28: A Return to Familiar Shores
The hour was late, but activity was as high as ever at the Tranquility naval harbor. Powerful lights atop a moon tower illuminated much of the central area of the base. Rainbow Dash inspected her new command at a muster point close to the ships. Ninety nine soldiers stood ready in formation and in good order, with one of their number standing front and center ahead of the others. Aside from their issued gear, each of them carried another pack filled with independently purchased food and other amenities they’d normally never see in their rations for the month-long voyage.
Rainbow Dash surveyed the group consisting entirely of pegasi and thestrals, save for a single unicorn mage-corporal. Rainbow Dash had spent a good chunk of the previous day getting all of the excited jitters out of her system so she could conduct herself in front of her soldiers with all of the military bearing expected of her rank. After a single pass in front of the soldiers, not finding anything egregiously out of place, she finally stopped in front of her new first sergeant. He was a navy blue pegasus with pale hair cropped short. He bore some minor scars on his face, and a long ugly one down the right side of his neck before disappearing under his uniform. She did one final inspection of him in greater detail, as she fully expected him to set an example for the soldier, just as she had before him. Strictly speaking, the lieutenants in charge of the smaller platoons outranked him, but he was to be her second in command. If he was to speak with her authority, Rainbow needed to take his measure.
It only took her a second to see he was used to the relaxed field regulations on the crispness of one’s uniform rather than the starch pressed norm of those recuperating in a friendly port. Policy dictated a reprimand, but given that her lieutenants uniforms were as starch pressed as her own, she decided to let it slide for the moment. She was worldly enough to know to speak about it with him in private. It didn’t help the fact that she found him quite handsome. Bah, if anything, I’d have him in my bed within two nights if I wasn’t his commanding officer now.
Controlling herself, she squared her shoulders before speaking. “First Sergeant Jacks, I understand you and the boys earned a few of commendations over the last year.”
“We’re the best scouts and skirmishers, Ma’am. In any army.” Some of the soldiers cheered in agreement, save for the officers who gave firm nods. Jacks kept himself respectful to her rank, if not the pony just yet. “Not only did we spot the Royal Army a week out of Brinewood, we harried them so badly they turned tail until the Third Army came to push us out.”
“So I heard.” You'd be hard pressed to find a company that isn’t pushed back by Shining’s army. Nodding as if she was marginally impressed, Rainbow continued. “You don’t need me to tell you that Command speaks highly of your unit. I have full faith in all of you that we will see this mission through.” Directing her eyes back to Jacks. “Do you know what our assignment is?”
He sighed through his nose, and settled for a humorless smirk. “Permission to speak freely, captain?”
Rainbow glanced at the other soldiers, each of them kept their eyes and ears straight ahead, but she knew nothing would slip their notice. “In a moment. Ninety Second! Grab your gear and climb aboard. The sooner we ship off, the sooner you can spend your pay in Mechiburg.”
With a unified salute, the soldiers either walked or flew onto the iron ship. Jacks picked up his gear, but remained standing, waiting for Rainbow to pull him aside. He didn’t have to wait long, as she approached him once the last of the soldiers was out of earshot. “Permission granted, Sergeant.”
Out of courtesy, Jacks scanned around the marshaling yard to double check that no one could hear them. “You don’t need me to tell you how this looks, captain. Escorting the sister of the Royal Army’s top general back to Equestria? Plus a bunch of hangers on? The boys are talking and it ain’t pretty.”
“Need I remind you that the Emperor himself decided she’d be the one to go?”
Jacks’ first response caught in his throat. He blinked and stepped in close. “The Emperor?”
“Yes, the Emperor.” Rainbow scowled a bit. “Don’t tell me you were told about Twilight and not who exactly gave the order.”
