Chapter 80
The pain, for the most part, was gone. Sumac wasn’t sure if he still hurt or if he suffered from the memory of pain. He took a few steps and it wasn’t long until he fell back into his old walk, his long stride that he had developed following Trixie all over Equestria. For a foal, he moved with startling quickness and speed. After walking in a circle, he tried a test pronk, liked what he felt, and then pronked around a bit more.
“Cadance?” Princess Celestia asked in a concerned voice.
“I’m fine,” Princess Cadance replied. “Miss Lulamoon?”
“Much better.” Trixie’s voice was one of awe and disbelief. “There is still a little catch, a twinge in my bad leg, but it isn’t unbearable. Trixie does not know what to think of such magic.”
Sumac became aware that ponies were staring at him, so he calmed down, ceased his pronking, and used his ‘indoor manners.’ Trixie was still testing out her legs and Sumac noticed that Cadance was giving him a curious stare, so he stared back up at her, trying to be polite and giving her his attention.
“It didn’t seem to affect your vision,” Princess Cadance said in a somewhat distracted way as her brows furrowed. “I still do not know how this magic works or why it does what it does.”
“It should be explored at another time.” Princess Luna lifted her head, cleared her throat, and added, “The lantern is a pressing concern and should be discussed while we are all together. Consensus and opinion are needed. What do we do with the artifact?”
Realising that things were about to become serious, Sumac went to Trixie, sat down, and pulled her now-mended foreleg around him. He felt Pebble brush up against him and with a sidelong glance to his left, he saw her for a moment before returning his eyes to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. His back muscles twitched with nervousness, but he wasn’t scared. At least, he wasn’t too scared. From the corner of his eye, he saw Prince Gosling move forward.
“I know absolutely nothing about magical artifacts.” Prince Gosling extended one wing, gave it a stretch, and then began to rub his chin with the underside of his central wing knuckle. “I have no opinion on the lantern, but I am concerned for Sumac. I will support no move that goes against his wishes. A foal he might be, but he is a potential future servant for the Crown. I will do nothing that might jeopardise our mutual good standing. I support his opinion and his feelings.”
“I find myself in agreement with Gosling.” Twilight took a step forward and then looked around the room. The armor she was wearing clanked with her every movement and her eyes somehow seemed larger with her face framed by her helmet. “Sumac has been swept up in these recent events. He clearly has a role to play and destiny has called to him. I do not wish for him to feel powerless and helpless, which is why I gave him keeping of the lantern.”
“Due to a lack of knowledge, I have no opinion to offer,” Prince Blueblood said. “I am most curious as to what our resident artifact destroyer, Tarnished Teapot has to say about the issue.”
When the entire room turned its attention upon him, Tarnish took a step backwards and cleared his throat. It was clear that he didn’t like being the center of attention. A deep crease appeared above his brows and he shook his head as he stood there thinking. He raised his hoof in a gesture indicating that he was about to say something, but that he also needed just a moment longer to organise his thoughts.
“I too, have no opinion to offer,” he said at last. “If you need me to cut the lantern in half with Flamingo, I will. I’ll take it to the Druid’s Grove and neutralise whatever hostile magic might come leaking out of the drawstring to the Rainbow of Darkness.”
“We need to be more decisive—”
“Miss Yearling, calmly if you will.” Princess Celestia gave a nod of her head to the pegasus pony that was speaking.
Adjusting her glasses, the pegasus mare turned a sour sneer upon Princess Celestia, her nostrils flared, and then she began to look around the room as if she was seeking support. She drew in a deep breath, then continued, “We should take the safe bet. We can even compromise, if that makes everypony happy. Give the foal the Rainbow of Light fragment, but we should destroy the drawstring to the Rainbow of Darkness.”
“I agree with Miss Yearling,” Night Light said as he came forwards. “We have a chance to destroy a powerful artifact of evil, something capable of snuffing the light from the known world. We should end it, now, and we could all rest a little bit better at night.”
Twilight Velvet, who looked a little annoyed with her husband, let out a snort of disgust. “It needs to be studied! Some good might still come from it! We shouldn’t be rash or hasty!”
“Good cannot come from evil!” Night Light turned and gave his wife a stern glare.
“You don’t know that for certain!” Twilight Velvet snapped. “I demand the empirical evidence that backs up your assertion!”
