttershy’s approach, they all hopped up into greeting poses, including the bear standing on his hind legs and unfurling a banner that said “Welcome Lemurs” in a variety of colors and looked to have been painted with various paw prints. A variety of birds hovered around the animals or landed on the sign and they all arranged themselves according to height. All of the animals put on big smiles except for a rabbit in the front that seemed skeptical of the whole procession.
The prince seemed quite happy with the display. “What a wonderful set of creatures. Tell me, how do you keep them in line?”
“In line?” Fluttershy’s voice cracked briefly as she absorbed the implications of the Prince’s words. “No no, I just provide lots of love and care and we all become friends.”
The prince spent a minute absorbing Fluttershy’s words and looked back at Meerca. “What do you think, old friend? Will she be up to it?”
“Twilight Sparkle says she’s the best caretaker in Ponyville and assured me she can be stern when necessary.”
The prince nodded. “Very well.” He turned back to Fluttershy. “You see, some young lemurs will arrive here tomorrow from Canterlot, including High Scholar Meerca’s son. The adult lemurs are all going to be very busy with administrative tasks and we want you to look after them for us.”
The yellow pony’s eyes brightened. “Oh that would be wonderful! I’m honored you would let me look after your children. I’m sure they’re adorable.”
“They can be a handful.” The prince countered. “Don’t hesitate to be firm with them if you must.”
“Oh I, but I wouldn’t have to, surely I’d never need to punish them.”
“Do what you can and look after them. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Fluttershy nodded to the prince. “Okay, I’ll be ready tomorrow, don’t worry.”
The lemurs returned to their alicorns and rode off back to Ponyville. “Another experiment Meerca?” The prince inquired once they were on their way. “From her reaction I expect she’ll find it hard to say no to the children.”
“We don’t know for sure.” Meerca replied. “She has an order from her Prince to be firm when needed, and Twilight assures me she is capable of staring down misbehaving creatures. I am interested if the gem will make that impossible when it comes to caring for young lemurs. At worse, the younglings will be waited on paw and foot, or hoof I suppose.” That elicited a burst of laughter from the Prince. The three ponies said nothing, knowing not to interrupt when the lemurs spoke with each other.
Their next stop was at Sugarcube corner. The pony known as Pink Pie, or something like that, had been told to expect them. As they arrived, they found the pony in question waiting at the counter. “Welcome to Sugarcube--, ahhhh! You’re here! You made it! Don’t move!” The pony zapped into the back room, leaving the group in silence for a few seconds outside of a soft chuckle from Twilight.
“These ponies are crazy.” Prince Lemma remarked to break the quiet. A few seconds later they heard a squeaky wheel growing closer and closer and soon the pony returned with a huge cart twice as tall as herself with 6 different levels, each covered in candies, tarts, pastries and souffles.
“When I heard you were visiting I said, ‘Pinkie, you should make the lemurs a treat,’ and I was like, ‘you’re right I really should.” Pinkie shifted back and forth, looking over at where she had been standing a moment earlier, simulating both sides of the conversation.
“But then I said, ‘But what do lemurs like?’ and I said, ‘Wow I have no idea.’ And that worried me because I might make something you don’t like, but then I said, ‘Why not just make everything and let them try it?’ and I was like, ‘*gasp* that’s a perfect idea! I’ll make a Pinkie Party Platter Sampler!’ And I asked, ‘Wait, what’s a Pinkie Party Splatter Sampler?’ And I said, “I just made it up on the spot sooooo…..let me know what you like!” She gave a squeak and pushed the cart closer.
The lemurs gawked at the mountain of sweets and quickly indulged, hopping up onto the first level of the cart grabbing bits of each dish and sampling them before moving on to the next. “Biff iff Grrt!” The prince mumbled through a strawberry tart. He continued his line of thought after swallowing. “And these are just the sort of things we’ll need for coronation in five days.”
“Coronation?” Pinkie tilted her head.
“Yes well, we’ll have an official ceremony where Prince Lemma is crowned the new sovereign.” Meerca explained. “And we’ll have a celebration and feast afterwards.”
“Celebration…” Pinkie’s eyes glittered. “You mean like.... a PARTY!???!?!”
“Well yes I suppo-”
Pinkie gasped and leapt behind the counter, pulling out a large book. “Oh there isn’t much time. I’ll have to use my emergency confetti supply. Prince Lemma, do you prefer chocolate or vanilla? I know, both are great but everyone prefers one over the other and it’s important for figuring out the balance of dessert. Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘Pinkie what about strawberry?’ and normally I’d ask but three flavor comparisons makes the party math kind of tricky and--”
“Pinkie!” Twilight finally interrupted her friend’s rambles, making Pinkie blush slightly and put her hand over her own mouth.
