Chapter 22 - Mistaken Beliefs
Sunburst stood at the end of a wide hallway, a scroll and quill held aloft in his magic as he scrutinized the sedate swirling energies of the portal on the Earth side. Lining either wall of the corridor were men and women from the United Nations international peacekeeping forces along with armored ponies from the Canterlot Royal Guard, all standing in silent watch.
Sunburst's horn glowed brighter, and he frowned slightly before making a few annotations on the scroll, the sound of the quill scratching across paper loud in a stark silence broken only by the hum of the portal and the faint buzz of the florescent lights.
He rolled up the scroll, placing it and the quill into his saddlebags, then extracted a long crystal rod. He pointed it at the portal, whereupon the rod glowed, and the energies along the surface of the magic mirror that was the portal's central component swirled faster.
Sunburst's ears swiveled forward to listen to the rise of the portal's hum as he sent it through a null cycle, meaning a power-up as if to allow passage but with no intention of sending any physical object through. All he sent was a weak burst of raw magical energy, which was immediately echoed back by the mages on the other side. Satisfied, he lowered the rod and let the portal power down.
He turned away from the portal and headed into the chamber that served as both a security center and custom's office. A United States army officer crisply stepped up to him and held out his hand. Sunburst returned the rod, and several security cameras turned towards the soldier as he held up the rod briefly before placing it back in its storage unit, which itself was secured with a digital combination lock.
Sunburst then stepped towards a security station where a stoic-faced Equestrian unicorn performed a full body scan upon him. He then checked the results against what the portal had recorded in the past half hour and nodded. "Approved for re-entry to Earth," the unicorn announced.
Sunburst proceeded to the customs station. Had he actually come through the portal, he would have had all his personal non-magical items identified, examined, and run through X-ray. In this case, they waved him through. He uttered a relieved sigh when he was finally past all the portal security, having only to show his badge to another guard to enter the site facility.
As he headed into a conference room that had been designated his workroom, another Equestrian mage was waiting for him, one with a dusky red coat and dark blue mane. "I looked over the records again as you had asked," said Dusk Fire in Equish.
"And?" Sunburst prompted.
"Still no sign somepony made an error. We still see the same discrepancy."
"And what about the others who had come through during that time period?"
"Everypony has been accounted for," said Dusk. "We interviewed them extensively and used lie-detecting spells. They all passed."
Sunburst sighed. "Surely there must be some sort of mistake!"
"Did your examination of the portal reveal anything?" asked Dusk.
"Nothing." Sunburst withdrew the scroll from his saddlebags and passed it to the mage. "It's working perfectly. No sign of the sort of leakage that could lead to an erroneous reading."
Dusk unrolled the scroll and peered at it.
"I am quite at a loss as to the source of this discrepancy." Sunburst adjusted his glasses. "Just how critical is this?"
Dusk lowered the scroll. "After Village Center, this is becoming a huge deal to the American Congress. They want answers yesterday."
"They always do," Sunburst said in a glum voice.
"There are some ponies who have not been interviewed yet."
"Who?"
"Well, you, for one."
Sunburst waved a hoof. "Fine, fine, I'll submit to being interviewed if it means dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's."
Dusk stared. "Huh?"
"Sorry, Earth expression."
"Oh. Anyway, there's also Starlight and Trixie."
"Starlight is very busy, what with trying to maintain her instruction schedule and help Princess Twilight with certain matters. I'm sure Trixie is just as busy."
"Still, we need to interview them to complete the final report," said Dusk. "Even if it comes up empty. When are they due to return to Equestria?"
"This weekend," said Sunburst. "Trixie at least. The Princess may wish Starlight to remain. I need to get back to her myself so I can better go over my findings concerning human magic. Can it wait until then?"
Dusk considered. "Maybe. I'll have to shoot it up the line. UNPOC is going to have fits when they hear we can't resolve this easily."
Sunburst wanted to comment that it seemed like humans would have fits over the littlest things these days, but that would be giving into the frustration that many Equestrians felt on this side of the portal. One of the reasons Equestrian ponies rotated in and out so much was reaching the limit of what they could tolerate of human bureaucracy.
Sunburst looked thoughtful. "Hmm."
"Yes?" said Dusk.
"Oh, I was just thinking of something," said Sunburst. "Had there been a rotation in the mage assigned to the magic security station during the audit interval?"
"I don't remember, let me check." Dusk turned to the table and levitated a tablet PC and a stylus. After a few moments he replied, "Yes, there was. On Saturday."
"So the mage who tended to Starlight, Trixie, and myself was different from the one who tended those before."
"Yes, but what's your point?"
"Can you check the record of that mage?" Sunburst asked. "Perhaps interview him as well. He may indeed have made some sort of a mistake but doesn't realize it."
Dusk nodded. "I'll get on it at once."
"Thank you. I would much rather we put this one to bed so I can get back to more important matters."
Molly sat staring morosely at the half-finished remains of her lunch. Her wings sat limply at her sides, only the occasional twitch evidence that she was even cognizant of them. When thoughts of her father threatened to intrude into her mind again, she squeezed her eyes shut until the urge to cry had passed.
Memories were not any better. Even when she tried to recall something pleasant about him, it drew her back to remembering more of her life as a human. Her thoughts then became an emotionally jumbled mess of what could or should have been. The dream she had before waking had not helped; since it had been entered by a night pony, the dream had stuck with her as good as if it had been reality, only adding more confusion and uncertainty.
"Honey, you've hardly touched your lunch," her mother said gently.
"I'm not hungry right now," Molly muttered.
"Maybe just a few more bites? You need to keep up your strength. Remember what Doctor Whisper Touch said about a growing pegasus."
Molly frowned and pushed the plate away. She lifted her fore-hoof and stared at it. The vision from the dream of her becoming a human girl again tried to impose itself upon the present, yet a hoof was all she saw.
After a long pause, Theresa asked in a hesitant voice. "Something wrong with your hoof?"
Molly clopped it hard to the table. "Maybe this was all a big mistake after all."
"I know coming out here wasn't what you wanted, but--"
"I don't mean that!" Molly snapped. "Maybe Dad was right. Maybe it was wrong for us to become ponies in the first place."
Theresa's eyes glistened as they gazed with uncertainty at her daughter. Molly had no idea how to interpret that look.
"You said ponies would never do something like this," Molly said, her voice cracking slightly. "You said ponies were better than humans."
"Molly, I never said such a thing."
"But that's what you meant, wasn't it? Ponies are supposed to be kinder than humans. We're supposed to be less violent than humans! So why was my father sh-shot?!"
Molly's voice had risen to a near scream, and her vision became watery. She wiped the tears away without acknowledging them. Tears made her feel powerless, and she had had enough of that.
Theresa hopped out of her seat and came around to Molly. She tried to take her daughter into her fore-legs, but Molly resisted, fluttering her wings to emphasize the point.
"I don't need hugs, I need somepony to tell me why!" Molly demanded.
Theresa looked about to cry herself, and Molly had to resist feeling guilty for rebuffing her mother's embrace. Nevertheless, just taking in her mother's scent had managed to calm her down some, though she didn't realize it on a conscious level.
"It was a terrible accident," said Theresa. "If anything, a pony was trying to prevent anypony from being hurt."
The dream came back to Molly again, and she was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. "It was Morning Glow, wasn't it?"
"Yes.
"Should we be staying here, then? What if she wants to hurt us, too?!"
"She wouldn't!"
"But how do you know that? Can you know for sure?"
Theresa lowered her gaze for a moment and took a deep breath. "She never meant to hurt your father. She was trying to stop that human from hurting people. Ponies don't intentionally harm others."
Molly wanted to believe that. She wanted to continue believing everything she had ever been told about her fellow ponies. Yet there was still one inescapable fact that threatened to blow all of it out of the water.
