12. At the Gates
Twilight hissed out a breath between clenched teeth, after puffing like a bellows for several minutes as her magical reserves shot upward from what was suddenly only half strength. “Well, that worked. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“Impressive magic, little pony,” Garken remarked with a raised eyebrow as they all watched the flash of light in the far distance that marked the Spire’s end. That they could see it, even from the Canterhorn, bespoke its destructive power. “Are there truly no downsides?”
“Other than burning half my magic and, for a blast of that size and specificity, completely necessitating the destruction of the life energy that made up that half of my biological construction? ...Yes, there is a downside.”
“And that would- ...be?” His eyes widened as he looked into the distance.
Another explosion had interrupted him, this one a rainbow halo rushing out in all directions, shining gradually across all Equestria.
“The truly epic flank kicking I’m probably about to receive,” Twilight replied with a small smile as the Rainboom reflected in her eyes. “Completely deserved… even if she’s probably got the wrong idea. All of you, go on ahead. See if you can find weaknesses in the shield, but be cautious. You’ll have reinforcements in a few hours, so there’s no point in rushing in yet.”
Tempest stared at Twilight a moment, but the alicorn was simply gazing at the center of the expanding rainbow, watching the single point of prismatic light on its way from that center. She sighed. “I don’t think I would have fared well against this Twilight Sparkle…”
Twilight’s smile widened as one ear flicked toward Tempest. “Impossible to know… You helped create this Twilight Sparkle. You, and Queen Chrysalis. ...And Starlight, of course… mostly in a different way.” She shook her head. “No more winning by blind luck. Not if I can help it. Following Celestia’s hoofsteps has to stop. Equestria is too… no, our entire world is too important. ...She’ll be here soon, and this will be a private conversation. We’ll catch up to you.”
Gareth saluted Twilight as the others began heading toward Canterlot. “We’ll see you soon, your highness!”
She nodded, smiling softly. “Thank you, Sir Gareth. Thank you for being here. For being our friend. We won’t ever forget it.”
He returned her smile. “Nor I, Twilight Sparkle, nor I.”
As he took to the air, Twilight turned her full attention to the approaching pegasus. She didn’t have long to wait. She didn’t even have time to calculate Rainbow’s velocity (past the fourteenth decimal) before the embodiment of Loyalty hovered before her.
She’d cut her momentum at the last moment (a fact Twilight was grateful for), and it was truly a perfect moment. Twilight looked at her friend as she hung there in the air, the very epitome of grace and power. Her wings spread wide as her forehoof drew back for a right hook that was about to really hurt. There were tears in her eyes and her teeth were clenched in an angry snarl, righteous indignation in the form of a pony.
To Twilight, she had never looked more beautiful.
Crack!
Twilight spun with the strike, compartmentalizing the pain in a single facet of her mind, to fully experience in a moment. Four broken teeth, crushed cheek, cracked jaw… prognosis: no solid foods for a couple days.
She released the facet to experience the full pain of the hit and hissed as she staggered. She spit blood, and tooth fragments, while turning to look back at Rainbow. “Nice punch.”
Rainbow snorted, still hovering though she hadn’t drawn her hoof back again. “Way to grit your teeth… WHAT THE BUCK, TWI?!”
“I’m sorry I sent you away, but it was the only way to-”
“Not that! I get that! If it was me that had to get you out, I’da done it, no hesitation.” She crossed her forelegs and looked away, cheeks still burning with anger. “...I wasn’t jumping for joy, but I get it.” She turned back, ears flattening. “But what in Tartarus was that spell?! We don’t use spells that blow ourselves up! That’s just… and you made Pinkie cry!”
Twilight winced, her ears tucking back as she fought the urge to look away. She wouldn’t; Rainbow deserved better. “I didn’t want to do it that way. Clover’s spell uses life energy… what the zebra call ‘Ki’. The original spell draws on it to push away your foes and heal your friends. But… if you channel enough, you can shorten your life. Hence the name.”
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “And you never explained that because you knew we’d say ‘don’t use something like that’.”
