Chapter 121
There were a lot of flashing lights in Twilight’s workshop. Sumac, somewhat buzzed on zap apple tincture, watched as the adults around him hurried from place to place, making certain that everything was perfect. In the middle of the workshop, standing on a raised platform, was Pebble and the lantern was beside her.
Pebble looked quite sedate, bored even, and Sumac thought about the word ‘lackadaisical’ while he stared at her. Olive brushed up against him as she passed, and Sumac wondered if she did it on purpose. She was here because Starlight was here, and to be honest, Sumac didn’t mind. Olive had changed, just a little. His former rival was now tolerable, and maybe even just a little likeable, but Sumac wondered why she kept bumping into him every chance she got.
It was a little chilly in the workshop, but it was a whole lot colder outside. Fall was ending and there were the occasional feral flurries that blew in from the Everfree. Sumac couldn’t help but feel that he and Moondancer had the right idea; she wore a sweater and he wore his poncho. The blanket with the hole in one end was perfect for him and kept him warm. Sumac was a bit on the thin and scrawny side and he didn’t have much in the way of pudge to help keep him warm.
“So, this time travel thing… I’ve been thinking about it, and it is a little weird,” Sumac said, talking for the sake of talking and because he was bored, so bored.
“That’s not the first time I’ve had something like that happen,” Twilight replied, sounding absentminded. She turned away from a paper readout and faced Spike. “Hey, Spike, everything ready on your end?”
“Yep.” Spike gave Twilight a claws up.
“Sumac, how is your magic sense?” Twilight asked.
“Tingly.”
“Good, good.” Twilight now faced Pebble. “You ready to become an alicorn, Pebble?”
“Yes, I am ready to become an overbearing force of good that tells everypony what to do and what is best for them.”
All around the room there was snickering, but Twilight did not seem to be amused by Pebble’s deadpan snarking. Twilight’s lack of amusement was highlighted by her narrowed eyes and angled ears. Lemon Hearts was giggling so hard that she felt compelled to cover her mouth in an attempt to silence herself.
“How is the camera, will we get this on film?” Twilight asked.
Vinyl peeked out from behind her camera, most of her face hidden behind her glasses, and she nodded to let Twilight know that she was ready. A small slate was held up over Vinyl’s head, and it had these words on it. I’ve got Pebble’s savage roast on film. I’m proud. I can’t wait to tell Maud.
“Oh… peas and carrots,” Twilight spat, swearing without swearing in front of the foals present. “Okay, let’s do this and see what happens. I’m going to use the lantern on Pebble. Everypony, be ready for anything, as we really don’t know what this setting will do.” Her eyes glittering with keen intelligence, Twilight’s head turned and she looked right at Sumac. “I’m hoping that your sorcerous powers will allow you to absorb whatever alicorn magic that Pebble manifests during the duration of the spell. Be ready, Sumac.”
“Do you really think that will work, Twilight?”
“I don’t know, Moondancer. It’s a stretch, but the lantern does stuff to ponies, and we might as well see if we can exploit any temporary powers it introduces.” Head high, Twilight strode across the room and approached the raised platform where Pebble stood. She lifted the lantern in her magic and checked the settings.
“Kiddo, hold fast,” Trixie said, being supportive.
Holding the lantern, looking quite solemn, Twilight opened up the shutter and zapped Pebble. There was a bright flash, Sumac winced in pain, and a short, brown horn appeared on Pebble’s forehead. Two bulges appeared under the fabric of her dress. There was a gasp from Pebble, and the little filly staggered, but she did not fall.
“Pebble, what do you feel?” Twilight asked, her voice neutral. “Try to be articulate as possible.”
“I want to keep all of you safe,” Pebble replied, her monotone absent. Real strain could be heard in her voice and her knees all knocked together. “The pressure, the need to keep all of you safe is overwhelming. It feels like it is crushing me. All of you are in such danger… Sumac especially. The danger is close, it feels like it is all around us and very close by.”
