Chapter 43: It's Not Safe Out There
Deep in the Ministry of Magic lay a realm of mystery. It held secrets untold, discoveries best forgotten, puzzles better unsolved. It was the domain of a special class of witch and wizard. It was the territory of the Unspeakables. It was the first, last, and best hope for the future of wizarding kind. It was also a place of order, and most people were expected to show up for work in a timely manner.
“Rufus,” a hooded figure called out, holding the door open to the office of the coordinator, “Saul sent me a patronus to let us know he won’t be in today.”
Rufus looked up from reading a report. “What? That doesn’t sound like him at all. I can’t remember the last time he missed a day.”
“I know, but it had all the safe words; there was nothing amiss, no hint of imperious or anything sinister.”
“It’s not like he hasn’t built up enough vacation days.” Rufus shrugged. “I suppose he was up all night studying something interesting and forgot to sleep.”
“I suppose, but that’s not what makes it so unusual.”
“Oh,” Rufus said, “you didn’t say anything about it being unusual. What makes it worth noting?”
“His patronus was brighter than I’ve ever seen it before, almost as if he had used bliss itself to fuel it.”
Terisa let her attention wander as the credits for the latest show began to wander up the screen. The wonderful discovery of children's nighttime programming would be something the entire Gryffindor house would remember for years to come. True, Hermione had explained that information was a couple generations out of date and that most of it was fiction, but that made it no less riveting.
There had been a couple interruptions. At eleven, the first years had gone to attend astronomy. Once they had returned, the fifth years had gone to their session. Other than that, it had been a marathon of new information. Currently, the members of the house were all chatting excitedly about the last show. More than one had a sleeping pony in their laps. Come to think of it, Hermione had not taken pony form all week; something was up with that.
Absently, Terisa let her gaze fall on a window and smiled at the predawn light that was shining through.
Wait!
Abruptly, Terisa jumped to her feet and brandished her wand. “Tempus.” She shouted, “Guys! Breakfast’s in five minutes! We’ve been up all night!”
The morning light filtered through the gauzy shade as the resident of the small cottage took his first bite of his breakfast. The gritty crunch of concentrated calcium was off-putting. He spat out the mouthful and demanded, "What did you do to these pancakes?"
“What’s wrong with them?” his companion asked, reaching for the syrup. “I followed the recipe from the book to the letter.”
“Pancakes aren’t supposed to crunch,” his friend insisted.
“I think that’s just the egg shells. The recipe called for three whole eggs.”
Large eyes stared at him in disbelief. “You can't be serious!”
His companion didn’t respond beyond giving a meaningful look and a smirk.
“Right, you’d think I’d stop doing that after all these years. Remind me to introduce you to the muggle concept of legal name changes.”
“I didn’t see you volunteering to make breakfast,” Sirius reminded his friend.
“I’ve got bloody hooves,” Remus said holding up an appendage as example. “Have you ever tried making a meal without fingers?”
“Woof,” Sirius responded.
“Oh, you’re on a roll today,” Remus seethed, pushing his plate away.
There was a flash of green and Narcissa exited the fireplace, worry evident on her face. “There you are Sirius,” she exclaimed, “Since you never got in touch last night, we assumed the potion didn’t work.”
There was another flash and Andi joined her sister. She took one look at her cousin and said, “Sirius, why is there a purple horse at the table, and where is Remus?”
As Narcissa gave into temptation and threw her arms around the little darling, Sirius chuckled and said, “Amazingly enough, your questions are the answer to each other.”
Pearl Cupcake stood behind her display counter and watched the creatures wander by. She was ever on the lookout for two things: potential customers and Draknads. Why Draknads were allowed to mingle with civil beings, she’d never know. The large reptilian monstrosities thought nothing of snatching up the smaller denizen of the city and biting off something important, like a leg or maybe a head. Granted, smaller denizens meant Gruzniks. Every other sapient native was at least twice Pearl’s size. That Pearl was, in turn, twice the size of a Gruznik did nothing to ease her fear of Draknads.
On the other hoof, ponies were nigh non-existent in Bragastian. She and her herd had traveled far to get where they were. They had been especially lucky in Saddle Arabia; when they had been caught there, they were closer to the farther border than the one they had originally crossed. Their captors had actually escorted them exactly where they had been headed in the first place. Banished ponies were not welcome in Saddle Arabia.
Thus, they had ended up in Bragastian, where ponies were more the stuff of legends than anything else. Aside from the occasional Saddle Arabian, they were the only sapient equines around. It was this rarity, more than anything else, that most likely ensured their continued survival, that and the fact that when any creature asked if they were poisonous the answer was an emphatic yes. If Pearl were being honest, she would admit that probably had contributed to all of her limbs being attached more than anything else. It nicely offset the fact that her parents had given her a name that sounded like a dragon snack waiting to happen.