Recomposing himself, Jacks cleared his throat. “Funny thing about that, ma’am. Only thing I knew was that we’d be smuggling somepony behind the lines for some reason our old captain didn’t go into. Whisper recognized that Equestrian inventor, Twilight Sparkle, boarded the ship before it was time to get in formation. I don’t claim to be good at math, ma’am, but even I can put two and two together.”
Bristling from the insult, Rainbow Dash stepped in close and glared at him. “If we do our job and get her to where she needs to go, she’ll have done more to prove her place as a Lunarian than any defector in history. I don’t require you to like her, but you will respect her. Am I clear?”
“More than any of them?” He shook himself out of it upon seeing how close to anger she actually was. “As you order, ma’am!” Jacks snapped a sharp salute.
Rainbow Dash didn’t return it right away. I was a non-comm for far too long to know that’s not enough to keep him in line. “I’d prefer you keep questions about our mission to a minimum until after we reach the front. But I know how the file operates, First Sergeant. If by some off chance you haven’t pried the answer out of one of the civilians, I’ll let you and the boys know then.”
A sly grin and a lifted eyebrow out of Jacks told Rainbow they wouldn’t even make it a week before he got someone to talk. Silver will probably be the mark, he’s who I’d go after. Maybe Applejack if they get her drunk somehow.
“If you need the secret to be a secret then I’ll keep them in line for ya, no problem, ma’am. But you -ah, are you serious about the ‘more than anyone’ comment? Even more than Prism Flash?”
She had heard the name before, but couldn’t place it. She shot down her first instinct to ask who that was out of embarrassment. Instead she silently stared him down while wracking her brain. Gah, I know that name who was!? Wait, isn’t she the first pegasus noble who pledged her house to Lunaria, and bankrolled everything until her house was left broke or something? It is, isn’t it? “Well, perhaps on equal terms then,” Rainbow eventually answered. “So believe me when I tell you to do everything you can to keep the civilians alive when we go past the front.”
“I will do my duty, Ma’am, have no fear of that. That bein’ said though.” Jacks glanced around the area, not seeing anyone not in uniform. “I already knew about Twilight Sparkle, but who are the others you mentioned?”
That much she could answer. “Lady Pinkie Pie and Silver Vein, Twilight’s sister and husband. The fourth is Boatswain Applejack, who’s been reactivated for the duration of the mission. She can take care of herself.”
“Uh huh.” Jacks shifted his bags to be a bit more comfortable. “Far be it for me to tell a noble not to get themselves killed, but escorting three liabilities is a tall order where we’re going. I don’t suppose you haven’t already tried to get at least one of them to stay out of this? Two’s better than three.”
“I did try.” Rainbow huffed irritably as her rashness started breaking through her officer’s poise. “Pinkie Pie won’t leave her sister’s side. I can’t really blame her though. Pinkie knows how to defend herself, but I doubt she can handle a full battle if it comes to that. Silver Vein has some notion of honor compelling him to go with respect to his grandfather. Honestly if anypony is going to need the most babysitting, it’ll be him. He admitted to never having any defense training.”
“Well isn’t that a nasty little wrinkle, eh?” Jacks thought it over a bit. “Might I beg your permission to teach the lad how to use a pistol at least?”
Rainbow eyed him with the same dangerous look her superiors often gave her. “If you’re volunteering for it, then I’ll make sure he goes along with it, one way or another.”
“You’re a commander after my own heart, ma’am.” Jacks bowed with a playful smirk.
“As if your heart belonged to anypony other than whichever mare happens to be in your bed at the moment.” Rainbow Dash instantly regretted the quip. Had she still been a sergeant herself, it wouldn’t matter, but as an officer, she had to play the part.
Jacks laughed wholeheartedly, and if anything, he approved of it. “Ha, you came from the ranks alright. I like you already, Captain. If there’s nothing else, permission to finish seeing the boys to their accommodations.”
“Granted,” she said with a lazy salute, still burning with embarrassment.
