There are No Strings on Me
Cerise sat in a seat by the window in a building at Mountainside AFB’s Northern Annex. This part of the base served the non-military aircraft owned by the Crown, and at the moment, a Honda HAE-2010 knifed through the air, making its final approach to Runway 2.
“Crown 16 should be wheels down in five minutes,” noted an airpony serving as an escort for Cerise. That annoyed her slightly, but she couldn’t blame the servicepony; a week or two ago, her government credentials were more than enough to get her onbase by herself. But in the wake of the burgeoning war, anypony who wasn’t already vetted had to have an escort. Cerise’s records were being looked over by analysts at CODE as a technicality, but until then she had to have an escort while on the premises.
After a few minutes, the aircraft finally came to a stop, the white business jet with its solid purple stripe and golden piping taxiing towards the jetway near this gate. Crown 16, recently arrived from Empire Royal Naval Air Station, would be debarking its passengers soon, and Cerise had to be ready.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, Miss Cerise, I will be departing now,” the airpony replied.
“You will?”
She nodded. “Yes. Lady Sunset already has credentials, so she should be able to escort you the rest of the way. As I understand it, you’re here for her anyway, are you not?” Cerise nodded. “Then have a great day!”
Cerise said nothing as the airpony walked off. Instead, she sat and brought up her phone, starting up her car’s defoggers. It had been raining off and on due to the lack of weather control, and the last thing she wanted was foggy windows.
Finally, the doors to the jetway opened and several military and civilian ponies stepped into the waiting area, amongst them a tired-looking unicorn with an amber coat and brilliant ruby-and-gold in her mane.
“Heya, ‘Lady Sunset’,” Cerise joked.
“I hope you brought your car,” Sunset said, ignoring her friend’s jibe. “I’m too tired to teleport us, my luggage and all the paperwork I brought back. Oh, also, I got you the iceberry wine you wanted, but it’s in my bag.” She yawned.
“You okay, Suns?” Cerise asked as she gestured towards the baggage carousel.
“No, I’m not. Flight from here to Empire City, little over an hour, no problem, right? Helicopter from RNAS Empire City to the border with Yakyakistan, ten more minutes.” Her eyes then drooped as she then grunted, “And because the yaks seem to think being ‘modern’ equates to technology we had when I was a filly, a ten-hour train ride from the border to Middle.”
“Middle?”
Sunset yawned again. “Yeah, like Singapore and its capital, Yakyakistan and its capital share the same name. But like how Singapore City is nicknamed ‘Central’, the Yakistani tend to call theirs ‘Middle’. Anyway, so ten-hour ride on trains that were old during Princess Luna’s return, with zero suspension and then to add insult to injury I couldn’t cast a counterspell, because we were on the same train as a camel delegation from Gamali and the Gamalaqi delegate finds magic an affront, go figure.”
Sunset then went on a long, detailed explanation on the disaster that was her attendance at a meeting between Equestria and several other nations regarding the concerns about the war. Finally, she added, “You know, I recall when Prince Rutherford passed away and everyone thought his son was going to embrace the future, because Rathburne was only nineteen when he ascended the throne. But to Rathburne, those Celestiadamn trains are the future, and modern transport is just too freaky for him. It doesn’t help that Hanan, the Gamalaqi delegate, seems to think that Equestriani have sold our souls because we’re integrating human technology. I have to wonder if that camel is really a yak in disguise.”
Sunset’s bag rolled out and Cerise grabbed it, plucking it off the conveyor belt. “Hey, you’re exhausted, okay? I got this.”
“Thanks. What would I do without you?”
Cerise grinned. “Either exhaustedly teleport into Celestia’s bathtub or drink a whole bottle of iceberry wine, which gives you gas.”
That woke up Sunset. “I thought we agreed to never talk about that again!”
“No, you said you wouldn’t. I never said anything of that sort,” Cerise commented. “Besides, Hot Pepper thought it was cute.”
“Yes, stallion who I thought was hot thought me farting up a storm was cute. There’s clearly a reason why we’re not dating, you realize.”
“Because you can’t fart on command?”
“Because any stallion who thinks like that? Six months later my face is going to be on the side of a milk carton – on both worlds!” the unicorn gasped.
Cerise laughed again. “C’mon, Stinky. Buy you lunch at Burger Princess to make up for it?”