“Fine then, I retract my statement, but not my stance on the issue.” Night Light tossed his head back and then gave his wife a sullen stare. “This is an artifact that has plagued our kind for far too long and we now have the means to remove it from the world. Tarnished Teapot can safely destroy artifacts without life altering or life ending consequences. He is not immortal. We have a window of opportunity to destroy it, absorb and repurpose its hostile magic, and free the world from its evil presence.”
“You do have a point,” Twilight Velvet admitted in a reluctant manner. “In the event of Tarnish’s passing, we would no longer have a safe means to dispose of the evil artifact. Cutting it would release all kinds of destructive magic.”
After clearing her throat, Princess Luna made an interjection. “Once more, I, Princess Luna, do repeat my claim that Tarnished Teapot be given some means of extending his life, as he is a unique asset—”
“No! I don’t want to live longer and I am perfectly happy being a unicorn!” Tarnish began backing away from Princess Luna and shook his head.
“You are an asset to the Empire, an irreplaceable asset!” Princess Luna turned her stern gaze upon Tarnish. “This isn’t about what thou might wish, but what is best for others and the greater good! You have an obligation to your fellow equines!”
“Tarnish’s choices are his own, no matter how foolish and stupid they might be—”
“Oh, you can get stuffed, Miss Yearling!” Tarnish’s eyes narrowed and his lip curled back into a vicious sneer. “You wouldn’t even be here to voice your opinions without me and my choices!”
“You are a horrid brute!” Miss Yearling snapped. “We reason with our enemies, or we try to outwit them. We try to rise above them… but you… you…”—she shuddered in revulsion—“you stabbed Ahuizotl and then tried to feed him to his own crocodiles!”
“He had it coming!” Tarnish bellowed as he drew himself up to his full impressive height and glowered at the much smaller pegasus mare wearing a frumpy cloche.
“There must be professional respect and courtesy, even with our rivals!” Miss Yearling pulled off her glasses and then gave Tarnish a fierce stare, a stare that promised bodily harm and plenty of it.
“Tarnish was very polite when he stabbed Ahuizotl.” Maud’s deadpan interjection caused the room to go silent. “And he apologised for feeding Ahuizotl to his own crocodiles, even as he did it. That fulfills the obligation for good conduct among professional rivals.” She turned to face her husband. “Using his own electric eels against him was rather cruel though. I’m still very disappointed with you.”
Miffed, Miss Yearling let out a snort, put her glasses back on, and turned away.
“Aw, come on, Maud, don’t be like that,” Tarnish whispered. “Besides, you sorta suggested the eels—”
“I was joking,” Maud retorted in a flat voice. “That much should have been obvious.”
“How was I supposed to know?” Tarnish arched one eyebrow and stared Maud in the eye. “It can be very hard to tell sometimes with you. I can’t be held responsible for the indignities suffered by electric eels.”
Blinking, Sumac began to wonder just what it was that adventurers did when they left home. All the more reason to avoid becoming an adventurer. The rules sounded complicated and… electric eels? His ears perked when he heard the sound of Princess Celestia clearing her throat.
“We need to return to the issue at hoof.” Princess Celestia’s stare was rather maternal. “No more foalish outbursts from either one of you or I’ll send you both to friendship kindergarten.”
“She started it!” Tarnish snapped.
“Friendship kindergarten!” Princess Celestia repeated, this time raising her voice. “I am sick of the both of you bickering! I will have Twilight stand both of you in the corner with dunce caps!”
Flapping her wings to get attention, Twilight walked into the center of the room as she scowled at Tarnish and Miss Yearling. “Sumac, what is your opinion on this matter?”
“Why does it matter what I think?” Sumac replied. “I’m a colt. You’re grown ups.”
“Sumac, you have been touched by the lantern.” Princess Celestia moved to stand beside Twilight, who stood over Canterlot on the map on the floor. “It has changed you… opened your eyes. It has given you insight.”
“But it could do that for anypony that messes with it.” Sumac, feeling very small and insecure, pressed himself up against Trixie. “I didn’t ask for this to happen. It just sort of happened. I went to Castle Midnight and then everything just sort of went wrong.”
“The enemy has become desperate,” Prince Blueblood said to Sumac. “Tarnish destroyed his crown. That made things complicated. Twilight has recovered several bells, which we are still investigating. Right now, there is a rush to grab any artifacts that might be of use to them, the most important of which is the Rainbow of Darkness. With the drawstring, he will be able to create vast armies of minions that will be totally and completely dedicated to him and his whims.”