Twilight grimaced. The truth was, she’d have been happy to explain it if Rainbow’s eyes hadn’t glazed over whenever she’d been around when Twilight and Starlight had talked about it with anypony. This wasn’t the time to mention that; on the contrary Twilight wasn’t done confessing. No excuses, no hiding. “It’s worse than you think. To use that much power, enough to destroy Cursus and the Spire, I had to kill that body. I used a potent poison to do it. In my last moments, I could-”
“You poisoned yourself?!”
“Yes! And no! It was no different than cutting off a limb to escape a rockslide, Rainbow! Grisly, but if you have no other option…”
Rainbow winced, and Twilight could practically see her remembering facing that decision at least once in the past. “Twi… what about… I dunno,” Rainbow looked down, tears still running down her cheeks, but no longer from anger. “Your mind? Your… soul?”
“T.A.C.T. ...Or maybe S.T.A.C.T. would be better, since it’s Starswirl’s spell and all.”
Rainbow snorted. “Like I know what that means.”
Twilight smiled, and then winced as her face reminded her that that was a stupid thing to do just then. “I did explain that one to you, you just weren’t paying attention.”
“Yeah, well… it’s egghead stuff…” Rainbow muttered, trailing off.
“I know. ...But it means my soul was absolutely not at any risk. They’d have to collapse Equus into a singularity to threaten an Aetheric Conduit of that strength. And if they can do that, we’re bucked anyway.”
“...Fine. But you’ll apologize to Pinkie Pie!”
“I will.”
“And no more Mortal Coil whatever! You need something blown up, I’ll hit it really hard.”
“I can vouch for that,” Twilight said dryly, trying not to smirk as she ran her primaries gingerly across her rapidly swelling cheek.
Rainbow grimaced and looked away. “...Sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I love you, too, Rainbow. Now and always.”
Rainbow’s lips trembled, and she flung herself at Twilight, hugging her tightly. “You really scared me. Don’t do it again. If you do… promise I go with you.”
“Rainbow-”
“Promise! I’ll believe you, and I’ll be there, no matter what! I know why you… just… please…”
Twilight breathed a long, shuddering sigh as tears streaked her own cheeks, adding more sting to the battered one. Deserved. “I can’t promise not to use life energy. It’s very similar to earth pony magic, and it’s too valuable for healing. You saw that yourself. But… what happened in the Spire… okay. Never again. I promise, Rainbow. ...If you hadn’t gotten hurt protecting me, we couldn’t have stopped him at all.”
“Good… and yeah… that was pretty awesome…”
Twilight giggled, nuzzling her friend. “Very awesome, Rainbow. ...Um. What happened to the other oni in the Spire? I didn’t really consider them foes so much as obstacles, so...”
Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, you got them, too. The top of the Spire was just gone, but they weren’t. They were mostly unconscious from what I saw when I flew over, or so loopy they might as well have been. Silent Cricket was already there with some of his hive’s warriors. ...Preeeetty sure all those oni are now in changeling cocoons.”
“Huh… well, I guess that works, too.”
------------------------------------------
Rarity hopped to the left as a car flew past her head, missing by inches. A shield, held in place for a fraction of a second, deflected a baston as Joyeuse lunged independent of her stance. Aiden caught the blade with an open hand, blood splattered across it and the broken, rocky ground beneath them from the blade carving into his palm and fingers. Rarity winced but kept up the attack, firing a blast from her horn that overwhelmed the defensive baston and hit his shoulder, burning flesh and sending him spinning to the ground. Before he could hit he vanished, appearing beside her while reoriented in mid-air, with a kick aimed at the center of her back.
Another shield stopped it, but the force cratered the soft rock below her hooves, marring her balance enough that she couldn’t follow up as he regained his footing. His next strike cracked a bone in one of her hind legs, but overextending put him in range of the other. She heard, and felt, two of his ribs crack under the force of the kick. He wheezed, backpedaling as she brought Joyeuse up to touch the tip to his throat. The floating baston caught it, but was carved in half by the superior weapon, and the blade reached him. A thin line of blood ran down it as Rarity’s eyes widened.
I… I got him!
Aiden grinned. “Goddamn, darlin’... you got me.”
Their injuries vanished as the dreamscape reset, becoming the nostalgic campfire with its surprisingly comfortable log. Aiden gave Rarity a quick, martial bow, which she returned before giggling ecstatically. “That makes one to… well a lot, but still!”
