This story is a sequel to Ms. Shimmer Goes to Castellot
Sixty years has he kept his post, sixty years has he served, sixty years passed since the old coot finally managed to realize what was going on and save him from the darkness.
Teacher of history at Crystal Preparatory Academy for sixty years, first-hand witness to much of what he had to teach. The Gull Raids, Sombra, the Oddon Civil War, he'd seen it all and been a part of much of it.
Sixty years of service, service to six principals; the old coot for a few years, then the ever-forgettable Lukewarm, good Principal Amore, poor Sombra, cold Cinch, and now the fair Cadenza. He'd been there through so much; the old coot's mercurial leadership, Lukewarm's invisibility, Amore's even-handed prudence, Sombra's promise and descent into darkness, likewise for his mirror, and now Cadance's kindness and diplomacy. He's seen principals come and he's seen them go, and he's done his best to help them while they were there.
And now, he's preparing to help his principal with history.
To be precise, with making it.
Continuity: The Song of the Spheres
Branch: The Seekers of the Stars
Then, why are you there?
I’m pretty sure that’s not gonna hold up in court, right?
What could starlight even do to them? Let’s be real.
Who said anything about alone?
Ok, so is he basically saying just because you could doesn’t mean you should?
Damn.
10837185
Mainly because Star Swirl's his friend, and he'd rather not see his friend get caught doing something he shouldn't (again). Plus, Star Swirl's his main link to the rest of his friends, so in his mind if he loses Star Swirl he loses all of them.
Who cares if it doesn't? The courts are idiots who don't understand the need for scientific advancement, progress, just like the Guard and the banking system. Stupid donors, only care about his research if it can do something like turn lead to gold or pass 'the applicability test.'
Let's. Starlight is at the head of a political movement that is rapidly growing in numbers and is advocating for a revolution against 'the oppression of the elite,' which she defines as the heads of the tyrannical hierarchy, a system she proposes to thoroughly dismantle, starting with its most visible expression, magic. Magic (the ultimate expression of the elite attempting to impose their will on those they think beneath them) is to be reined in to secure the lives of the common folk (something the elite have shown they lack either the will or the ability to, with events like the Luxe Deluxe and Equestrialand) and wielders of its oppressive force are to be punished and either rehabilitated or rendered harmless to the populace. After that, the destruction of the rest of the oppressors can follow and the common folk can finally obtain what the elite have withheld from them for too long. Promising the destruction of the evil tyrants and the uplift of the good common folk (ill-defined so that way everyone can picture themselves in it) especially with the theme of security is proving to be potent electoral medicine, giving Starlight plenty of revolutionaries to call on. She says that she is heading to the capitol to register the Unmarked as a political party, but no one believes that it's anything other than an attempt to start the revolution. Where people differ is whether they think she'll succeed; if enough of the other parties stand against the Unmarked, as Stygian said, none can stand against Homestria alone, while if Starlight wins broad enough acceptance, her base will grow and grow until eventually she can deliver on her promises. At the very least, she has several eager revolutionaries under her command, and if she decides that that command is 'riot' or 'attack' no one doubts that they would obey.
So far as Stygian knows, they would be alone.
He's saying that there are people other than Twilight who they have a duty of care towards, and they need to take that into account when deciding their course of action.
While I might rephrase it, I understand the sentiment behind your reaction to this. Cadance has no good options here; she has but a choice of evils.
10837443
Was that second part meant to be a joke?
Woah. That’s a lot, but what’s that gonna do against people like the rainbooms?
Is there a way to protect twilight and crystal prep? Maybe have CHS and CP work together?
Honestly, the reason that was my reaction was because that was so deep. But, there were some things I didn’t understand.
10837517
Yes, the second part was meant to be a joke.
They're only seven, even fully united; eventually, unless they start cutting down Starlight's followers left and right, they'll be overwhelmed.
I doubt even that would be enough. Perhaps Rainbow and the others should look for some friends in Cloudsdale, as well as answers.
Glad to hear you liked it! Any points you think could use some clearing up?
10837543
Oh. Because, there was some truth to that joke.
Do you mean actually cutting them down? Because, I think that’s an option. Just add a violence, gore, and possibly dark tag and we’re good to go.
No, but it’s a start. Won’t everyone in the world have magic soon? Why not get them to work with the rainbooms? Also, answers for what?
Where it said “The leader is too far away to help any individual, while the hero is too close to preserve the whole.”
Fascinating glimpse of what came before.
Probably best not to think too hard about that one. Or Rarity's possible relation to it.
Hmm. Smoke bombs, arrogance, a daughter named Spectacle... I get the feeling that this instance of Star Swirl may have a descendant named Trixie.
And Cadence does have some difficult choices to make. Stygian raises some salient points, but he assumes that Crystal Prep would stand completely alone against a populist uprising. Leaders make poor heroes, but they can still forge alliances. Cadence would be well served to use whatever connections she may have to keep those she loves safe.
10837556
Oft does laughter hide wisdom.
It would be possible for me to write that, but would the Rainbooms actually do that? Would they be willing to kill possibly innocent, misled people?
Hm. Good point. It seems like Stygian is thinking too narrowly. However, he doesn't know the extent of magic's return, and even if he did it's not clear that everyone in the world will gain magic like the Rainbooms. Regarding the 'answers' Rainbow and the others are looking for, Sunset sent them to Cloudsdale to try to get a look at what exactly is happening there; they've detected a large upsurge in magic, and part of that seems to be related to the weather which is growing stronger, but other than that they know nothing.
Regarding Stygian's advice, what he means is that the leader has to focus on the big picture and the group as a whole, distancing them from the circumstances of the individual and thus the knowledge of how best to help them. The hero, on the other hand, tries to help those in peril, and thus has to immerse themselves in their situation in order to understand how best to help them. This is good, but it does require diversion of energy away from looking at the big picture, forcing the hero to focus on the individual they are trying to help rather than the group. Basically, Stygian is saying that attention and energy are finite, and where the hero 'spends' their's on the individual, the leader needs to spend their's on the group as a whole.
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I’m not saying do it immediately. Give them an opportunity to change their minds and then if that doesn’t work give them a warning, and if that doesn’t work then kill them.
What kind of magic is there other than the magic the rainbooms have? Maybe it’s other magic users. Because, don’t pegasi control the weather?
I guess that makes sense, but isn’t it possible to be both?
10838283
We shall have to see. The Rainbooms do not seem like the type to like killing to me, and the sacrifice of innocence that would require may be too great for them. As well, they may wonder, if they kill their enemies, what makes them any better? It may actually be a world of difference, but will they be able to see that?
Many kinds of magic, some of which I hope we shall see soon. Also, yes, the pegasi control the weather in Equestria, but the two worlds are not exactly one-to-one. Good catch, though; we shall see how accurate it is soon.
If it is, it is very difficult; people are finite, while the demands of the group and the individuals who compose it are nigh-infinite. Generally speaking, a choice between which one you focus on is necessary.
10838301
Well why didn’t you say so? Just give me five minutes with them and I can definitely convince them.
What are some examples? Because, I’m pretty sure neither fim or eqg went into detail about the types of magic. Thanks, I try my best to use my brain when reading fanfics. So I catch some things.
Nigh-infinite?