With a shallow inhale, Twilight set down the lantern while her right ear twitched up and down. She watched with cold, clinical detachment, studying Pebble’s reaction, and she stayed out of the way of the camera.
“It’s very strange,” Pebble continued, “it feels like the threat to Sumac is right here in the castle with us. It’s like an itch inside of my mind, and I can sense it, above us and below us. There is a greater threat though, off to the east, it’s close but also far.”
“That’d be the Everfree,” Moondancer murmured, “location and detection spells don’t work very well there.”
“Something watches, and I can feel their eye. It’s focused on Sumac, and I can feel their desire. They want him. All around us, many somethings are watching.” Pebble now looked quite panicked, and she trembled as her lower lip quivered. “I can’t bear this any longer, make it stop.”
“There is no way to make it stop, Pebble,” Twilight said in a cool, calm voice. “All you can do is wait it out.”
Wheezing, Pebble sucked in a few deep breaths and was almost panting. “It feels like I’m choking. I want to keep all of you safe, the need to keep all of you safe is so overpowering that it hurts. How do you stand this, Twilight?”
“It can be very difficult at times,” Twilight replied.
“I can feel so much malice and hatred.” Pebble sucked in a hissing breath through her clenched teeth. “They know I can sense them. I can feel them trying to block me and prevent me from seeing. There is a buzzing sound—urk!” Gasping, Pebble’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed on the platform.
“Moondancer! I need a spellbreaker over here right now!”
Much to Sumac’s relief, Pebble’s eyelids began to twitch. His magic sense was going crazy, just as it had been for a while now, but right now it was unbearable. Reaching out, he patted Pebble’s cheek, and then, seized with an idea, he leaned in closer, puckered up, and gave her a peck on the cheek, as that was how one woke a sleeping princess.
Pebble had been an alicorn for a while, so Sumac was absolutely certain that counted for making Pebble a princess. His princess. He felt his ears grow hot as he thought about the fact that he had just kissed a princess. He held his breath as he watched her eyes open.
“I have a headache,” Pebble deadpanned. After a moment, she added, “My cheek is wet.” Her eyes focused on Sumac and she stared at him in a knowing sort of way.
Sumac did not apologise.
Pulling away, he felt a strange tightness. Laying on her back, Pebble had a certain prettiness to her, and with the way her mane spilled out all over the pillow… something about it took Sumac’s breath away. She was a princess, and she was… pretty, so pretty. Her cheek was soft, fuzzy, and felt pleasant against the sensitive pad of his snoot.
“Twilight said you suffered some sort of magical backlash, but you’re fine now.” Sumac kept his voice low, knowing that Pebble had a headache. “Vinyl was here with me, but she stepped out for a moment. I’m sure she’ll be right back.”
When tears started to fall, Sumac felt a growing sense of worry.
“You’re in so much danger, Sumac, I felt it… we’re surrounded on all sides and some of the danger felt very close.” Pebble closed her eyes, rolled over onto her side, and curled up into a fetal position in the bed. “I don’t ever want to be an alicorn, that was awful feeling that way, and I feel bad for what I said to Twilight. It’s horrible what she must go through and I feel very ashamed of what I said.”
“Twilight is trying to figure out what the threat is,” Sumac whispered to Pebble, trying to be reassuring to his princess. “She said she’s felt it too, but you got an exaggerated version of alicorn senses. Everypony is out right now trying to figure out what is going on.”
The door opened and Vinyl entered, followed by another pony. Maud, looking sleepy and sedate as ever, followed Vinyl into the room, then went to the bed where Pebble lay. She stood there beside Sumac, silent, looking down, and Sumac was certain that he could hear Maud’s eyelashes brush together when she blinked.
It was just that quiet.
Vinyl, her face wrinkled with worry, sat down upon the floor beside the bed, easing herself down, moving like a slow old mare. Reaching out with her foreleg, she hooked it around Sumac, pulled him close, and then pressed her snoot into the warm, fuzzy hollow just behind his right ear, causing him to shiver.
