Chapter 111
"Ready?" Luna asked from next to me as we overlooked the collection of dream portals. A total of four hundred and seventy three of them. I know because I counted them. Three times just to be sure it was all of them. They were the ones I had sought out during the last week, the ones I had found going from dream to dream to find the right professions and ages.
The potential first wave of colonizers.
"As ready as I can be," I confirmed, "This will be difficult."
Luna didn't answer, but magic flickered around her horn and then I felt her power surround me. I reached out through the dream realm, touching dream after dream as I focused, pouring my power into them.
I brought the dream around me, forming the images and the sensations as I slowly stepped forward onto the stage into a lit place, shapes before me. Dark shapes, hundred, diffuse, ill defined.
I looked out across them and smiled, half spreading my wings, "My name is Blank Page. Most of you have heard of me or even answered to my request for a letter. I'm speaking to you today through your dreams because there are things I have to tell you about the past and the future."
I shifted my wings and stretched them for a second, "Everypony thought the thestrals were cursed... and they're right. But not in the way most ponies think. Thestrals were never pegasi cursed with these wings. Thestrals are the forth pony tribe." I said before I smiled, doing everything I could to keep the drain from the spell from showing, "but let me start from the beginning."
"Once, many thousands of years ago, batponies lived in the southern jungle. During those times, before the unification there were wars of tribe against tribe, clan against clan. All the tribes fighting for power. Thestrals was just one among the four. But something happened, they were driven back deeper and deeper into the jungle. Maybe their enemies discovered something they didn't, maybe they were simply outnumbered. But it doesn't matter. What does matter is that an alicorn came to them, a thestral alicorn before even the birth of Luna and Celestia," I said before I continued, "He promised them power. Safety. Revenge against those that would threaten them."
I shook my head, "He turned them into monsters. Oh, he gave them the power they wanted, they drove their enemies back. They won victories over them. But that strength, that power came at a cost. It turned them... it turned us into blood drinking vamponies."
I sighed and folded my wings, looking towards the side, "The rest is history. I don't know who cast the curse to try to force thestrals back to what they were before, but my money is on one of the unicorn tribes in the area. But in the end, it doesn't really matter. It was the start to the hiding. The fear. Generation after generation of thestrals forced to hide to keep from being driven away. Cast out by their villages, their friends. From fear and ignorance," I said and then I let silence stretch out for a while.
I stomped my hoof on the stone of the stage, "But that's why I'm here. That's why I'm talking to you right now. I... we... have found a way to break the curse and the magic beneath it, to turn thestrals back to the way we were meant to be. Many of you have pegasi siblings. It's part of the curse that most foals from a thestral are pegasi, true pegasi that never get their real form. Removing the curse and the magic beneath it... it fixes that. Thestrals could return to being a true tribe again..." I said before I flicked my ears back and looked down, "But not in Equestria. Not now. Not yet. You all know what it's like, you all grew up in it, you don't need me to tell you about the constant fear. The reactions if ponies find out. Constantly hiding who you are, even from your friends."
"If we're going to fix any of this... we need to do it right," I told them and then smiled slightly and glanced up at my horn, "One alicorn did this. And here is yet another one promising to fix things for you, to have an easy solution. But I'm not. I don't have any easy answers. But what I do have... is a plan."
I scraped my hoof against the stone and raised my head to look out over them again as I redoubled my efforts to keep the spell going and keeping the image I projected to them steady and unbothered, "And I'm going to tell you of it. We have a way to break the spells upon you. Half a dozen thestrals including myself have already undergone it. Which brings us to the reason I am talking to you, and you specifically. There are over five thousand batponies, but only just under five hundred of you here. So why you? Because of who you are. You're carpenters, doctors, engineers and architects. Farmers and animal handlers, weather ponies and smiths. You're here because you're the kind of ponies we need for this plan to have a chance of working."
I smiled and shook my head, "In two months a train leaves from Canterlot and heads as far south as the line goes. From there there would be a flight to the edge of the jungle. We would find the site for a new village, a thestral village. You are the kinds of ponies that would be necessary for that sort of thing to even have a chance of succeeding."
"I am asking for a lot," I continued, "Asking you to leave your lives now, to move your families away from where you live now for something unknown is more than anypony could ever ask of you. I couldn't even with good conscience promise that it's going to work. There are some things I can promise. I can promise that it will be difficult. I can promise it's going to be hard. I can promise that there will be times that you wished you never came."