Aiden nodded, sitting down to take a break. Even if the injuries didn’t last, they still felt the exertion of the used magic. “Damn right. It’s amazing how far you’ve come in such a short time. Pretty sure I’ve said that before, but it bears repeating.”
“I’ve had a great teacher,” she replied, hopping up onto the log next to him and nuzzling his cheek before planting a quick kiss by his ear. She sighed happily as a hand ran down her side, a caress and a hug. “Still,” she continued, raising an eyebrow at him, “How much are you holding back? And don’t lie to me.”
“Hmm,” he hummed, pondering briefly. “In terms of technique, I’m not, too much. Other than like, dropping more cars on you or something, but that’s not really good for training, other than training you to ‘doooodge!’.” She snickered her agreement. “Speed and power… maybe a little. I can’t like… give you a percentage, but less and less as time’s gone by, and not just in here. Speaking of ‘in here…’ though… Princess Luna? Can you hear us?”
“I am here, Aiden, Rarity,” Princess Luna replied, appearing suddenly from within the moon before descending gracefully to stand by the fire. Rarity grinned happily as she took in the spectacle of the Princess of the Night. Luna returned the look with a smile of her own, and a nod of acknowledgment to each of them. “I have observed your training with great interest. It’s been some time since I’ve seen humans and ponies training together. It’s most nostalgic.”
“Thanks for the chance to get some last minute practice in,” Aiden said. Rarity nodded her agreement. “Any word from Canterlot?”
“Some, yes. My Lieutenant has successfully escaped the city, bypassing the shield via the waterfalls below the foundations. I believe it can serve as your ingress as well.”
“That’s great news… assuming Garken doesn’t just want to punch the shield to death. Your lieutenant though… Falling Leaf, wasn’t it? Is she alright?”
Luna sighed. “She is physically well, though regrettably she witnessed several comrades falling in battle while she was forced to flee. She has a powerful weapon of the enemy in her possession and could not risk them regaining it. It was the correct decision, but she blames herself for Captain Sunshower’s death nonetheless.”
Aiden winced. He knew that feeling only too well. Rarity pressed against him comfortingly. She, too, was no stranger to that guilt. “What about Raven, and Discord?” Rarity asked.
“While a fragment of Discord’s consciousness did manage to escape, the lion’s share of his power and knowledge are trapped within the stone. Raven too, is still trapped in the castle. But to our knowledge, they are the only captives.”
“That’s something then,” Aiden said. “Getting them out will be our priority.”
“Agreed, darling.”
“My sister will be most grateful. In the past half year or so, she and Raven have grown quite close. And, in an odd sort of way, Discord is her oldest… mmm... acquaintance.”
Rarity giggled.
“Well then, one marefriend and one acquaintance to be fetched from the captive castle. Quest accepted, your highness,” Aiden said. Rarity nodded her agreement, tossing Luna a quick salute.
The Night Princess smiled. “I’m glad to hear that, because it’s nearly time for you both to wake up.”
------------------------------------------
Preparation in the very early morning had been quick, simple, and nearly silent. Rarity was wearing the same armored cloth barding she’d received from Grumman, and Aiden was in his combat uniform. Even bathing and mane care had been quick and to the point: Rarity’s mane and tail were both in tight buns. Aiden’s hair, short enough that its messy nature didn’t hinder anything anyway, looked to have seen a comb at least. Rarity’s eyebrow twitched a bit looking at it, but that was a discussion for another time. A short breakfast and they were off, shifting through Aiden’s verse in a portal hop spam trip to Canterlot. Gram and Gwendolyn didn’t keep them waiting, but did remain utterly silent during the trip. Rarity couldn’t blame them; without being accustomed to it (or having Joyeuse to lean on), Aiden’s travel method definitely took some getting used to.
“What do you think we’re in for?” She asked from her seat in the flower garden. While she hadn’t truly explored Aiden’s verse (and at over 300 meters in diameter there was a fair bit to it), she already suspected this would be her favorite spot, and it was always where they returned to.
“Wish I could say. By what little we know from the princesses and Buncord-”
Rarity snickered.