“Twilight told me what happened,” Maud said, sounding very, very bored. “Even though this was accidental, this might work out to everypony’s advantage, Pebble. I’m proud of you, and I know that Tarnish will be proud of you too. He’s out right now, trying to help find out what it was that you sensed.”
“I just wanted to keep everypony safe,” Pebble murmured, and she winced from pain.
“Twilight also said that whatever is around us, it was taking advantage of Sumac’s sorcery, at least, that is what Moondancer thinks. You got a head full of magical feedback. That’s happened to your father a few times now, and it leaves behind a headache that lasts for days.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Pebble moaned and clutched her head.
“I had something force its way into my mind once,” Maud said to her daughter, trying to be reassuring in her own special way.
“What happened?” Sumac asked, almost breathing the words.
Maud closed her eyes, remembering, and the muscles in her jaw tightened for a second. “It came in and it didn’t like what it saw.” Her eyes opened and one hind leg twitched. “I then held it in my mind and with all of my will, I refused to let it leave. I let it see what I’m really like on the inside. It got scared.”
Hearing this, Sumac felt a tickle-prickle of fear.
“With any luck, Pebble is a lot like me… or worse… and whatever poked into her mind is off whimpering in fear right now.” Lowering her head, Maud pressed her muzzle against Pebble’s neck and breathed in. “Pebble, I don’t know what I’d do without you. The first time I felt you kick inside of my belly, I got scared. Tarnish and I both. We both freaked out and panicked, we worried that we would be awful parents, and he and I held each other for hours, trying to comfort one another.”
“Mother, I’m afraid to ask…” Pebble’s words were a bit dry and scratchy.
“What?” Maud’s lips moved against Pebble’s neck and caused the foal to fidget.
“When I was in your belly, did you and Father…” Pebble did not finish her sentence.
“Oh, all the time. It was a special time for us. We were very close and very much in love.”
“Oh gross, I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Pebble, stop being so melodramatic.”
Proving her mother wrong, Pebble hung her head over the edge of the bed and spewed.
Leaning back in an overstuffed chair, Vinyl Scratch made herself comfortable. The house wasn’t fully furnished, not yet, but at least Vinyl had a comfortable chair to sit in. Stuffed in the chair beside her was Sumac, who had been sent home with Pebble just to be safe. Trixie and Twinkleshine were busy patrolling Ponyville, looking for the as of yet unidentified menace.
Sumac, more than just a little scared, didn’t mind being so close to Vinyl, and he didn’t complain, not even once. He didn’t complain when Vinyl had tossed him into the tub and gave him a bath, washing hot, chunky vomit from his hide. Not a single peep of protest had been made.
Now clean and silky soft, he watched as Boomer prowled the stone floor, sniffing about in the corners of the room, no doubt looking for spiders. Vinyl was warm and her body was inviting. Being an albino, her pelt had a different texture and feel to it, causing her to be quite luxuriant to snuggle up against. Sumac was far too frightened to be brave and independent, at least for now.
Holding out her hoof, Vinyl’s horn ignited with a glittery glow. A flaming ball manifested and she held it with her hoof. She brought it closer to Sumac, who shied away from it, but then Sumac realised that if Vinyl was holding it with her hoof, it couldn’t be hot. Distracted, the curious colt touched it and discovered that the fire was cold and the ball was solid.
He tapped his hoof against it as he pressed up against Vinyl’s side, entranced. Each tap made a clinking sound, like glass, and he tried to figure out what it was that he was touching. It was a solid manifestation of magic that burned with cold flames. When Vinyl dumped it into his hooves, Sumac let out a nervous giggle, and a part of him still feared the fire, even though it burned cold. He held it in his front hooves and began to examine it with the hopes of figuring out whatever it was that he was holding.
It was so very fascinating.
Stepping out of the hallway and into the living room, Octavia paused to take in the adorable sight of Vinyl and Sumac together in the chair. The flames were a flickering reflection in both of their glasses, and the look of wonder on Sumac’s face threatened to make Octavia’s heart stop.
