Hard Choices
Chalky walked down the empty, deserted hallways of the castle. For as long as he had been here, he could not remember a time when it had been like this. Even during the brightest hours of the day the staff here had always been hard at work. Maids and other workers for the crown would spend hours making sure that the castle was presentable while the ponies of the city slept. Windows had to be cleaned as best they could and brass needed to be polished. Sheets needed to be washed as did the various facilities. Even the ponies who guarded the castle were to be making the rounds to ensure that everything was secure.
The stallion paused in his step, his deadpan expression shifting to the small container of soup on his back, which was meant for the victim from earlier in the day. Because of the events which happened to her, the maids were now nowhere to be seen. Most likely they were all huddled together in fear since the princess had order nearly all of the guards to search for the mad dog who had done all of this. It was, he presumed, a nice gesture. Yet in the end, that was all it was: a gesture. Much like the soup on his back.
Hoofsteps began to sound in front of him causing Chalky to turn his gaze forward. Up ahead of him, walking along a different passageway than himself, were four individuals. In front was Count Raven with his famous poker face at the ready. Behind him looking worried was the princess from Equestria with her pet dragon walking to her side. Finally there was the guard he had heard so much about bringing up the rear with her axe laid ready on her shoulder. Then, just like that, they were out of sight.
Chalky’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a feeling…no, he knew where they were going. Given what was happening and who was involved it came as no surprise to him that they would have shown up as quickly as they did.
“Now Princess Twilight,” whispered Chalky. “Now we will see your true colors as you cling to your crown.”
-x-
“Princess Twilight, thank you for seeing us at such a late hour,” said Duke Ticking Clock as Twilight and company entered the room. The same circular room with the raised copper floor where she had met the Dukes and Duchesses when she had first set hoof in this country. The only pony who was missing was General Steel Trap, something that did not bode well with the young princess. All of them stood up from their seats, the same ones where they had been sitting the first time, before giving Twilight a bow as she approached her seat with Overkill taking position behind her. As for Spike he stood next to her while Count Raven took position off to the side.
Before sitting, Twilight returned the bow while silently wondering what this was all about. The journey from her suite had been an oddly silent and uncomfortable one since Count Raven had not said a single word since informing her of their arrival. This troubled the purple pony as he was normally the first pony to give her information that would help her. With him leading the way, it was impossible for Twilight to glean any facial information that might help her. However, given what she had recently learned from Overkill, Twilight believed that the Count was upset with her.
Being completely honest with herself, Twilight couldn’t blame the Count for this. Yes, Twilight was trying to catch a criminal who had assaulted a maid under her care. But now that she thought about it, she should have at least kept the stallion in the loop. Count Raven could have assisted Spike in checking with the maids to make sure they were all alright given the situation. He might have been able to advise Twilight on the situation. Or at the very least she should have informed him of her plan. Count Raven had been the first thestral here to openly accept her to become the new ruler of Thunder Valley and was helping mentor her in the role of a leader. She might even go so far as to call him her first friend from this strange land. Even if they might have disagreed on how to handle the matter, Twilight should have kept him in the loop as a sign of respect for the older stallion. That was the very least she should have done.
“It isn’t a problem,” said Twilight as she righted herself. As all of the ponies became seated, Twilight realized that trying to fix that mistake would have to wait. Right now, the matter before her had to take priority.
“Princess, I believe you are probably wondering why we are all here at this ungoddessly hour of the day,” said Duchess Blue Moon, her nose high in the air as she spoke.
Twilight closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. “I take it has something to do with the object that entered into Thunder Valley,” said Twilight. While Count Raven hadn’t said anything to her about this, Twilight had been able to do some thinking on her way here. Her mind going over all the possibilities that would cause them to make such an impromptu meeting with her. This seemed to hold the most weight in her opinion.
“Hmm,” went the Duchess as she lowered her head a bit to look at Count Raven. “We were told you were out of the castle when the General came to talk to you about that. That the whereabouts of your location were unknown and could not be contacted. Clearly, we were misinformed.”
“No, you were told the truth,” said Twilight at once, her eyes fixed on Blue Moon. “It is true I was out of the castle, personally overseeing an investigation that concerned a member of my staff. In my haste to catch this culprit, I failed to inform any of my staff. For this, I am solely responsible.” Twilight paused as she watched the ponies in front of her raise their eyebrows and look at each other. “As for how I found out about this, Specialist Overkill informed me of what happened at the border as soon as I arrived.”
“I see,” said Duke Rolling Thunder as he casted a nasty look in Blue Moon’s direction. The mare, however, did not seem to take notice of this. “Well, the incident is a part of the reason we are here. However, our main concern was the attack not just on the maid but on you as well Princess Twilight. The news of both incidents reached us nearly at the same time, it is true. And we had reason to believe that these two events were somehow connected given how closely linked they were to each other. It was only upon finding out that the lead suspect was Arms Dealer that we realized that this wasn’t the case. Just an unfortunate coincidence.”