It took a month for the Night Stalker to reach Mechiburg. The vessel steamed into Mechiburg under a new moon, and had to be guided in by thestrals with torches. Unlike the sleepless capital of Tranquility, Mechiburg seemed to be lit by gas street lights, as the orange lights all over the city contrasted to the harsh white light of Tranquility. It was almost homely.
Shouted conversation between the crew of the Night Stalker and those from a tugboat disrupted the peacefulness of the nightscape. The tugboat had powerful electric lights illuminating the Night Stalker amidship and was carefully maneuvering the ironclad into port.
Trying to ignore the commotion, Twilight stood with her sister on the bow so the tugboat was out of sight. They leaned against each other as they took in what sights they could. “Never thought I’d be coming back to the old world in my brother’s lifetime.”
Pinkie’s ears flattened, and concern flooded her. “We’re keeping things quiet. He’ll never know we were here until after the Sisters are freed.”
“I hope so.” A shiver ran down her spine, as if one of her brother’s spies was watching her even now. “If he knew I was here…”
“He is your brother though,” Pinkie offered, trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe he realizes you’re happier here and will leave you alone.” Even as she said it, Pinkie knew it was wishful thinking.
“A mare can dream.” Twilight’s melancholy lingered as the incoming sound of leather wings in the air brought their attention to a shadowy shape that came to a close hover on the opposite side of the bow to avoid the tugboat’s lights. A spark of lightning from Twilight briefly revealed it was Rainbow Dash. The captain had flown ahead of the ship hours ago, and was currently rubbing her eyes from the lightning induced pain. “Damn it all, Twilight, one of these days I’m going to put a sock on that horn of yours. Now I’m going to be blind for like ten minutes or something.”
“Good luck trying to put it on,” Twilight stated with little humor given the state of her friend. “Sorry, though.”
Rubbing her eyes still, Rainbow tried to ignore the spots in her vision. “Anyway, we’re going to be hitting a bit of a snag. No one knows how yet, but the Royal Army attacked the power station five hours ago. Everything is shutdown until daylight.”
“Doesn’t a city wide blackout count for more than just a snag?” Pinkie inquired, surging concern coloring her voice. “Wait, is the city under attack!? Maybe we should change ports.”
Snarky sass exuded from the obscured mare. “You don’t think we’d leave the old capital unprotected do you? The locals said the station itself is fine, but the bastards cut the lines before we shot’em full of holes. Should have the electric lights back on by next evening at the latest.”
“That’s good to hear.” Twilight spotted some lanterns being lit at the docks, revealing they were in the final stages before she could go ashore. “How much of a delay are we talking here?”
“That’s the good news. Since all this came from the Emperor, they’ve had our train cars packed and ready to go for a week now. Since I checked in, they’re moving an engine to hitch up to it now.” She pulled her sleeve up to reveal a new wristwatch. “Should be good to go in about four hours, and they want us gone in five.”
“More's the pity,” Pinkie moaned as she looked out over the dark city. “I was told the spaghetti here was world class.”
Hugging her sister, Twilight tried to make out buildings in the distance. “We’ll get all the spaghetti we can eat when we come back. Who knows, maybe Luna will insist on it.”
Applejack stood on the lip of the gangplank. The darkened city before her was only of minor concern after Rainbow Dash had filled her in. She had bags to carry over to the train and she wasn’t a thestral blessed with low light vision, so her progress was hindered. “Boy did I miss the sea, and now I don’t even have time ta hit the pub. Ah’ve half a mind ta slap whoever scheduled all this so tightly.”
Her wistful bemoaning reached Silver’s ears as he swayed badly as he tried to steady himself. Even though the ship was tied to its moorings, the stallion rocked on his hooves as if he was still in the middle of the ocean. “If I ever have to sail again, it’ll be too soon,” he groaned to himself
Chuckling and sauntering over to help, the sailor claimed the loose bag he was dragging. “Oh come on, ya Lordship,” Applejack teased, “We don’t have the time for another shower if you go spewing again.”
