Chapter 112
“Wake up, sleepyhead, you have to go to class.” Hearing Trixie’s voice, Sumac squirmed in the bed, his head full of hazy memories of the wedding that lasted forever. Nocturnal pegasus ponies liked to party all night and Sumac had stayed up way past his bedtime. Squeezing his eyes shut, he chose to ignore what had been said to him and he drifted back into sleep, sandwiched between two warm, fuzzy bodies.
On the verge of sleep, he thought about singing karaoke with Lemon Hearts—that had been embarrassing like nothing else and she had dragged him in front of a crowd to sing. Here she comes now sayin’ pony pony… shoot ‘em down turn around come on pony. Hey, she give me love and I feel all right now... come on you gotta toss and turn and feel alright, yeah, I feel alright… It didn’t help matters none that Lemon Hearts was singing to Trixie of all ponies, which gave Sumac the willies. Something about the song just felt wrong to sing, especially in regards to his own mother of all ponies.
It didn’t matter that the song had ended with a thunderous ovation, hooting, hollering, hoof stomping, and cheering. It was just too embarrassing to even think about and now, on the verge of sleep, Sumac was kept from slipping back into slumber because of the cringe inducing thoughts of what had happened.
There were times when the young colt hated his brain.
It was warm here, squished between two bodies and beneath the blankets. It was the sort of warmth that made one drowsy—it was ideal for sleep—and it made it difficult to get out of the bed. Under most circumstances, with even a hint of consciousness, Sumac would have gone shooting out from between Lemon Hearts and Trixie and would have departed, lickety split, off to recover his dignity.
But he was sleepy.
Being sleepy made it difficult to think about how embarrassing it was to snuggle in bed with your parents, how awkward it was to be sandwiched between the two ponies that loved you most. Somepony, Sumac wasn’t sure who, was silky-soft and was delightful to snuggle against, there was a pleasant, fuzzy friction that caused little crackles of static electricity and the scent of floral soap made lingering on the abyss of sleep rather pleasant.
“Kiddo, wake up.”
This got a snort from Sumac, who failed to make a verbal response.
He had asked Vinyl Scratch how she managed to get records from other worlds and she had answered him. There was a little shop in Canterlot, the very same shop where his mother, Trixie, had purchased the alicorn amulet, and this shop specialised in relics of all types. Vinyl had promised to take him there someday.
Had poor Sumac been awake, he might have been aware that there was trouble lurking, and that trouble came in the form of Lemon Hearts, who had a sort of sleepy looking mischievous expression upon her face. Not quite awake, Sumac felt a muzzle press against his neck and he wiggled a bit as he didn’t want to be kissed and her breath was a bit tickly against his sensitive skin.
There was a sudden loud flatulent sound and Sumac’s eyes flew open as Lemon Hearts blew a raspberry against his neck. Trixie howled with laughter as Sumac kicked his way free from between her and Lemon Hearts, he shot out from beneath the blanket, and landed on the floor with such a clatter that it awoke Boomer, who let out a smoky snort of annoyance.
Clinging to one another, Trixie and Lemon Hearts giggled and laughed as Twinkleshine, who was sleeping in the second bed just a few feet away, let out a groan of annoyance. Now standing in the middle of the room and wide awake, Sumac let out a grumpy grunt as he flicked his tail. Saying nothing, he departed from the room, as he needed to visit the little colt’s room.
Something that was almost a headache lurked just behind Sumac’s eyes and all morning long, his magic sense had been acting wonky. It was getting stronger, his magic sense, and he had noticed in class that just being around his fellow unicorns when they did simple tasks like writing now set it off, which it didn’t do before.
Somewhere in Twilight’s castle, strong magic was being used, and Sumac wanted away from it. He needed a break from the peculiar sensation that being around magic caused. Class had ended early, as Lemon Hearts was called away to attend to something, and now there was independent study, which Sumac didn’t mind. Pebble had gone off to her cooking class and Silver Lining had been coaxed away to attend flying instruction.
The silence of the study hall was disturbed by the door opening and the sound of hooves. Starlight Glimmer entered and Olive was right behind her, following in an obedient, meek manner. Olive had changed a bit and Sumac didn’t mind her now. Starlight Glimmer was the pony he wanted to see though, and he was thankful that he had a chance to catch her.
“Hey, Starlight? Can I ask a few questions? Out in the hallway?”
“Sure, I can spare a moment, I just dropped in to make certain that everypony was studying,” Starlight replied as she cast a cursory glance around the room to satisfy the task she had been given. Raising an eyebrow, she seemed happy enough with what she saw and she gave Sumac her full attention. “Come, let’s have a chat, shall we?”