Fearful, Sumac’s lower lip protruded a bit as he gave thought to Prince Blueblood’s words. A tiny piece of string could end the world, a tiny piece of string that was found in his lantern. That piece of string, when combined with the Rainbow of Light, had given him understanding and insight.
“Twilight should be allowed to study the lantern.” Sumac looked up at Twilight, then at Princess Celestia, and then he looked around the room. “I don’t know much about good or evil, but I know that the lantern has shown me things that have made me a better pony.” As Sumac spoke, prince Gosling crossed the room and then stood near where Sumac sat with his mother, Trixie.
Eyes narrowing, Gosling let out a snort, then said, “We should respect his wishes. There is some division on this issue, and that’s fine, everypony is allowed their own opinion. I don’t know diddly squiddly about the lantern, but I know an awful lot about having your feelings and opinions respected. I’ll not have Sumac growing up and hating me. We have enough ponies resentful of the Crown.”
“I stand in agreement with Gosling.” Prince Blueblood looked around the room and his brows furrowed. “I feel as though our future hinges upon this moment.” After a few seconds of chewing upon his lip, the prince added, “Also, no more treating Tarnish as an asset, rather than a pony. It bothers me on some fundamental level and I don’t like it.”
Princess Luna, saying nothing, rolled her eyes and let out a snort.
Turning to the mute unicorn, Princess Celestia asked Vinyl, “Surely you have something to say on this issue. He is your apprentice and as such, I would like to know your opinion.” Turning her head about, Princess Celestia looked at Trixie. “And your opinion as well, Miss Lulamoon.”
“Go on, Mom.” Craning his head, Sumac looked up at his mother’s chin, which was above him. He felt Trixie squirm and her foreleg grew tight around him. “Set a good example for me and be honest,” he whispered.
Put on the spot, Trixie ears drooped and her eyes went wide. A low nasal whine could be heard, then Trixie’s ears rose, pivoted forwards, and angled out over her face. The worry wrinkles in the corners of her eyes became more pronounced and a deep crevice crossed her brows. After blinking a few times, she opened her mouth to speak and licked her lips to prepare herself.
“Trixie thinks the drawstring for the Rainbow of Darkness should be destroyed.” The mare’s words were little more than a murmur. “Trixie remembers what the Alicorn Amulet did to her. Evil tends to manifest in desirable ways.”
Closing his eyes, Sumac wrapped his forelegs around Trixie’s foreleg, which was held around him. He rubbed his cheek against her and was thankful that she had said what she had said. It took courage to say what you felt sometimes. After a moment, he opened his eyes and found Lemon Hearts looking at him with a strange gleam in her raspberry coloured irises.
“Evil sometimes comes in a way that makes you justify using it,” Trixie continued, “and I would beware of any feelings of necessity.”
In total silence, Lemon Hearts wrapped a foreleg around Trixie’s neck and the two mares embraced in a warm hug as Sumac thought about his mother’s words. Keeping the lantern did feel necessary and now, for the first time, Sumac was afraid, truly afraid. Trixie’s words made for an undeniable sort of sense. Trixie was the pony that might know the most about this very sort of thing.
Holding up her slate, Vinyl flashed her horn a few times to get everypony’s attention. Opinion is divided. Before this becomes something bitter, maybe we should go back to partying.
Closing her eyes, Princess Celestia nodded her head, as it seemed there would be no consensus, at least not today.
I can't get any writing done. 
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And Vinyl gets the last word!
A more realistic take of the Council of Elrond , in a way.
One doesn´t simply make a decision regarding an ultrapowerful evil artifact which could enslave the world in one single session. Such deliberations should take time and deep meditations.
I'm in agreement with Sumac's choice in having Twilight studying the lantern.
I like how 'in character' everyone was in this chapter.
I also expect Tarnish and Sumac to have an important discussion someday soon about responsibility, and Alicorns, and confidence. Sumac might just have something to teach our resident druid.
7716351 Metaphorically, of course.
I find myself agreeing with Sumac, Gosling, and such though I can definitely see why Trixie has the opinion she does. It's a tough decision to make.
Studying it is important, but as soon as the enemy becomes too persistent, I'd say destroy it.