“We have also heard that you have ordered the Clubbers and all members of our army within the city to look for him,” continued Fallen Star as he looked down at the table they all surrounded. “Is this true?”
“It is,” said Twilight. As she spoke, she wondered what the matter was. Had she abused her power in some manner? From what the General had told her, the military had been helping out the Clubbers more often lately. Perhaps this stallion hunt was a bit on the extreme. Hopefully Just Dandy would come through for her and this would be taken care of soon.
“That’s…unfortunate,” said Fallen Star in a dreaded tone. Slowly he lifted his head and looked at her dead in the eye. “Princess, the choice of what to do is still yours. We have gathered here today to stress the importance of this matter: Please, call off the search and let Arms Dealer go.”
Twilight felt her jaw begin to hang as she heard this. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing! Where they seriously asking her to let Arms Dealer go free? After everything he had done? Not just last night but all of his other attacks was well? It didn’t make any sense to her.
“Are you crazy?!” shouted Spike as he slammed a claw onto the table, snapping Twilight out of her stupor. She looked down at the dragon to see the glare he was giving everypony in the room.
“Spike,” said Twilight as she placed a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up at her, their eyes meeting as she gave him a look that said ‘Let me do this’. Her number one assistant nodded before she turned to look at those gathered. “Are you crazy?!” she shouted as she mirrored Spike’s outburst. “What possible reason could there be for letting him trot free after everything he has done?”
“Princess Twilight, please calm yourself,” said Eerie Shadow as she looked at Twilight with her one good eye.
“No! I won’t calm myself,” said Twilight as she stood up with her front legs both on the table. She could feel her wings extending in her anger as hot bursts of air shot out of her nose. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the ponies before her. “You want me to rule this nation, to enforce its laws, but then tell me which ponies get passes?! Who get to do whatever they want without consequence?! No wonder there are so many rebellions!”
“Princess Twilight!” yelled Eerie Shadow. Twilight opened her mouth, not ready to give this mare a chance to interrupt her. To vent all of her anger. But something caught her eye. It was the mare’s hooves. They were on the table, shaking slightly. Looking back into her eye, the purple alicorn saw that it looked a bit more moist than was normal. “Please understand how difficult this is for a mare to ask.”
Twilight said nothing, instead shooting a glance at the around the table. Some had their heads lowered while others could not contain the very subtle shaking of their bodies. The only exception was Blue Moon who had raised her nose even higher into the air. Yet that just made it a bit easier for Twilight to see the tremor of her eyelid. Slowly, Twilight’s wings retracted as she brought a hoof over her heart. Several times she did her breathing exercise in order to regain control of the fire burning inside her. With each breath, the flames grew more and more controllable. It was only when they had reached a point where she felt she would be able to talk instead of screaming did she sit.
“Princess, we are all naturally uncomfortable about this matter,” said Ticking Clock as he stated the obvious, earning a few nods from those seated at the table.
“A matter you should have been made well aware of prior to this date,” said Blue Moon coldly as she shot another glare at Count Raven. “If you had, you wouldn’t have wasted your time with this ponyhunt. Clearly, somepony wasn’t doing his job.”
Twilight raised a hoof and pointed it at Blue Moon, her mouthing opening as got ready to defend the Count. It was only the slamming on a hoof onto the table that caused her to stop. As the princess lowered her hoof, she turned her head in the direction of where the noise had come from and saw that Fallen Star was looking at the Duchess with a lethal dose of venom. “We all believed that this matter was done and over with you old crone,” he barked causing Blue Moon to give a huff. “I would be defending the princess’ decision if it wasn’t for-”
“Enough,” said Eerie Shadow as both she and Twilight looked back and forth between the two. “We are the heads of the Great Houses. Such behavior is not befitting of ponies of our ranks.” Blue Moon looked like she had swallowed something that didn’t agree with her, huffing under her breath yet not uttering a word. Fallen Star kept his angry expression focused on Blue Moon yet removed his hoof off the table. Seeing this, Twilight lowered her own hoof as well.
For a moment, there was a growing silence within the room creating a certain uneasiness. Perhaps it was because they were all tired, the situation adding stress to their tired minds. Even Twilight, with her increased stamina thanks to her transformation into an alicorn, was beginning to feel that same irritability that came with a lack of sleep. She so much wanted to suggest that they all go to bed and pick up this meeting when they were all rested. As a show of good will as well as hospitality she could even offer them rooms within the castle. Yet she knew that they would more than likely refuse. If the issue with Arms Dealer was something they could put off until nightfall they would have done so. They had chosen to come here as soon as they found out.