Looking up, Sumac could not read the expression on Starlight’s face. He had told her everything about his attempts at flight and for a time, he was worried that both Olive and Starlight would laugh at him, but neither did. Olive actually seemed interested in what he had tried, even though he had failed, and she looked puzzled when he explained his difficulty in getting the rug off of the ground when he made his hooves stick to it.
“Sumac, I don’t know how to tell you this, but how I fly isn’t as simple as it looks,” Starlight said, sounding hesitant. “Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t want you to think I’m boasting, and I don’t want to tell you that you can’t do it, but chances are, you’ll not be able to do it the way I do it, but that doesn’t mean you should give up.”
“So how do you do it?” Sumac asked, being direct.
“Well, first, I cancel out the effect of gravity upon my body, which is quite difficult, most unicorns can only do it when surging, but I can control when it happens, and then I use telekinesis to push myself around where I want to go.”
Hearing this, Sumac deflated, knowing that he was licked. He looked at Olive, who was looking up at Starlight with an almost worshipful expression of adoration. Sumac wondered, was Starlight Olive’s first friend? He didn’t dare ask, but he was curious. He sat down on the floor of the hallway, his ears drooping, and he let out a forlorn sigh.
“Sumac, Don’t give up just yet,” Starlight said to the sad looking colt. “You have a knack with electricity… my advice to you is to study physics. Get Pebble to help you, as she already has a pretty good understanding of it. In particular, study magnetism. Master that and you will have more power than you can comprehend.”
“Magnetism?” Sumac asked, not understanding.
“With the power of magnetism, Princess Celestia moves the sun. She can bend light by generating powerful magnetic fields, and I’m almost ninety nine point ninety nine percent certain that she can make herself invisible without using illusion spells, by simply bending light away from her body. Being able to manipulate magnetic fields allows a pony to do, well, all kinds of things. I’m not electrically aligned myself, but I wish I was.”
Intrigued, Sumac’s eyebrow arched.
“Once you can manipulate electromagnetic fields, you’ll be able to levitate ferromagnetic objects without telekinesis, you might even be able to levitate yourself and fly.” Starlight’s eyes narrowed and her lips puckered. “By generating magnetic fields around ferromagnetic objects, you’d be able to create electricity, which in turn would superheat said object, and if the temperature got hot enough, which it should for you, you should be able to instantly liquefy things like steel and iron, and then using electromagnetic fields, you’d be able to shape it like clay, or animate it with a come to life spell and use it as a golem.”
Sumac’s mouth fell open.
“Generate magnetic fields strong enough, and you’d start smashing atoms together, causing them to fuse. The resulting energy release would be devastating to anything around it, and the subsequent radiation bursts would be quite harmful to life. Also, the equine brain and pretty much every brain uses electrical currents, you’d be able to scramble the minds of others with strong electrical pulses and maybe even take over their bodies, which are operated by those electrical pulses sent out by the brain.”
Now it was Olive’s mouth that was hanging open.
“To do any of this, you’d need a pretty solid understanding of physics and magical theory. Power comes to those who understand… even unicorns that might seem to have weak magic are capable of so much more, if only they understood how the natural world works around them.” Starlight looked around the hallway, her eyes darting left and right, and then she looked Sumac in the eye. Now whispering, she said to him, “I’m not as powerful as many ponies think I am, but I understand physics and a number of other natural sciences. Because I’ve learned how to manipulate the natural world around me, I appear to be far more powerful than I really am. There is nothing stopping you from doing the same, Sumac. Power comes to those who seize understanding.”
Again, Starlight’s eyes darted from side to side as she checked to see if any other ponies had shown up at an inopportune moment to hear what she had to say. She shifted on her hooves, her tail flicked a few times, and then she lowered her head to be a bit more eye level with Sumac. “You have shown to have somewhat above average magical talent, Sumac, but who wants to only be somewhat above average? What’s the glory in only being somewhat above mediocre? Who revels in only being slightly better than your peers?”
Ears perking, Sumac was a bit startled by Starlight’s sudden change in demeanour.
“There is no glory in being somewhat above average, Sumac, none at all.” Starlight shook her head and now her voice was little more than a whisper. “With understanding and knowledge, you have a chance to become extraordinary. Power, Sumac… power. As a sorcerer, everypony is going to want to control you, and if you want to have any control over your own life, you’re going to need power. You can be somewhat above average, or you can be in control and have power. Should your enemies try to dominate you or steal you away from those that love you, there is only one thing that can save you.”
“Friendship?” Sumac asked, breathing the word.