7716485
The difference is, "studying" the artifact wouldn´t mean "let´s use it and hope for the best because we are badass" like Trixie did with the AA.
Remember, the lantern doesn´t simply contain the remains of the Rainbow of Darkness, but the Rainbow of Light too. And something tells me they are going to need the later soon.
I hope Blueblood's idea doesn't start gaining traction. It's inherently foolish and absolutely stupid. By over-humanizing (equinizing?) people who have irreplaceable skills or positions, you're giving them too much freedom in a setting where one person can tip the balance or is the sole bulwark that protects the world. If a replacement can't be found for Tarnish, what happens when he retires and a wave of dark artifacts pops up? What happens when he dies and the world needs him more than ever, and there's no one else who can fill his shoes at all, no one who can step up to the plate and do what he does? Then the world dies. Untold billions of lives end.
Is the world worth one person's comfort zone?
7716585
It's fairly clear the lantern needs both to function in some important way down the road. Pretty sure the thing needs the power of light and dark in balance to work, otherwise it wouldn't HAVE both the rainbow of light and dark remnants in it.
Closing her eyes, Princess Celestia nodded her head, as it seemed there would be no consensus, at least not today.
(Well, of course not. They have to all agree on it, before they can make a mistake of such magnitude>
7716656
I don't think it is clear either way as to whether the string is needed for the lantern to function. My interpretation is that the light portion of the lantern is doing double duty; powering all of the external functions of the lantern and suppressing the power of the string.
My immediate response to this was to compose a missive of over-the-top vitriol, implying that for the bulk of us, what you have written here most certainly counts as "writing". Alas, my skills in composition were not up to the task, and I found myself reading something so thoroughly unpleasant as to mask my intent. To be explicit, this scene, for all its apparent simplicity, most certainly counts as "writing". I do not think that I here need to re-iterate my praise for your skill.
7716656
I find your position on this to be deeply troubling. I don't believe that this is an example of over-equinizing, I believe that Blueblood is arguing against deequinizing Tarnish. By my reading, he was arguing against, at its extreme, ignoring Tarnish's ponyhood to the point that he becomes naught more that a chattel slave of the state. Extreme, as I said, but once you start arguing in favour of completely disregarding a pony's self and instead using them as a non-sentient extension of state will, that is where you end up. Again, that is an extreme endpoint, but I read Blueblood's objection as trying to avoid heading in that direction.
As to the thread and the lantern, I don't believe that anything has indicated that the lantern needs the thread to work. As a matter of fact,
says nothing to indicate that the lantern is anything more than a focusing of the Rainbow of Light. One might even argue that removing the drawstring would render the Lantern more powerful than ever!
In the end though, all that we may do is wait, and watch. As once once said, "Always trust your narrator."
7716764
7716730
You both pointedly missed the qualifier of "down the road". The lantern has its own function as we know it for now, but I think there's more to it we haven't seen, which might very well require the darkness fragment right where it is. Or it could just be a prison for the fragment. It's speculation and you overlooked an important part of mine already, so plbt.
7716764
This is a constant issue, I find, with the way people think about characters in these 'verses. People tend to think of them from their own viewpoint as an individual, so you see people thinking in terms of 'What if I were in this position, what's right for me? What's right for this person as a person?' When, when it comes to someone or something that affects many, many more, that stops mattering, and Luna was right to think that way. It is literally her job to do so as a ruler. A leader responsible for the lives of many cannot allow them to come to ruin or end for the comfort and feelings of a single person. That's why the 'assets' appellation exists, and Blueblood's line of thinking can lead to removing it should it catch on. So yes, it's over-equinizing when you hold that a person's individual wants and wishes are more important than the lives of everyone they could save.
What if the alicorns, immortal and mortal heroes all decided they've done plenty and just up and retired? When there's no one who can handle what they do? No one who can perform as they can? You'd expect them to come back to deal with the grave threats, but that's only if they wanted to. What if they didn't want to? If they couldn't? Now there's no one left to handle the Grogars and Tireks. Which means if they turn up (and they will), there's no one to stop them. They win. If their goal is to rule, then dark tyranny reigns. If their goal is destruction, then everything is laid to waste, all those lives lost because someone chose their personal desires over the good of everyone else. You can't think of every single person as an important and separate individual ALL of the time, what they can do for the good of the group is, at times, far more important than who they are or what they want. This thinking is the basis for a great deal of selfless sacrifice throughout our history and no doubt theirs as well, thus time-tested.
