The door at the end of the corridor opened and a member of my legion entered. The pegasus quickly crossed over to me and handed me a scroll without a word before she bowed and retreated from the room.
I unwrapped the scroll and eyed through it before I sighed and looked towards Fluttershy, "Celestia need to see me," I explained to her curious look, "I'll ask somepony else to come and keep you company while I'm gone if that's okay?"
Fluttershy hesitated, "You don't need to be here," she said softly, "I'm sure you have important things to do."
"This is important, you are important," I told her seriously as I got up, "As soon as the meeting is over, I'll be back here, okay?"
"Oh. Okay."
I smiled at her, "Don't worry, I'll be right back. Besides, you can leave here soon too. It seems safe enough, I'll talk it through with Sparks, okay?"
Fluttershy nodded and I retreated from the chamber, stopping by my guard outside as the door closed, "Anypony mind going and keeping her company until I get back?" I asked when the door was closed.
"I'll do it," a blue pegasus said and gave me a smile. Red Heart was one of the medics in the legion and was here in case of an emergency.
I gave her a nod, "Thank you," I said and then continued towards the exit, "I should be back within a couple of hours."
It had been well over a day now, I needed to talk with Sparks and Midnight. It seemed safe enough and we couldn't keep her locked up like that much longer.
Stepping out into the freezing cold, I wrapped myself in a heating spell for the quick crossing to the rest of the castle and entering into the relative warmth of the inside.
Was what we were doing right?
Maybe. Maybe not. But thestrals were dying out, something about the curse or the blood magic or a mix between them was causing thestrals to have a majority pegasus foals. If nothing was done...
In another thousand years, there may be no more thestrals at all.
That could not be allowed to happen.
Besides, it was Fluttershy. Worst case, Discord would fix it by doing the same thing he did to me.
...And whatever he demanded in payment, I'd pay. Because it was my responsibility.
Reaching a pair of guards, I gave them a nod, "Is she available?"
The right one nodded, "You can enter, your highness."
I gave him another nod and pushed the door open and walked inside the much warmer room, letting the door close behind me with a click. This was one of my favorite rooms. It had a fireplace and several comfortable looking couches, the walls mostly made up of bookshelves other than one that was a window towards one of the private gardens.
It was one of Celestia's private rooms.
The alicorn looked up from the book she was reading on one of the couches when I entered and smiled at me, "Page. Welcome."
"Hey Sunshine," I said and crossed over to her.
"How's Lady Fluttershy?" Celestia asked gently.
I sighed, "As expected. She's..." I said and then I shook my head, "She has to seriously be one of the bravest ponies I know. You'd never think it just by seeing her, but..."
Celestia nodded, "Bravery isn't not being afraid. It's being terrified and doing it anyway."
"Yeah," I agreed and jumped up next to her, "You wanted to talk to me? I should get back to her."
Celestia sighed softly, "I got word this morning. They are going to try to push through the petition tomorrow during day court. It seems like we have less time than we thought to get a handle on it."
"It never rains, but it bucking pours," I sighed and groaned, closing my eyes and resting my head against her shoulder for a moment, "Fucking bucking damn it!"
Her warm wing settled across my back, "We can handle this, Page. Worst case, I block them cold."
I sighed without moving, "How much political capital would that cost us?"
"Some," Celestia admitted, "Mostly when it comes to the tax rates I suspect. And possibly in the general population when the media get a hold of it. But ponies like you so that won't hurt much."
"You mean, ponies liked me before this," I said and shifted my wings against hers, "Would this entire thing even have happened without it?"
Celestia didn't answer. She didn't need to, I already knew the answer.
Finally raising my head, I nodded, "Okay. That's just not acceptable. We need as much tax as we can get from those leeches as is. If we allow it to pass, how much do you think we can force through in return? And how can we turn it around on them to make a point that acting like this is not acceptable."
"That depends," Celestia admitted, "I have been refreshing my memory by going through the books on the subject," she said and motioned towards the thick book before her, "And I have some ideas, but I want to discuss them with you and my sister first. I want it to be an acceptable outcome for you, Page, and I already know you won’t like parts of it. If it's not acceptable, then I block it and they can buck off. "
I grinned, "Such language from the Perfect Pretty Pony Princess. What would the ponies say if they knew you spoke like that?"