Looking up from the flaming ball, Sumac asked, “How is Pebble?”
“Asleep,” Octavia replied. “Tarnish gave her a few tiny droplets of opiate extract that he brewed himself. He didn’t want to do it, but Maud and I insisted. Pebble no doubt has a dreadful headache and she deserves a blissful, undisturbed rest.”
“I hope she gets better soon.” Sumac, still holding the flaming ball, hugged it to his chest, no longer thinking about the flickering flames or how they might consume him.
“She will.” Octavia’s voice was certain and confident. “Now, tell me, Sumac, what might you like for supper? I fear our menu options are a bit limited at the moment, but I am not adverse to heading out to the market, if need be.”
“There’s no need to make a fuss for me.” Sumac, feeling a little bit awkward, squirmed in the chair beside Vinyl. “I’d be happy with grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Inhaling, Octavia’s eyes lit up. “Fabulous! We have bread, we have cheese, and there are some canned soups in the cupboard. No doubt, Maud will be wanting some cream of pumpkin soup.”
“That sounds good with grilled cheese,” Sumac said, still clutching the mesmerising flaming ball.
“Indeed it does, indeed it does…”
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7936768 could you or some one else direct me to these stories i am still learning the site thank you
7938901
http://www.fimfiction.net/group/210355/weed-world
Quick, call Agent Lima! His mortal enemy is laying in wait for him.
But in all seriousness, I'm rather liking the descriptions for the lanterns transformation ability. I feel like it's helping them all learn how the world works.
I take it this is what brought flicker and the guild to ponyville?
Rats... I shudder to think what would happen if Flicker was made an Alicorn, having that powerful urge to protect combined with his urge to purge all filthy vermin.
.... rats?
Rats! Flicker does come down soon so it will be delt with eventually.
Stupid-long Analysis Part 2
Brutal Violence in Fiction
Flam Apple and the Demon Lord Habaruku
Let me start by saying that the lack of a centering feature in the comments annoys me.
So, the reason I brought up Breath of Fire II: War of the Demons in the first place was because I noticed how differently I reacted to depictions of good guys brutalizing bad guys. I'm here to ask why myself why that is. To answer this, I'm going to analyze both characters in-depth, both in terms of what they've done and the circumstances surrounding their respective beatings. To recap for anyone who didn't bother reading the last post, Habaruku was neutralized as a threat prior to being tortured quite savagely before literally being ripped in half. Quite a bit worse than a minor beating that Flam received. So why do I cheer the former while condemning the latter?
Once more, massive spoiler warnings for War of the Demons.
Now, after thinking about it, the biggest difference is simply a matter of setting. The Weedverse takes place in a fantasy setting, but operates under laws and social structures that are clearly based off of reality. This, combined with compelling characters makes the situations feel very real, even when they involve fantasy elements like magic and cutie marks. Even The Perilous Romance of Swans presented the concept of leadership through a very humanistic lens, for lack of a better word. Thus, I tend to approach the situations presented with the kind of logic and morality I would apply to my real life, and I don't think I'm alone in doing this. Applejack, along with the other characters, are presented as good people in a realistic sense, making it very disturbing when they break from that.
War of the Demons, on the other hand, takes place in a much more savage reality. The laws and situations are, for the most part, far outside of anything the reader could be expected to experience. The fact that the main characters are mercenaries without being villains should be proof of that. This group, the Dragonkin, consist mostly of people who are not saints, but still mostly decent people. Their attitude towards their work was mostly summed up early in the story when they infiltrate a den of thieves.
Like most stories involving larger-than-life villains and outlandish fantasy settings, War of the Demons invites the reader to step outside their normal sense of morality and look at things through the lens of another. Also, many works of fiction, especially shonen manga like Dragon Ball, Naruto, or One Piece, use villains that pose such a massive, overwhelming threat that lethal force is considered a justifiable option. Even Friendship is Magic utilized it when King Sombra appeared, albeit to a much reduced extent, since we didn't know he was going to die until he did. War of the Demons contains a good quote that sums up this attitude.