"What were they doing there in the first place?" Molly demanded. "Dad said they were trespassing, that they wanted to take over that neighborhood for themselves. Is that true?"
Theresa hesitated, but finally nodded. "That's what I've heard, yes."
"Is that something ponies are supposed to do?"
"I ... these ponies were not ... I-I'm not sure what to tell you, honey, I'm sorry."
Molly frowned. She wanted answers, and her mother was always there to provide them. Except this time, it seemed.
Theresa took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was more steady. "You've been remembering what it was like to be human, right?"
The dream came to her again, and Molly tried not to shudder. She gave her mother a wary look. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Maybe you remember that sometimes humans did bad things," said Theresa. "But you knew all humans were not like that."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It's the same situation here. Sometimes ... sometimes ponies can do bad things."
Molly's wings quivered as she heard the anguish in her mother's voice.
"Maybe we do have it better as ponies," Theresa continued, though the conviction in her voice was weak. "But ponies are not perfect. We can still make mistakes."
"Is that what you call what they were doing?" Molly asked. "A mistake?"
"In a way, yes."
Molly frowned as another memory resurfaced. "Two years ago, we came back from a trip to New York, and someone had broken a window and got into the house. You didn't call that a mistake, you called it a crime!"
Theresa gave her daughter a helpless look.
"Isn't that what happened here?" Molly continued. "Those ponies committed a crime. You told me ponies don't do that sort of thing! It's why you said I was safe going around town on my own."
"Molly, please, this ... this was not normal. Normally, ponies don't do this sort of thing," said Theresa.
"And how am I supposed to know the 'normal' ponies from these?" Molly cried. "How am I supposed to believe this won't happen again after we get home?!"
On some level, Molly knew she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted; a single sorrowful look from her mother only confirmed it. She tried not to let it boil over into resentment, but months of lies promulgated by the very one she trusted the most weighed on her too much.
Theresa appeared to struggle for an answer, and she finally started to say in a halting, quavering voice, "It won't happen back home because we don't have any Shim--"
Both ponies were startled by a soft knock at the door.
Molly's wings fluttered as Theresa paused to compose herself before heading towards the door. She opened it a crack, then flinched slightly. Molly craned her neck to see who it was, but Theresa would not open the door further. She swiveled her ears forward and managed to catch, "I'd like to come in for a moment," in a voice that made her want to cringe.
"This is not a good time," Theresa said in a stiff voice.
"Please," said Morning Glow. "I need to speak to Molly."
Molly swallowed hard, her wings flexing.
"I don't think that's a good idea right now," Theresa replied. "Frankly, I'm not sure any time would be good."
Morning let out a quavering sigh. "I just want to help her understand."
Molly's heart pounded. She kept trying to tell herself what her mother had said, that it had been a terrible accident, a mistake, that this pony had no intention of hurting any being. Instead, all she could think of was how her mother might have been lying to her all this time, so why should she trust her mother now?
Yet Morning had let them stay here and had acted kind towards her. She continued to let them stay despite what had happened. Was that the sign of a bad pony? Weren't ponies supposed to forgive?
"That's what I've been trying to do," Theresa said softly. "I'm not sure you can do any better, and I think you're the last pony she wants to see."
"Could you ask her, please?" said Morning in a voice that was almost a plea.
Theresa sighed. "One moment." She turned to Molly. "It's Morning Glow. She wants to speak to you."
"I heard," Molly said in a low voice.
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
Molly certainly didn't, but she had enough of ponies not being true to what they were supposed to be; she didn't want that happening to her as well. Yet Morning Glow was all her fears crystallized into one pony, and ...
(... confront them. Head-on and at once. Do not delay ...)
Moon Racer's words echoed in her mind as she took a deep breath and said, "I'll talk to her."
Theresa hesitated, her eyes uncertain, before she finally stepped aside. Morning opened the door more fully with a nudge of magic before stepping inside.
Molly had to force herself to make eye contact with the mare. "What do you want?" she said in a curt voice, about all the civility she could muster.
Morning tried to step closer to Molly, but Molly unfolded her wings and backed away. Morning stopped, a pained look in her eyes. "I want to apologize for what happened, Molly. I never, ever meant for your father to be harmed."
Molly slowly folded her wings. "That's what Mom told me."
"I was trying to prevent anypony ... anyone from being harmed."
Molly frowned. "But my father wouldn't have been shot if you hadn't been there in the first place, right?"
Morning hesitated, turning her head towards Theresa as if expecting support. To Molly's surprise, her mother frowned and stepped forward. "Tell her the truth," Theresa said in a firm if strained voice. "All of it. She doesn't deserve to be lied to."
"I had no intention of lying to her," Morning said defensively.
"Then don't withhold the truth."
"How much can she handle? How mature is--"
"Just tell me already!" Molly exploded. "Stop talking like I'm not even here!"
Morning blinked at the rebuke but nodded once. "We -- Strong Hooves and I -- believed we had to make a statement."
Molly looked askance at her. "What kind of statement?"
"Humans want to take our land."
"My Dad didn't! He was just trying to buy a house."
"Not all humans, no," Morning said quickly. "I realize that. But some humans do, and they're the ones the government is listening to. We had to do something to show they can't just walk all over us."
"So you thought you would force the humans from that neighborhood?" Molly asked.
Morning smiled slightly. "Yes, exactly. To show that we can't be run off without listening to us first. Something we have to do things that--"
"That's not how ponies are supposed to solve problems!" Molly shouted.
Morning's ears drew back. "Molly, you have to understand, we--"
"I was taught in school that you solve problems with friendship!" Molly cried, her eyes tearing. She wiped them before continuing. "Did you even try to make friends with them?"
Morning frowned. "We've tried. Humans have shown that they don't want to be friends with us."
"I don't believe you."
"If you had lived here for the last few months, you'd understand."
"You didn't even try to make friends with my father!" Molly bellowed. "You treated him like shit!"
Theresa uttered a small gasp at her daughter's language, and for a moment Molly was sure she had earned a punishment for that. She didn't care; her anger was too great to be quelled.
"So I don't believe you when you say you tried, or you would've tried with my father," Molly said.
"He wanted you to rehumanize," said Morning. "None of us here are keen on that."
Molly clenched her teeth. She snapped her wings out and with some effort managed to hover before Morning's face, her wings a blur. "And why is that a reason to treat my father like that? Did you once see him yell at me? Did you ever see him demand I rehumanize no matter what?"
"Molly, I--" Morning started in a quavering voice.
"No, you didn't, because h-he would never do that to me," Molly said, her vision growing blurred and watery again. She thrust a fore-hoof at Morning, almost smacking her in the muzzle. "You didn't care about what he was like as a person. All you saw was that he was a human!"
"You don't understand!" Morning cried. "You've lived in a sheltered community with little contact with humans."
"What difference does that make?!" Molly exploded. "Equestria never had contact with humans before Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer showed up. Did you see them treating humans badly? No, they tried to make friends with them!"
"Twilight was shot at once," Morning said.
"And she still tried to make friends!"
Morning did not reply, though her mouth opened and closed as if desperately searching for words.
Molly slowly sunk to the floor as her wings tired from her adrenaline-fueled pseudo-flight. "That's the kind of friendship we're taught in school. We're taught that friendship is what matters to a pony. It's what being a pony is supposed to be about. How can you even call yourself a pony if you can't even do that?!"
Morning recoiled as if struck across the muzzle.
Theresa stepped up to her daughter and draped a foreleg around Molly's barrel.
At first Molly was going to protest her mother's interference, expecting to be admonished for her outburst. Instead, when Molly looked up into Theresa's face, she could only stare at what she saw.
Her mother was proud of her.
Before her mind could work out this seeming contradiction, Theresa said, "Molly, you've gotten excited and upset. I think you might want to do something else for a bit in order to calm down."