Still, something bothered Twilight deeply. She remembered back at the get together she had held not too long ago. There had been a brief moment when Count Raven had mentioned Arms Maker not being able to make it, hoping that it didn’t have anything to do with his son if she was remembering correctly. Following that she had met with Crystal Chime and the issue had been forgotten. Had Count Raven suspected Arms Dealer of doing something like this? She could understand not doing it at the party, for Twilight knew she would have made a scene. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have told her later. Like, for example, after the party behind closed doors. Or even the next day?
“I believe it would be prudent to bring the princess up to speed on the matter,” said Rolling Thunder, finally breaking the silence. The stallion laid his hooves on the table, one over the other. “In the end, this must be her decision. She will need all of the facts.” One by one, the other Dukes and Duchesses exchanged a knowing look. Then, almost as one, they nodded together.
“This all began many years ago,” began Ticking Clock. “When it first began, it had been a matter for the lower courts, yet I can still remember reading about it in the papers. Arms Dealer had been implicated in a crime very much like the one he had tried to pull last night. He had moved in on the servant of a middle class pony while she had been tending to the family’s young foal. He was spotted by the Clubbers trying to escape the scene, chased, and was captured to be put on trial. It should have been an open and shut case, one that did not need the highest levels of the government to intervene in any capacity. Yet a few days later, we were all called in by King Cobalt.”
“We all knew that King Cobalt and Arms Maker were good friends,” continued Rolling Thunder as he closed his eyes. “Perhaps even the best of friends. He did his best to make room in his schedule to attend many of the government functions as well as fundraisers. That’s where we met him the most, either talking business with us or bragging about his son. It was never any secret that he loved the colt to death and would do whatever it took to make sure he was happy. We just never thought he’d go so far as to issue an ultimatum.”
“What’s an ultimatum?” asked Spike as he looked around the table.
“Basically kind of like a final demand,” said Twilight as she turned to look at the dragon. “One pony issues it saying do this or else.”
“Sounds more like a threat,” commented Spike as he crossed his arms.
Eerie Shadow let out a sigh. “It’s surprising how similar those two are,” she said while gaining back Twilight’s attention. “King Cobalt informed us that Arms Maker didn’t want his son going to jail. He believed he could watch over his son better and help him see the error of his ways. The King sympathized with his friend’s plight, understanding a father’s need to protect his foals. But there was also his duty to the law. He tried to tell his friend this, telling him he would ask the judge for leniency but Arms Maker wouldn’t have it. Then before he left, he told the King that if this didn’t happen he could cancel his contract with the government.”
As Twilight let out a gasp of surprise, Rolling Thunder shook his head. “Naturally we checked the fine print of the contract we had with Storm Breaker Ammunition. It was there, decreeing that either party could cancel the contract whenever they so desired without any penalty. I believe this was done as a show of good faith to both parties as Arms Dealer had never given us a reason to believe he would use this against us.”
“…So you gave into his demand,” said Twilight quietly as she lowered her head.
“It was not a decision we came to lightly Princess,” said Ticking Clock, his elderly tone darkening a bit. “We needed to look at the larger picture. Storm Breaker Ammunition is one of the biggest companies within Thunder Valley and the sole provider of weapons and ammo to our military. The sudden cancelation of this contract would put hundreds if not thousands of families out into the streets within a matter of months. Such an event would likely spawn several more uprisings. King Cobalt knew that he had to put the majority of his subjects first. He also trusted his friend, even after he had pulled something like this. The King believed that Arms Maker would be true to his word and this would never happen again. So arrangements were made and the incident was swept under the rug.
“We had, naturally, hoped that this would be the end of the matter. However, we were soon proven wrong. In the months that followed, mare after mare was assaulted. Time after time the same threat was made along with the promise that Arms Dealer would ‘fix’ his son. Each time we caved in and the relationship between the King and Arms Maker became more strained. Each time we were informed that Arms Dealer had struck again, we discovered that he had become bolder. He moved from mere working mares on the streets and in factories to the help of the upper class.”
“The last time we caught him he had assaulted one of my housekeepers,” snarled Blue Moon. “Can you imagine how embarrassing that was for me? He came into my home, assaulted and had his way with one of my housekeepers! Had I been a mare of lesser breeding, I would have wrung his slimy neck myself.” Twilight narrowed her eyes a little as she looked at the Duchess as a feeling of profound dislike began to grow inside of her. It really sounded like the mare didn’t care about the mare, only how what happened reflected on her.
Fallen Star shook his head. “It was after that that we all said enough was enough,” he said. “King Cobalt brought in Arms Maker to stand before all of us. Together, we told him that this would be the last time we would release his son as a final favor to him. King Cobalt even made a final plea, that if he no longer valued their friendship then he should at least value the lives of the families he employs.