Silver gruffed at it all. By Lunarian law, his marriage to Twilight did not grant him a title, and his word did not carry her weight unless backed by written decree. “As kind of you to call me that may be, Just Silver Vein will suffice.” His stomach lurched and he went queasy. “And maybe some help off the ship too if you please.”
A light hearted chuckle escaped her. “Sure, Ah always got time for a friend.” The whole way down, Applejack made sure to point his face away from her. Taking his mind off this always helps. “So, you think the plan will work?”
“It’s our best shot,” Silver said with forced courage, eager to put his mind off his flipping stomach. Once he set hoof on the pier he detached from Applejack to stand on his own. The swaying remained, but he was too proud to lean on her any further. “Assuming we can’t remove the statue from the Mirage, an engine is the best chance we have to free them.”
A grim frown fell over the sailor. “Here’s hoping that if it works, the blinded one doesn’t try ta kill us.”
A huff and a smile grew over his face as he recovered his balance a bit more. “If Celestia does… Luna will stop her. She protects.”
“Aye,” Applejack answered with a warm smile. “She protects.”
The Mechiburg rail yard and roundhouse was always a source of noise and bustling activity. Trains moving troops and supplies was an hourly occurrence in Lunaria’s former capital before the discovery of the new world and the founding of Tranquility. In these times of war, such activity showed no sign of slowing.
The power outage forced many to bring out oil lamps to make up for the non-functional lightbulbs. One such unicorn was running from the storehouse to the rail director’s office, a heavy saddlebag thumping against his barrel with each step. The railyard hardly slowed down. Trains still needed to come and go, and thankfully, the wheelhouse could still be moved manually.
The director’s office was of old wood and strewn with papers and ledgers, many of which were crammed inside cabinets. With all the chaos, the usual secretary outside had been sent away to fetch a lamp for the impatient director. The unicorn smirked at the absence, before quickly replacing it with desperate worry before knocking on the office door.
“Is that you, Green Fields? Hurry up and get in here!” came a curt voice from within. Sitting in a chair he had dragged to the window in order to get some measure of light to read was an ornery old earth stallion.
The unicorn opened the door and presented the lit lamp in his shaky magic. With so many trains in the area and other purposeful disruptive machines around, it was all he could do to hold the thing close enough to his face that the fire hurt his eyes against the gloom around him. “Not Green, sir, I’m Fire Lash from the warehouse to deliver a lamp for you.”
“It took you lot five hours to get here?” With a supremely disgruntled huff, the stallion slammed his ledger on the desk and gestured for Fire Lash to approach. “Well come on then.”
Shutting the door behind him, Fire Lash hastily made his way over to the desk and set the lamp down in his shaky magic, bringing some much needed light. “Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?” In his haste, the lantern still wobbled worryingly on the table.
The director jerked forward to make sure the lamp didn’t topple over. “Haven’t you been told not to carry flammable items in your magic around the railyard, you stupid idgit!? Go on, get out of here before you set my whole office on fire!”
Ducking to appease him, Fire Lash tentatively stepped closer. “My apologies, sir, I’ll leave as soon as you sign off for the lamp.”
“Sign off?” The director wrinkled his brow and eyed Fire Lash with annoyance. “Since when did we have to sign off for a damn lamp?”
His harsh words were cut off by Fire Lash producing a knife from his saddlebag. The director barely had time to acknowledge the threat before Fire Lash sank the blade deep into his neck, and was twisted to make screaming impossible.
Using his magic to stay back enough to keep blood from spilling on him, Fire Flash gritted his teeth trying to keep his magical grip on the director to set him down gently on the floor so no one below would be alerted. He rounded the desk to meet the dying pony’s eyes. “May you bask in Celestia’s light in the next life.”