"Yes, I think that's a good idea," said Morning in a relieved and slightly quavering voice.
Theresa gave Morning a neutral glance before saying, "I'd like to speak with Morning Glow myself. Could you head outside for a while for me?"
Molly hesitated. "I'm sure I should. I don't feel safe here anymore."
"You're still perfectly safe here," Morning began. "Nopony here will--"
Theresa held up a fore-hoof. "Just answer me one question," she said in a curt voice. "Is Water Wings about?"
"Yes, he's nearby."
Theresa turned to Molly. "Do you still trust him?"
Molly slowly nodded.
"Then please go to him and don't leave his side until I come for you."
"All right."
Prince Blueblood's horn glowed as he arranged the dozen or so pages before him. His eyes scanned quickly across the text he had penned in his haste to catch up with more mundane matters at Canterlot court. He clicked his tongue when he spotted still more errors, and his quill scratched across the page as he made another correction to join those already littering his speech.
He moved up in line without looking up as a noble ahead of him was admitted to Day Court. He would have loved nothing better than to toss local concerns to the wayside while his focus remained on Earth matters, but that would be tipping his hoof to Celestia too soon. Best she believe him still engaged in matters at court.
Besides, he had been meaning for some time to wheedle more bits from his auntie for the annual noble appreciation banquet, and no time was better than when she was distracted.
He glanced up when he heard the clipped and unharmonious tones of foreign language. He watched as the Russian ambassador spoke with his entourage as they headed away. Blueblood frowned slightly. Earth languages sounded so harsh to his ears. Perhaps he would make a point of having the ponies of Earth taught proper Equish and make it their official language. How their jaws did not become as sore as his when he used the translation spell to speak in their languages, he had no idea.
"Attention!" came a female voice.
Blueblood lowered the papers and gave his undivided attention to Tight Schedule.
"The Princess is running late," said Tight as she trotted down the line of nobles. "Make sure whatever you have to say is actually important."
Blueblood raised an eyebrow as Tight's gaze fixed on him. "Yes?"
"You did hear what I said, right?"
"Every word. I never come to auntie with anything less than matters of grave importance."
Tight levitated her clipboard. "You better be sure. I had to really juggle things to get you all scheduled and leave her time to meet with ambassadors from Earth."
"I assure you, I have no intention of ... ah ..."
Tight tilted her head. "Something the matter?"
Blueblood frowned. Was he actually being summoned by a Farhearing Stone? Who would have the utter audacity and complete lack of refinement to do something of that nature to a prince?
He ground his teeth as he answered his own question: Strong Hooves.
Tight dropped her eyes to her clipboard. "All right, I have you third in line now, your estimated time to see the Princess is--"
"I fear I have a change in plans," said Blueblood as he backed away. "I will reschedule."
Tight looked askance at him. "Am I hearing you right?"
"Consider this my way of supporting the Princess' efforts with Earth," Blueblood said smoothly. "This will give her more time to adjudicate her duties in that regard."
Tight stared. "Are you sure you're not a changeling?"
"Oh, blast it with all this changeling talk!" Blueblood snapped. "I will see Auntie Tia at a later date. At the moment, I am needed urgently elsewhere."
Tight glanced around. "I didn't see a messenger pony arrive."
"I have other ways of knowing when I am needed," said Blueblood as he turned away. "I am a pony of many resources. Now excuse me."
"You're also a pony who knows how to mess up a carefully crafted SCHEDULE!" Tight's voice rose to a bellow as Blueblood hastily departed.
Blueblood raced to his private chamber. Once inside, he sealed the door with a lock spell, then crafted a privacy spell about himself and the gem. He triggered his translation spell, cleared his throat, and waved his fore-hoof.
"Prince Blueblood, I presume," came the voice of Strong Hooves.
"This had better be damned important," Blueblood declared. "I am the one who does the summoning, not the other way around. You would be advised to remember that going forward."
"The situation warrants that I contact you."
"And what is this about? Get to the point, and be quick about it!"
"I'll cut to the chase," said Strong. "I need you to move faster on getting me what I want."
Blueblood frowned. "You are in no position to order about a member of the Canterlot royal court."
"Events are forcing both of us to move faster, Your Highness," said Strong. "This is a matter of necessity and not choice."
Blueblood took a moment to calm down. He had to remind himself that ponies of Earth understood nothing about royal protocol. Indeed, the humans of America which had preceded them had done away with royal rule for some silly reason. They had gone into their pony state already burdened with backward views and the transformation had not helped. "What has changed since we last spoke?"
"It would take too long to explain. Suffice it to say, I may need to transfer leadership of my faction to another soon."
One corner of Blueblood's mouth rose. Perhaps this other pony would be more malleable than Strong was proving to be. "And you do not believe I should wait until this transfer of power is completed?"
"I feel I cannot relinquish that power until we've concluded our business first."
"What is it you want?"
"You already know my needs, Your Highness," Strong said.
As much as Blueblood hated to admit his limitations, as it was not good politics, impatience forced his hoof. "I cannot get you the spell as it is too closely guarded. You will need to settle for something else. I propose giving you as much technical knowledge of the research that led up to the spell as I can."
"Any sort of magical knowledge you give us runs the risk of discovery," said Strong. "Having the completed spell would be ideal, as we could study it and learn how to copy it."
"Nevertheless, it will have to do," said Blueblood. "Once we have you under a protectorate, I can shield your research from prying human eyes."
Strong paused as if considering. "How much research can you give us?"
"As much as I am able. I cannot give you a more definitive answer than that."
"Very well, Your Highness."
Blueblood relaxed and smiled. So the art of negotiation was not quite lost to these foreign ponies.
"The question then becomes, when?" Strong asked.
"How soon are you looking to have this?" Blueblood asked.
"As soon as possible. Within days."
Blueblood raised an eyebrow. "Why is there such a rush? Once you are under a protectorate, you will have the ability to work on it unrestricted."
Of course, that was a lie. Blueblood had every intention of clamping down hard on it. Fancy Pants had been correct in his assessment that nopony should have that spell, especially not a faction that believed the entire planet should be made over in Sunset Shimmer's image.
"As I said, I must see that my objectives are met before I am forced to turn over power, Your Highness," said Strong.
Forced? Just what was going on? Was some sort of coup in progress? Humans seemed to be very good at that sort of thing, so why not the ponies they became as well? Blueblood was sure he could use this to his own ends somehow.
"And while I am reluctant to divulge this, I feel compelled to be honest with you," Strong continued.
"Oh?"
"My successor may not be as keen about the protectorate idea."
"What?!" Blueblood cried. "That is unacceptable! Protectorate status is the only viable way forward for you!"
"I agree fully," said Strong. "Which is why we need to conclude this."
Blueblood's mind raced. "I will make haste to see to your demands," he said in a strained voice.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Please contact me again as soon as you can."
Blueblood clenched his teeth as he waved a fore-hoof over the gem in annoyance. He dispelled the privacy spell and the seal on his door and burst out of his residence. He headed over to his office and sought his secretary, a unicorn mare with the name Quick Quill.
Quick bowed her head and said in a soft voice, "Good day, Your Grace. What may I do for you?"
"I need Trixie in Canterlot at once," Blueblood declared.
"She's still with Starlight Glimmer on an instruction tour on Earth, Your Grace."
"Recall her anyway!" Blueblood thundered. "I need her here."
Quick's ears quivered. "Of course, but we'll need to arrange the right time so that our collaborator is the mage on portal duty."
"Blast that, he's not needed! She's already delivered the Farhearing Stone. She'll not trip any of the portal's detection spells."
"Yes, Your Grace, right away!" said Quick as she bolted from her seat and galloped away.
Blueblood let out a long sigh. He was going to see this work no matter what it took.