Spreading my wings again, I looked at them fiercely, pouring everything I had into the spell as I felt my magic start to falter, "But I can promise one more thing. And that is that I think it is the best chance that your foals will be able to grow up without needing to be afraid or needing to hide who they really are, to be ashamed! We would be the first ones there, the ones to start building something new! Something… that could be great. More would come to join us in time but somepony needs to get the ball rolling."
Sighing softly, I then smiled, "I know what you're thinking. You have survived fine so far, and you have. Your ancestors have. You'll survive where you are and so will your foals, be they pegasi or thestrals," I said and then nodded, "You're right. You'll survive and so will they."
"But come with me if you want to live."
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He is starting to sound really creepy and fanatical Earth ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns can interbreed too and get mixed children.The curse may be removed but they may still have ancestors from all races and produce not only Thestral children.
He wasn't even born a pony or Thestral in the first place and speeks of getting denied their true form
.
Page has a PLAN! He just... needs... more... MONEY!!!
(Bad Red Dead Redemption joke is bad)
I would ask to be a pegasus.
Bad Page! *Smacks his muzzle with a rolled up newspaper*
No Terminator quotes! What's next, There's no fate but what we make?
Looks like Page has fully leaned into Picarding ponies
10519636
Fate?
Thestrals are the bone of my sword?
Again, PAGE has ZERO idea what the thestral alicorn ACTUALLY did. Really wish he would just SHUT UP about thing he doesn't have the slightest idea about. He's just made up his mind that what he THINKS happened is the absolute truth.
I was wondering why Page didn't try to get a gun , phone or computer from the human world yet.
But then I remembered something about the portal from another story I can't remember ,that fits canon and most other stories.
Everything that goes through the portal changes itself to fit the rules of the other world and changes itself into the strongest invented equivalent of itself.
If someone would try to get a gun it probably would change into it's strongest equivalent in Equestria,like a crossbow.
Computers and phones would transform into abacus ,etc
So for Page, he will need to wait much longer for Equestria's internet.
Or never at all if there are different rules of the world affecting electricity differently
Gonna need to get some teachers for the young ones too
Can't think of a better way to end that speech. Well done.
10519654
Now, don't start bringing anime references into this...
It will never end.
10519659
OK, why, then, Luna approved of his speech? He didn't just start talking his ass off with no idea for how long his speach was. He had to run some ideas with Luna at least. And do you have better explanation? So far, it doesn't matter if it is a lie or not, it FITS.
10519659
My money’s on Page going full-on Magneto at the village, then time shenanigans happen and Page winds up in the past where he dooms the Thestrals to their current predicament.
The Irony would be too perfect.
10519788
Page is already starting to channel Magneto.
"But come with me if you want to live."
* slow clap*
10519668
Assuming they got down to business on arrival that is still multiple years before preschool. I would hope that the current parents would leave their children behind with tgeir better half.
10519687
Why would Luna not approve it? She wasn't around and likely knows only as much as Page.
10519659
I understood it as him getting the info he shared from what the researchers discovered in the jungle during the expedition. And not that it was something that he made up himself.
10519849
Ehm, she was before Page was even in the picture. I think she knew of her sisters attempts to help thestrals, for all those thousands of years. Besides, neither Celestia nor Luna KNEW of how bad situation had GOTTEN, and only through Page's incentive for his own, and other ponies research they knew of thestrals dying out. Right know they don't have OTHER options(not at that TIME, and it is SHORT. in a few generations thestrals can/could have died). The only option they have is Page's, build a town, and build up population. After NUMERIC population is safe, then they can proceed with whatever they think of soon or later.
10519849
And that wasn't a question to you, but to Rubakor. He was arguing that Page was being stupid. When option is betwen a stupid plan and NO plan at ALL - the choice is obvious.
10518731
You have bad priorities. You can worry about LONG term goals and reintegration after you SAVE the poor bastards. They are breeding out, so pproblems for NOW are to find a way to keep population, at ANY cost(except killing). Keep them in one place, guard them against idiots(Neyghsay, ugh), find a way to bring up bat pony birth rate...
You can only CURE a patient AFTER you STABILISE him. Right now they need to simply STABILISE bat ponies. Curing/intergrating them can come after they start being born more.
10519892
Yes... before Page. So she knows the bats during Equestria... that is not the topic.
But she was not around when the bloodmagic was used (the main part we are talking about; the history from before). She knows as much about those past events as Page. Page is being stupid. As soon as he heard "bloodmagic" all other context of past events was dropped from his mind. We know past events better than he does and we have been with him the entire time. Page is being willingly ignorant and bigoted. And his speeches are getting xenophobic...
10519800
Who would become Xavier then? X)
I am liking this plan,, i just wish my old ass memory code remember the name of the village.