“No, silly,” Starlight replied as she smiled, “but that helps and shouldn’t be neglected. Olive, what will save him?”
“Power.” Olive gave a worshipful look to her master and her head bobbed up and down. “Brute force. When words fail and friendship is not enough, there is always brute force to fall back upon, and if you can’t reason with your enemies through kindness and clever words, you can always make them kneel before you in submission after you crush them and break their spirit.”
“That’s right, Olive.” Starlight cast a smirking glance to her student and then her face became serious. “The only thing better than being friends with somepony is protecting them. It’s addictive, Sumac… I get it now. The power to dominate others pales in comparison to the power to save others, and that’s what I’ve been teaching Olive.”
“I have a lot to think about.” Sumac did indeed, have a lot to think about, and his brain was buzzing from everything that had been said. His plans for flight were now forgotten, at least for now, and he had far more pressing matters on his mind.
“I’ll let you get back to your studies,” Starlight said to Sumac. “Hit the books, Sumac. Hard. Have Pebble be your study buddy. If you have any more questions, find me. Ask. I’ll give you answers that the others might not.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and Sumac…”
“Yes?”
“Keep this conversation between us, alright?”
“Okay.”
“Good colt. Olive, let’s go and finish our rounds.”
- I watch ponies in the shower.
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"Mony Mony"? Or should it be "Pony Pony"?
Oh Sumac~
I'm glad that Starlight is applying her Sith tendencies to better ends, I think?
To be honest I'm not sure whether to amazed or terrified. Because I thought Starlight learned from Twilight about not abusing power. For there is a famous phrase about power: "With great power comes great responsibility."
7867428
Sumac is now interested in physics.
That's responsible.
Sounds like at her core, Starlight Glimmer hasn't really changed much since even before meeting Twilight and her friends ...
No! No, brute force is not always the way! I know that Olive's magic is all about telekinetic power, but there are going to be enemies that require you to use your brain. Like in the ruins, where nopony thought about throwing things at the Null Golem.
And we will not get off from making somepony kneel in front of you! Starlight, be careful with that, you might not apply enough patience and kindness, just to get that feeling of having rescued others.
You mean like this?
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Or this?
ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GY7nAnRGL._UX1500_.jpg
this maybe
ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51r36MWdO1L._UX1500_.jpg
finally this.
images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71r1NfQYjwL._SL1001_.jpg
BONUS
derpicdn.net/img/2015/12/10/1041438/large.jpeg
7867454
Thing is Sumac is already quite smart and has a magical silver tongue, so he has those two things to try and end things without the need for violence and the like, but there will be those who won't be swayed by that who will want to use him as had been stated so he will need to have brute force in order to handle them. Also, Sumac is only five and he is only going to be getting smarter and better at using that silver tongue of his, so taking Starlight's advice isn't all that bad. And then combine those smarts he has, the silver tongue and power all together and no one, save those he considers friends and wants to share his power as a sorcerer with will be able to have his power while those only wishing to use him for their own ends are only asking to be utterly wrecked by him.
7867465
I'm not worried about Sumac. I'm worried about Starlight and Olive.
Not sure what to make of this chapter. Starlight is right about knowledge though some of what she was telling Sumac is scary in application especially if any of it goes out of control
7867457 https://society6.com/product/luna-mcp_shower-curtain#s6-3920519p34a35v287
Ag poor Sumack. Nothing sucks quite as much as having to get up and away from the warm body your snuggling with.
7867450 Alright. if you don't mind, may be permitted to write a story about Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst out on a date where they briefly encounter Tarnish? Because I would like to experience Sunburst defend his fillyfriend if she and Tarnish got into another argument.
So Starlight is making fillies and colts into megalomaniacs?
This should be interesting
7867522
Write whatever you want, but leave Tarnish out of it and don't include it as part of the Weedverse.
Sunburst and Starlight aren't exactly a couple here, first off, and second, Sunburst would actually leap to Tarnish's defense, because what Starlight did was reprehensible. See the problem here?
7867451
She's changing, There is a difference.
This is why Magneto is clearly an idiot. He has control of one of the 4 fundamental forces and the most he does with it is throw big things around.
.... Has Starlight been reading the Equestrian equivalent of Machiavelli's "The Prince"? That viewpoint meshes in a less manipulative manner than normal with Machiavelli's beliefs.
7867583
7867474
They'll be fine, luckily, since even with the "kneeling" bit, Starlight's entire lecture about the place of brute force is couched entirely around its place after diplomacy and friendship have both failed.