“I’m ordering the most expensive thing on the menu just for that,” Sunset mock-pouted.
Several minutes later, the two were at Burger Princess, munching on lunch. Sunset, as insisted, bought the Triple Royale Hayburger with Cheese, a large oat milkshake and hayfries. Cerise, to her somewhat disappointment, had to stick with the human menu, eating a black-bean burger, sweet potato fries and an apple soda.
“Thanks. I don’t think I could stomach another day of Yakyakistani food. I’m sure it might be good, but the cook they assigned us at the pony guest yurts seemed to think that spices were a panacea against actually having cooking skills. I am never going to look at bhatmaas the same again.” She sighed. “So now that I have enough hay and grease in me to feel normal again, what did I miss?”
“My love life going down the tubes,” Cerise sighed. She talked about her intent to chase Sam Martinez and how so far it had gone nowhere. Sunset, who lived next door to Sam’s sister, listened to her friend intently. Sunset’s own social life was complicated, so she truly felt for her friend. “I even tried contacting him at his office yesterday to take him out to lunch, but he’s practically in conferences with Princess Celestia on a regular basis. Kinda freaky.”
“How so? He’s starting up a new agency. I’m sure there’s got to be a billion questions that the princesses ask him. Hell, I recall being over at DJ’s place the last time he was there. He looked worn out but happy, like a pony who just got her cutie mark.” Sunset took a drink from her shake and said, “Look, just give it time. These things settle down eventually. You told me that you were constantly busy the first few months you went to work for Rarity, correct?”
“Yes, but her grace looks out for me.” A fillyish smile came over the woman. “Sometimes I think she treats me like I’m a surrogate daughter, because she’s lost four fillies and otherwise all she has is her son.”
“I’m not going to justify that with an answer, Cerise. I’ve heard DJ’s side of the story and while she can be a little…out there at times, she’s a pretty stand-up person, pun not intended. Granted, all I know of Rarity’s side of the story is what I’ve read, but DJ’s a pretty nice woman.”
“She’s not a woman, she’s a mare,” Cerise grunted. “And she’s a traitor. She abandoned her own family, Suns!”
Sunset was diplomatic and chose not to point out that Cerise essentially did the same thing; Sunset vaguely recalled meeting her friend’s brother once when he was here on vacation for a few days. Aside from that, the young woman chose not to talk about her family at all. Instead, she offered, “Well, she was raised by humans, so it’s only natural that she has a human mindset. And if you ever had a chance to meet her in-pony, you’ll see. She’s not ‘betraying’ anyone – as I understand it, she gets along great with her extended family here and her brother, Elusive.”
“Yes, so she ostracizes her grace. Tell me how that is fair,” Cerise huffed.
“Cerise…let me point out something: you’re not Rarity’s daughter. And whether or not DJ and her mother make up, that’s not for you or I or anypony to say save for them. Besides, I didn’t come here to argue, okay? I need to unwind and then figure out what I’m going to write for my report to Prince Blueblood and Princess Champagne.”
“Is that before or after the three-way?”
Sunset facehoofed. “Not you too, okay? I get enough crap from Blue Savannah about that shit, nevermind the fact that it’s not true. Chammie and I grew up together and Blue treats me like I’m family to her. He’s never been anything less than a gentlestallion, really.”
“Really? Because supposedly Magic Mist supposedly saw you and Blueblood having sex in Princess Champagne’s office a few days ago. She opened the door a crack, saw it and closed the door – but she told just about everypony.”
“And when did this supposed thing happen?”
“Last week, just the day before your investiture.”
“Then you should know that’s a lie.” The unicorn’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I was so busy being fitted for my dress for the investiture and other things for my station that I didn’t have time to sleep period, much less with my fillyhood best friend’s husband. Besides, I would never do that to Chammie – I owe her so much for giving me a chance to redeem myself after I screwed my life up so badly, and I would never stab a friend in the back.”
“Maybe you don’t remember? You have been complaining about memory loss and other things because of what happened to you.”
The look on Sunset’s face was suddenly one of horror. “Don’t say that, Cerise! I would never!”
“I know, I know. I’m just playing Discord’s advocate here. If anything, I’m sure her highness will ask about it, won’t she?”
“Wow, Sunset, you look like a wreck,” Starlit Skies told her as she came into the office the next morning. “Sleep okay?”