I like this Blueblood, but just hoping that sentiment doesn't catch on and end up depriving them of necessary personnel resources at critical moments. Realistically speaking, without the weight of a leader telling you you have to do something, plenty of people who were capable of helping others would just decide NOT to. While that's not the case with Tarnish, I believe, or any of our heroic-basis characters, I don't doubt there's other assets who would be more willing to think of themselves first and foremost. So I spoke of that worry for the future.
7716764
Oh, things were hectic this morning for a time and it was difficult to get any writing accomplished. Many distractions.
Wow, a lot of heavy stuff here.
Frankly, I don't think they know enough about the artifact's true purpose or how it functions. Destroying one part of the Rainbow of Darkness may very well render the entire artifact unstable or unusable or vice versa.
Just my opinion, though.
The lantern... it contains both light and dark, and provides insight. Think about it for a second.
And that is the ultimate lesson of the lantern and, I believe, the final direction of the lantern's part in the story - which may lead to the finale of the overarching plot, itself.
7716764 I'm concerned destroying the rainbow of darkness (if at all possible?) or severing the connection would be upsetting the balance. One of those Ying and Yang things.
images.wikia.com/mlp/images/archive/e/e1/20121231002545!Celestia_and_Luna_form_a_Yin_and_Yang-like_symbol_S1E01.png
7716803
I'm sowwy if I'm pestering you?
(that's probably the Flutters element talking?)
I would say study the damn thing. Too many times is an evil artifact needed. As sad as that sounds, and adds to Trixie's point, it is true. Plus, it is possible to change evil to pure.
2020 edit: funny how i now am on the other side. Just destroy it. Odd.
7717683
7717707 ...So, it WASN'T sumac that got grabbed by the leg? Forgive my current retardation. Medication issues and a fucked sleep schedule are still getting to me.
7717921
Olive just about twisted his legs off.
7717923 Oh thank god, I wasn't COMPLETELY off, at least.
7716407 And childish bickering. Don't forget the childish bickering.
7718131
Yeah, but if Daring Do, er, Miss Yearling was in trouble, Tarnish would be the first pony to rescue her. Professional courtesy. And the reverse is true. I mean, there is a reason why he got stabby in the first place.
So it's basically magical plutonium.
It could be used to power a new civilization for years to come, or nuke it from orbit.
It's almost like morals and intent are important or something.
The safest path is to deal in absolutes. Imagine that the lanterns safety is a war being fought, and many battles have been won so far. However, only one defeat is necessary for the war to be lost. So why not end the war in your favor?
Luna's moon-a! Is Blueballs- er Blueblood, actually a decent person in The Weed universe? How strange...
Man, I'm really not sure what the Right decision here would be. Destroying the lantern completely would probably be a big mistake since the Rainbow of Light is almost certainly going to be important. On the other hand, destroying just the Drawstring may be a big mistake too since the lantern appears to operate based on the powers of both, and that sum of powers may be important too at some point. But, leaving the Drawstring in existence is leaving such a huge potential problem just waiting for the right successful theft.
Now, I am certain that Blueblood is very very correct in this statement.
DON'T DESTROY IT! YOU MUSN'T! YOU MUSN'T!
- the right choice
Ok after rereading this after having read through what has been written for Skyreach, I'm worried for AK Yearling and tarnish.
This scene didn't seem like bantering between friends or even just a disagreement between friends. This seemed like there was deep animosity between the two, which is a very clear difference then the meaningful and deep friendship they have in Skyreach. I am really worried about what is too come if this is the case.
Hmm Ok I know that probably I'll have an answer in the next chapters...
But I'm just thinking... the DRAWSTRING of something is a thing that CLOSES something... cutting it is NOT a smart idea if you don't wnat the something coming out...
I don't really know how it worked, how it got separated from the rest and lot of things... but... before destroying it I would think carefully.
7716407
I'm reminded of that 1960's film Failsafe.
When one of America's nuclear bombers starts heading to the Soviet Union by mistake, the President asks a council for advice - does he or does he not order the shooting down of one of their own bombers.
Opinions are divided, but reasons for and against are given quickly and a unanimous decision is reached.