“Eep, sorry I got carried away.” Meerca and the other two lemurs weren’t sure what to make of the pony and had gaped as she rattled on.
Twilight’s interjection gave the prince a chance to get a word in. “Just do what you think is best. We leave all the celebration details to you.”
Pinkie nodded slowly, “Not to worry. The best party planner in Ponyville can make the best party under all conditions. I’ll have everything ready right on time.”
“Excellent, yes yes. Good, and definitely bring more of those strawberry pastries.” The prince noted before they all mounted on their alicorns to leave.
Pinkie sighed. “I suppose I’ll need to add strawberry to the equations after all.”
The group began to head over to the local boutique where another of Twilight’s friends waited. As soon as they were out the door of Sugarcube Corner Rington turned to the other lemurs. “Should we trust such an erratic pony?” He asked gruffly.
“I like her.” The prince replied with a laugh. “She’s very spirited. If she makes a party that resembles her personality it will be tremendous fun. And those desserts! Perhaps she should be my royal pastry chef.
“More indulgences given to ponies?” Rington asked derisively.
“Twilight,” Meerca stroked her mane, “Is Pinkie our best choice?”
Being addressed directly Twilight knew it was appropriate to join the conversation. “Oh definitely. Pinkie’s being modest when she says she’s the best in Ponyville. She’s the best party planner in all Equestria, but she says it isn’t meant to be a competition. You see, she ended up involved in this party battle a while back and..”
Meerca tapped Twilight’s head gently to interrupt her. “You see General? If we are to be effective rulers, we will use pony’s talents to their greatest effect.”
Lemma gave a soft laugh of agreement. “I can see that for many talents, old friend, though with the plan it’s clear some talents will be unnecessary. We’ll find far better purposes for them.”
Meerca nodded at his prince’s words, but still felt a little concern. Twilight had elaborated on ponies and their cutie marks and how closely intertwined a pony was with their special talent. The main reason he wished to experiment first on Ponyville before proceeding with the plan elsewhere was he couldn't shake the concern there may be a conflict down the road between the magic of the gem and the magically bound roles that ponies had in their own society. Doctrine and history said the gem was absolute, but there was no mention of cutie marks in that history either.
He would have time to worry over that later. Their last visit to the pony known as Rarity was very important. He would have a chance to study cutie marks at a later time. Once they opened the door of the boutique, a small bell chimed, summoning Rarity from the back rooms.
“Yes, welcome to oooooh why you’re here!” Her eyes sparkled like the gems on her flank. “I must say it’s a special treat to have a prince come to my shop. And royalty for Lemuria and Canterlot to boot!”
“Yes, your friend Twilight Sparkle recommended you for any clothing and accessory needs.” The prince began.
“Ohh you’re highness that’s simply wonderful.” Without prompting, the prince found himself lifted off the ground and placed at Rarity’s pose stand, circled by three mirrors. “I confess I took the liberty after first seeing you yesterday of thinking up a few designs and have a prototype here.” A red velvet cape, padded with down and studded with sapphires flew into view and settled on the prince’s neck, replacing the simpler cape he’d been wearing. At the same time, a purple doublet settled over his head, sliding into place with bits of padding in the shoulders that helped to emphasize his upper body. “Hmmm, I was close but it’s still a bit loose in the waist. When I get your exact measurements I can take it in bit.”
“We did not come to get clothing for ourselves.” The General said gruffly.
Rarity tilted her head. “You didn’t? Oh how embarrassing. I simply presumed if you were coming to my boutique that…”
“Never-mind that, Rington, this looks wonderful!” The prince cut in, admiring the look in the mirror. “You did all this in a day?”
“It took only an hour or so really,” Rarity allowed herself a satisfied smile, “When inspiration strikes, you have to follow through.”
“This is very wonderful. I've never had such a magnificent outfit before. Do you think you could make an outfit like this for my coronation?”
“Oh, to design the outfit you’d wear as you took the crown? I would be honored! Certainly I would be able to do that for you.”
“Excellent. Meerca, she could make a grand High Scholar robe for you to put all the previous High Scholars to shame. And General, wouldn’t you like a gem encrusted set of armor?” The general said nothing a moment but then offered a little nod. “See I’m sure Rarity here can make outfits for us and the designs for Celestia, Luna, and Twilight.”