“No, still catching up from the trip,” Sunset lied. In truth, she’d stressed about Cerise’s words the whole night and lost sleep as a result.
“Oh, and there she is, Little Miss Do Me Harder!” Sunset saw an earth mare with a blue coat, short wheat-tan mane and gray eyes. Said gray eyes looked at Sunset with contempt. “So, how does it feel to get your job by lifting your tail for the prince? Temptress!”
“I don’t know what you’ve told anypony here, Blue Savannah,” Sunset warned, “but I won’t have you spreading lies about me.”
“Lies, hah! Everypony here knows what you did before Princess Champagne took pity on you! You were a mare of the night and the only reason you’re young again is because one of your clients used your body for a magic experiment instead of just using your love tunnel! And how did you pay your so-called friend back? By bucking her hus—”
“I DID NO SUCH THING!” Sunset shouted, drawing the attention of several other office workers.
Magic Mist looked at Sunset. “Don’t lie! I know what I saw! You were—”
At this point the door to Princess Champagne’s office opened and the princess looked at them all. “What’s all the commotion out here? Ah, Sunset! Glad you’re back! We need to talk.” She then saw the others there. “In fact, all of you come in.”
The group walked into the room and Champagne closed the door behind them. “I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors of late I don’t like,” the princess announced. “Rumors that I don’t care for in the least. I think they should be cleared up. Blue?”
At that sound, they turned to see Prince Blueblood standing there, a dour look on his face. “Ladies, let it be clear: I am not having sexual intercourse with Miss Shimmer here. I know what Miss Mist claims to have seen, but there is a valid explanation.”
Champagne went up to Sunset and looked at her with concern in her eyes. “You going to be okay, Sunny?”
“What happened?” Sunset asked worriedly, feeling the stares around the room. “I just remember that day being so dizzy and—”
“You sat down on the couch and had a magical seizure,” Blueblood explained. “While Champagne went out of the room to go fetch a doctor, I tried to siphon the magic from you. Unfortunately, you were having a bad one, the kind that could have killed you, so I had to hold you down while I was trying to help. And I will admit, I was probably not standing in the most, ahem, ‘ideal’ of locations when I was trying to draw the overload out.” He looked at the other mares. “In hindsight, I can see how…inappropriate…that would look, but my concern was not on my image – it was on helping Sunset.”
Savannah and Mist’s faces remained impassive, while Starlit and several others looked at the shaking mare, as Champagne wrapped her forelegs around her in a comforting hug.
“I love my wife,” Blueblood said. “I would never do what anypony has suggested and I find it personally offensive that it would be suggested. Furthermore, Miss Shimmer has been through a lot and she is my wife’s closest friend. As far as I am concerned, they are like family.” He turned to Sunset. “Sunset, I am sorry that you had to be exposed to this, and that what you suffered that day has only been made worse.”
“It’s okay,” Sunset sobbed.
“Sunny, just go home and take the day off. Blue and I don’t need that report right now, okay? You take care of yourself, got it?” Champagne gingerly raised her friend’s face so they looked each other in the eyes. “You’ve suffered enough. We can worry about it tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Sunset replied, still shaken by what had just happened.
Champagne looked at Starlit. “Miss Skies, would you see her home? I’d rather she get there safely.”
“Without fail, your highness.” Starlit escorted Sunset out of the room.
“Now as for the rest of you nags,” Champagne snarled, “the only reason I’m not firing you is because hiring replacements would take too long. But let’s get it clear: you say one more word about her and I will find a reason to make your lives a living Tartarus, do I make myself clear?” The other mares panicked at the princess’ words, knowing she was more than capable of that threat. “Now get out of my office. I have work to do.”
The other mares scattered out of the office and Blueblood waited for a second before casting a silencing spell on the door. “I thought you had this room magically sealed when the circuit was complete.”
“I did.”
“Seems like it didn’t work, dear wife.” He looked at her. “And I told you that slipping your disguise was going to have repercussions someday. I’m just glad this didn’t undo all our plans.”
“I didn’t see you complaining when you were spending yourself on me,” Champagne retorted. “And if you think I’m happy about what just happened, I think things are about to get a whole lot worse.”
That caught Blueblood’s interest. “Oh?”
“Yes. While I looked her in the eye, I did a magic spell to check to see if she was breaking down, because at this point I’ve stopped supplying her with magic and so she should be falling apart. But…there’s something in there, building.”