“Why hello there,” said a voice directly behind her, and Pearl leapt over her counter with a yipe in her hurry to get away.
“I do apologize,” chuckled a strange creature, the likes of which Pearl had never seen before. “I did not mean to frighten you.”
“Who are you?” Pearl narrowed her eyes but made no attempt to reclaim her spot behind the counter. “What do you want?”
“My name is Discord. Gather your two herdmates; it is moving day.”
Milo sat at his desk, a smile hidden behind his hand. In the visitor chairs sat his colleague Andromeda (Andi) Tonks, the recently-released Sirius Black, and a painfully purple little horse. Tonks stared longingly at the little cutie while Sirius regarded it with an amused smile. As a healer, Milo had seen the results of many transfigurations gone wrong. That his patient didn't look human was nothing new, but he couldn't help but marvel at how a fierce werewolf had been transfigured into what looked like a little girl's pet.
“Mr. Lupin. I have finished my tests and I have good news and bad news,” Milo said. “The good news is that I can find no trace of lycanthropy left in your system.”
“And the bad news?” Remus asked with a raspy voice.
“The side effects seem to have left you a little horse.” Milo said with a straight face.
Sirius groaned and said, “You couldn’t resist, could you?”
“I wasn’t going to try,” Milo said with a huge grin, “not even a smidgeon.”
“That line's getting to be a galloping gag.” Andi said, hiding her own small grin.
“It's something everyone has to work out of their system,” Remus agreed.
There was a knock on the door and Narcissa entered, followed by one of Sirius’s least favorite people. “I convinced him to come before classes for a quick look,” she said as she ushered the potions master in.
“Good Morning, Professor Snape.” Milo called out in greeting, “I believe you know my patient and his friends.”
“Yes,” Snape said with a dismissive glance at Sirius, “Narcissa informs me that the potion I left for you to test was ingested and produced an unforeseen side effect.”
“That is an understatement,” Remus said from where he had been sitting in a chair.
Snape looked at him without a trace of surprise and said, “Remus?”
“Yes.” Remus waved a hoof in acknowledgment.
“I see the side effects have left you a little horse.” Snape observed.
Silence reigned for a few seconds before Andi said, “I guess you were right, it is kind of mandatory.”
“Hush, Andi,” Sirius said, “Severus just made a funny; this is one to mark on the calendar.”
The last of the night’s fire smoldered in the pit in the center of their compound. She really could not call it their compound any longer; Sugar Star was the last of her herd. Now the lone brass-colored earth pony sat as close to her only source of warmth as she could manage.
The high log walls surrounding her may have protected her from the horrors of the jungle, but they did nothing to protect her from her own memories. They had started as five, five sisters, driven away for having the gall to fill the void that had been eating them from the inside. Nopony would believe them when they tried to explain. Neither potions nor magic could bring any relief to the all-consuming need. Only a stallion could bring blessed relief.
Winter Gust was loved. How could he not see that? Five eligible bachelorettes literally threw themselves at his hooves. He would have wanted for nothing. In all honesty, they had been premature with their advances, but their hearts were in the right place. Why did nopony else understand the irresistible drive that forced their hooves?
They started as five. Celestia would have been kinder to have given them a quick death. Marigold was the first to be taken. Before they had built their palisade, she had fallen victim to a flower, a huge, pony-eating flower. Sugar Star still heard the screams whenever she closed her eyes.
A year later, Blue Stream was lost. One of the unseen jungle predators had taken her. They had given chase for nearly an hour, but they lost track of the beast when their friend's screams were abruptly cut short.
Coco Tail started wasting away during the next season. It seemed that every day, a little more of herself vanished, transformed into pure pain. Her herdmates did everything they could to help, but it was to no avail. Sugar Star was sure it was some sort of parasite that had been the culprit.
Until just last week, Lucky Petal and Sugar Star had been the survivors. They had been out foraging and got separated. Sugar had no idea what happened to her last friend. Only one thing was certain, when the sun was fully up, she was going to go out and look again. Either she’d find her friend, or she wouldn’t bother coming back.
Sugar Star heard a snap, and suddenly there were seven other mares in her compound along with a weird creature seemingly made from several different animals. Sugar stared at them for all of a second before lunging at the nearest, engulfing her in a desperate hug. Tears soon followed.
The lime unicorn she was mauling reached up to pat her on the back with a hoof, “There, there,” she said unconvincingly.
“How . . .” Sugar Star sobbed brokenly. “How did you find me?”