Funny, Celestia's eye roll looks almost identical to Lunas.
I know this plot is happening, but I kinda wanna see the nobels attempt to get that anti Page thing passed.
Ok, Great alliteration.
So let’s see what the price is, and how Celestia and Luna are going to trick Page.
(Somehow I feel like what ever they came up with, Page might like even less than the nobles will.)
Oh no, she's going to cut back on nap time
This is unacceptable. Outrageous. Those nobles have gone too far, something must be done!
I am very curious to see what happens with this petition
Nice chapters. To Tarterus with the Nobels. The mighty 'salt lick' named Blank Page is not to be bothered. His 'suger cubes' will not be spoiled by this leeches of sociaty.
Page: So...where's the part where we feed the nobles to Fern?
Celestia: No Page! No pony is getting eaten in the throne room!
Page: Ah you're right...no point ruining good marble tiles! How about in the rose garden? Those parasites will make good fertilizer there!
Celestia: *long patient sigh*
nice
If they DO get it through I hope Page gets a few days working with a few newspapers *Sips Tea* the Nobles would lose their positions a month after the Rumors spread, they deal with Negative Propaganda against them, and they are all satirized and lambasted in the comic section....
Again, if page cared to put the effort in he would be a terrifying political juggernaut
Aw crap. They left Fluttershy with a non-thestral. I can totally see something going wrong, her staring that pegasus into being released, and shenanigans.
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Worse, they're going to extend winter. =P
So about thestrals blood drinking.
As vampires that drink blood they should need to drink a lot of it to get what they need. Which will also cause them having to pee, a lot. Seeing how blood is mostly water to begin with.
They have to eat something else besides pony,other creatures and animal ,blood.
Or they don't feed from blood's nutrients but from blood's magic,like changelings probably feed on magic in emotions
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I'd think it's more magical, as vampires(mythical) were susceptible to Sun. Then again, it all came from a very real sickness, which turned your skin pale, and actually required you to stay out of direct sunlight, or you could be severly burnt. Oh, I think you needed to drink blood for real, because os reasons I can't remember right now. Hovere, mythical vampires also didn't have mirror reflection, had prolonged lifespawn. AND were vulnerable to wood and silver, while being immune to damage otherwise.
And so the Elitists want to screw Page because of prejudice and the way he has rubbed their greedy ways down the crapper and will try to force their ways down Sunshine.
Why is it that those who are privileged seem to think that the poor, the middle class and the minorities are either a resource to abuse, or to further crush so that they can be in their wasteful, ignorant way of life? Common sense dictates that sooner or later if you push too hard, that they will strike back and it won't be pretty for them...
Page should be there for the day court, know, some ferar an pressure always help, and their courage is on the paper!
Let's remember: THEY FEAR PAGE, CLOSE AND PERSONAL.
Hm, I have no idea why that would be.
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I will say as my ship's AI often say after we...'dispose'...of boarders:
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I may be a northerner as far as most are concerned, but that shit is cruel.
We are getting dangerously close to 100. Will it be a cliff hanger? Or perhaps a coasting end past 100?
Hiver, what are you planning, I wonder?
a vary moral stance...
Why?
If you gave them a choice the vast majority would trade their leather for real feathers. Most would not even hesitate, definitely if it meant their foals would not have to suffer as they have. It's not even a proper genocide as they are simply being bred out. Even if we ignore social and political reasons and go biological the question remains. Each of the three tribes has a niche in pony society to the point that it breaks down if one is missing in a settlement. Even the crystal ponies have their niche; in the two parter that they debuted in established that they power the crystal heart and send that energy to the rest of ponykind. The Legion of Doom shouldn't have been able to break the ponies up so easily if the writers had remembered that.
What did the bats do? Supposedly they are not doing it.
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You depiction of the "biology" of Pony tribes is purely based on the story of Hearts Warming Eve. Just because Equestria was founded on the union of three tribes doesn't mean it was biologically always meant to be this way. Also lacking a so called "niche" in society doesn't mean that they are not worth existing. We see donkeys living along side ponies and they don't have a biological "niche" either.