That made Rarity gasp, “You want me to make dresses for the Princesses too?! Or, the Ladies now but still, oh my!”
“Yes but we have some specific designs in mind.” Meerca cut in, rummaging through Twilight's saddle bag and bringing over the appropriate scroll. Rarity took hold of the scroll with her horn and unfurled it, studying the design.
“Oh my, really?” She glanced at the High Scholar’s expression, confirming he was serious. That allowed her to look at it with seriousness herself. “I see.” She said in a flat tone. “I suppose these would be useful and wouldn’t take much time.”
Meerca noticed a hint of something in her voice outside of the usual delight when he proposed ideas to ponies. “Is there a problem with the designs?”
“Oh, nothing wrong no. I...it should take little time at all to make such a functional outfit.”
Meerca could definitely tell something was off. He looked to Twilight for help, hoping she could read her friend far better.
Twilight stepped closer and gave her friend an encouraging smile. “Rarity, is it possible you find the design a little plain?”
Twilight’s prompting was enough to loosen her tongue. “Oooh yes, I’m sorry to say this but the designs are very simplistic and not befitting of alicorn’s stature. It’s all function when so much can be done with form.”
Meerca finally understood and it made sense. A pony that had made such an elaborate outfit for the prince unbidden would certainly be dissatisfied with the bare design he’d provided. She would want to make them fashionable. he decided relenting a bit would cause no harm. “You are welcome to adapt the outfits to be fancier, as long as the design is still based around this concept.”
Rarity beamed in response. “Oh! Wonderful then. I have a few ideas. Each Lady’s outfit should show off her unique qualities. That won’t be a problem. In five days I can have these ready and if you can send me examples for what a scholar’s robe and lemur armor look, I can make fabulous updates!
“Excellent! Wonderful!” The prince declared. “We’ll return with the necessary designs in a couple days. For mine, make it like this one but even more luxurious. Can I wear this one out for now?”
“Oh a prince may do what he wishes, your highness. I just hope you’ll allow me to make a few adjustments later once I have your measurements. I would hate for my work to not reach its full potential.”
The three departed Rarity’s shop and headed toward Twilight’s library. “A productive day, don’t you think?” The prince smiled.
“Everything is going well so far.” Meerca agreed. “After your coronation we will have a better sense of the gem's effects So far there seems to be no limits, but there is much more I need to learn about pony magic. And of course we’ll have to find a solution to the compatibility problem eventually. I have no doubt one will be found.”
“I don’t like the uncertainties.” Rington noted. “We should lure the final princess here as soon as possible.”
“You always worry, General.” The prince said with a wave of his hand. “Everything will be fine. Word travels slowly to the Crystal Empire, there will be ample time. We’re going to claim Manehattan and Fillydelphia like you wanted, and then I’ll be crowned Prince of Equestria. At that point we can travel to the Crystal Empire at our leisure.”
Meerca worried things would not quite so smoothly as that, though nothing had gone wrong yet. As High Scholar it was his job to worry, he supposed. He had much more studying to do. The group parted ways, leaving him alone with Twilight Sparkle.
“How do you feel the day went, Twilight?”
“You and the Prince both seem happy, so it must have gone very well.” She offered with a smile.
Meerca smiled back. It was always unpredictable how much opinion the ponies would offer. Twilight had not really been given a sense of the scope of their plans, so seemed to fall back to reading the lemurs, looking for approval. They had been agreeable at every turn, and Meerca decided to begin the next test. “Now Twilight, do you recall how we were talking about the compatibility problem?”
“Yes, although I still don’t know what that means.”
“Well I’ll explain to you.” Meerca danced over to a sofa and sat. Twilight planted herself on the floor in front of him. “You remember the lovely green gem you saw yesterday? The gem was very important. It allowed you and all the other ponies in Ponyville to recognize our wisdom and magnificence.”
“Oh I see!” Twilight’s eyes turned green for a moment and she perked up. “That’s why the prince and general are going to Manehattan and Fillydelphia. They all have to see the gem, or they won’t understand like we do. That’s what the magical field around Canterlot was. That same field surrounded Ponyville yesterday.” Twilight brightened even more. “And I bet you can only show a whole city the gem at once with alicorn magic. That’s what Celestia was doing yesterday, putting magic into the gem.”