“Celestia has the biometric signatures of everypony ever banished,” a male voice said behind her. It had been years since she had heard a male voice. “Normally they are just used to alert the guard if anypony breaks their banishment. I just appropriated the data and borrowed Celestia’s own power over the sun to power the scanning spell. I don’t think she even realizes she can do it.”
Sugar Star just continued to bawl into the unfamiliar unicorn’s mane.
“Our next stop is not too far from here,” the male voice noted. “Shall we?”
The Gryffindor table was unusually quiet as Professor Snape approached it. Most of the students looked happily half asleep. No doubt they were up late making mischief of some kind. He would have to keep an eye on them
“Miss Bloom,” he said, acknowledging the heavy eater who interposed herself between him and the rest of the first-years. She was one of the few seemingly wide awake. “I require a few minutes of your time. Follow me.”
The girl gulped but followed the Professor from the Great Hall into one of the small side chambers for privacy.
After closing the door and casting a few privacy charms, Snape turn to the girl and said, “I understand you provided Mr. Goodman with a cure for lycanthropy.”
“Yes sir, Ah did,” Apple Bloom said, curiosity evident on her face. Once again, Snape resisted the urge to probe the child’s mind; he was not going to be the first to try that on an unknown species.
“When you requested the potion, did you inform the brewer that it was to be consumed by a human?”
“No?” Apple Bloom furled her eyebrows at him in confusion. “Should Ah have?”
“It would appear so,” Snape said. “For that oversight, I will need you to write a letter of introduction. Take a seat over there; you will complete it to my satisfaction before you may return to your meal.”
She grimaced in pain as she stretched her neck to reach the small steady trickle of water that adorned the rockface near her. This was a stupid way for a pegasus to die. Distracted, she had walked off a cliff. It hadn’t been a long drop, but she had wedged herself between a tree and the cliff. She didn’t dare call for help, there was just too much of a chance that something nasty would find her before her last remaining friend could.
All of the foliage within her reach had been stripped of all greenery. Some of it had made her sick. With water within reach, she was able to last the week. The luck of her name could not last forever though. This was a stupid way for a pegasus to die.
Her eyes must have drifted shut, because the next thing she was aware of was the sound of flapping wings. Snarling she awoke to let every flying scavenger that had found her know that she wasn’t dead yet. To her surprise she found she was looking at a fellow pegasus, a beautiful butter-yellow pegasus with an orange mane.
“Don’t worry,” the vison said, “I’ll get you down.”
“Lucky Petal!” she heard Sugar Star call out from bellow. “Thank goodness you’re alive!”
Rainbow Dash lifted her head from the fluffy cloud she had commandeered for a nap. Somepony had called to her from the ground. Blearily she looked over the side of her retreat and saw a familiar black and white form. “Whassup?”
“How my heart beats with glee. Is that Rainbow Dash I see?” The intruder said, rousing Dash’s addled brain, “With you I must have a word. I am being harassed by a bird.”
“Huh?” Rainbow said rubbing her eyes, “Bird is the word?”
“Bird is the word, that is true. A passenger acquired, I know not what to do.” Rainbow watched her zebra friend point at the rider on her back, “The situation has become most fowl. I cannot lose this owl.”
Rainbow blinked at the bird on Zecora’s back and said, “Did you just rhyme a pun? I think you get extra points for that.”
“I don’t mean to implore. But now is not the time to keep score.”
Rainbow hopped off her cloud to glide down. "You've got mail."
Zecora blinked then took a closer look at the owl on her back, “Can this be, is that for me?” she paused a second and had another thought. “Though I should have gotten the notion. After all, I had a phoenix request a potion.”
“Who.” The owl said, once again offering a leg with a letter attached. It sounded more than a little peeved.
“What does this entail? Who uses owls for mail?”
“Humans do apparently.” Rainbow said landing in front of Zecora, not bothering to hide her yawn.
“It seems my reclusiveness has not been ideal. Since when are humans for real?”
“You’re about two weeks behind the curve.” Rainbow said, watching the angry owl wing away, “So, what does it say?”
The scent of this cottage was unmistakable, as was the the welcoming aura projected by its owner. “Hello, Fluttershy,” Discord said to his friend who was smiling up at him. “I do not mean to be rude by rushing you, and I know I told you I would always come when you called, but I am in the middle of something extremely delicate.”
“I won’t hold you long,” Fluttershy said. “I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tea tomorrow and ask you if we could have a couple more of those wonderful rings you made. I can only take mine off in human form and that makes it hard to lend to my pony friends.”
“But of course.” Discord snapped his claws and seven rings popped into being, “A pony can just hold these in their mouth and will the change. Now I am very sorry, but I have to run.”