The director tried to spit at him, but the knife reduced him to mere dribbling of blood until he at last fell still. Waiting a moment to make sure he was truly dead, Fire Lash used his magic to pull out the blade and wiped it off on the director’s clothes before sheathing it once more.
Grabbing the lamp with a hoof this time, Fire Lash hastily started reading the ledger the director had been reading, and smirked at what he saw. “Good, this is the schedule list.” He scanned the newest entries, his excitement growing by the second. “They’ve got everything scheduled up to a week in advance?” He flipped back to older entries. “It’s all here. Troop movements, supplies, everything!”
Shoving the ledger into his saddlebag, Fire Lash withdrew a similarly sized tome. It was neater, a different color, and had no writing in it, but hopefully it wouldn’t matter. Placing it on the center of the desk, Fire Lash used both muscle and magic to carefully place the director in his chair and then lean him against the desk. It was hardly perfect, and any detective worth his job could see the foul play, but time is all he wanted.
Taking the lamp, Fire Lash placed it right next to the book, and toppled it over, letting the reservoir of oil spill onto the desk and book. He backed away quickly as fire spread quickly, soon engulfing the false ledger, and would soon catch on the director’s clothes and fur. Fire Lash bid a hasty retreat, fleeing the way he came.
Meanwhile, down in the railyard, Applejack was doing an inventory on the cargo that had been loaded onto the train. The station crew had done so already, but the sea cat wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t do it herself.
She was counting the spare rations and ammunition stores for Rainbow’s troops when the train lurched forward. The rocking made her lose count, causing her to growl. “Dang nabbit. Ah told them ta wait until Ah was done here.” Grumbling, she resumed count for several minutes longer until the door closer to the engine swung open.
She looked up to find a familiar blue face. “Heyya captain.”
“Oh come on, AJ, I’m not your captain.” Rainbow cantered over and gently prodded her friend’s ribs.
Shooing away the offending hoof, Applejack stopped her count to mark her progress before giving the thestral her full attention. “Yeah, but it bugs you when Ah call you that, so you’ll just have ta deal.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow tried to rib her friend again, but Applejack warded it off this time. “Whatever. Did they have all of our supplies and everything?”
“Ah checked the engine parts first, and it's all here. The firetube is all in one piece by the looks of it. Ah’d prefer to test it, but we ain’t got the time. The supplies Ah’m still counting, but so far it looks like we’re only missing some food tins and three slabs of salt pork. Nothing we can’t pick up along the way. Honestly Ah was half worried somepony might’a tried to swipe some of the engine parts while it sat alone for so long.” Applejack disgruntledly wagged her clipboard at the window leading back to the railyard. “Ah told them Ah wanted to check everything first, but the train’s gotta run on time and all.”
A bright light grabbed Rainbow’s attention to that very window and she walked over to it. “Well if all the parts are here, then we should be fine. The other stuff we can pick up at Duskshire. Maybe we can stay long enough to get drunk one last time.” She went still upon seeing what the light was. “By the moon, the yard’s on fire!”
“It what?!” Applejack ran to join her as Rainbow yanked the window open to get a better look. Sure enough, a big plume of fire and smoke filled the air.
The pair stared at the flames for a moment or two before Applejack turned to her friend. “A fire breaks out right as we’re leaving?”
“Same night the power station got hit? Ten slips we got a stowaway.” Rainbow already started climbing out of the window. “I’ll get the Ninety Second to do a full sweep top to bottom.”
“Ah’ll let the others know what’s goin’ on.” Her work forgotten, Applejack ran for the passenger cabin.
All the searching would be for naught. Hours later, first light was creeping over the horizon as Fire Lash crept inside a cave far beyond the city limits. He was exhausted and drenched in sweat, but no one had followed him as far as he could tell.
Better not chance it though. He slid down some outcroppings and had to squeeze through some tight spaces, but he eventually reached a small cavern. Chiseled into the very rock was an inactive portal arch. Brushing himself off as best he could, Fire Lash double checked that his prize was still intact before putting it back in his pocket. Walking over to the arch, he saw a box of blue mana gems still sat off to the side.