Theresa waited until her daughter had left the house before she allowed herself to feel the full fury that had been building ever since Molly had made her realize a simple fact that she had been blind to until then. She barely held herself from yelling when Morning Glow uttered a relieved sigh and began, "I realize your daughter is upset, but I'm glad you brought a stop to--"
"Shut up."
Morning snapped her gaze back to Theresa, her pupils shrinking. Only then did Theresa realize that the odd noise she was hearing were her own teeth grinding.
Theresa advanced towards Morning. Morning's pupils shrank further, and she backed up until her hindquarters touched the wall. Then it was all she could do not to cringe when an obviously very angry earth pony mare stood muzzle-to-muzzle with her.
"I want to make something very clear," Theresa said in an icy voice. "I don't care what your cause or your purpose is, I cannot in any way approve of what you and your fellow Shimmerists did."
Morning managed to regain some sense of initiative as she frowned and retorted, "Don't use that word like it's an epithet."
"Why not?!" Theresa yelled. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"I said I was sorry your husband was injured!"
"I'm not even talking about that! Did you even listen to my daughter just now?"
"Yes, and she said some rather hurtful things," Morning said in a lower voice.
"She was being true to the Pillar of Honesty," Theresa said, her own voice quavering slightly. "Something that has been severely lacking in all our lives."
"I don't understand."
"Everything she said was right! What she saw here was nothing like what she was taught. It wasn't even anything like the Vision!"
Morning clenched her teeth. "How dare you imply I don't know what the Vision means."
"I don't have to," Theresa growled. "You and the other Shimmerists show that you have no clue what it meant."
"Stop being naive!" Morning snapped. "Even Equestria has had to defend itself and its way of life from enemies."
"Yes, but they don't go out of their way to make new enemies."
"The humans struck at us first."
"Only after you started talking this bullshit about pony superiority and transforming the rest of the world," Theresa said. "After the chaos of ETS, did you ever stop to think that maybe humans started getting a little worried and scared over that sort of talk?"
"You know as well as I do that we're all better off as ponies!" Morning shouted. "Why wouldn't we want to see the rest of humanity follow in our hoof-steps?!"
"Then you have a funny way of showing it. You seriously think that all your talk and bluster -- and now crime -- is going to sway them at all?"
"But you don't--"
Theresa stomped a hoof, shaking the walls. "I'm. Not. Finished."
Morning immediately clamped her mouth shut.
"I've spent the last six months thinking that a pony community is inherently safer, more friendly, more peaceful than any human community ever could," Theresa said in a low but urgent voice. "But now I realize that it has nothing to do with being a pony, but the mindset of the ponies themselves." She hesitated, and when she spoke again, her voice quavered. "We have a friendly, safe community because it's what we want. We don't want conflict, so it doesn't happen. We don't want strife, so it doesn't happen."
"What's your point?" Morning asked in a softer voice.
"My point is that becoming a pony is not the magic bullet that you think it is." Theresa paused for a long moment before adding in a lower voice, "That I had thought it was as well."
"The only reason it doesn't seem to work now is because we have to share this world with humans," said Morning.
"And what about Equestria? They have other species living in the same world. I've never heard ponies like Twilight or Starlight refer to them as enemies. For God's sake, Twilight often praised them!"
"They've had time to educate the other species properly about friendship."
"And you don't think that just maybe humans can be 'educated' as you put it?" Theresa asked. "They'd certainly accept that a whole lot better than forcing ourselves on them."
"We're not forcing anypony to do anything," Morning said. "Even Strong Hooves has said numerous times that he doesn't advocate any more forced transformations."
"You're missing the point."
"Are you sure you're not?" said Morning. "You're coming from a biased perspective. Your husband is still human, and he wants Molly to become human."
Theresa had to pause to collect her thoughts as the conversation treaded on matters she had yet to resolve in her own head. If anything, it had made it all the more complicated. Now she could look back on her arguments with Tom and see things more from his perspective. She could see how pony society seemed alien, or how ponies appeared delusional to him.
Certainly Theresa had been deluding herself about a few things.
"Maybe you're right," said Theresa in a softer voice. "But maybe that bias is what's needed. At least I have someone who can show me another perspective, one that I've been trying to ignore myself."
Morning sighed. "What's your point now?"
"My point is that you're where I used to be," Theresa explained. "I used to think all I had to do is trust pony nature, and everything would be all right. Now I come here to Grand Junction and see nothing of what I see back in Pony Hope."
Morning was silent for a long moment before she finally replied, "And that makes the ponies of Pony Hope somehow better than us?"
"No."
Morning's eyebrows rose.
"It makes you different," said Theresa. "Just like humans can be different. Just like you can't lump all humans into one bucket, you can't do the same with ponies either. Maybe you think you're standing up for all ponies, that we're all somehow united behind you, but you're wrong."
Morning's tail swished, and her eyes looked uncertain as they flicked to the side for a moment. "And what if we got what we wanted? What then?"
"Just what is it the Shimmerists want?" Theresa asked. "I honestly have no idea anymore."
"We want a pony nation!" Morning cried. "Either one independent and strong enough to resist human interference, or one ruled by the Equestrian crown so they can help us resist human interference."
"And you think if you somehow managed to attain this that the rest of us would just automatically fall in line?"
"They would if they knew what was good for them," Morning murmured.
"And if they don't, what then?" Theresa demanded. She threw a foreleg in the approximate direction of Grand Junction. "More incidents like yesterday, only against ponies this time?"
"We would never harm our fellow ponies!"
"And Strong Hooves claimed he wouldn't hurt any humans! Look where we are now!"
"You don't think I feel guilty enough about that?!" Morning screamed. "You want somepony to blame, then fine, blame me." She paused to wipe her eyes. "I-I was the one who panicked. I was the one who didn't wait until a better opportunity came to disarm that human."
Theresa took a step back. "This isn't about blame."
"Yes, it is," said Morning in a choked voice. "You want to blame Shimmerists for this. You want to claim we just shouldn't have done this in the first place. I'd rather you blame me -- or even hate me -- rather than give up on an entire cause."
"A cause that doesn't even remotely have agreement from the majority of ponies," said Theresa in a lower voice. "You and the rest of the Shimmerists need a wake up call: you're a minority opinion among ponykind."
"You have no proof to back up that statement."
"I would say the burden of proof is on you. Show me how everypony wants what you want! If they did, why would I be standing her having this conversation with you? Why would I be so mystified as to why ponies acted in such an unpony-like manner?"
"All it would take is for the sheltered ponies of your town to have humans in your midst for any length of time."
"Really?" Theresa said. "Then explain to me how the ponies of Pony Hope have come to accept and even care for my husband? Every single time I go into town for groceries, they're always asking about his welfare. For Luna's sake, I've had ponies volunteer to find good meat for him to eat!"
Morning wrinkled her muzzle at the word "meat."
"And, no, that's not a dirty word," Theresa declared. "Just because you don't eat meat doesn't mean you get to criticize those who do. And don't go telling me that a disgust for meat is a pony thing. It's not. Aversion, yes. Disgust was a Shimmerist invention, just another way to vilify humans."
Morning said nothing in reply, frowning slightly.
Theresa stepped closer to Morning, but this time her demeanor and voice was more motherly. "While I was waiting to see my husband this morning at the hospital, I had a chance to talk to a human who was also visiting a relative. He had a tablet PC and was catching up on the news. I got interested, so he let me watch. You know what I saw? I saw a huge rally being held in Washington. A human rally. A pro-pony human rally."
Morning's eyebrows rose.
"There had to be at least a hundred thousand humans there," Theresa continued. "They all wanted the same thing you do: less restrictions on pony magic and allowing pony culture to flourish."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Morning said in a lower and less hostile voice.