Cutie Bee plodded along as she did every day. If she had the strength to spare, she still would not feel much spirit emanating from the ground below her. It was a hard pack circular path, long devoid of anything remotely alive. It had become the sum of her existence, forced as she was to forever tread upon it. Cutie and her two herd sisters were attached to a capstan which powered the pump that pulled life-giving water from the depths. Hour after hour, day after day, she walked. Hope had long since fled.
Her ribs were easily seen through her sparse coat. At one point, she may have been a brown pony, but it was hard to tell anymore. There had been a time when her mane meant the world to her; that time was long gone. All that was left was to put one hoof in front of the other. Sadly, Cutie had it slightly better than her sisters, she never had a horn to be sawn off. There would come a time where she would be allowed to lay where she stood, and she’d receive a meager ration of food and water. If she refused to eat, they’d force it down her throat. Little sleep would follow, then it would be one hoof in front of the other once again. She hadn’t even been allowed to touch a herd sister in longer than she could remember.
The sound of a muffled sob drifted through her consciousness, and she became aware that she was surrounded, surrounded by ponies accompanied by a strange creature, the likes of which she had never heard of before. She continued walking, no longer capable of hope.
“Stop! Just stop!” A voice wailed.
Cutie continued walking.
“Oh, sweet Celestia, no!” she heard another voice cry and she heard the sharp snap of a pair of claws. The sudden disappearance of her harness surprised her so much that she actually stopped moving, only to have Silversong run into her from behind. A dream come true, she could touch her herdmate once again!
“Hey!” Cutie heard her owner yell, followed by running feet as he advanced, whip held ready, “Get away from my property!”
Again, there was the sound of snapping claws and her owner was entangled in heavy chains., more than were strictly necessary to hold him. With limbs bound, he toppled over and skidded to a halt.
Dully, Cutie watched an apricot earth pony charge the mass only to turn at the last second, pulling back her hind legs. Roughshod hooves found their mark.
*Clang!!!*
Cutie’s owner disappeared into the distance.
The apricot pony turned to the strange creature and demanded, “Bring him back, I need to do that again.”
Cutie saw that it was he who was snapping his claws, and her owner was suddenly back in the same spot, still covered in chains even as he bled.
*Clang!!*
“Again!” the apricot pony demanded once more.
*Snap*
*Clang!!*
“Will that suffice?” the strange creature asked, pulling a pair of binoculars out of nowhere.
“Is he still breathing?”
“I think so,” the strange creature answered.
“Then buck no, it won’t suffice.”
*Snap*
“Fault Line!” Cutie heard another pony shout out in a commanding manner.
“What!” the apricot pony yelled.
“Let somepony else get a turn in.”
Professor McGonagall was walking down the hall conversing with Professor Sprout when they spotted a large group composed of students from every house huddled together. They were standing around just before an intersection with looks of shock on their faces, and every now and again, one would peek around the corner before snatching their head back.
“What’s going on here?” Professor McGonagall questioned after being able to stroll right up to them without gaining any attention.
As one the group turned to her and made shushing motions.
Eyes widening at the sheer audacity, McGonagall repeated more quietly, “What is going on here?”
“Professor Snape is talking to a woman,” an elder Hufflepuff girl stated.
“I fail to see how that warrants . . .” Professor Sprout started.
“And she’s smiling,” the Hufflepuff finished.
“What?” McGonagall asked and moved some students out of the way so she could peek around the corner herself. Just as described, she saw the Potions professor standing a good way down the corridor talking to a woman. She wore a strapless black dress that showed off her chocolate brown skin, and her hair was up in a large, striped mohawk, of all things. Most importantly, she did appear to be smiling.
“How long?” McGonagall asked, pulling her head back.
“Just over an hour now,” one of the Gryffindors said.
“Did one of you happen to slip her a cheering potion or something?” Sprout asked, unable to believe her eyes.
“That’s natural as far as we can tell,” a Ravenclaw said.
“Polyjuice?”
“He hasn’t drunk anything for over an hour,” a Gryffindor observed.
“Does anyone know who she is?” McGonagall asked.
“No clue, but from what we’ve been able to tell, she always talks in rhymes. Maybe she’s one of those America rappers,” a muggleborn Hufflepuff girl relayed.
“Do you think he’s going to pull a Flitwick?” a Gryffindor girl asked.
“I don’t know; this is Professor Snape we are talking about here.” a Ravenclaw boy said. “But can you imagine how much easier he would be to deal with if he actually got lucky?”
“Mr. Greyson.” McGonagall absently admonished as she rolled the situation over in her mind. She wasn’t alone as the crowd also entertained the concept.
“We can’t let him muck this up,” a Slytherin seventh year asserted, wringing her hands.
One of the dedicated healers for the department stuck her head in Rufus’ office just as he was preparing to go home for the evening.