“Since that night, things did appear to improve. While none of us would ever allow Arms Dealer into one of our homes, that stallion had been behaving himself. Even after the king passed away due to heart issues and his children took the throne, we heard no mention that Dealer was up to his old ways. It was only after the fall of Princess Alabaster that we began to hear rumors that he had joined up with the Copper Heads. Perhaps using them to return to his old ways. Yet no mare has been willing to step forward and claim that he was the one who assaulted them. Nor has there been any evidence that suggests he was the one behind those attacks. Only whispers and rumors. As such, we have been unable to do anything without any hard evidence.”
“Until now,” stated Twilight firmly. “We have the opportunity to try him for his actions and end this. You said so yourself, he wasn’t going to be given anymore chance! So what has caused all of you to change your minds?!”
“When we said there would be no more second chances, things were very different,” said Eerie Shadow as her eye became fixed on the table before her. “Back then, the government was not in a state of financial difficulty like it is now. Back then, we could have gone over the allotted military budget by cutting corners elsewhere. There was also a lack of danger on the horizon. If such a matter were to come up, we would have been willing to find a company to supply us for a short period of time or simply dealt with the rebellious element more swiftly. We also had the barrier in place.”
“With the barrier down, we are vulnerable to an outside attack,” said Ticking Clock as he slammed an elderly hoof onto the table. “With each passing night the lightning strikes are getting to be fewer and far more between. Already something has crossed through with complete disregard to our borders. It flew so fast that it was gone before any of the troops could reach for their blunderbusses! This could very well be the advanced scout for a possible invasion force!”
“Or, ah, it could be a simple misunderstanding,” said Twilight as she wracked her brain for some sort of explanation. Something that would calm them down. “We shouldn’t be jumping to any conclusions right now. Not until we have more information.”
“The information we do have points to possibly hostility,” said Blue Moon coldly. “Tell me Princess Twilight, wasn’t there an invasion of a hostile force on your brother’s wedding?”
At that, Twilight’s head jerked back while being unable to hold back the look of surprise on her face. They knew about that? How could they? Twilight hadn’t told anypony here about that. Looking around the table, she could tell that her own surprise had brought forth mixed results from the nobles. A couple looked worried while seemed to just narrow their eyes.
“Yes,” said Twilight as she nervously took a breath. “However, you must understand the circumstances. The race that attacked us are called the Changelings, a race of shape shifters who feed off of love. We had thought that we had prepared for them by having my brother put up one of his strongest shield spells.”
“We have been informed of what happened,” said Fallen Star in a grave tone. “Their queen easily found a way around that barrier, abducted Princess Cadence, impersonated her, and drained your brother’s love in order to weaken him so that her forces were able to break past. After that, the army of Equestria was easily overtaken.”
Once again, Twilight was shocked by what she heard. Not because of how much they seemed to know, which was surprising enough, but the name they had used. Only ponies who were close to her knew which name Cadence preferred to be called. It was only during official business did anypony call her by her full and proper name. The same went with newspapers and books. If they had obtained this information via proper channels they would have used Cadence’s full and proper name. Slowly, Twilight looked down at the only one in Thunder Valley who could have told them: Spike. He was looking just as shocked, but he wasn’t looking at the nobles. Instead, his head was turned to look at Overkill.
It did not take a genius to figure things out from there. After all, both Spike and Overkill had been hanging around more lately.
Twilight took a deep breath as she turned to look at those gathered. “Then if you know all of that, then surely you know that they were defeated in the end,” she said in an even tone.
“Yes,” said Blue Moon. “Via a magical love wave which we are unable to do ourselves. Scattered to the wind, forced to crawl back into the hole from which they came. They are still out there Princess Twilight. Most likely looking for a new source of food, meaning ponies. How long do you think it will be before they set their sights on us? I have no doubt that our army will be as easily incapacitated as Equestria’s was, but…”
“We are worried about the potential danger they present,” said Ticking Clock as Twilight didn’t bother to hide her look on outrage at Blue Moon. “Based on the information provided, we are afraid for the whole of Thunder Valley. Princess, we are unaware of how powerful a shield you can produce. Even if it could encompass all of Automahollow, then wouldn’t the Changelings just attack another city? They could do a series of hit and run tactics, abducting and replacing our citizens without us knowing. How long would it take them to stop all incoming supplies to this city and forcing you to drop the barrier?”
Twilight turned her head to look at the elder stallion, her eyes widening with this realization. At the time, she had been so preoccupied with the wedding and afterwards had never given the matter any thought. But now that this scenario had been put out, Twilight couldn’t help but think about how differently the Changeling invasion could have gone. All of their defenses had been at the capital with no warning to the rest of the country. Had the Changelings decided to adjust their plan, they could have easily taken a city like Manehatten, Ponyville, and others. What would be the fall out to such an event? While Twilight knew that she and ponies like herself would not blame Princess Celestia, she was aware that not everypony would see it the same way. Those in the areas attacked would more than likely be upset with the Royal Family, protecting themselves and holding a wedding instead of defending the nation as a whole.