“Building?”
“Yes – a heartsong and lifesong,” Champagne explained. “She might actually be alive now. And if she is, she might start to realize who and what she really is. We need to destroy that doppelganger and soon.”
The pounding in Sunset’s head wouldn’t stop. It then took her a few seconds more to realize it was her front door, and not her head. “I’ll be there in a second!” she called out, groggily getting out of bed. She stumbled for a bit, then walked over to the front and opened it.
“Oh wow, you look like shit,” said the other voice. “I was going to have you come over and help me hang some pictures,” DJ commented, “but you don’t look so hot.”
“I….” Sunset looked at the humanized pony worriedly. “I just…I’ve been having a bad day, okay?”
“Bad day as in sick, or bad day as in…?”
“Both, I guess.”
“Well, c’mon, let’s go to my place.”
“DJ, I’m in no shape to hang any pictures right now.”
“I know. But you look like a few dozen miles of bad road, my husband is out of town with his unit tonight, and Cinnamon took the boys down to Ponyville because they’ve never been to Sweet Apple Acres before. You look like you need a pint of Cherry Garcia and some shitty chickflicks and I have a few on digital that I keep around just in case.”
“Cherry what? And what’s a chickflick?”
“Yeah, you sound like you desperately need some commiseration time. Look, we can watch that new meaningless movie that just showed up on Netflix. Let’s go get you a pint.” Before Sunset could argue, DJ grabbed her forehoof and started to drag.
A couple of hours later the pair were seated on the couch, pints of Cherry Garcia nearly spent and the credits rolling. Sunset, watching the TV, said, “So let me get this straight: Chantuse was afraid of Chris proposing, because she wanted him to propose, so instead she ran off with Benjamin to the Bahamas for meaningless sex. And then Chris had a fling with Alice, who is a lesbian but wanted to try having sex with a man just for the experience.”
“So far, yes, you’re right.”
“And meanwhile, Chantuse was with Benjamin, she suddenly realized that she wanted to love Chris, so she just left the Bahamas and goes to Chris’ place while Alice is sleeping over still and she insists that Chris marry her while Alice is still asleep with Chris in his bed?”
“Yup.”
“Alice confesses that she’s a lesbian and just had sex for the experience but she doesn’t love Chris, so Chris accepts Chanteuse’s proposal – the very same one she was afraid of him making but now because she made it it’s all better?”
“Got it in one.”
Sunset shook her head. “You humans are confusing. Your social lives would probably give Princess Cadance a migraine.” She scooped another bite of Cherry Garcia into her mouth. “Good ice cream, though.”
“Feel better?”
“Yeah, a little, thanks.”
DJ grinned. “Ben & Jerry’s works like magic. So, want to talk about what’s going on?”
Sunset nodded and began, explaining everything that had occurred to her over the past few days, from the apparent seizure she couldn’t remember and the trip, to the salacious rumors and her uncomfortably breaking down in front of everypony in her office. “And then just before you came over, I got a flamefax from Princess Celestia’s office. Apparently Raven Quill wants me to meet with her tomorrow. Probably about that report that I have yet to do.”
“So, fudge it. I did it all the time,” DJ commented.
Sunset was silent for the longest time until she suddenly asked, “DJ…do you ever feel like you don’t belong?”
“Do you really have to ask that question?” the humanized pony commented. “I’m the queen of ‘feeling like you don’t belong’!”
“I’m being serious. I mean…I feel fake. Like I’m not a real pony. Kind of like a puppet on strings, if that makes any sense. Maybe it’s because after what happened to me at the academy, I’ve never really had much confidence in myself.”
“You sound like my cousin. Cinnamon Star tends to be afraid of her shadow. Hard to believe she’s the daughter of Fluttershy, who’s anything but.”
“Maybe. But sometimes I don’t feel real. And earlier today, when I looked Chammie in the eyes? Normally I just get this feeling of being safe around her. She’s one of my best friends, so I should. But today, I…I got the feeling as if I was looking in a mirror, but I was the reflection.” She took another bite and explained. “One of the interesting things about our friendship is that Chammie and I have similar facial and body structure, even though our colors are way different. But today, it almost felt as though I was looking at Sunset Shimmer, only she was Sunset and I was just the reflection in the mirror.”
“I know how that feels.”
Sunset looked at her. “You do?”