“Briareus is strong and well-prepared, at least personally, for what he expected to find here. He had to assume you and I would make it here, so that included us even before the attack on Ponyville failed. Whether or not he’ll have specific tricks or weapons in mind to use against us I can’t say. But he had two for Discord, and his armies fought humans for ten years, so I’m not ruling it out. It’s not the Oni-koru approach, but to hear several of their officers tell it, their king has a different traditional tact than their soldiers.”
“That never made sense to me.”
“Eh… I kind of get it. A soldier follows orders from the country he serves, but he can’t be expected to keep the big picture of the entire war in mind when the bullets are flying. Conversely, the leader isn’t expected to make decisions based on those bullets. He has to treat his army as a resource… both renewable and, in some cases, expendable.”
Rarity grimaced. “I see why you stepped down from a higher officer position.”
Aiden nodded. “My hat’s off to those who can make the cold-blooded decisions necessary to win sometimes… but I suck at Chess. Those pawns have families…” He smiled over at her. “I prefer to just be a knight, protecting my Queen. Or Princess, if she prefers that title.”
She snorted derisively, though couldn’t quite keep the blush from her cheeks. “That was a terrible line! Besides, you’re a Knight Lieutenant, and here you are defending all of Equestria, so it doesn’t even apply!”
He chuckled. “Well sure, gotta keep my Queen’s castle safe and all.”
“All of Equestria is my castle, you say?”
“Maybe not all of it… but I feel like most of your stuff is here, so, close enough.”
“True… oh, we seem to be closing in.” It was a simple matter to watch the world, even with the strobing effect of Aiden’s portal hopping, thanks to Joyeuse’s calming song and her connection to Aiden’s talent. Filtering out his verse to see just the outside world left her with a view of them hopping their way up the Canterhorn, which she had to admit was an odd sight.
“Yeah… you realize I’ve gotten faster? I mean I think we knew that but it’s really messing with my math.”
“I’m sure you’ll adjust in time, dear.”
“Speaking of adjusting…” With that, the angle of the portals changed as he altered their course. Rarity knew why; she could sense the familiar darkness of the one they were meeting, the one they’d be storming a hostile Canterlot with. ...This was going to be an odd day.
------------------------------------------
Garken examined the shield carefully, while the griffons flew in a scouting perimeter and Tempest stood nearby, looking bored but disciplined. He nodded decisively. “I can break this without too much trouble. With help, I can generalize the force of the destruction to make our actual point of attack unclear. I can’t tell for certain how many soldiers he has with him inside, but at least three generals. The shield obscures lesser auras. Any opinions on the matter?”
Tempest shook her head. “Analysis of a magical effect in progress isn’t really my forte. Focusing on that sort of thing requires a properly working horn.”
“Fair enough. What about strategies for storming a city of an unknown number of combatants with a numerically inferior force?”
“Conventional wisdom would say ‘don’t’, but our force is unconventional. I’d recommend stealth, at least until the castle, and then a distraction to pull enemy forces away from an extraction team for the captives.”
He grinned, and nodded. “Agreed.” He looked over at where Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were talking quietly. The latter had an impressively bruised cheek over what were almost certainly broken bones, but Garken paid that little mind. Her power capacity jump from when her clone had died was far more interesting, and that capacity had already nearly topped off. They were strong, both of them. Far stronger than they let on, or maybe even realized. It would be interesting to see how they fought, particularly her at full strength, if she even could. He could see it in her… fear of being feared. Fear of becoming the monsters you fought, of losing yourself. It was something he’d seen many times… something some could argue he’d lived. He had lost a great deal… and what, really, had he ever gained?
His arm itched, and the blue glow radiated gently around the scar. Hmph. I suppose I still have time to answer that.
They were approaching; he could feel it. At the same time he looked up, he noticed Twilight Sparkle’s ears twitch in the direction of their approach. He felt a twinge, and smiled, remembering her ears doing the same sort of thing.
And then, out of seemingly nowhere, there they were. The griffons he dismissed; they were disoriented and would need a moment to recover from the strange aether flow that accompanied Aiden’s portals. But Aiden, and Rarity…
They both looked to have grown a bit, if not physically. Their victory against him in Baltimore had done them a considerable favor, and coming to this world had built on that foundation of strength. Rarity might not have matched either of the other two ‘Element Bearers’ in pure power, but the feel about her gave him confidence that she’d be reliable in the coming conflict. And perhaps she had more she could learn.