“We are not just worried about Changelings,” continued Eerie Shadow. “There are other races out there in the world that we have heard about. The Diamond Dogs who dig tunnels under Equestria and take ponies to be made into slaves. Griffons who possess great strength but are also very aggressive. Dragons which fly unimpeded over Equestria’s lands. A god of chaos who can do whatever he wants with the snap of his fingers. A shadow-like pony who took over an entire empire whose death you have been unable to confirm. Given all of these outside threats, it is hard for us to feel safe.”
“Not to mention the threat that could come from Equestria and their magic,” added Blue Moon.
“Princess Celestia would never attack another nation without reason!” stated Twilight, her frustration with this mare reaching its peak. As she kept her burning gaze on Blue Moon, Twilight saw out of the corner of her eye Count Raven beginning to stand up. Yet she paid him no mind right now. The mare before her how dare she even suggest that Princess Celestia would ever do such a thing!
“It is not Princess Celestia who we are worried about,” said Duke Ticking Clock as he gave Blue Moon a very annoyed look. One that said ‘you’re pushing it’ or something to that effect. “Through Count Raven we have been informed that she wishes to have good relationships and has such made no clear hostile intent. It is more of her citizens we are worried about. For example, we learned of a mare name Trixie I believe. She cast you out of your own home town after losing in a magical duel.”
Twilight groaned inwardly as a hoof went to touch her head. She couldn’t believe Spike told Overkill about that. “Normally, unicorns are not that powerful,” Twilight explained. “The reason for her power boost as well as her actions were the result of a magical artifact called the Alicorn Amulet. While it made her more powerful, it also brought out her worst features as well as amplifying them. But if you are worried about that, me and my friends were able to trick her into removing it before hiding the artifact. As of right now not even I know its exact location.”
“Yet there is still the fact that she was able to do so much damage in a short amount of time,” replied Fallen Star before letting out a heavy sigh. “That might have been an isolated incident, however what if there are other unicorns who possess power similar to that? All it would take would be one misguided or power hunger pony to lead a small army into our nation. Unicorns with their magic, pegasi with their ability to manipulate the weather, and earth ponies with their superior strength. As you have no doubt read from our history books, all it takes is one pony to ignite the spark of rebellion and chaos.”
“When we look at all of these factors, losing our contract with Storm Breaker is not advisable,” said Rolling Thunder, earning a nod from most of the others at the table. “Nor can we force him to do business with us or simply take his materials for ourselves. We have no legal claim to them and by taking them we might be observed as becoming tyrants. Then rebellion would be assured leading to even more bloodshed. That is the very last thing we want.” The stallion then paused to shake his head sadly. “This may seem heartless, but we must put the needs of the whole machine above one tiny cog.”
Twilight’s eyes widened at this statement. In a way, she could see how they could make the comparison of the government being like a machine. Each part moving and contributing to the greater whole. Some parts were simply more important to keep everything running smoothly and some parts were easily replaced. However…
“Moon Chime is not a cog,” stated Twilight as her eyes narrowed. “She is a pony, a thestral of this country! She should be protected by the law like every other pony here! Those that violate the law need to be punished!” She then looked around the group before her. “Hasn’t it been the goal of the government since Princess Alabaster was dethroned trying to fix what was broken and regain the trust of its ponies? If this keeps up, that’ll never happen. Instead it will only worsen until the rebellion you are all trying to prevent happens anyway.”
“So, is that your choice Princess?” asked Duchess Eerie as she looked at Twilight with an unreadable expression on her face. “As I said when you first came to Thunder Valley, we would like to see what you can do. The decision, in the end, is completely yours. As will be how you handle things afterwards. We came here simply to advise you as well as give our opinion.”
“But be aware that should it look like your choice has endangered our lands we will be forced to remove you,” added Blue Moon with a cold smile on her upturned face. “Just something to keep in mind while you are making your choice.”
Twilight said nothing at this nor did she look at the mare. Her body and mind suddenly felt like thousands of tons had been added to them since Eerie Shadow had spoken. So intense was the weight that she had almost fallen down to the ground to be crushed by it, but somehow she remained where she was as her now vacant expression stared forwards. The fire that she had within now felt like a candle being blown in the wind. She knew the cause of this sudden weight for it had not just suddenly appeared. It had been there, ever since she came to this land and began her trial rule. It was the weight of her position; something that hadn’t seemed real until just this moment. When she had to make a difficult choice.
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Wonder how Twilight will confront Overkill. Of course she will have to tell Spike that he needs to be more careful with what he tells strangers as well, but now she knows that Overkill reports everything she learns to other parties. Not really a very trustworthy behavior.