"It means you and your fellow Shimmerists may be the sheltered ones. Either that, or you're cherry-picking what you believe about humans just as a means to rally other ponies to your cause. And that's a very human thing to do."
Morning frowned but said nothing.
Theresa lowered her gaze. "I've gone on enough. Any more and I'll just keep rehashing the same points." She hesitated before raising her eyes back to Morning. "I'll understand if you don't want us living here anymore. We can try to find a place in Grand Junction that will have us."
Morning shook her head. "No, you can stay. Ponies don't turn out other ponies."
"When Tom is released from the hospital, he won't be in a position to return with me to Pony Hope," Theresa continued. "I'm told he'll need intense physical therapy, and he can't get that back in Pony Hope."
"He can stay as well. I-I won't turn him out."
Theresa paused. "Is that a true sentiment or just the guilt talking?"
"Does it matter?" Morning said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
"I was hoping maybe something of what I said meant something to you," Theresa said. "Especially since Molly will be exposed to you a lot while she's here."
Morning paused for a long moment before she said, "Out of respect for your beliefs, I promise I won't try to talk to Molly about the Shimmerist cause."
Theresa sighed. "I guess that's the best I can hope for."
"What else would you have me say?" Morning said in a voice that was more inquisitive than combative. "You want me to admit that maybe you gave me something to think about? Fine, you did. Just don't expect me to abandon everything I believe and have striven for on the basis of a single conversation."
Theresa looked on with sympathetic eyes, recalling her own recent struggles with belief.
"And to answer your question, yes, I'm acting out of guilt," Morning continued. "For all your bluster about how wrong the Shimmerist stance is, it still boils down to the fact that we've taken a pledge to avoid harm to both humans and ponies. I violated that, accident or no. I need to atone for that somehow, and if letting you stay here helps with that, so much the better."
Theresa decided to accept it at face value rather than continue a debate that was becoming painful for the both of them. "Thank you."
"I have to go find Strong Hooves," said Morning. "Hopefully he knows what we should do next in the wake of this."
She turned and trotted out of the house. Theresa watched her go, feeling a sense of sympathy for Morning Glow and a little of her own guilt for how hostile she had been towards the misguided mare.
The Canterlot mages scrutinized the results of the lie detector spell for what Sunburst thought was an inordinate amount of time. He tried not to let his impatience show, but he did let out a small sigh through his nose as one mage called over a more senior one to point to a specific measurement. Soon, however, the senior mage nodded and said, "We're done. You may go, Sunburst, we're satisfied with the results."
"Thank you," said Sunburst, his voice betraying some relief though he had no real fears of failing this interview.
As he left the conference room, Dusk trotted up to him. "So I pulled the file of that mage like you had requested."
Sunburst had enough going on in his head that he didn't realize what Dusk referred to at first. "Mage? What mage? Oh! You mean the one assigned to portal duty when Starlight and Trixie came through."
"Yes, that one," said Dusk calmly, used to his cohort's occasional scatterbrained moments.
"Did you find anything?"
"Mmm, perhaps."
Sunburst raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps? Maybe this is the academician in me talking, but isn't that more of a yes or no answer?"
"It depends on how you look at it." Dusk levitated his tablet and stylus from his saddlebags. "The mage's name is Illuminating Spark. His record has been spotless since he was assigned to rotating portal duty."
"So what issue do you have with him?"
"It's his record before that." Dusk swiped the stylus on the tablet screen to return to a previous page. "An earlier assignment had him at Canterlot court as part of the Royal Guard's Magical Threat Division, created soon after Chrysalis' attempt to invade Canterlot."
"Was there an incident?" Sunburst asked.
"You could say that," Dusk said in a neutral voice. "Took a fancy to a mare who had a habit of not filling out the right paperwork when bringing magic artifacts into Canterlot. He let protocol slide a few times. Didn't cause any serious incident, but he was eventually discovered and reprimanded."
"How long ago was that?"
Dusk set aside the computer. "Two years. Like I said, his record has been exemplary since then."
"Still, after hearing this, I think we should speak with him," said Sunburst.
"Agreed."
"When is he due to come back on rotation?"
"Not until Saturday." Dusk paused. "Something else you might want to know."
Sunburst sighed. "Now what?"
"A short time ago, an urgent message was delivered through the portal addressed to Trixie."
Messages could be delivered to Equestrian ponies on Earth at any time. The initial message was transmitted via magic scroll similar to what Spike could do for Twilight. It was then relayed and delivered -- usually in electronic form using Earth's communication infrastructure -- in a manner that ensured the privacy of the contents.
Some messages, however, were considered "less private" than others. Magical algorithms scanned these messages for key phrases that might suggest advanced magical knowledge being transmitted, in which case the message would be held and the sender contacted to offer justification for the transmission.
"Anything unusual about it?" Sunburst asked.
"We don't know," said Dusk. "It came with a Royal Canterlot Seal. We can't touch it."
Sunburst's eyebrows rose. That meant either it had come from Celestia, Luna, or the Canterlot nobility. The seal prohibited them from prying any further to see exactly who it had come from or examine its contents. It also meant the scroll had to be delivered as-is, without being prepared for electronic transmission.
"Only reason I bring it up was because Trixie is one of the people we have yet to interview," said Dusk.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," said Sunburst.
"I agree, but UNPOC is chafing at the delay we requested. They want this discrepancy explained ASAP, and once this report makes it through the portal, we'll have Princess Celestia breathing down our necks as well."
"As far as I know, Princess Celestia is deferring to Princess Twilight on all matters concerning Earth," Sunburst explained. "And Twilight understands our need for more time."
"I certainly hope she does," Dusk said in an even voice. "We're just as anxious to lock this one down as they all are."
Water Wings thought it odd when his Wingleader Sky Streak marched towards him, even more so when the pony stood rigidly before him and snapped off a salute. "Sky Streak reporting for duty, sir."
Water gave the pegasus a nonplussed look. The salute itself had not been a surprise, as Sky Streak had been a career United States Air Force officer prior to his transformation. What was surprising was that it had been directed at him. "Uhh, shouldn't this be the other way around?" Water asked in a confused voice.
"Not as of fourteen-thirty hours today, sir," said Sky. "Strong Hooves informed me I should start reporting to you, since you will be taking over his duties shortly."
Water decided not to point out that he had not made a final decision on that matter yet. Typical Strong Hooves, he realized, already assuming what the outcome would be.
Water only then noticed Sky was still at attention. "Um, at ease."
Sky relaxed his stance. "If I may make a recommendation, sir?"
Water wished the pony would not address him as "sir" but doubted he would ever get the stallion to change. "Of course."
"I recommend we keep the patrols running on a twenty four hour rotation," said Sky. "Night time patrols to be done by night ponies to utilize their night vision. We want to have all the advance warning we can if and when human law enforcement encroaches upon our settlement."
Water nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Did Strong give you any orders concerning what to do if law enforcement shows up?"
"No, sir. He's leaving that to you."
"Great," Water muttered. "I doubt we could stop them without the use of force."
"Agreed."
"And when I last spoke with Strong, he seemed resigned to the possibility he will be arrested."
"Yes, sir," said Sky. "But not every pony who was involved believes as such. We will have to consider some of them may wish to resist. Do you have any recommendations on what action we should take in that instance, sir?"
"Not yet," said Water. "It would help to know who would be inclined to resist. I can guess at a few, but having a definitive list would help."
Sky nodded. "I'll see what I can do, sir. Anything else?"
Water was about to speak when he glanced past Sky and saw little Molly standing near the edge of one of the narrow streets which crisscrossed the town, one designated only for pony hooves rather than their conveyances or Mary's car. She looked wary as she eyed the other ponies, as if afraid to cross their path.
Water turned back to Sky. He did have more questions for the Wingleader, but decided he had more important matters to attend to. "No, that's all for now. Um, dismissed."