“Sir?” she asked questionably.
“Yes Heather?” Rufus replied.
“Sir, I just thought I’d let you know that earlier I got a patronus request from Mr. Croaker. It seems he had run out of pepper up potions and wanted to know if I could send some over to his residence. I thought it was fishy, so, instead of sending an elf, I delivered them in person. I am keyed to his wards, after all. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that he probably won’t be coming in tomorrow either.”
Rufus frowned, “Did he tell you that?”
“No,” the healer shook her head, “call it an educated guess. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go send an elf over with some fluid replenishment potions as well as something for rug burns.”
“Severus, good evening.” Professor McGonagall said, striding down the hallway toward her target with Professor Sprout once again at her side.
“Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, good evening.” Snape replied, forgoing his habitual half sneer, something that almost made the two women stumble in surprise. “I’d like to introduce you to Zecora, a fellow potions enthusiast.” He said, introducing his guest.
“Hello, Zecora,” Professor Sprout said. “I do hope that you are enjoying our school.”
“Greetings and well met; this visit I won’t forget. Although, I came expecting a workday, I’ve found that I am indeed enjoying my stay.” Zecora said with a smile.
“Marvelous,” Sprout smiled in return. “We simply insist that you stay for supper.”
“I must admit that at the present, the offer of a meal sounds most pleasant.” Zecora accepted.
“Good, good,” McGonagall said and gestured for a seventh-year to come forward. “Marcy here would be glad to take you somewhere you can freshen up, if you would be so kind as to follow her.”
“Your hospitality is most kind,” Zecora said then nodded to the student. “Lead on if you don’t mind.”
The three professors watched as she was led away. As soon as she rounded the corner, Snape turned to his colleges and said, “What are you two . . .”
McGonagall said, "This is what the muggles call an 'intervention'."
Snape groaned. "I was having a most delightful conversation with a colleague who is actually competent."
Sprout added, "We're going to help you get to know her a lot better."
"My personal life is my own," insisted the potions professor.
"You're not going to get very far looking like that," observed Sprout.
"Butt out!"
McGonagall replied, "Lily would want you to be happy. We're here to help. Think about it Severus. When was the last time a woman took personal interest in you?"
Grudgingly, Snape sighed. "All right. I'm listening." Glaring in the direction of the wolf whistles, he shouted, "And that's quite enough out of you lot!"
Croaker threw on a robe and went down the stairs to find the cause of the commotion. The sudden sounds of a small mob were more than enough to draw his attention. At the top of the stairs, he stopped to behold the large group of women crammed into his living room, the majority of which sported the distinctive hair coloring of Equestrians. Calling out an expansion charm, he made his way down the stairs.
“Good evening, Mr. Croaker,” Discord said from where he leaned against the fireplace. The wizard seemed to be in a grim mood. “I had started collecting some more women for you. However, circumstances have made the effort more involved than I had originally anticipated.”
Croaker looked at the condition of a few of the five score women before he hurried over to the fireplace and grabbed some floo powder. After calling out the destination he said, “Heather, disaster protocol, medical, medium. We need help now.” The women were all quiet, watching him with worry evident on most of their faces.
“What happened to them?” Croaker growled as the department’s healer emerged from the emerald flames. Heather gasped and turned back to the flames, directing the other healers as they came through.
Discord sighed. “I had thought to look for more individuals that deserved a second chance. Things on the outside turned out to be rougher than I had first guessed.”
With an internal curse, Croaker let his practical side rise. “Are you telling me that all these women are criminals? Am I to unleash them on the ignorant public?”
Discord gave a sharp laugh before saying, “You will find that the crime these unfortunates have committed does not even warrant a slap on the wrist in your culture. At most you would have probably only have spanked them for it. There is nothing in this transaction that you should find to your disadvantage.”
“This is inhumane, Croaker pressed.
“Less so than your own Azkaban,” Discord countered, “but you will not hear me condoning it.”
Croaker looked over his shoulder as healers began the triage process. Some of the immigrants looked perfectly healthy, while others looked closer to death than not. “Will there be more?”
“According to the records, there are still twenty-two groups I need to check on.” Discord promised, “I shall not rest tonight until afterwards.”
“Those robes have to go. I brought a silk set, and we’re about the same size.”
“What about the clothes underneath? He doesn’t look like he put much thought into those either.”
“I’ll transfigure them.”
“What about his undies?”
“He’s on his own for those.”
“Who brought the shampoo?”
“Will one bottle be enough?”
“Better make it two just to be safe.”
“Does anyone have any decent cologne.”
“I have the stuff my sister got me last Christmas.”
“I repeat, does anyone have any decent cologne?”