Exerting brute force is costly, risky, and carries the possibility of poisoning the entire world against you. But if you've exhausted every other option earnestly, making you opponent kneel before you not only deals with them, but may well make diplomacy look more appealing to others when they would otherwise be disinclined to pursue it.
This is a big part of why it's very challenging to responsibly apply military power. "How much is too much?" Well, you just kind of have to know sometimes.
7867583
He also has mild telepathic powers.
But despite his name, he doesn't appear to work by magnetism; he also controls non-magnetic metals.
7867555 Only from your unforgivable perspective. From how I see it, Sunburst would forgive Starlight Glimmer since him leaving her life is what caused her to go insane in the first place and that they were best friends when they were younger too. Besides your demands have now just discouraged me from writing such a story so THANKS A LOT!
But they won't stop me from liking Starlight Glimmer x Sunburst! Nothing will!
7867709
In Venenum Iocus Starlight did some pretty bad things. There is a reason why Tarnish and Starlight don't get along.
Consistency.
7867717 Because Tarnish has no concept of forgiveness! At least Twilight had the good sense to do so with Starlight Glimmer.
Furthermore, I deserve an apology for being discouraged.
7867717
I admit, I do keep forgetting how much more she did here than she did in the show. Two different mares, two different judgements.
Did you get the information on all the magnets from watching the Nerdist on youtube? lol cause I just watched all the stuff Magneto could do if he really went into his powers and the stuff you described is almost what the host said on there word for word XD
7867988
I was using the Joss Whedon God Mode Magneto. The one that could slow down the flow of time. Parts of this chapter were written several months ago.
Ah I guess it was coincidence then x3
7868004
This Magneto released huge bursts of gamma radiation, killing much of the human population, but also creating a ton of new mutants. He called down solar flares and fried all of the electronics on the earth, stopping war and returning earth to the stone age for a time. He then rose to power as God. When something didn't go to plan, he created wormholes to distort time and space, went back in time, and redid things until they did go to plan... in short, it became ridiculous. Magneto won. He was unstoppable. Joss Whedon showed what Magneto's real power was and what he was capable of using real science.
Oh i'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying it was coincidence when I read this chapter and this video came out only two days ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD3z6NDbXKc&t=302s which is where i learned magneto.....and tmaybe one day Sumac....could do this sort of thing
7867731
To be forgiven is not a right. Characters - people, do have the right to never forgive someone who has done them wrong. Why should they? Especially for something like what the Starlight Glimmer of the Weedverse did to Tarnish.
It some cases, the feelings a victim has towards the wrong-doer are self-destructive, and in these cases they need to be worked out. This still may not include forgiveness of the perpetrator.
Have your ships, great, fine, but don't expect authors to cater to them. The Sunburst and Starlight here, in this story are not the same as the ones in your head. They are not in a romantic relationship. Starlight was a real villain.
If, say, an old childhood friend of yours dropped out of touch with you, and then you find out years later that they went off and murdered people (which this Starlight has done) because they thought you rejected them, would you be so quick to leap to their defense? If something like that happened to me, I think the first thing I would feel is queasy. Repulsed. Horrified. That awful drop of dread in the pit of your stomach. Guilt. Anger. A bit of fear. Those feelings would linger for a while, maybe never go away. I, personally, would decline to reconnect with someone like at all.
Why should Sunburst be required to forgive Starlight, now an almost total stranger to him? Why should Sunburst be blamed for what Starlight did, all without his knowledge or consent?
Twilight has forgiven her because she believes whole-heartedly in the power of the second-chance. That those who have done great wrongs can change and do great right instead. But that doesn't erase the wrongs that have already been done. Twilight's attitude is not the only one that matters - there can be multiple correct opinions.
And you have no right to demand an apology over lost inspiration/motivation, just because kudzu reminded you that the rules of the Weedverse are not the same as yours. By all means, write a Starlight x Sunburst fic where a pony who Starlight wronged in the past comes up to air their grievances. You could use a member of Starlight's Village, for instance, in lieu of Tarnish, who belongs to this very specific universe. A universe in which your scenario cannot occur. The Weedverse is not a setting for your headcanons, or anyone else's but kudzu's.
7868068 *Plugs ears up*
7868104
And there it is. Bye.
When Starlight was talking, I couldn't help but think of this:
7867617
I think Appo's concern is based around that Starlight, from that bit, feels like she might be the sort to prematurely say "Well all else failed, time to do my favorite thing! Dominate them, crush them, make them my slaves! It's okay because I say I'm doing it for the good guys but I'm really just getting off on this and the free pass for 'the greater good' just helps!"