Overkill is supposed to be Twilight’s personal bodyguard, a very close position. Normally you would need someone there who can keep quiet and NOT tell others certain things when she feels like it.
The nobles only managed to catch Twilight off guard, because they were informed about topics they shouldn’t have been fully aware of, yet. Overkill pretty much undermined her there and weakened her position to negotiate.
THIS
WAS
AWESOME!!
This upsets me deeply though I was suspecting that it was going too easy for Twilight getting this resolved peacefully, Now I am wishing she would have left it in the hoofs of Just Dandy, now I am wondering when RD will make her appearance into Automahallow, I also find it ironic that the princes of friendship is the leader of a bunch of somewhat Xenophobic but definitely Paranoid dullards.
9401147
Very much agreed, Twilight can't let this slide as if it were nothing.
9401147
9401209
There will be something between Overkill and Twilight.
And all that hard negotiating she did with Just Dandy....
The solution to Twilight's problem would require more of Just Dandy's assistance. Not the Arms Dealer problem, the Arms Maker one.
9401147
On the other hoof, Twilight is trail ruler and Overwatch is more loyal to her own army and country. In a land where rulers are thrown out and the society has to pick up the pieces, she has more obligation to the society than to Twilight at this point.
Plus they are forced isolationists due to that storm. This is a natural fear and their concerns are perfectly valid. Just like no one warned Twilight about Arms Dealer, no Equestrian authority warned Thunder Valley about anything.
Justice needs to be served, but if you make society collapse in the process it loses its meaning. Twilight is going to have to use mental gymnastics and probably the power of friendship to see this through properly.
9401209
Yes and no. It all really depends on how the author wants to go. Twilight is realizing all these "external threats" in this chapter but personally I feel that's dumbing her down a bit. She was Celestia's personal student for years, loves reading everything, and is prone to panicking about every scenario. I think it's highly unlikely that doesn't know about how close Chrysalis came to winning, or that something like Discord or Tirek are national scale level emergencies. But she beat them. The bat ponies are rightfully scared of the outside but Twilight shouldn't be, not more than she normally is. She knows Celestia, Luna, and Cadence have her back. Yes it's on the national scale now but that still means something. Hell I'm sure she can get Discord to do something if needed. I don't see why the decision in this chapter would be a "hard one". She's a character who, while looking at the big picture, wouldn't compromise her internal sense of right and wrong. And while I love deconstructions of that, I don't think that this is that kind of story (at least not a deconstruction of moral character).
Having said all that, I'm still enjoying the story and want to see where it goes. Though personally I'd love to see Twilight go full badass mode and find some old bat pony law about shielding a criminal or something and hold the father accountable, thus giving the government reason to seize his assets if needed and have him on trial too. He can avoid that by renegotiating the contract with the government with proper clauses for termination. Or of course have Twilight go full Reagan and cancel the contract herself, then giving lots of smaller arms dealers contracts. They would need to then expand. Ponies would leave Storm Breaker Ammunition for the other factories because that's where the jobs are now. Sure there would be a period of unrest but depending on how it goes, it could trigger an economic boom (or collapse but that's fun too).
9401233
Penny for your thoughts on the above? Since you're the author and all.
Arms manufacturer who has this dominant of a position and is issuing ultimatums? Yeah no matter the cost that head needs to be cut down, his son is not the problem here at all and really of secondary concern.
Even if it would require upheavals that cannot be left to stand if he would make another demand like this, and not just hear say from the scheming nobility.
The entire chapter is hard choices and she doesnt even make one in the end. Lame.
9401528
This was a difficult chapter to write. First of all, I have done my best to think how the characters act. Yes, Twilight defeat Discord with the help of her friends. She was unable to stop the Changelings, but did see that they were defeated by her brother and Cadence. Tirek...hasn't happened, but she was able to defeat Nightmare Moon with her friends. Please keep all this in mind. Twilight's friends are now in a different country. She can't call on them if such a danger were to occur.
Yes, she knows how close Equestria came to being taken over by the Changelings, but also remember that she never gave them another thought after that. If she had, or if anyone had for that matter, they might have made it harder for the Changelings to kidnap so many of them at once without anyone noticing. Also please keep in mid that the dialog and actions taken in A Canterlot Wedding showed that Celestia never considered the fact that other towns might be a target. She had the capital shielded and the elements brought there but no other town was informed as far as we were made aware. No one in Ponyville knew that a threat had been made and had Chrysalis not been able to sneak around the barrier than other towns might have suffered.
As I said, this was a hard chapter to write. The end goal is to pose to Twilight a moral question: is it better to have justice served and possibly doom a nation or secure the nations from possible threats while ignoring one. Remember this has happened before, so much so that the ponies around Twilight see this as par for the course. If there was a legal means of stopping this after all this time then somepony would have mentioned it. But what Twilight will do will be answered in the next chapter.