Snape gave a silent scream.
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I ponder if Discord isnt going overboard with sowing chaos
Snape and Zecora?
... Yeah, I can see it. Zecora's patient enough to suffer through Snape's more anti-personal attitude and stubborn enough to mellow him out.
well, people wanted Snape to meet Zecora...
Snape/Zecora I am surprisingly for this. Hummm will pony Snape look like Professor Flintheart?
Everything that involved snape here had me out of breath with how much laughing i did. I love it! Let the shipping commence!
....Man my day on FIMFIC just keeps getting better and better. CADANCE QUICK! GET OUT THE SHIPPING RAIL GUN!!! I have high hopes for Snape & Zecora... Snecora... Zepe. . . Zecape... Quick! Someone clever! Come up with a good shipping name!
I have a question, why is "CMC" the only character tag?
At the very least you need to include a "Discord" and an "OC" tag due how they majorly impact the plot. "Main 6" would also be a good one, but other than that I can't think of anything off the top of my head.
I love this story. I really, really do. It never fails to put a smile on my face.
Severus and Zecora? Now there's not a pairing I had originally envisioned, BUT, it could possibly work. Honestly it probably would have been better for both Severus and Zecora if everyone else had kept their noses out of it.
I'm also rather surprised Snape didn't snap when they mentioned Lily. I would have thought bringing her up would have set him off.
Still though, I do hope that Snape and Zecora can find happiness together. They're certainly got the potions interest in common. Just imagine what kind of potions they could create working together using both Equestrian and Earth based herbs? A whole new branch of potion craft.
I wonder what kind of pony Snape would be? First thought says Unicorn, but I think he would do better as a Pegasus. He's got some seriously strong loyalty, after all.
Croaker did not know what he was getting into when he made a bargain with Discord. Then again, since when does interacting with Chaos ever go how you expect?
Now the big question is, where will all these new ponies-turned-humans end up? I am hoping not in any of the pureblood factions houses. The vast majority of them would not treat them well, and that is not what these women/mares need at the moment.
It does beg the question on who is so interested in getting these Equestrian immigrants into marriage contracts as to bring it up with Saul Croaker. Whoever it is, I get the feeling it won't be going like they expect.
Thank you for the wonderful chapter, and please keep up the excellent work!
This whole chapter cannot be seen on the silver screen otherwise the image of grim-seeking professor Snape will be ruined.
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There's no such thing as too much chaos.
8854459
The Boggart Snape being dressed like Nevil's grandmother. =P
I'm definitely up for seeing refugees integrate on earth, but seriously, why is Discord helping out attempted rapists too? There's literally no excuse for such actions and they deserve whatever hell they wind up in. Let the monsters starve and focus on the people who really need help.
IIRC we were told Croaker's new friends were banished for kidnapping with intent to molest, which is definitely something that would warrant more than a slap on the wrist even in human culture. It might be better to say that it's a crime they'll have no reason to repeat in the human world.
snapora!!!!
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snapora
lol im loving snapes suffering xD... also, this only adds more fuel to my fire against celestia.
I know we're supposed to feel bad for these banished mares but since the crimes are kidnapping and intent to molest I feel like they got what they deserved.
There is a shipping railgun? I also did NOT expect a Snape/Zecora ship, but I like it. Zecora may not be as... jubilant as the Pink One, but at least she can soften Snape’s heart.
8854578
Well, the first group was. Some of these might have actually succeeded.
As for the rest, I dunno if I'd go with deserved; I've always ascribed to the idea that an eye for an eye just leaves the whole world blind; but it does feel like it's getting whitewashed. Even considering they no longer have the motivation to repeat the crime, they've still proven themselves to have weaker consciences than others in the same situation that didn't.
Let's hope those mares mellow out on earth
He'll scream to another tune when it works. Not if, our zebra has been way too long alone in that Forest not to go for a fellow potion maker she can laugh with.
On the mares, something tells me it's not so simple as we believe. There seems to be a biological imperative WAY stronger than in humans. Maybe strong enough to actually surpass reason.
Then again, that's just maybe. We'd need more information before condemning or pardoning them.
This version of Equestria is pretty horrible...
What I'm getting is that these mares are literally losing control of themselves, almost to the point of it being involuntary.
Which is rather eyebrow raising.
There's lots of background details in this story which so far seem gratuitous, or maybe even bizarre. The herd-based society, the extreme paucity of stallions, the cruel and unusual punishment for the mares who (apparently) literally couldn't help themselves...