More realistic situations result in more personal reactions out of the audience. I remember a similar discussion coming up in the comment section of Estee's story Unstable Sale. Not strictly relevant, but I thought it was worth bringing up.
We could probably end this here. However, I feel I've only addressed this in a broad sense. Let's look deeper and why the characters provoke the reactions they do. Now, I must preface this by saying that the purpose of this is not to say that one is better than another. I'm not trying to point at another story and tell Kudzu that he should do more like that story. Unfortunately, it might come off like that since I feel that Habaruku was a much, much better villain than Flam. I've made my feelings on Flam Apple very clear, and those feelings are quite negative. I addressed them in detail in this post: 7901217
For those of you who don't feel like reading that, though, allow me to briefly sum up my problems with Flam's execution as a villain.
-An over-reliance on Offscreen Villainy prevents him from being too despicable.
-An over-reliance on Informed Abilities prevents him from seeming too threatening.
-His personality is about as bland and forgettable as it can get.
The end result is that Flam's punishment as a whole came off as overly harsh and undeserved. Whether or not that is objectively true is irrelevant. What matters, at least to me, is that the story failed to sell me on it.
One minor thing I forgot to touch on in my original post is that the only glimpse of Flam's silver tongue we see was rather pathetic. He basically just insulted Sumac's mom over and over. His supposedly dangerous talent couldn't even convince a five year-old not to beat him half to death. Also, he got beaten half to death by a five year-old. He comes off as an incompetent flunky more than anything, which only exacerbates the issue stated above.
With that out of the way, let's focus on Habaruku. This guy:
i.ytimg.com/vi/UVe4sV0MX9k/hqdefault.jpg
I was hoping to find concept art of the guy. How frustrating...
Also, please ignore how his name is spelled. Breath of Fire 2's English translation is notoriously awful, with mistranslations and inconsistencies abounding.
The demon conspiracy in War of the Demons exists to free their god Evans from his prison deep underground, in what they call Infinity. In charge of this is one of his top underlings: Habaruku, the Demon Lord of War. He heads a religious order, the largest in the world. Centuries of hard work on his part has made the church of St. Eva a major geopolitical powerhouse. Unbeknownst to the follower, however, is that their souls are literally being used to empower Evans. The main character Ryu is central to their plans as they need the life of a Dragon Clan member to fully break the seal.
Apart from an intermission chapter, Habaruku's real introduction is during a congregation at St Eva's headquarters, which the Dragonkin have sneaked into. We witness him harvesting a room full of souls, as well as brutally murdering two supporting characters. Just met the guy and already I want him dead. But it's the next chapter where I want him to suffer. Not only do two more supporting characters die (including the mother of one of the main characters), but Habaruku casually reveals that he's responsible for most of the worst things ever to happen to the Dragonkin.
This is another example of Offscreen Villainy, but done very well. This is because we've spent the story getting to know the characters and their hardships. The casual, patronizing way that Habaruku speaks about what he's done, even claiming that he was doing it for their own good. He continuously presses their buttons, which it meaningful to the reader since we know exactly how badly these characters have been hurt.
On that note, Habaruku's dialogue deserves a mention. He claims that his words drive people into a fury, and then spends most of his 'screentime' backing up that claim. He is a slimy, disgusting, enraging asshole and every patronizing word out of his mouth simply makes me hate him more. He exudes malice while being holier-than-thou all the time.
Probably the worst thing he did to any of the Dragonkin involved Nina. An ancient prophecy tells of a child with black wings born into the royal family foretelling disaster for the Wing Clan. Naturally, Princess Nina's black wings have caused her no end of strife, eventually resulting in her family faking her death and sending her away to keep her safe. This is the crux of her entire character arc as it defines so much of who she is. So what did Habaruku do? He started the original rumor, since the demons knew exactly when and how Nina would be born. The demons actually did much more to Nina than that, but the point is that her pain and anger were very much evident to the reader. Habaruku's words were almost as hurtful to the reader as they were to her, and the rest of the Dragonkin.