Sky let off another crisp salute before flying off.
Water approached his side of the street and watched with concern as Molly tried several times to cross, only to scramble back when more ponies approached. Water finally stepped out into the street and held up a wing before a pair of chatting earth pony mares. "Excuse me, ladies, but a foal wishes to cross the street."
The mares stopped talking and glanced to the side. They smiled at the sight of Molly, and one said, "Of course."
Water nodded to Molly. "Go ahead."
Molly hesitated, but then headed across at a brisk trot.
"Thank you," said Water to the mares before folding his wing and joining Molly. "Are you doing okay?"
"I guess so," said Molly in a voice that suggested anything but.
Water swept a wing around her. "I'd say I was sorry for what happened, but I'm sure you've heard that more times than you can count."
Molly gave even Water's wing a wary look, but she accepted it and stepped alongside the larger pegasus. "It doesn't help," she said in a level voice.
"I know," said Water. "It never does."
Molly remained silent for a long moment before she finally asked, "Do you hate humans, too?"
Water blinked. "What? No, of course not."
Molly just nodded slightly, but her eyes remained dubious.
"Did I ever give you the idea that I did?"
Molly glanced around. "You were there in that neighborhood yesterday, right?"
"Um, yes, I was."
"Didn't all those ponies hate humans?"
Water knew he was on delicate ground. He didn't want to lie to the foal, but at the same time, he wasn't sure how much Molly would understand. "It wasn't about hating humans, Molly."
"That really doesn't answer my question."
Already Molly was acting more mature than she had since she had arrived. Water hated when things like this forced a foal to grow up faster than they should. Of course, Strong might argue that forcing the decision about rehumanization on her had already done the same thing.
Water stopped walking. "No, you're right, it doesn't."
Molly stopped as well and turned to face him, remaining silent, her eyes both inquisitive and critical.
"Here's the God's honest truth, Molly," Water said. "Yes, some ponies hate humans."
"Why?"
"There's no one reason. Some had humans do bad things to them. Some claim humans are simply too dangerous. Some have religious reasons."
Molly's ears drooped, and she lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry, but it's not a question that has a simple answer," said Water.
"But being a pony was supposed to make things better, wasn't it?" Molly asked.
"I don't follow."
Molly raised her head. "We were supposed to get rid of all the stupid reasons for hate. Nopony is hated because of their colors, or what tribe they are, or what cutie mark they have, or even not having a cutie mark!" Molly's eyes glistened. "But we didn't. We just found a new target."
Water had never looked at it that way, and he felt embarrassed that it had taken a nine year old foal to point it out to him. He had spent much of his time as a pony believing that humans were better off as ponies, but proud to call himself among those who did not fall into the trap of hating their own human roots. Yet while he had acknowledged that not all ponies were like him, he had failed to see the bigger picture. For all of Strong's bluster about not hurting humans, he had completely failed to understand the root of the problem.
Like a physician treating only the symptoms and not the disease, Strong had offered only band-aids that were destined to fail.
Water glanced back at the street. "Is that why you were afraid to cross the street just now?"
Molly shuddered slightly. "How do I know ponies won't start hating each other? Or me?"
Water recalled how even now some ponies held a deep distrust of crystal ponies just because some of their number worked for the American government. Even those who didn't view the tribe in that way had trouble understanding what purpose they could serve in the community.
"When we all became ponies, bullies stopped picking on me," said Molly. "Some even apologized! Is that all going to stop now? Are they going to go back to being mean to me again?"
"No, Molly, I really don't think so."
"But how do you know?"
Water hesitated, not because he didn't have the words, but because of how they forced him to remove his own blinders. "I honestly don't, but I have a good feeling about it. You come from a town where the ponies are fully supportive of one another. You all look out for each other. I really think if something like that tried to start again, it would be stopped pretty fast."
Molly considered, then glanced around. "What about here and humans?"
Water sighed. "We failed in that regard."
Molly gave him a surprised look but said nothing, her large and searching eyes fixed on him.
"You're right," said Water. "Some of us hate humans. And that's wrong. Dead wrong. It's not at all what being a pony is supposed to be about."
"Then why did it happen?" Molly asked in a softer voice.
"That's not a simple question, either," said Water. "Let's just say that the former leader of the Shimmerists here was ... not thinking clearly."
Molly tilted her head. "Former leader?"
"Strong Hooves," Water explained. "Don't get me wrong, he tried his best, but I don't think he was able to see clearly what was going on." He paused before adding in a lower voice. "Neither did I, at least not until recently."
Molly nodded slowly. "Who's the leader now? Maybe you can talk to him. Maybe I can talk to him!"
Water smiled. "You already are."
Molly's pupil's shrank, and her wings fluttered. "You're their leader now??"
Water nodded. "And I'll be honest with you again: I didn't want it."
"Why not?"
"I didn't think I could be the kind of leader that Strong wants me to be. But you know what? That's not the kind of leader the Shimmerists need."
Molly sat and continued to keep her eyes fixed on Water with interest.
"I'm the last to toot my own horn, Molly," said Water. "And I'm nowhere near the perfect pony. But I think I've come to some insights lately that might help. Hate is wrong, period, full stop. And if what happened to your father was at all caused by that hate -- however indirectly -- that makes it wrong as well. It can't be allowed to happen again."
Molly's lips slowly curled into a faint smile.
Water wrapped his wing more tightly around Molly, and she leaned into his fur. "I can't promise miracles, all I can do is the best I can."
"Thank you," Molly said softly. "I just ... I just want to make sure I'm safe no matter what I do."
"In what way?"
Molly hesitated. "Whether I rehumanize or not," she added in a low voice.
"Ah, I see," said Water softly.
Molly clung to Water. "I-I'm afraid of even mentioning it. I don't want the ponies here to start hating me for that."
"I know. I don't want that to happen, either."
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I want to stay a pony, but ... everything that's happened ..."
Water seriously wanted to give Morning Glow a piece of his mind for the anti-human and anti-rehumanization crap she had been promulgating through the community lately. She had taken ponies who were on the fence concerning their thoughts about humans and pulled them firmly into her camp. He had a lot of damage to undo that Strong Hooves had not caused but certainly had allowed to happen.
Water used his wings to gently scoop up Molly and bring her closer so he could look directly into her eyes. "I'm going to make you a promise, Molly. If any pony whatsoever harasses you for any reason -- and that's if you're a little pony foal or a little human girl --"
Molly's eyes widened slightly.
"-- you come right to me, and I'll straighten it out at once," said Water. "You got that?"
Molly nodded and smiled.
Water smiled in return and was about to set Molly down when she threw her forelegs around his neck and hugged him tight. "Thank you, Water Wings. You really are the best."
Water's eyes glistened as his heart melted, and he held Molly close. As a human, he had avoided long term relationships with women because he was fearful of the idea of raising a family. He had never thought he would ever make a good father. Now he couldn't help but wish this little pegasus was his own daughter.
He let Molly break off the embrace first and carefully set her down on her hooves. While Water ardently hoped Molly decided to remain a pony, he could see himself loving the little one just as much if she were a human. "And I have to thank you, as well."
Molly tilted her head and gave him an inquisitive look.
"You helped me see that maybe I am the right pony for this job," Water said.
"You are," Molly said. "You'll stop the hating and the hurting."
"I'll try," Water said in a heavy voice. "I'll certainly try."
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Ahh, from the mouths of babes. Thank you, Molly, for giving this particular sub-faction of Shimmerists the wake-up call they need!
And please please please let this slip-up and hasty action be what nails Blueblood's tail to the wall. It's a shame Strong Hooves recognized Water would not be on board with the protectorate idea and pre-emptively tried to hurry the plans, but the sooner the various parties involved learn that protectorate status is literally impossible, the better.