In essence, she's blatantly stated that she likes the last resort. You're not supposed to like the last resort. You're supposed to be always ready to use it, so that you aren't caught with your pants down. But the more you enjoy it the more you'll look forward to it. Thus errors in judgement. You're supposed to be wary of the last resort, potentially hate it, but always keep it in the palm of your hand and ready to lash out with it.
7868068
I'm going to kiss you. I'm warning you now so that you have time to run away if you do not consent. I'm not very fast on my feet.
This is what I want to say to everyone who defends a character who's done horrendous shit just because they're a woobie, or because they're a main character and we get to see them feeling sorry or whatever. Characters who do terrible things just get it swept under the rug soon as someone forgives them. And anyone who doesn't forgive them suddenly becomes the new bad guy even though they were COMPLETELY in their rights and were, in fact, the victim - and being attacked for being victimized and not saying it was okay.
It's fine to like a character. It's fine to enjoy a redemption arc. It's bullshit to expect redemption, bullshit to defend a person or character for their evils just because those who were harmed or take offense aren't being 'kind and understanding'. Hey, that bitch killed my family and turned my friends into mind-slaves in order to hunt me down and gut me. ... I'm suddenly the villain for saying she shouldn't be welcome in my hometown? That I'm not willing to let bygones be bygones? If I act against her suddenly I'm the evil one?
A character/person is not... faulty, or broken, or needs to 'climb over this character development hurdle' if they can't forgive someone who's wounded them. That's not wrong, and it's not something that needs fixing. It's unrealistic to believe otherwise, and a total logical and emotional disconnect.
Starlight relishes in power but she seems to at this point understand it's use is a last resort. The big difference between her and say Twilight is Starlight when faced with the last resort will act without hesitation while other ponies might hesitate even when all other options are exhausted. Equestria needs ponies like Starlight Glimmer.
On a side note Piper from the mask storyline seems like she would idolize Starlight.
7868230
I can see that angle. It's certainly different from how I interpreted that moment, but then that's rather the point, I would think.
7867731 Starlight didn't hurt and violate Twilight to the same extent that she did to Tarnish. Sure, she did a lot of awful stuff to Twilight and her friends, but in the end none of it was irreversible or unfixable.
But what she did to Tarnish? Starlight can't ever fix that or make it right, not with all of the friendship or brute force in Equestria. The best she can really hope for is tolerance from him.
....
I'm suddenly worried about Starlight and Olive. What Starlight said can be good, but it can also be very very VERY bad. I wonder which it will be?
7868481 That makes sense.
Starlight, you continue to be disconcerting and hilarious.
Seriously, what I liked best about Every Little Thing She Does is its depiction of her as a super-villain attempting to be a good guy. It made the episode very enjoyable, at least the way I saw it.
So now power is her high.
Makes sense. And though it has practical applications, it is indeed a concern.
And yes, magnetism is indeed very powerful.
Wonder what Vinyl can do with fire? And actually, when is Vinyl going to teach magic to Sumac? I have a feeling she will be going the karate kid method with teaching via real world application and exercise, but when will she teach?
Still salty on Sumac not claiming Glimmer. That broke my heart.
In before Sumac learns a combat-oriented electrolysis spell.
7868230
7867617
Exactly what I meant, thank you, Aurora.
Sorry for not clarifying it better, Phyco.
7868669
you mean splitting water vapor in the air to make a hydrogen oxygen explosion?
I like the idea Starlight isn't as powerful as she seems and her opsession with power fits, she has been taught by Twilight and is smart in her own right so she'd see how powerful Twilight is. Of course if in equestia friendship is magic and magic is power, friendship is power. Pragmaticly friends are power, if you have friends you have their power and they have yours.
This chapter also has no indention.Fixed.7872008
That's weird, because I double checked when I posted this and it was indented.
7872050
Mistakes happen.
As much as it it pains me to admit, Starlight does have a point---
WAIT, wait. Put down the pitchforks and torches, I'll explain myself.
Starlight is attempting to propose a hypothetical situation that all forms of logical communication have dissolved and one's allies have been defeated. The absolute fallback would have to be power, pure unstoppable power.
This begs the question of what defines the "absolute last resort circumstances".
That's what I believe that stories have to explore. It's those decisions that define those characters that make them interesting and enjoyable to read.
I look forward to seeing Sumac's thought processes and how he formulates his own flowchart of responses to situations.
Now if you don't mind, I have to find a way to make zombies out of enchantment creatures.
7872801 This also gives more insight into why Celestia is always so quick to turn to friendship(thinking about the show anyway) If your ultimate answer is dropping the light sphere od scorching on the difficult little shit in front of you, how hard would you not try to be friendly and diplomatic first?