9401611
Cliffhanger
Twilight has a pretty simple rebuttal to their concerns about these threats Equestria faced: the thestrals' conventional defenses (ie. their only defenses) would be even less effective than Equestria's were, should they face them. Guns and bombs are pointless against shapeshifters, or chaos gods, or amped-up dark magic unicorns.
Also, someone ought to introduce Twilight to the concepts of sovereign immunity, monopoly of force, and eminent domain.
I just realized something. Why are the Thestral's so heavily militarized when they've been in complete isolation for a millennia with powerful natural and magical defenses keeping all outsiders out? You would think they would divert most of the military budget on things like infrastructure and fixing up that air problem which from the sounds of it seems to have reached the point were you could die in minutes from being outside. Although that could be the reason for the large military budget. Constant fear of a massive open revolt over the fact their moronic shortsighted leaders have made most of their kingdom uninhabitable likely causing mass food shortages in the process.
Surely, there's another manufacturer out there that does ammunition?
9401611
Its called a cliffhanger
9402288
Well, think about it. Thestrals in this story don't seem to have any magic like walking on clouds, enhanced farming or strength, or anything like that. They would have to be more resourceful in order to survive leading to more tech. You are right about the rebellions as well. With all this infighting, it would make sense that warfare would have jumped leaps and bounds
9402243
Honestly the whole system needs revamping. Isn't that why they even went to Equestria for help in the first place? Because they were failing so badly that the place is falling apart they were willing to bring in a foreign leader to try and fix it?
Yet it appears that these "nobles" expect ... I don't know, things to simply magically get better without having to put in any effort. For a solution to manifest without having to change their ways. News flash! Selective application of justice and appeasing of individuals who have been allowed to hold more power than the actual state at the expense of the common pony is one of the reasons you are facing freaking rebellions in the first place! Do something about it to get out of the death spiral, instead of the empty bleating they showcased in the last chapter. They are the ones who should be removed for instigating instability in the country, because their collective inaction just contributes to it.
Nationalize the stupid company, put in place laws that disallow monopoly on this scale where a company effectively becomes the backbone of a country as that's not healthy for anyone and is open to much abuse (there is a reason anti-monopoly laws exist), then start phasing much of that silly shit out and replacing it with actually useful industry that would allow the economic situation to actually improve, instead of being the proverbial North Korea with unsustainable (and totally unnecessary, as you pointed out) military complex while the rest of the country slowly goes to shit because no one is doing anything actually useful.
Here's hoping Twilight remembers she's here to actually change things and bring about a better future, not prolong the council's precious status quo that's been leading to their perpetual death spiral.
I guess we will see ... though given how much of an impotent wet noodle of a doormat Twilight has been portrayed throughout this story, I am not holding out much hope :/
9401778
This all assumes that the Nobles are not spineless cowards, corrupt, creatures of the Arms Dealer or just pushing this on Twilight as a test. There is NO guarantees for Twilight that she has been given all the information related to this. I mean look at what the Nobles are doing! They are burning intelligence asset right there without second thought about it. They literally are undermining their future position to underline how important it is to cave for Arms Dealers demand. They invested a LOT into make the argument right there, they are not just bystanders but have actually played some heavy cards right there.
This is not really a moral choice but also that of power politics, can Twilight allow this kind of weakness to fester in her Kingdom? Also do note how the Nobles are abasing themselves and acting as messengers of Arms Dealer?
9402867
While you are correct that Arms Dealers methaphorical head needs to be cut down and put on the metaphorical spike it needs to be done in the correct way. First step i think would be to tell the Nobles that if they would 'happen' to know any tools of the Arms Dealer they should tell them that he is free to come and propose any 'legal requests' in the open court along side any 'encouraging facts' he deems to be relevant. Then it remains to be seen if Arms Dealer has the stallion parts to make the demand in the public eye. If he does so then all other charges against his son could be presented and he can be asked if he stands behind all of them too.
And if the Nation is not inflamed by that demand and are fine with Arms Dealer to act as he has acted then the Nation is utterly lost anyway.
9402850
Its cliff hangering the same thing last chapter was only with higher stakes.
They are forgetting that twilight is a alicorn and in most cases the reason those threats were defeated, I think a display of power from twilight might make them realize just what they are getting into trying make her play their games.
9403620
This Twilight got outdone by a crazy pony using a silly, electricity shooting hat of all things. Which does no wonders for her image, I imagine. Given her portrayed competence and ability, I wouldn't bet on her being capable of displaying anything impressive.
9403704
So being taken by surprise after she thought she had him captured, deciding to save a mare who was knocked out by boiling water and not knowing how to drain it is not being competent? Also, she just became an alicorn in this story.