Interesting that he is judging Earth languages here on Russian, which is an admittablly harsh sounding language. English, I'm told, sounds not as rough as Russian but not particularly pleasant to non-English speakers. Maybe Romance languages would sound a bit more pleasant to Blueblood's poor delicate ears?
it going to be a hard road Water Wings. But. It seems some ponies even those with shimmerist leanings, are trying to head in the right direction now.
Well it looks like the incompetent ponies that are trying to circumvent Celestia are going to be loosing more ground. I hope it ends with Blueblood getting exiled or publicly stripped of any power he has and rebuked for his actions.
Molly's verbal destruction of Morning was glorious. Might be my favorite moment in this whole story.
1. I think Teresia was in the right here morning needed a wake up call
2. that last part with molly....."who left these onions here?!"
9424848
out of the mouth of foals you mean
Did Trixie seduce Illuminating Spark in order to "convince" him not to search into her belongings each time she crossed the portal?
just curious, but is anything going to happen to the guy who had the gun in the first place or is all blame going to Morning for shooting Theresa's husband?
9424976 9424848 Technically Matthew 11:25 (KJV) At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
Something which I am reminded of every day that I work with people who are supposedly wise and learned at my job. Sometimes, I take the time to give The Shortest Prayer: "Lord, help me."
9425272
ya but I was mostly paraphrasing
now one quote iv heard before was "for the grace of god go I" not sure where I heard it from though
9425083
I think everyone's just kind of taking it as an unstated given that the guy who actually went waving guns around is getting the book thrown at him. Even the human rent-a-cops were visibly more worried about what he was going to do than the ponies holding all their weapons.
That said, Morning tried to be a hero against the orders of basically everyone involved, including the guy who just led an open rebellion. So yes, she's kind of a second place to the gunman as an antagonist.
9424849
I have no idea why Russian is considered harsh sounding, maybe because we pronounce "r" as alveolar thrill, rather than alveolar approximation, but far more languages pronounce "r-sound" in that way than in English manner. Seriously it is just linguicism on your part.
9425351
It is all a matter of perspective but there are trends in perspective. The trend in non-Russian speakers hearing Russian is that it seems harsh. This isn't some strict scientific this language is pretty and this one isn't based on some standard, but the perception of those not speaking the language who hear it.
I hear people say that English speakers sound like they are just muttering or speaking with rocks in their mouths and they can't tell the difference between a newscaster in the UK's British accent and a newscaster in the US's accent even though it seems evident to native English speakers they sound very different. People just percieve things differently based on any number of factors including their own language and cultural bias.These can vary from individual to individual, but there are trends.
9424979
From what I gathered there's some sort of existing relationship. Not so much seduction.
Blueblood best get his plot in gear.
war is coming and it will totally remove every pony from earth, either dead or sent to equestria.
it is human nature if we fear it kill it.
and before you start typing hate for a reply go pick up a bible it is full of just that.
Molly you are best pony.
Wow that is a Major red flag in thinking right there.
And yet, she abandoned everything she believed and strove for to pick up Shimmerism based on a single conversation with an illusionary mare.
Irony and Shimmerism seem to be joined at the hip.
9425636
what did she believe in before the visions?
9425655
No idea, but it definitely wasn't "all humans are better off becoming ponies, and we must make it so."
9425320
You will notice that the human gunman, who was explicitly threatening to shoot ponies by waving that gun around, hasn't been shown trying to apologise to Molly or her father. Why didn't he, or any humans for that matter, show up in a chapter explicitly titled "Mistaken Beliefs"? (I don't think the brief glimpse we got of the Russian Ambassador counts.) Is it because he was just a plot device used by the author to help create a situation designed to make the Shimmerists look bad?
Suppose ASGeek had decided to spend at least a few lines elaborating on just who that human with the gun really was? Did he threaten to use that gun because he was an antipony bigot, or was he an agent provocateur working for Humanity First or Matthew Fuller? Any expansion of what we know about him would probably have tended to undermine the argument that the Shimmerists could, and should, just have tried to make friends with him.
Suppose the Shimmerists had welcomed the humans onto their land, and tried to make friends with them? They might have been more willing to do so, if the humans in question had actually acknowledged that the land in question did belong to the ponies, (or even that the ownership of the land was at least the subject of some dispute) and that by allowing the humans to settle there, the ponies were displaying considerable generosity. But that was precisely the acknowledgement the humans in question were not willing to make. They thought the ponies had no claim to the land.
As I think about the ponies trying to make friend with humans who had just marched into pony territory without asking permission, I can't help but think of a historical analogy from American history. Thanksgiving. The national holiday commemorating the attempt by American Indians to make friends with the first European settlers in that part of North America. That didn't work out too well for the Indians, did it?
9425636
I don't agree that Shimmerism is something Morning Glow got from the vision. The Shimmerist belief that they need to protect their group is a direct continuation of the beliefs they had as humans. ASGeek implicitly points this out by introducing a Shimmerist character in this chapter who is a former member of the US military. Sky Streak presumably believed "his people" needed to be prepared to use force to protect themselves back when he was in the US air force. Becoming a pony just changed his opinion of who was and was not a member of "his people".
9425706
I've kinda given up hope that the story will acknowledge that ponies fighting against injustice are not equivalent to humans believing ponies don't deserve equal rights.
9425663
Well, if you were writing her backstory, what would you think Morning Glow's pre-pony beliefs might plausibly have been? Could she have been very nationalistic, and believed every foreigner should become more like an American? Was she a strong conservative or liberal, who thought everyone should follow her political beliefs? Or would you say that sort of background seems inconsistent with her current beliefs?
I suppose she could have disliked humans even before she ceased to be one, but I suspect that sort of cynical dislike of her own species would have carried over to her new species.
9425706
He's probably a little busy being detained. Morning is just a trespasser who's bad at playing hero, no matter how obnoxious she is. The gunman was, you know, an actual gunman and the rent-a-cops were probably hustling to put him away before anything else got shot. I wouldn't put it past HF to put in a provocateur, but for a situation like that they probably would've realized they didn't need one.
That's an incredibly poor comparison. The ponies were the ones that burst out of quarantine and started tearing up other people's property to squat on. They didn't even try to build their glorious Vision with the property and holdings they already owned -- they went out and stole it from other people literally from the moment they stepped outside. Until the Homestead was formalized (itself most likely comprised of public land and eminent domain claims in areas the ponies already demolished), there was no pony territory, just other people's stuff they were squatting on.
If you want to make a comparison to Native Americans, it kinda goes the other way in this case. Which is uncomfortably ironic given who screwed them over, but there you go.
9425895
A quarter of the US population has been turned into ponies. I would guess a good deal of the land in the "Pony lands" as well as the rest of the US, was previously owned by the humans who became ponies. After all, most of the former occupants of that land were now ponies. I wonder how many of those homes for sale had previously been owned by the very same ponies who were objecting to their sale?
You say that you think that Humanity First probably wouldn't have sent a provocateur to this sale, because they realized it was already provocative enough. But you don't think it's relevant that the humans who organized that sale were being deliberately provocative? They wanted humans occupying that land, and they were prepared to change the law to make sure the humans stayed there, even if they later changed their minds. To quote from an earlier chapter:
"I'm sorry, but these homes are very popular," said Rick. "The only reason I don't have another half dozen buyers lined up to look at this place today is because of the special favor I'm doing for your company. I can stretch that only so far."
Tom's mind raced. "What if I bought the house and decided to turn around and sell it right away?"
"You'll be forced to sell at a twenty-five percent loss for the first five years of ownership," said Rick.
Tom frowned. "The hell?"
"Legislation that was passed recently in Colorado regarding housing in Reclaimed Lands. It's to prevent people from scooping up houses on the cheap and immediately selling them at inflated prices."
"That can't be remotely constitutional."