After a long while, and after nearly killing Ryu's sister and mother, the Dragonkin engage Habaruku. His incredible magic power is formidable, proving a match for the nine of them, even with all the strength and skill they possess. Eventually, they're able to injure his mouth critically, prevent him from speaking and thus preventing him from using magic. His physical form relatively frail, he is unable to prevent the Dragonkin from exacting a brutal, well-deserved vengeance.
I could go on, but I believe the point has been made. Habaruku's actions were readily seen as despicable, and talking to him made it abundantly clear that there was nothing redeemable about him. Lastly, he was a significant threat, outwitting and nearly overpowering the heroes more than once. All I could really do to add to this was list more things that he did, and there is a lot that he did, but it would simply be restating what's already been said.
The only other point that needs to be made is something interesting that the author did. He revealed that in his interpretation, Habaruku was a character than existed in Breath of Fire 4, a game I have not beaten and whose story takes place three thousand years prior to War of the Demons. This character was apparently a complete monster. I bring this up because the story never relies on this. The only character who even cares was also around three thousand years ago, and she does not talk about her past much. War of the Demons makes the reader hate Habaruku entirely by virtue of his actions within the story. It would have been easy to rely on Breath of Fire 4 as a crutch, but Magus523 is confident enough in his own work to let his work speak for itself.
Okay, I think I'm done here. For now. See, I've actually thought of a different thing I could cross-analyze. Is that the right phrase? Cross-analyze? Whatever. This was still longer than I hoped it would be. Next time: I talk once more about why I strongly dislike Night Light and Twilight Velvet, and why I do not dislike Sten Legacy. See you all then.
7938960
Mwahahahahahahah. Flam's villainy has yet to be revealed. Pebble's sense of danger? That feeling that there is a threat all around them? Flam's contact in Ponyville?
ALL RELATED.
I love how people just jump to conclusions and make assumptions when they think a scene is done. I love it. I live for it.
**Much fiendish chortling**
The rats! The rats! Or is that just what Kudzu wants us to think?
7938975
Of course they're related. I have no doubt that Flam's actions are part of a larger scheme and have ramifications well past his being turned into a tree. I'd be disappointed if it didn't. Still, Flam himself is done. It's highly unlikely that anything that happens from here on out will make me hate or fear Flam anymore. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly confident at this point.
Also, am I actually going to have to sit down and read The Mask Makes the Pony? I really don't want to. It seems as well written as anything you do, but the setting really does not appeal to me at all.
7939002
And what do you know of the setting, exactly?
7939008
I'm about four or five chapters in. A guild setting where the characters seem to be attending a school of sorts, learning the tools of the trade. And corporal punishment is a thing. Values dissonance, I get it, it's a thing. Not something I really want to read about.
Of course, a comment from earlier in this thread suggests that the setting shifts to Ponyville at some point and for an unspecified amount of time. Could be interesting.
...rats?
7939028
The setting shifts constantly. It is centered in Canterlot, but they go afield. Stuff happens. Yes, they do come to Ponyville for a time.
7938960 Wow, talk about over examining something. Why would comparing this story to another totally unrelated one be relevant?
I think this fic may have lost several of it's tags. I am almost positive there was once a comedy and Romance tag here.
If getting timelines right this might be the first indication rats are being used as Groger's spies? This is what at least a year/year and a half before Mask Makes the Pony starts?
7939038
Actually, can I say a bit more on the subject? In the latest chapter that I read, a point was made that another character, Hennessy, I think, had to learn to speak without using the kind of speech that was common where he came from. Something about that bothers me. It's not that I don't understand. The logic makes perfect sense. You have to groom your service to your clientele, even if that clientele are the smug, arrogant sort who look down their noses at others. That's just how business works. If I ran such a guild, I would probably do the same thing.