DJ nodded. “I grew up the only one of my kind amongst humans, so that’s the standards I grew up with. And while I love Mike for not caring about my looks, I cared about them. For years I hated myself because I didn’t look human like Erica – I didn’t have a human body and I never would. Took me a long time to get over that, and then when Twi gave me the genderstone? It happened all over again.” DJ took the final bite from her pint and set it on the coffee table before continuing. “That night, when I first changed into a human woman? I…it was me. It wasn’t just me as a different species, but me – the idealized version I always wanted to be.
“Mike and I made love that night – several times – but he won’t talk about the fact that I cried later that day, because there I was: that ideal, perfect form, someone who could be the perfect human wife for him…and it wasn’t going to last. I hated myself all over again, and it took a few weeks before I was willing to try to use that damn stone once more. Of course, by then it had been damaged and we didn’t realize it, but…let’s just say that I had a weekend to learn about the shoe being on the other foot.
“So yeah, I get that you don’t feel real. There’s a reason for that; it’s called impostor syndrome. Basically, you’re trying to talk yourself out of something, because you’re afraid you’ll fail or that you didn’t do it correctly, so you create a self-fulfilling prophecy. I had to deal with that for a number of years and I’m glad that Erica stood by me all that time. So yes, I know exactly how this is. But you know what? When we were all trapped in that facility and the chips counted…you stood up. You and I fought to stop the changelings. You knew exactly what to do.”
“But that didn’t feel like me!” Sunset explained. “It was like a…a switch was thrown inside my head! I could have just easily hid in a corner and begged for somepony to save me!”
“But you didn’t. Maybe it was a fluke or maybe you’re just one of those mares that performs under pressure. The point is, you are who you say you are,” DJ told her. “You just have to believe in yourself, Sunset. Trust me, it took a long time for me to get to that point, and even sometimes I regress, but that’s all a part of being human.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Being human?”
“You know what I mean.”
Sunset yawned and got up from her bed once more. She’d stayed at DJ’s place until the early hours and they’d watched more of those “chick flicks”, which Sunset now understood to mean “meaningless romance films”. They’d even watched one called Harper’s Ferry, which DJ had thought about a town in West Virginia but had instead been a “mare flick”, a chick flick with ponies in it instead of humans; the film was about a stallion named Travelling Harper who wanted to start a ferry business instead of going into an orchestra. His parents had objected but the river pilot he hired, an earth mare named Ferrywaters, stood by his side and by the end of the film they were (obviously) a couple and Harper performed his music for the ferry riders while still keeping a now-successful boat business.
Over the night they’d switched from ice cream to drinks and there had been a lot of laughter and emotional healing, the former because the movie was so cheesy and the latter because Sunset needed the company of a good friend.
Sunset was glad that she had a friend like DJ; the (technically) younger mare was turning out to be as close to her as Cerise or Champagne…and given that Sunset had very few friends, that worked out for her.
She’d also received a few flamefaxes over the night: the first was from Champagne, explaining that she had talked to a few other delegates and that was enough to piece together a report, so she was to take the rest of the week off and hopefully seek medical attention. Sunset felt disquieted by that; if one of her best friends was worried about her health, what did that say? The other was a joint apology letter from Blue Savannah and Magic Mist, the kind of letter that was clear that they’d been coerced into writing and that neither really meant a word of it. Somehow, she had a feeling Champagne was behind that, too.
But the third was from Raven Quill, who set a prompt appointment for tomorrow at 11:30, sharp. Sunset still had no idea what the meeting was about, but given that it was with Princess Celestia’s personal secretary, it probably was very important – maybe it was about the trip? Sunset thought about it and decided she needed to get ready; now that she was minor nobility she had to look her best while going to the palace.
She walked over to her dresser to see what sundress would be best to wear. Nothing too fancy but better than everyday attire. Maybe that blue dress she bought last year? It was the first piece of clothing she bought when she started to work for Champagne’s office, so it was important to her.
She opened the drawer in question…and pulled out a letter. The letter was addressed to her, though she didn’t recall it – and it was in her own hornwriting.
Sunset,
I don’t know which one you are after me. I just know that I’m writing this because I’m not insane and I know I can’t be. But don’t listen to Chammie, no matter how dear she is to you. She is not our friend. She is us and she is the enemy. I know that sounds weird, but she is Sunset and we are Sunset and now you are Sunset too – but you might not be for much longer.