I'm definitely going to keep reading, though. I figure this is probably going somewhere
Hahahaha
8854726
There's not really any indication that it's impossible for mares to control themselves. I mean, we've seen no sign that most mares do that crime, and "I couldn't help myself" is a pretty common response from human rapists. The first is what I'd consider the most damning; if there really were some biological drive that couldn't be resisted, then it would be a much more common crime; instead it seems more akin to the same crime in human society (albeit the genders are usually reversed), and we're just seeing the tiny minority of the population that committed it, and they just rationalize reasons why they were willing to do something horrible when everyone else could resist their urges just fine.
& that's just the cafeteria!
& the answer to "Why bother testing potions?"
too = also or "very much so". You want "to"
8854403
Stripes and snapes?
Snape and Zecora? I did not see that one coming, but hell, I'll ship it. hoist the main sail.
Interesting interesting. I can see where some of the commenters are coming from as they seem to assosiate the mares with being exhiled for rape. But i see it more as if they were exhiled for not taking no for an answer and attempting to force the issue on a un willing stallion. Likely they were fought off before anything happened or were caught in the act. That there are so many of a particular age group makes me curious if there was a generation or two with far too few stallions.
In any event. Snape and Zecora.... Woot.
But yes i think if it was any one other than McConnell Snape might have had issue with them bringing up Lily.
Also Dash gets to bring up the mail again.
As for ryhming. Check out a site called rhymezone. It helps.
Hymn ... sorta expected zecora/snape to hit it off .... He needs more love thou .... but who ... I'm leaning towards Luna ... they both were evil for a point in there lives they made some mistakes and are trying to do better. Celestia is a tough one to place maybe that revenant guy who's out to stop the evil doll guy. I'd laugh if his name is sombra. Oh twilight can get on board that ship too. Hagrid needs some love to maybe treehugger for him. Serious could be .... Rarity and AJ... he's technically nobility and family oriented towards Harry which might appeal to AJ. Pinkie and RD are tough .... well maybe in the future a suitable character will appear.
8854503
I think Discord would have been better served saying that compared to the punishment they DID receive our justice would be a slap on the wrist. Some didn’t experience the horror, but nothing wakes you up faster than seeing a broken mind and knowing that you were within days of following their path. I also think ponies would be a bit more susceptible to the “scared straight” idea.
8854946
Um.... Isn't that the very definition of rape?
I'm pretty sure what you said was, "that's not an apple, it's a tasty red fruit from a Malus pumila."
8854946
That's the same thing.
8855077
8855142
Facepalm. Yes it is and unfortunately looking back over it I realize that. I need to stop commenting on little sleep
Sigh, Poor Snape... Did they think that maybe Zecora could like the real Snape how he is? I mean, they don't know anything about Zecora but they seem perfect, both are reclusive and like to not meet others unless they need.
Honestly, the description doesn't seem like rape. WIthout additional info I'd class it as aggressive sexual harassment since it doesn't seem like any of them actually got very far, nor used violence, incapacitation, or coercion. Of course, we're only seeing one side.
In other news, this got really dark, really fast. I mean, was Celestia intentionally sending them out to die? Was she expecting banishment to equate to a probably death sentence, with added suffering? I mean, that is what banishment tended to end up being back when it was used as a punishment (unless you were rich). Life imprisonment seems more humane.
When writing Zecora dialogue, remember rhythm as well as rhyme. Ideally, each half of a couplet will have the same number of syllables and emphasis pattern as the other.
As Snape pulled Apple Bloom aside, I couldn't help but think, "Twenty points from Gryffindor for failing to consider species of the imbiber. Twenty points to Gryffindor for humiliating Remus Lupin."
Wait, if Discord is busy gathering exiles, how did Zecora get to Hogwarts?
And speaking of those exiles, their existence and prevalence paints a grim picture indeed. For one, what exactly does Celestia think will happen to these mares? Given their struggle, one could argue that execution would be kinder. At the very least, it would be faster and less painful. Still, I can't get mad at Sunbutt. This is an invented punishment for an invented crime using an invented social dynamic created to address an invented gender disparity.
And then there's what the rape epidemic says about Equestria. This is a crisis, make no mistake. Either one of culture, wherein these mares feel insane external pressure to find a stallion, or worse, one of physiology, where its their instincts spurring them on. Either way, your pony world got a lot darker given the quantity of exiled herds out there. And based on the apparent mortality rate of where they have to try to survive, these are mostly recent exiles, likely a matter of months. Think about that. Equestria is catching—not producing, catching—this many kidnapper-rapists in this short a time (assuming that Discord's specifically targetting those who were exiled for that crime.) Sadly, that likely pales in comparison to what the United States produces, but it still paints a grim picture.
(Of course, without knowing Equestria's total population, I can't tell how drastic the problem really is, but it's still troubling.)
Oh my.....