“Come with me if you want to live!”
“And GO!”
“Go, My Sky?
“Yeah, start your speech.”
“I just finished it!”
“Well poop, I wasn’t ready yet.”
“The hell were you doing? Picking dandelions?
“Don’t you get pissy with me! For your information I was making sure Everypony could hear at the same time, some of these ponies don’t speak Equish.”
“....uhhh your majesties...can we...go now?
“NO! You stay there! We are doing this!”
“Is this a breeding thing?”
“What?! NO! Well...kinda... Just listen up!”
10519901
Celestia
10519900
Because OTHER contexts MATTER how? He's not being ignorant, he's being focused. As for xenophony, WHERE the hell is he being xenophobic? Where he states the FACT the ponies SHUN(FACT!!!) bat ponies? That they are being AFRAID? He went out under disguise as a regular thestral, ponies called guards, guards told HIM to leave, and he couldn't get a job.
While I agree with Pages goal, this level of propaganda and influencing is kind of unsettling.
10519621
The fact that cursed Batponies only appear with 1/3 of the original chance doesn't change from possible interbreeding and can only be corrected by removing the curse. And you don't need to be born a (Bat)pony to understand that problem.
10519633
There is no such option. Best you can do is endure the discrimination for a few more generations until the batponies finally disappear.
10519659
I guess technically the old alicorn could just have gone along with someone elses plan. And even be responsible for the counter-curse. Seems unlikely though.
10519900
What other important events does page ignore? From what I can tell there are 2 Problems: the curses and resulting low birthrate, and the discrimination. Both are taken care of in his plan (even if the discrimination is not really solved), at the cost of isolating themselves somewhere out in the nowhere.
10519943
Well, Page doesn't have much choice but to be as convincing as possible. He needs as many thestrals as he can get his hooves on. He needs all professions, and all of them being thestrals, for his idea having a CHANCE to work. Any less - that village won't have enough food, builders or any other ESSENTIAL proffession, or not enough sheer POPULATION to work.
I would argue that there are more tribes than that.
The crystal ponies of the crystal empire, are in a similar situation where they need to integrate into normal pony society, except they have better numbers, a homeland and a better reputation, essentially what Page is working towards.
The comics gave us the gem eyed pegasi, although it also hinted that the changelings wiped them out.
You could also argue that the eastern unicorns with the curved horns and the Indian ponies with the curved ears are their own tribes.
Other close relatives of ponies that could probably be counted as tribes, if you squint, would be species like the zebra, saddle Arabians, Clydesdales, kirins and changelings.
Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns are just the tribes that founded the original Equestria.
(Windy: Okay no one liked my last post. I deleted that post because I agree..it wasn't my best work. Here's a better one!)
Page: "But come with me if you want to live."
*A screen pops in front of Page and all the other ponies*
Davenport: This dream projection is brought to you by Quills and Sofas! Whether you're a famous alicorn author stocking up or a thestral looking for beautiful furniture, Quills and Sofas is here for you~!
Page: Advertisement?!
Luna: Sorry Page! This magic needed more juice than I thought to include all 400+ ponies so I sold ad space in order make ends meet.
Page: Really? *pout* I thought that was the one thing I could avoid from the human world...
Luna: Nope! I'm afraid not!
10519663
Then bring back ideas. flint or cap locks. They have talented blacksmiths both are within reach with that level of tech.
what about unicorn powered rail guns? The slug of metal ( or what have you ) does not have to be propelled by an electromagnetic field use telekinetics. It doesn't have to be big if it's moving fast enough.
What happens if you teleport something into a space already occupied by something else? Is the transfer forbidden by natural (magic) laws or is the spell just written to prevent that? What is the result when two things try to occupy the same space? We might want to test that one waaay out in the badlands. Thought; are the badlands natural, a Celestia caused burn off or has this idea popped up before?
Just pick the dinosaur up and give it a toss, 500 feet up and on an arc to land 3-4 miles away ought to do it.
10519943
I found it unnerving that he said that non thestral children from thestrals in this case were pegasi that didn't get their true form.
So does this mean that unicorns and pegasi children from earth ponies like the cake twins didn't get their true forms too -_-?
I didnt really mean the blood curse.
Are crystal ponies not a separate tribe? Because I thought they were separate but he only refers to 4 tribes...