As I write this, I’m sick and dying and I don’t know why. The doctors say that it’s a side effect of whatever that “scientist” did to us…but despite what I remember, there is no Dr. Bad Brains in prison right now. He doesn’t exist. I’m not sure I really exist. I just know that I am me, Chammie is me too and if you’re reading this…I am no longer me but you are now me.
Find somepony who can help you, somepony you trust. Stay away from those who you don’t understand and find a way to get your soul back – or maybe get a soul; I’m not clear on the details and I feel like I’m falling apart.
Tell Thom I loved him and that I so wanted to be his mare – but I know I won’t live past writing this letter.
- S.
The letter had blood on the bottom of it, and Sunset instinctively let it go, afraid. After a few seconds, she looked at it on the ground, picking it up and looking at it as if were a live thing.
Dr. Bad Brains? Who is that? The stallion who did this to me is Prof. Powershunt – and I know he’s in jail; Chammie regularly gives me updates for my safety. And she is me? And who is Thom? I don’t know any humans other than DJ’s husband, her kids and her brother!
But the script was clearly Sunset’s own hornwriting, despite it sounding like the work of a madmare. Sunset thought about bringing this to Champagne’s attention; maybe this was a long-game stunt that Blue Savannah and Magic Mist were pulling on her.
But don’t listen to Chammie, no matter how dear she is to you, the letter sounded out.
She put the letter on top of her desk and decided that she needed to talk to somepony she trusted. Maybe not Champagne, but not because Sunset didn’t trust her. More like because she didn’t want her friend to think that she didn’t trust her. Somehow it made sense in Sunset’s mind.
She summoned her phone.
“Hey, Cerise, this is Sunset. You mind meeting me for lunch today? I have something I need advice for from a friend.”
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8750541
But it's clearly the latter, the former is secret!
Thanks for the catch.
Nice to see regular updates. Hopefully, book 2 will start soon.
sunset will be a real mare
Yes!!! Now I hope Champagne Dreams/Sunset Shimmer, that evil mare will finally be caught and get her just punishment. She will only make things far worse all because she is so stupid and power hungry.
8754441
The only ponies who would have prepared an ambush would have been Rainbow Dash. If Twilight had done her job, not only as a friend but as a sister Rarity would have been better prepared. Personally yes Rarity and Silver Steel would have had issues but I feel that their resistance to DJ’s choice was Twilight having the meeting in their home and not informing them more about what had happened to their daughter.
This passage from the Seventeenth chapter of All American Girl give both a clue on how pony society view them selves. This Daring Do book sounds like a shout out to Tarzan and how he after being razed by apes jumps at the chance at being among his own kind. Twilight should have almost immediately informed Rarity and Silver Steel about the type of world their daughter was raised in, no sapient ponies and no magic, the near rape by ponies, and then the fact it was human that raised her. I believe that the problem would not have been as bad but Twilight completely failed in this situation and her mistakes are reverberating throughout this story.
8754498
Twilight was far from being the only pony involved. Why aren't you blaming the princesses for not telling anybody that they liked these humans? Why aren't you blaming Rainbow, Scootaloo, Silver and Soaring for not staying on top of their own jobs, and for inciting the attempted kidnapping? Why not Sweety, Rarity's own sister, for trying to keep up with her mentor on the status of her own niece? In all of these, Twilight was busy trying to convince the humans (including DJ) that ponies don't consider rape to be normal.
If things break in the Sunset / Champagne front, it should be a net positive, shouldn't it?
8755017
The problem is that Twilight took responsibility for telling Rarity. He family that was in the know had allowed Twilight to slip into old habits and she kept putting it off. Besides Rainbow Dash was the one who orchestrated the attempted kidnapping.
8755114
Rainbow might have been the one to know before, but the rest would have been informed after a military regiment had apparently gone rogue and had not only shat on the results of My Little Manhattan Project, but also probably provoked war against one really formidable enemy.
And about the other: what I do remember is that every pony other than Twilight present at the "visitation" was poleaxed by Twilight's announcement. People hadn't been keeping up, and if what you are saying is true, then they should have known that Twilight had far more than enough on her plate already, and should have bothered to attend the meeting. The only ones whom I would excuse would be the princesses, considering that they were concerned enough with the war aspect.