"There are several court cases pending, but until they're resolved or an injunction is issued, it's the law right now.""
In other words, the US government was not doing any great favor to the human "suckers" who being conned into buying homes in what just might, as far as anyone knew, become a potential war zone.
Have I mentioned yet that I'm proud of Molly? I'm proud of Molly. Her mom as well. If there's one thing that irritates me about religion, politics, and society as a whole, it's excessively vocal extremist minorities.
9425083
Given their innate magical abilities, ponies should be regarded as armed and dangerous at all times. Their attempt to disarm him constituted violent assault with a deadly weapon, whereas he committed no wrongdoing whatsoever, which means they bear sole legal responsibility for everything that went down.
9425738
Shimmerism isn't about protecting the group though, Shimmerism is about getting everyone to become ponies.
9425806
This kind of logic, while possible for Morning, would imply that every Shimmerist shares that or a similar background though.
9426337
Which bounces us back to the, previously unanswered, issue of seeing all magic as a weapon and treating all ponies negatively because of it. That only creates enemies and knee-caps any attempt to try and re-integrate ponies into society.
To elaborate in this particular case, how is what Morning did functionally different from someone trying to wrangle the gun with their hands?
9426372
It's not that all magic is a weapon; it's that ponies are armed with it at all times. It doesn't make them inherently violent any more than humans with concealed carry are inherently violent, but it does mean that when they choose violence, they have to be handled in accordance.
What Morning did isn't functionally different; that's exactly why it's assault with a deadly weapon. Morning is not a police officer or even a security guard; she has no right to disarm anyone, especially not when she's trying to disarm them as part of a domestic terrorist operation.
"bias" and "cherry picking" made me think of those videos on Youtube about the Flat Earth Society.
totally stupid and totally crazy.
9426372
So, human authorities need to research ways to handle magic users, ponies or not?
9426805
That does not make Morning the one armed though. It makes her an idiot for wrangling a live gun, and I'm plenty sure there are charges to bring up for doing so (on top of the ones for trying to drive people out), but it does not make Morning the one with the weapon.
9426855
Obviously, yes. This is not an issue with an easy solution, and labelling every pony "armed and dangerous because they have magic" accomplishes nothing except driving all of them in the waiting hooves of the very Shimmerists who have been spouting the 'humans are the enemy' and 'pony nation' rhetoric.
9426877
The situation of converted in America reminds me to mutants' in Marvel. Let's hope things don't devolve into a Senator Robert Kelly vs Magneto scenario.
9425083
9425320
Yes, you can pretty much assume the human waving the gun around would have charges pressed against him. Regardless of whether ponies were there or not, waving a loaded gun around in a threatening manner is against the law.
9426372
But what EMOTION do you think is motivating most Shimmerists? I'm sure you DON'T think they are all compassionate, generous idealists, who selflessly wish nothing more than to share the wondrous benefits of being a pony with everyone. So what is the driving force behind Shimmerism? Maybe fear and resentment of humans? Turning everybody into a pony would eliminate the human threat to ponies. And ponies have numerous reasons, both good and bad, to feel threatened by humans.
9427150
Well, yes? But that doesn't really change how Shimmerism is rooted in the vision, and that it was that single conversation with the vision's illusionary Celestia that caused Morning to abandon what she had been working on as a human. Which is what makes her line to Theresa so ironic.
9426911
They're already there goal-wise. The only reason it hasn't turned into open violence is that, as much as I disagree with their stated goal, the Shimmerists do lack Magneto's penchant for aggression to get what they want.
9427195
Perhaps the reason we keep talking past each other is just that you really dislike the (fictional) Shimmerists, to the point where you want to mock and dismiss them? I guess it's easier to dismiss them as delusional if you think the only reason they became Shimmerists is because they had an irrationally intense reaction to the Vision.
The Vision suggested that a utopian post capitalist world was not only possible, but almost inevitable, once everyone had been turned into ponies. But even if a particular pony was strongly drawn to this utopian ideal (perhaps because they had strong reason to dislike the previously existing human societies), there was nothing in the Vision which compelled that pony to become a Shimmerist. Shimmerism (like all other transformed pony ideologies) is a synergistic combination of the physical and intellectual experience of transforming into a pony, and the previously existing beliefs and psychological traits the new pony retained from when they were human. Some ponies (whether because of pre-existing beliefs retained from when they were human, or because of particularly painful experiences once they became ponies) feel a stronger need than other ponies for physical and/or psychological defences to the threats posed by humans, and these are the ponies most likely to become Shimmerists. So Morning Glow is not being irrational when she says Theresa's speech fails to convince her that Shimmerism is a "mistaken belief".
9426926
"Waving a gun around in a threatening manner" is illegal in general, but becomes perfectly legal when you're doing it to deter a crime in progress.
9427416
I'm not saying she's irrational for not caving to Theresa's speech, just that there's a certain irony in her claiming a single speech won't make her change her beliefs and goals when another single speech did just that. This goes for anyone who bought into the vision, by the way, not just Shimmerists. As Fred pointed out in the previous story, the vision filled a gap left by the transformation giving everyone new goals to go with their new bodies. It's a clever psychological trick, and all it took was a single, well targeted and well timed conversation.
9427506
It actually requires a need for someone to be under threat of phyiscal harm if not in your home. That's debatable in this situation. A crime in general is not enough reason, it has to be certain types of crimes.
Edit: not dismissing it. Saying it is debatable as it is not clear cut in this case one way or another. It is something a court would have to decide.
Poor Molly. Being basically told that once everybody's a pony the world will be all sunshine and rainbows (thanks a lot, Sunset, you inconsiderate twerp), only to learn the ponies are just as capable of hate as humans has gotta be painful.
Also, somebody stop Blueblood before the idiot causes an interdimensional incident.
9427576
I'm a university student currently moonlighting as a private security officer, so I am very well acquainted with the legal and ethical principles involved for non-police use of force. In the situation which went down in this story, there was a direct, imminent threat of physical harm made by individuals who are functionally armed and have clearly expressed the intent to use their arms and numbers to commit crimes against innocent bystanders. As such, any of the humans present would have been fully justified in using force, up to and including lethal force, to defend themselves.
The security officers' decision not to open fire on the attacking Shimmerists was realistic in the sense that they did not want to create a political shitstorm, but they would have been legally completely in the clear had they deployed force options instead of waiting for the police.
9429126
Define "functionally armed" here. Because saying "they have magic" is rather vague legal qualifier.
the military needs to step in soon to stop them from seceding, that land they say they "owned" isn't theirs anymore. They stopped paying mortgage and property taxes so the government and banks own them now. It's nothing like the Native Americans for them, we are the Natives, they are the colonists and need to be stopped and put back into their place
9429251
Um, even though they didn't pay their mortgages and such doesn't make the ponies an invading foriegn force. They are still US citizens and we don't know how large a percentage of the pony population is actually interested in succession from the USA. Even the Shimmerists don't have a unified front on the idea of succession--as we see Water Wings is opposed to the idea and it's been stated that Sunset Blessing is staunchly loyal to the USA (so much so that Bright Glow abandoned Blessing's Shimmerist faction in favor of her brother's). The Lunites seem almost universally interested in remaining part of the USA. The Harmonists seem to have all options on the table, but seem to want to try to remain loyal.
Equestria is just wakanda for transformed ponies
9429251
And which place is that? Unlike the colonist example you're using, the transformed are locals. That's part of what makes this mess so complicated: If these were Equestrian colonists they could just be deported back to Equestria. But these are American people, born and raised on these lands, with the only exception being those who were displaced into their current homes by the government itself. They already are in "their place."
9430852
it's American land, they stopped paying property taxes, and stopped paying for the mortgages so they basically gave it up themselves
9429424
the secessionists do need to be stopped at all costs