Still pisses me off. I am still pissed off by something I completely understand. And reading about a organization that rigidly enforces this (admittedly logical) policy is just unpleasant to me. Not unpleasant in an existential way, or in a "dear god this guy is a douche' way like some of your other works, but in a "I would rather do anything else but read about this" sort of way. Still, I suppose I can give it another shot. I probably won't make much progress at a time, but I'll try.
7939046
First off, the whole violence thing. I made it a point to say, more than once, that I was very much against Applejack beating up Flam and as-of-yet receiving no repercussions for it. And then I realized that a different work with a much more extreme example of heroes torturing villains resulted in a positive response from me. I wanted to figure out why, and share it with everyone here. Mostly because I tend to dwell on this stuff if I don't get it out.
Also, I really like this other story and am quite elated to have a reason to discuss it so thoroughly. I'm having a lot of fun making these long posts, and I hope at least one person has had fun reading them.
7938975
you misread his comment, kudz
his whole rant is nothing about what flam did, it's this one part:
Everything else was him explaining how your narrative was weak on portraying to the him why he should want Flam to suffer, so he was unable to synpathise with the protagonist's actions as realistic or narratively smooth.
7938975
Uh Kudzu, I forget, whatever happened with the Changelings? Totally unrelated question to this chapter, really.
7938975 So it could be the rats, because of what we learn in Masks. Or it could not be, because we don't know everything yet, and it seems unlikely that Grogar would reveal something so secret to a pony, particularly one like Flam, who seems like the type to tell all if it'll save his hide, although Flam's memories were messed with, which would provide some protection. The nocturnal pegasi think that magic is being used to conceal the contact, but they could be wrong it could just be something very mundane, rats are good at hiding. Unless they've specifically sensed the magic, we don't know how Nocturnal Pegasus magic works, but that doesn't mean that it isn't the rats, as they could be using magic to aid their abilities (and if they are what I suspect, kind of rely on it).
I'm thinking in circles again. Looks like I'll have to wait for more information. Excellent.
Had another thought. The amplified ability being a danger sense is probably a direct result of (spoilers for Venenum Iocus) Centaur manipulation, as they created Celestia and Luna to be guardians, but the fact Pebble doesn't report any other effects, mental or otherwise, (as we saw on Moondancer when she went pegasus, for example), is also interesting, as an alicorn would theoretically also show those traits.
Or maybe I'm overthinking things again.
7939455 Pebble has something Moondancer doesn't. She has incredible Maud-like strength that she already has to constantly constrict and hold in and never ever let out except in controlled circumstances (like, say, a Shatterrock competition). She already holds herself down amazingly well without showing it off externally, so being able to not break everything when given amazing alicorn-like power isn't that surprising.
All right, who farted?
It's the typos!
7938928
Rodents in the surrounding dozen kilometers of countryside would just start spontaneously combusting.
The idea that alicorns have an innate need to protect is interesting and kind of makes sense. Ponies are herd animals at heart, even Equestrians being sentient ponies are still herd animals, they follow the strongest of them, unicorn Twi and Starlight are perfect exqmples, they are really powerful and ponies listen to them almost implicitly. Alicorns are automatically reconized as the strongest, even they them selves feel it. So alicorns are geneticly disposed to wanting to protect.
Yes, I feel bad for what happened to Pebble after she became an alicorn, but damn if that burn didn't HURT! Hilarious!
7939661
One might reasonably consider Princesses as the alpha mares of all alpha mares.
HAH ! No need to worry. With Flim and Flam´s auto defense system everypony will be safe !
Damn...I hope I can have a refund...
7939546 That accounts for the Earth-pony bit, but not Pegasus or Unicorn. I'd expect at least some effect that she'd comment on, even if she is able to transfer her control over and avoid problems like Sumac had.
7939946
So, a foal is panicking, freaking out, and is experiencing alicorn levels of psychic paranoia.... and you think that she'd focus on the weird tingly feelings in her wings?
7939750 Defiantly. Got feeling an "alpha" personality is a nessacity for alicorn acesion.
7939670
I like to think it was partly karma.