*terminator theme*
10520102
Perhaps but are they equestrian? Because he maybe refering to equestrian tribes
Well, that's not propaganda-y at all. Who's he to say they aren't really living unless they go with him? This is not a good look at all and I'm really not liking this turn Page is taking. As others have said, he's starting to channel Magneto and sounding a bit xenophobic. He needs to slow down and really examine the situation and come up with a proper plan. They haven't died out in the last four thousand years, he can take a year or two to do this properly instead of rushing into things blindly.
How does he know that they wouldn't been born as pegasi anyway, even without the curse lowering bat pony birth rates? Really, he's starting to sound like a bat pony supremacist and if this is the route he's going, I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow ends up going back in time to become that bat pony alicorn he hates so much.
This has sparked a massive "political" debate. I admit that I'm not the smartest person in the world, however, I do understand the significance of prioritizing. Right now, from what my brain can understand, Page's plan is not meant to deal with the discrimination, right now he's trying to preserve the Thestrals. I wish discrimination could disappear over night, but it's been 56 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and there's still tension between whites and blacks, Black Lives Matter is a recent example.
56 years is roughly two generations which means the kids of that time have grown up and had their own kids and with the birth ratio of Thestrals being 1 out of 4 that means a loss of at least 3 Thestrals.
Using the base number of 5,000-then divide by two for couples = 2,500.
For the sake of argument let's say each couple has four kids.
1 out of 4 is 25% so 25% of 2,500 is...625 which makes the Thestral population 5,625 if I did my math correctly for this situation that means that Thestrals lose 75% per generation. Didn't realize how drastic this was until I did the math and it's bad.
Removing the curse and preserving the Thestrals is a must for them to survive, when they no longer have a threat of extinction then Page can work in discrimination. I understand that taking all the Thestrals into a camp is controversial in a number of ways, and would make reintegration more difficult. Page is taking what he can out of a bad situation, lesser of two evils if you consider it worse than I do.
10520323
They are hiding, have to live in fear that they will be discovered. Did you forget that thestrals are SHUNNED? SO yeah, if they want to live properly, without disguises - they have to go with him. He will work on their curse and birth rate, and then he will work on reintegrating them.
He doesn't sound like a supremacist at ALL, he's sounding like someone who UNDERSTANDS that thestrals are DYING as SPECIES!!! I'd like to see you be the same, when whole branch of humanity dies out, be it black, white, chinese or someone else. That is what is happening here.
This story's back and forth of splitting Page from his loved ones before reuniting them, only to split them up again, is starting to feel a little whiplash-y.
10520416
How long do you think it will take for them to get their numbers up? A few generations, at the very least. Let's just say for the sake of argument that it takes 50 years. Now that's 50 years that bat ponies have been living by themselves away from the rest of Equestria. Some of them will have spent their entire lives never seeing other ponies. Ponies back in Equestria will see this bat pony colony growing and being supported by the crown and likely view it with suspicion. The longer they wait to start integration, the larger the divide between them will grow. Since they've got nothing going for them back in the rest of Equestria, bat ponies will just stay in their own little colony and never want to go back to Equestria where they'll be just as discriminated against as they are now. They need to be addressing that issue, not making it worse by removing all the bat ponies from the general population. The bat pony population isn't literally on the brink of dying out like you seem to think it is, and it'll likely at least manage to stabilize after they remove the curses from them.
10520433
You must be stupid. Tell me, how are you gonna integrate people who are DEAD? Or, another point. You integrate them. Well done. Now they dillute and die off EVEN FASTER. What's the point of integration if they don't EXIST? If they EXIST it can take 10, 20, 100, thousands of years to integrate. But guess what? They will be AROUND.
10520755
Well done. You proved in the very first sentence that you aren't worth trying to discuss things with.
10520762
THESTRALS ARE DYING, THEY ARE OUTBREEDING, WAKE UP CALL, IDIOT!!!
⏰⏰⏰
How else do I call you if you KEEP IGNORING a HIGH PRIORITY POINT!!! You keep on saying things about integration, and you don't accept segregation, well then. Come up with the solution of OUTBRREDING. NOW. Before they integrate and DILLUTE even MORE.
10520762
Waiting on that solution, boy.
Page you sly bastard.
10520377
Pff, you understand more than Rhawkas does. He doesn't understand priorities. If bat ponies EXIST - anyone can work on integration for thousands of years, thestrals are here to stay. If someone rushes - more dillution, faster death of bat ponies, LOTS of pushback from the types of Neighsay and others.
Man, Rhawkas, you are pathetic. Not only you are wrong in your priorities, now you block be and downvote every one of my coments just because you lost? TELL me a solution, that does NOT invole bat ponies DYING, or WAITING.
10520377
I don't want to agree with you, then you showed me the math and I concede anything I could say.