9403936
Of course not, that whole fight was completely embarrassing on Twilight's part, and at no point did she have him "captured". The one and only thing she should have done at any given point is yank his silly hat off with her telekinesis. The end. Instead not only does she completely ignore his only effective weapon, she also allows him enough time on multiple occasions to raise a leg and fiddle with the hat's controls - something she also could have easily stopped in a number of ways. And then she proceeds to mess around with towels (towels!) for no good reason. It was quite disheartening to watch all around.
And then she over-focuses on the vat and allows him to get away, and inability to multi-task that I wouldn't quite expect from the show's Twilight (and at this point, he had actually won if he chose to attack once more instead of running away. Don't really know why he didn't, he had this fight in a bag).
So ... nah. Incompetent is the only way I can describe Twilight during that whole encounter. He didn't get away because of a clever ploy or an impressive deception or a good escape plan or a powerful weapon. He got away (and had essentially won that fight, if he had simply fired again) because Twilight was being as dumb and slow as a brick, sadly.
9404782
I'm sorry you feel that way.
The simple way: "So, Just Dandy, I've changed my mind. Think you could make sure i find something in the river tomorrow?"
The more comprehensive solution: Gather father and son at an arena for a public event in front of tens of thousands of interested ponies. Explain the past history and all the dirty dealings that lead to this mess. Using her memory, play back a recording of the attempted rape from Twi's point of view for all to see. Explain that this ass is again threatening all their jobs as leverage for his son. Explain that to save said jobs, Twi will be conducting an extrajudicial process that they are all here to watch - passing the test will allow Arms to go free.
Just as dad is looking smug and the audience is begining to boo, the stage magic goes up, turing the center of the empty stadium into the basement of the castle laundry.
"For this test, Arms will undergo a simple mental displacement spell, forgetting everything that happened before this point last night. From his perspective it is as though he has just entered the laundry and it is still late yesterday night. He cannot see or hear anything outside this stage. He claims this was all a misunderstanding. Now we will find out."
With that, Twi triggered the magic in the seat Arms Maker occupied, eliciting a startled and surprisingly high pitched cry.
"What...? What have you done to me?!"
Arms Maker found her clothes quickly stripped off and replaced with the uniform of a castle maid.
"I've given you a little help to better play the part. Certainly if your son is innocent you have nothing to worry about." Twilight's grin widened as she deposited the now smaller and frightened looking Maker beside the laundry cart. "Best of luck: and just remember, this state requires a 24 hour waiting period should you chose to have an abortion."
Makers head whipped around as the memory spell finished it's work and Dealer stepped forward with a spine chilling lear...
Ok still say the death levels of pollution would be devastating to the entire country sorry but no way that levels we are looking at haven't destroyed the ecology. Twi needs to toss Arms Dealer in a pit following the law in a VERY public trial after that have dearest daddy investigated for obstruction of said laws to drive home the point NON of the old shit will be put up with.
More please
9402243
This. Any of those threats are extremely difficult to beat via any of the weapons the thestrals currently employ.
Also, regarding Moon Shadow's threat: Princess Twilight Sparkle will gladly vacate the throne if asked... but she may, as their national concern is then no longer her own, let slip that she was told to step down for trying to bring justice to a serial rapist.
I'm sure the citizens of Automahollow might then, in turn, have a few choice words of their own to express how they feel about the nobles' conduct.
9429174
Ah, then allow me to clarify: he's not transforming. What I was trying to get at was he became filled with so much anger and rage that others around him could feel it. Sort of how you can tell when someone is angry or upset but trying to hide it.
There has been one thing on my mind with all of this stuff going on between Twilight and the Council; would they act this way if instead of Twilight they actually got Luna. They really wanted Luna and I am wondering if they would have trusted Luna more than Twilight. Also, couldn't they have just asked her about the world outside of Thunder Valley instead of getting the information through Overkill? I may be really naive for thinking that, but if they are so concerned about being safe against as many threats as possible then they could ask Twilight about possible threats since she has lived in the "outside world" all her life. Those are just my thoughts though.
This common theme of the council keeping Twilight out of the loop, going behind her back, and getting information indirectly from her is starting to become rather annoying. It feels like the council is treating their relationship with Twilight as a one-way street. It's even more frustrating when it's clear that Twilight is trying to reach out and work with the council they are like; nah fam we're going to do things without your consent or knowledge.
This may require an out of the box solution. One that kind of teeters on the line of communism. My idea is that the government just creates its own arms company than sell it off later. Just an out of the box thought don't look too deep into it.
If you came here to conquer you'll be kind for a day
9456769
To be fair... That's actually not necessarily unique to communism. As many EU nations, as well as Russia, among others, have state owned arms companies. Therefore, it's not too much of a stretch to think of such a thing.