He blew away the dust covering them, and inserted all eight of them into various points on the arch. Within moments, watery blue magic filled the space between the arch. Once it settled, he tossed a gold bit through and waited so those on the other side would know a friend was coming, before he too stepped through.
Hours later, Shining Armor had moved his headquarters to what remained of Cotton Ridge’s city hall. Most of the city was either burnt out frames, or demolished wrecks from artillery bombardment. Even the historic city hall had not escaped unscathed.
Having just written a series of orders, Shining Armor was going for a walk through what halls were still safe enough to transit to clear his mind. The polished oak walls and ceiling spoke to the building’s age as each creek under his hooves was not the sole responsibility of the damage it had sustained. It’s been a long time since the Royal Army has reached this far east. A long time since this city was laid low.
The light clip of hooves on wood drew his attention to an earth mare aide-de-camp. She had gray fur and raven black hair, and carried herself with grim certainty. “General Armor, That supply report you wanted is ready.” She fished out a bind of papers from a bag.
No rest for the wicked. Sighing and turning back to a crater in the wall so he could watch his troops file through the broken streets, pushing ever eastward. “Just give me the bullet points, Inky.”
Clearing her throat, the mare opened the papers and skimmed over them to be sure her memory wasn’t flawed. “Food and ammunition are in good supply to maintain a garrison here, although there is concern about the delay in winter uniforms.”
“Garrison?” Shining Armor rounded on her, but he kept his voice conversational. “The first snow is still a month away, I mean to push the attack.”
Momentary embarrassment struck her at the prospect of being on the receiving end of his ire. “I told the messenger from Dispatch the same, but for some reason his superiors are under the assumption you’ll be staying here, waiting for the Throne to sue for peace or at the very least allowing the other theaters to gain some ground. He was also keen to inform me that the northern front has had constant issues with portal raiders intercepting shipments, and replacement material has been rerouted there.”
A low growl escaped his lips. “Either Dispatch is monumentally stupid or Summer Heat can’t be bothered to deal with the raids himself. You tell him that if I don’t have what I need to stay on the march until the first snow, Dispatch can spend the rest of his career at Camp Everfree, is that clear?” Before she could even bow and respond, he continued, “in fact, have Sandy Hills deliver the message. He has a certain love for these kinds of negotiations.”
“At once, sir!” Inky fished around her back and presented a new tome that stank of coal and sweat. “One of our spies in Mechiburg delivered this not too long ago, sir. It’s a shipping ledger for Mechiburg’s main rail station.”
“Is it now?” Excitement nearly made him forget about his supply issue. He claimed the book in his magic and started skimming for useful information. “Then the raid bore fruit. Give my personal gratitude to the spy and grant him a week’s leave before returning for reassignment.”
He missed her reply as he delved into the ledger. With this, I can see what the Lunarians have been up to, and perhaps glean a pattern of behavior…
The hours flew by as he studied his new prize. He started on records dating three months prior, and moved slowly to the present day. Once he had reached the current date, his fatigue was starting to catch up to him. Before promising himself to take a breather, he came to today’s shipping logs. A quick review made his brow wrinkle at a peculiar item. An outboard train carrying a single company of soldiers and a single broken down Charlie engine. That’s one of those ‘do nothings’ they use to protect artillery batteries if I recall. Wait… They dedicated a whole train for only one company and a disassembled disruptor?
“Are they still in such a logistically strong place that they can spare a whole train for that little bit of cargo..? Or is there more to it?”
The news was as troubling as it was confounding. He studied the entry again. “That can’t be right. All the other shipments are far larger. So why…” There was only one real way to find out. “It’s going to Black Bluffs. That’s Brigadier General Reed’s theater.” Damn, I don’t have any forces both close enough to intercept and able to receive new orders in time. Let’s hope Reed is smart enough to heed me and keep a closer eye on Black Bluffs.