Honestly I find it quite disturbing that you consider a minority group being bred out of existence by a curse as an acceptable solution. Seriously it is that kind of thought process that led human history to committing horrific acts like forced sterilization of women in prisons.
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So is forcing them to be bred true just so that they can be stepped on by every other tribe as monsters. If Page annouces a cure what i will hear is; "You will remain a bat! Your foals will be bats just like you! They will get to experience the same things growing up as you! Aren't you happy we can put all this behind us?". I would rather not breed if i knew they would experience that.
And it is biology; equis biology. The ponies must work together or Windigoes. Perhaps a better word could be chosen.
Yes, it is disturbing. So is Page's solution. If he took a survey most will not list "inability to have bat pony foals" as a problem. They see themselves as cursed, society sees them as cursed or monsters. Page is putting the cart before the horse in fixing the actual curse first. So he cures them... suddenly you have bat pony foals who probably can't take pegasus form and they will be subjected to the other foals (kids are cruel) their parents (for fear of their own foals) and those that just simply believe the bats to be unnatural.
While Page may be reversing one or two things that shouldn't be he is also doing nothing to make the current world better for the minority group alive right now. He is working on a cure for a degenerative disease (which is good) but the bat ponies don't need that as much as they need an advocate; they need a Martin Luther King. Page can't be that; most of the stuff he does sets them back.
Unless Page, or anypony, gets some propaganda program up i would recommend drafting internment camps. At least get the plans laid out and some bits invested. Soon there are going to be bats in need of protection from the ponies.
It is disturbing. Until the bats get out of hiding (just a few to work on equal treatment) all paths lead to a dark place...
As far as I know most of the nobles' titles originally came from military, administrative or some kind of service to the country. Make it obligatory for the first borns to serve the state.
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You're confusing biology and social studies. Heart's Warming Eve is NOT a good source for explaining pony biology. Our insight on the event is from an episode about a school play where the Mane Six dress like characters. Yes we know that Windigoes are real thanks to the series finale but it does NOT mean that rest of the story is true. Griffins, donkeys, cows, etc. coexist with ponies in Equestria as well and just because they lack a role in the mythology in how Equestria was founded doesn't mean they lack "purpose" to society.
I would agree that Page's current methods has serious issues at the moment and public relations is more feasible course of action he needs to work on.
However...internment camps? THAT is part of your "ideal" solution? I honestly hope you are using wrong terminologies because forced removal of a minority group into prison camps is a HORRIBLE public relations move.
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Celestia: "No, Page. We'll feed them to the Thestrals."
Page: "Not funny, Celestia."
Celestia: "Oh, but it is funny, Page. It seems the spell you guys used on Fluttershy resonated throughout all of Equestria."
Page: "Wai--what!?"
Celestia *spreads her wings and drops the illusion of feathers* : "Yes, the Thestrals have all been changed. I think the Twilights forgot to expect the unexpected when they cast it. "
Page: "......Damn! That's hot, Celestia!...Is it bad of me to not be sure which I should be feeling: horrified or turned on, right now? "
Celestia: "I'm not sure, either, Page. But I am feeling thirsty. Let's go find some nobles and drain them dry. Then we feed their husks to Fern."
Page: "Works for me. Should we wake Luna to join the fun?"
Celestia: "Nyah, I'm too thirsty right now. Besides, I want to surprise her this evening. "
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To be honest, im waiting for the day that the nobility gets purged or otherwise decked and checked for all the rotten apples that call themselves better then rest
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Because if human history is any guide, the oppressed masses will take a good long time to actually find both the will and the means to strike back. And sure, things may well get ugly if and when they do...but until then the nobles will have already had a nice extended privileged run of sitting squarely in the lap of luxury. And that assumes the revolution will come within their lifetimes at all; if they die before then for reasons unrelated to their abusive practices, they’re home free.
So it may be a gamble, and a cynical one at that -- but it’s definitely not an altogether stupid one.
We humans could learn from this Celestia ♡
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The feast shall last all Night ♤
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For real trough, what is Fern up to lately?
Some serious philosophical debates in these comments....
I'm still expecting something to go horribly wrong with the thestral curse.