Aiden stepped forward, and Garken fought a smirk as he locked stares with the esper. But the human’s gaze didn’t waver as he looked up at the much taller warrior. Garken felt his magic gathering, but there was no hostile intent in it. There was anger, tightly controlled, and wariness (he’d be a fool otherwise), and… something else. Something that made the scar in his arm, and his chest, burn oddly. The young Esper held out a hand, and Garken could feel the portal that instantly, smoothly divided reality.
He wasn’t prepared for the next feeling as Keia’s sword appeared in Aiden’s hand. The human held it out, pommel first, to Garken. “She was your student, right? I took this from her in our final battle, but not as a trophy. Under the circumstances, I’d like to return it.”
Garken grit his teeth, clamping down on any emotional display. “In our last battle, you used it against me.” He wasn’t angry about that, quite the contrary in fact, and yet...
“Technically that was me,” Rarity said from Aiden’s side. When had she stepped forward? How long had he been staring at the blade?
*
Six Years ago…
“You have failed me! You most of all! My newest General! I gave you the enemy you wanted, with your assurances of victory! You didn’t merely lose, you saved the humans’ lives afterward! What have you to say? How will you beg for my mercy?!” Briareus screamed at an indifferent Keia Luxuria. No, more than indifferent, she was grinning. Small, gleaming fangs struck a stark contrast to darkened lips as her ears seemed to almost dance in their twitching amusement.
To Garken, who knew her better than anyone ever would, she might as well have been rolling on the floor, howling with laughter. Instead, she stood insouciantly, her remaining hand resting on her hip. “I won’t,” she replied casually. “I fought, and lost. After that, I decided to help my enemies survive, since no objectives were left to contest. A show of respect, strength to strength. Windborne could have executed me on the spot had he wished.”
Briareus stepped forward, towering over the newest oni general. “It is not for you to decide what objectives we have,” he whispered, clamping down on his fury for a moment. “You are MY general. ...Were. Now you are a traitor. Grand Marshal Caedum… execute this trash immediately.”
Garken’s eyebrow went up, his hesitation clear. “You want me to kill her… my king?”
“FOLLOW MY ORDERS, GRAND MARSHAL. DO NOT TAKE THIS WRETCH’S EXAMPLE!”
Keia burst out laughing as she glanced sidelong at Garken. “Oh my… it’s been awhile since you’ve acknowledged me beyond being your student, old man! How delightful on my deathbed!”
“SILENCE!” Briareus screamed, backhanding her hard enough to stagger her. She regained her stance almost immediately, blood running down her lip. Her grin was no longer subtle.
“Can I have another, oh mighty king?” she taunted in a husky purr.
He snarled in rage, and thrust an open hand into her face. A blast of energy larger than her body exploded from that open palm, engulfing her completely. Garken started in shock… it was no magic he’d ever felt. And Briareus’ hand… were those... talons? What was….
Keia, inside the cascade of magic, was laughing again. “It’s so warm! Is this death?! It’s wonderful!” She cackled as her voice took a sarcastic edge. “Thank you, oh mighty king! Any lingering guilt I felt…” She coughed, and Garken could see her outline fading inside the blinding light. “Farewell… fa...” Her voice trailed off as her body, her very essence, were rent apart.
“Hmph. It seems you’ll be spared having to prove your loyalty. I’ve taken the pleasure of executing the traitor myself. Return to the surface and coordinate with the remnants of Maegren’s group. Our next attack will be soon; I will not allow the humans a moment to celebrate their victory.
Fingers bit into flesh as Garken clenched both hands. “Yes, my king.” On that day, he left the service of King Briareus.
*
With a neutral expression, despite the warmth emanating from his scars, Garken reached out and took the offered blade. He was surprised when he had no impulse to turn and swing it at the human’s head. Not that he would have done so even had said impulse surfaced, but the feeling of calm that ran through him instead was completely unexpected. He sighed softly, shutting his eyes a moment. “Thank you, for returning this,” he said simply.
Aiden, for his part, seemed caught just as off guard. Seemed he’d expected an attack as well. “Uh… you’re welcome. Seemed the thing to do.”
“Generous of you.”