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Well crap.
I kind of figured, what with this story's ADHD, it wouldn't be so simple, so I'm going to expect a minimum of seven more chapters and several more sidequest derails before they actually rescue the sisters.
Still, an interesting story, so far.
Edit:
People seem upset with this comment, but it's true. The story sets stuff up, then abandons it all the time.
Twilight and Pinkie's training, for instance, and their equipment.
All this effort was put into showing them learning how to fight, and all the details put into Twilight's equipment she got meant specifically for a pegacorn. In a well focused story, if the author was going to put in that sort of effort to establish something, it would be because it was going to be important later.
What happened to all that? The pair got into two confrontations, and made practically zero use of their training in both of them. Twilight hugs herself to shoot a guy, and Pinkie just breaks the other's nose while they're distracted. Then later, when they get captured again, they talk their way out.
The whole training and description of their equipment was utterly pointless to the overall story.
Then there's the stuff leading up to Twilight and Pinkie defecting. You have Twilight describing this intricate plan, making preparations, making us think that the story is going to remain in that port area for a while, until Rarity comes along and all that buildup gets thrown out.
Then there's the stuff with Gold wanting to discuss his oil engine and making us think they'd move to that for a while, but then it gets sidelined again.
The story is bloated because the author puts too much detail into aspects that aren't necessary or turn out not to be relevant.
Climaaaaaaaaaaax!
11314159
I don't think there ever is a perfect balance of world building to go into a story.
If all the world building has to be relevant later as in every things being Chekov's gun. Then your either going to get a super complicated story or a very slim downed story. Depending on how much the author tries to work in.
Some of the things you mentioned might still be very relevant to the story we haven't seen the ending yet. I imagine Twilight's armor and ability to fly might be very useful in the near future, as well as her and Pinkie's training. The oil engine could be critical after the war or might never be mentioned again I can live with either.
As to Twilight's intricate plan getting thrown out the window. That adds a lot of realism to the story and makes sense for the characters that she would have a full plan she's not the type to just wing it. She was also young, naive, and missing a critical piece of information when she made those plans makes sense for it to fall apart quickly.
With some other stories that I felt were taking to long, or veering off track too much. I just put them on the back burner and let the story either finish or get much further along and come back to read it later.
11319443
Wholly agree for the most part, but you're missing the fact that those in power will go pretty far to keep it, and have also committed atrocities to do so. Cadance, alicorn or no, has been raised to be a puppet ruler and is so stuck in that mindset that she hasn't figured out that she could just upend the system if she wanted and no one could stop her short of killing her. And yes, they absolutely would, because it'd be a cinch to blame it on Lunaria and make her a martyr. She wouldn't be the first holy figure murdered when they wouldn't play ball with the establishment. It's even possible she and Shining HAVE figured this out, and know that the Church and Nobility would have them killed if they acted openly, which might be why they're too afraid to do so (in fact fear is Shining's exact excuse for siccing Rarity on Twilight), especially with a foal on the way. And of course, neither of them seem to have any actual friends/agents wholly their own, or they wouldn't be planning to use Inquisitors to contact Twi. So despite supposedly being at the top of the food chain, they're more like on a shaky platform over the shark tank. Shake things up too much and they fall in.
Yes, they're still cowards and idiots, and it's infuriating, but it's not a problem with the story, but a realistic example of human nature.
Nice update!
Also let's hope Black Reed ISNT ready for twilight xD
11319635
Agreed. In fact, in the only scene we saw Sunset she openly stated "let them (Equestrians) have their goddess". Shimmer and the highest members of Equestrian leadership have no delusion about the war being other than a power grab.
Twilight also mentioned Celestia having experienced that kind of pressure, forcing the "goddess" to make compromises, and the translated letters confirm that fact as well as Luna's motivation as an extreme reformist.