“That’s right, I’m impressed.” He was even more impressed with how she took the news. Meerca was essentially informing Twilight her feelings were unnatural, but she couldn’t see past the gem's effects and thought over his words like she would any other academic puzzle. He enjoyed how quick Twilight was when it came to magic. If she hadn’t been caught in the gem's effects in Ponyville, she likely would have figured out its true nature quickly. The moment Meerca brought up the gem she had figured out its need for alicorn magic to affect more than just a small room. He decided to see if she could figure out the rest.
“Now, knowing ponies have to see the gem, what do you think the compatibility problem is?”
Twilight thought for a moment. “I guess it would be that some ponies aren’t compatible and it doesn’t work on them,” She paused, seeing from Meerca’s expression she was getting colder. “No, just the opposite! The problem is that only ponies are compatible.”
Meerca grinned. “That’s right. Even in Canterlot, there are some gryphons and other non-ponies who can’t see the gem
like ponies do. If they don’t understand our magnificence, they may act in foolish ways. This could be a danger to ponies and themselves as a result. Because you are so talented with magic, the prince and I are hoping you can find some solution.”
Twilight’s expression narrowed, her mind going over the problem, “The most direct solution would be figuring out how to make the gem compatible...though it might be the gem has to be designed for a specific species. The alternative would be finding out how to create new gems. I’d need to study the current one before I can come up with anything tangible.”
“Excellent, I’m very proud Twilight. The gem won’t be available while it’s used on Manehattan and Fillydelphia, but afterwards you can study it and see if you can find the answer to our problem” Meerca grinned happily and rubbed his hands together. If Twilight could learn how to make more gems, all the old dreams might come true and Lemuria would shine just as brightly as it had all those millennia ago.
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These guys need a swift kick in the behind...Hope the gem gets turned on them.
great chapter, can't wait to see more of this
This is pretty awesome so far. I really like your writing style, every pony acts totally in-character and the new lemur-characters are also written in an interesting way. I actually wouldn't even mind if they would succeed in taking over Equestria. The way they're using the alicorns and other ponies is so degrading, I really enjoyed reading it. I hope those "outfits" for the ponies that they were talking about are actually harnesses, like the one in the cover. I would love to see the ponies getting humiliated even further
Watching Jessica Jones makes what they're doing so much more horrible to read.
Glad to see people are enjoying the story, thank you for all your support
This story was thought up before Jessica Jones was announced, but there is a certain similarity between the gem and the Purple Man, Killgrave's power, and it makes me feel I'm doing something right if that comparison is popping up in some reader's heads.
The content here will stay very PG, unlike Jessica Jones. Part of the inspiration for Lemur Trouble was envisioning what an episode of the show would look like based around diabolical mind control, and how certain buttons can still be pushed even if the content remains more or less wholesome.
6670577 I love stories about mind control, but they usually have a lot of clop in them, which I can really do without. So I'm actually really glad that this one stays PG.
will this be a short story or a long story.
I've been thinking about that because you know this could go so many different ways right now
6681807 I'm not sure precisely how long it will be. There are at least three more chapters in the works, could be a few more but the total chapters will probably stay single digits.
The story could go in quite a few different directions. I'd love to hear people's ideas and predictions.
well, Spike could grab the gem and eat it and everything is solved,
or he's imprisoned and the animals help free him and he runs for help. The Crystal Heart might be able protect against the gem or at least against the Equestrian army. So Equestria gets completely conquered while he's goe but there's a chance to fight back. The tree of harmony and the Elements could be involved. Hell, maybe Twilight's castle starts causing trouble.
Or he grabs the gem and runs but doesn't eat it because that might not break the spell. So the conquest is stopped but temporarily but all of Ponyville and Canterlot are after him
6684634 How about giving this story multiple endings? This way you can make everyone happy, cause I would love to see the Lemurs win.
another possibilty, Twilight remembers the spell that turned her and her friends into breezies and figures that they can save time for the lemurs by making anyone who isn't a lemur into a pony.
Also I just realized and I wonder if anyone else will, a lemur who is not the main ruler of his country now controls the sun
6689627
Yeah that could work, but it would require casting an advanced spell on every single creature they want controlled. I imagine they are more hoping for a way to control masses of other species. Though that would be an interesting way for Twilight to break free; she might test the transformation spell on herself into some non-pony to experiment on whether transformation spells are viable, then suddenly be free. Depends on whether or not the control over her applies any particular desire to remain controlled or if she'd just view it as a detail to test without fully comprehending the implications of negating it briefly.
I really love this story and can't wait for the next chapter
I've had a very busy spring and other projects distracting me, but there will be more chapters in the near future. Things should accelerate during summer.
I love this story!!
When are you going to upload the next chapter??
7164711 The next chapter is up.