Rarity smiled softly as she regarded the human. Ah, those two have bonded more strongly. I wonder how they overcame the differences in species. Not that it mattered. And her eyes hardened to sapphire-like glint as she looked up at him. “Johnathan would have wanted us to give you a chance, despite everything. So we will. Please, don’t make us regret it.”
Between the warmth in his arm, and the sword, and the sincerity in her eyes, eyes I respect beyond any expectation, he surprised himself by bowing deeply to her. “Upon the life of my child, I swear my fealty to your cause. So long as Briareus threatens Equus, I will serve in its defense.”
Rarity reared back on one forehoof, surprised by the gesture. “I… accept your pledge. Thank you, Garken Caedum, for helping us. ...I didn’t know you had a child.”
Garken smiled, and locked eyes with Aiden. “You just gave me back her sword.”
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The ends justify the means? Then bring on the Natchmagen! let our allies fear and our enemies wail!
Take the power and hear the screams!
Hear the screams and taste the blood!
Taste the blood and eat the pain!
Eat the pain and call the death!
Call the death and take the power!
Wow, Rainbow is the worst sort of cunt - she's neither smart enough to understand what happened (nor can she be bothered to listen when people try to explain something she doesn't care about), nor does she have any actual alternatives to how the situation could have been handled without them losing or dying - but to hell with that, all she knows is that she doesn't like it and that's that. You made Pinkie cry, boo hoo. Fuck the countryside and the civilians and the lives of others that Twilight saved with that stunt, right? *spits* She'd rather see them lose than win with methods her pegasusness doesn't approve of.
I despise people like her. With "friends" like that you hardly needs enemies, as they can be more destructive to your own chances at victory than anything the enemy does. I hope she gets an epic ass-beating from someone for the stunt she pulled just now, because she sure deserves it, along with a sore dose of reality hammered into that feeble mind of hers.
a super impressive chapter grate details.
this battle will be interesting to see play out.
What exactly does Twilight mean by "Celestia's footsteps"? I don't see anything to suggest that this Celestia is overtly pacifist...
Okay, that, to me at least, is a tad too much. But then again, Twilight seems to think it's okay, so... I'll just leave it at that.
Well, so long as you hold on to emotions such as guilt and regret (within reason), you should be fine. Anyway, I look forward to Twilight and co. going full power.
Now I'm confused as to whether he meant that literally or metaphorically.
Ah, Equestria at war. What a thing, exciting and saddening at the same time; exciting because we get to see Equestria pit its full effort into a fight, and saddening because so many innocent livelihoods will be ruined. Well, we do what we must and all that.
9210163
He probably meant it literally.
9210222
...
Oh. OH! So that last "fa..." was an attempt at saying "father". I didn't notice that before! Thanks!
9210163
Nah, it's not pacifist so much as, from Twilight's point of view, not planning enough, or as she put it 'winning by blind luck'. Celestia sent Twilight to deal with Nightmare Moon without any real instructions. She turned the Sombra thing into some kind of test and told Twilight to do it alone, which was a bit misleading. If Spike hadn't been there... Tirek... one could argue that Discord should have taken care of things if he weren't so stupid (I mean he fell for such an obvious 'join me' speech), but after that... what was the plan? Give Twi all three other alicorns' powers... and then what?
Celestia plays everything close to the chest. Does she know everything will work out and just plays the fool while giving just enough info to steer her General (Twilight) in the right direction? And her plans are so insane and perfect that they look like nothing but dumb luck? ...Maybe. She's really old and she ruled Equestria peacefully for longer than any nation on Earth has managed to stay peaceful. ...Or maybe it really has just been them winning by the seat of their pants. Twilight doesn't know... but either way, and in true Twilight fashion, she thinks more planning is better. It's especially true for her in terms of the Storm King's invasion and the mass changeling ponynapping. Those were both huge, planned attacks that Celestia seemingly did absolutely nothing against. This will be a big conversation between those two at some point; there's nothing saying Twilight is right (you may agree with her, or not), but I'll say she's not completely wrong.