Hey : why aren't you placing some blame on Rarity and Silver, as parents? Shouldn't they have bothered to check what the heck was holding things up when things were supposedly at an end?
8755338
That should have been true but when we see the first meeting between Rarity and DJ during the events of the story only Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle knew that DJ had been raised by humans. From the reactions during that exchange it feels like Celestia was sitting on that information until she could reveal it when it would be advantageous to her. At no point where any of them informed of what had happened til Celestia stopped the trial after Rarity pulled her stunt. It fully feels like Celestia was running on a need to know basis and simply hadn't informed anyone of how close that “rescue” operation came to causing a major war. We do know at some point both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo where informed because they both went and apologized in person. It doesn't feel right though that Silver Steel wasn't informed of anything. They only added the bearers to the command structure after meeting the humans and having their military brought up to a more modern level.
Yes I am upset with Rarity and Silver Steel because even after finding out part of the story they let their emotions over rule their common sense. It takes Silver Steel nearly kicking the bucket for both him and DJ to reconcile. That only happens because DJ isn't on the defensive and Silver Steel takes the time to think and observe. Rarity somehow always seems to find a way to unintentionally get under her daughters skin and then they both go off on one another. From what I have been able to gather is that neither Rarity nor Silver Steel have been told about the near rape and I feeling that if they have heard about it they have chalked it up to “fake news”. Keep in mind Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all thought that the reports of DJ eating meat where false until DJ herself confirmed that she ate meat in public while she was in Equestria during the trial.
8755380
Right, I'm thinking in contemporary military terms. The Equestrian Royal Guard was little more than ceremonial and peacekeeping, so everything would shoot back to the monarch rather than flow through a real chain of command. Which is also how the unit was smoozed later: the banishment order was a signature on a paper that nobody bothered to verify.
By the story, Rainbow and Scoots didn't reach out to DJ until the day of her wedding to Mike, which happened a good decade after the whole debacle. And I'm certain there is something else weak there, but I generally find your argument to be sound. I still say it isn't fair to point fingers at Twilight, though, due to the fact that she did have far too much on her plate.
... well, wasn't that letter convenient as fuck?
I just binged years' worth of this story, and I wasn't taking notes so all I can say other than random commentary is "pretty good", but there was one minor thing that stuck in my head. You kept writing "vice" where I would expect "versus". I have never heard this usage. I don't know if it's a dialect I am not familiar with, or a consistent misspelling, or an entirely different thing that just happened to coincidentally be in about the right place for me to misunderstand it. Can you identify the truth for me?
[edit: Ten belated seconds of Google searching suggests that it's a different word with similar usage that has slipped under my radar, possibly due to being military lingo. I guess that qualifies as "dialect", "different thing", or both.]
8927944
it's somewhat of a lesser-used synonym for versus.
8755380
Well, to be fair, the attempted rape actually didn't happen except in DJ's head. It was an attempted kidnapping. That's not to say DJ's perceptions of the event are irrelevant! But it's interesting that she continues to this day to refer to "attempted rape" and no one seems to have successfully corrected her misunderstanding—that I can recall, anyway.
8931960
At this point, would it matter if they did? DJ ended up with PTSD as a result of the incident and it's taken her years to recover, much of which because she likely didn't get enough counseling and/or therapy. It also doesn't help that Rarity is probably far enough gone that she might (even if possibly inadvertently) argue that at least a pony touched her if she did (vice a human).
DJ's truth at this point is set in stone regardless of what the objective truth is, and that will likely never change.
8932230
If DJ is actually "over" it to the extent that it would only bother her when specifically recollecting the experience, perhaps it wouldn't matter. It seems likely that trying to get her to reconcile her emotional experience with historical reality would be more trouble than it's worth.* But I do suspect the knowledge that they were not actually trying to violate her body (as opposed to capture it) would have aided her recovery back closer to the actual event. As you say, there were some missed opportunities during her recovery well after the krautrock incident.
On a side note, I was responding to the statement "neither Rarity nor Silver Steel have been told about the near rape" which is a very misleading way of mentioning "near abduction that DJ emotionally experienced as a rape attempt", so much so that I was wondering if the commenter hadn't misremembered what the "objective truth" (to borrow your words) actually was.
*(in consideration of her vision:) as long as she remains mortal. The calculus changes on what badly-healed wounds are worth reopening to fix when your lifespan is indefinite, IMO.