8855387
The first group was guilty of "stallionnapping with intent to molest" which definitely sounds like violence, incapacitation, and/or coercion were probably part of it. The only grounds for saying it wasn't rape is that that group got caught first, and even then Discord states that the stallion will be scarred for life, so it was probably pretty bad. And some of those exiled groups might not have gotten caught in time.
As for severity of the punishment, that appears to greatly depend on where they end up. Discord suggests avoiding the badlands in the previous chapter, and it sounds like that's where one of these groups ended up. If Celestia knows how bad it is it does seem like permanent imprisonment might have been a kinder option.
8855418
Hoo?
As for the exiles. It has been mention that the Canterlot dungeons were rarely used. And the second group, the only one with reported casualties, implied years involved.
In fact, the first group seems to have successfully settled in their new home. They are not happy, but they appear stable.
There is a problem that can get ponies banished, but its not as prevalent as you fear. I hope that makes it less dark for you.
8855418
We can use statistics to make some guesses.
In the US, there are currently 161,000 people in prison for sexual violence, out of 325 million. That's almost exactly 5 per 10,000 people. In the story, Discord brings a hundred exiles and says there's 22 groups left to check on; assuming an average group around 4 we can take a stab at around 200 mares currently exiled from Equestria. Now, the numbers don't line up exactly since rape doesn't usually get a life sentence in the US, and some of the exiles are clearly deceased, but we can take a rough guess that if the population of Equestria is between a million and half a million then they probably exile mares at about the same rate the US puts perpetrators of sexual violence in prison (if they're better at catching them, the actual number of rapists could be smaller - it's commonly believed that most rapists in the US aren't caught).
If the latter is true, or Equestria has a population considerably larger than a million (and considering we've seen cities like Manehattan on the show I would expect it to), then it appears considerably less common in Equestria than human civilizations, which is my guess.
8855491
It does help a bit. Still a disturbing image, but no longer "Hieronymus Bosch on a bad acid trip" levels of disturbing.
8855532
That's....... disturbing.
8854426
Seven upvotes? I get the feeling you guys want me to play with the tags on this story.
8855387
At most it sounds like kidnapping with the attempt to induce stolkholms syndrome to prevent them from leaving. If all they did was this then I don't consider it rape. If they forced themselves on them with the intent of sexual gratification by means of insertion or torture .... sick f***s out there...then I'd consider it rape or if their drugged to make them willing.
8855597
If someone kidnaps a woman and locks her in their basement until she gets stockholm syndrome, I'd definitely still call that rape. I'm a bit weirded out that some people wouldn't.
It's more or less the same as drugging them - it's forcing an impaired mental state.
The sever lack of stallions in this Equestria raises some rather worrisome implications of events in the last generation. The fastest way to loose the majority of men of breeding age is a very bloody war. Seems like it probably happened about 20 years before, mix that in with a normally low stallion birthrate and you end up in a bit of a bad spot.
100 mares, plus at least 22 more groups. So it could easily be another 100 odd.
8855485
Discord himself says that it wouldn't be considered a crime in the human magical world. Rape, I would assume, is still a crime among wizards. Harassment may not be. I would think kidnapping and/or imprisonment would be crimes, but magical law seems strange.
8855768
I can't find any way to reconcile Discord saying that with what we know, though. Either he was lying or he intended it to be taken in some other way (like someone suggesting he meant they'd already faced the punishment they would for it in the wizarding world).
With this many Equestrians running around, unless Discord did something to stop them from talking about what they are/were, word is going to get out soon. Just by volume something will slip, even without anyone asking questions.
The princesses punishment might seem overly harsh from this perspective, but if they honestly thought that their little ponies could look after themselves (like some can) then this is a case of "At least they can still make a life for themselves instead of being locked up." And it's not like they control what other countries do with banished ponies.
Discord might not even bring all the exiles over because some of them are well off.
8854454
3 little Equestrian girls are doing the imposable (like raising the dead). An angry Equestrian school mom beat up a grand mage and did a number on a team of police. And then there is the only Equestrian male they've encountered.
It was said before that every magic government in the world is expecting them to be powerful and hoping to get that into the blood lines of their people.
8855613
Towns have emergency sirens (Can't call them air raid sirens if they are used for a dragon on the ground), the average citizen has access to hazmat equipment and as soon as the danger is over they go right back to their lives. Equestria seems familiar with war, like shortly after WW2 familiar.
8855777
Unless for some reason they can't actually force anything and what they did amounts to nonconsensual hugging and aggressive nuzzling in the hopes of invoking a reaction.
8855859
The hazmat equipment makes me think more WW1 as they had all the gasses in that war. There were also single battles that wiped out whole generations from small villages in England (They used to put everyone from that one village in the same unit, something no army does anymore because of this).