Twilight deliberately stood there and a full on punch from Rainbow, to help square things between them (and cool Rainbow down). She could heal the wound faster, or have blocked most of the impact; she just choose not to. It's why Rainbow apologized about it; she'd been expecting her to block or what have you. Rainbow, in that moment, was on pure emotion of the situation. She'd basically watched, and felt, Twilight die. Even rationally knowing that hadn't happened, it still scared the crap out of her (especially after being sent away from where it happened). Twi gave her a chance to vent on that, and what grows from the understanding they've reached... will be more apparent down the road. There's another rather... emotional comment below about Rainbow's reaction, so I get that this is a divisive moment for the characters. But it's less the end of their discussion and more the beginning.
9210274
Wow. I'm glad you replied but I didn't expect it anything that long. I'll try my best to respond but I don't have much time, so...
Anyway, here goes...
Ah, that side of Celestia? When you say it like that, one person comes to mind. Dumbledore. Being a leader puts a lot of responsibility on one's shoulders. It's so easy to criticize someone when one doesn't know the full story, but such is the price of leadership.
I just remembered, Aiden said something similar himself.
Anyway, I myself think that Celestia has plans for certain things and doesn't for others; she most likely had one for Nightmare Moon, but on the flip side, unless Celestia is more devious than we thought, I don't really think Celestia planned for a Changeling decapitation strike. But regardless of whether or not she has plans, she does tend to keep what she does have close. As you say, it probably has something to do with Celestia being nigh immortal; with experience like that, one would have a very different way of looking at things.
A fic popped into my head while thinking about this; it touches closely on our current topic of discussion, so I'll just leave a link here. It's also a pretty great fic in and of itself, so I recommend that you give it a read; it might even give you a new view on things, it did for me, actually.
- MLP: FiM
- Slice of Life
As one waxes and the other wanes in the transition between day and night, Luna and Celestia play a game of chess.As for Rainbow's reaction, well... I can excuse it as a heat of the moment thing, but I'd rather not have her do that again. My favorite character is Twilight, so I'll defend her with a fury if need be, but since Twilight is ok with being punched, I'll respect her opinion and forgive Rainbow Dash as well; there wasn't even much to forgive in the first place: while Rainbow Dash's reaction is, in my opinion, extreme and more physical than needed, regardless of what she thought Twilight would do, it is at the same time witihin understanding. As I said, Twilight is my favorite character, so when I think about what I'd feel if she does what practically amounts to a suicide bombing in front of me... Tl;dr, I don't exactly like it, but I understand and forgive her.
Also, this won't have any long-term negative effects on Rainbow and Twilight's friendship. In fact, I doubt that it'll even have short-term effects. They both have an understanding and have put it behind.
?
*scrolls down*
Oh. Yeah. Ahem, moving on...
Yeah, that's all I have the time for now. If I had some more time I'd probably think of more points to touch on, especialy about Celestia, but alas, I've been quite busy lately. So yeah, I actually do want to talk a bit more (I live in Japan, it's not everyday I get to converse in English, much less about MLP), but as I said, time constraints and all that. So... if it's agreeable with you, I'd like to have a little chat again sometime.
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Sorry about the long reply; I can get wordy sometimes. As to discussing any of this... well along the same lines I don't mind that a bit. Reply in your own time, if you wish. I've had to cut off discussions before myself; real life takes precedence. That said, this will be a short response since... well frankly I agree with pretty much everything you said there.
It can be tricky to write characters who don't quite agree with your personal opinion, but are close. Aiden's quote there (deliberately in this same chapter) is far closer to how I view Celestia than what Twilight's currently feeling, and while she could be more clear in her instructions I understand why she isn't sometimes. And not just because it would make the show boring, though that is part of it. I mean, if she told Twilight exactly what to do, there'd be no tension for the audience other than 'can Twilight follow orders?' and that's not the kind of character they want Twilight to be. I respect that. But from Twilight's point of view... well I can get some frustration. And you're right, Celestia isn't perfect and she'd be the first to admit that. Often she has a good strategy for a crisis, but even veteran leaders can be surprised. I'll take a look at that fic; I've read a couple things by Winston iirc, but not that one.
As to Twi and Rainbow here... yeah. Any disagreement tends to have three sides: yours, theirs, and the truth. But like you say, their friendship is stronger than this and they'll be fine, both growing from it.
She's my favorite as well... which is why I like showing her at her best rather than writing her like 'Lesson Zero' is the only episode she's ever been in, even if she's not perfect (We're Not Flawless!)
So...what, are they going to feed on the love of violence?
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It's still love...?