“What do you think of these, Spats?” Radish asked.
The two were in a downtown department store, examining rings in display counters. They had been there for quite some time.
“These are for unicorns, Rad. See how they’re tapered for a horn?”
“We’re here to get ideas, not to buy. What about that jewel?”
“Now, what about that jewel says, ‘Light Fantastic’ to you?”
“It’s the same color as her coat.”
“Which means it’ll just blend in,” noted Spats. “You want an opposite color so it will stand out.”
“Colors have opposites?”
Spats took a deep breath. “Yes, Radish. Colors have opposites.”
“Huh.”
Spats noticed a stationery counter. “Hey, we can get a start on invitations while we’re here.”
“Bit early for that. I don’t even know if she’ll say yes.”
“Of course she’ll say yes. What’s the matter with you?”
“She’s, you know, non-traditional. She might not see the point in marriage.”
“She’ll say yes, Rad. She’d be an idiot not to lock you down.”
“Thanks, Spats.”
They looked through a book of wedding invitation templates. Radish felt sicker with each page turned. A clerk approached them.
“Hi! Any questions?”
“All these invitations… they all have the couples’ cutie marks right on front,” said Radish.
“That’s right.”
“Are there any that… don’t?”
She seemed confused by this. She took the book and flipped through it.
“Hmm, not seeing any. It’s the common thing to do. And not just for invitations, you usually have the couples' marks on everything- banners, table placards, gift bags...”
“What if your mark doesn’t… show up well in print?” Radish asked.
“Oh, our printers are the best. We can get the finest details, and any color you need. What’s your cutie mark?”
“I…”
“But you can use alternatives, right?” asked Spats. “My buddy here’s a royal guard- he could use their emblem if he wanted to, right?”
“Sure. We’ve done that. But for their special day, most ponies really want it to be about them personally, you know?”
Radish saw a list of their print shop’s rules in the front of the book. He read one near the bottom and frowned.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, a morality clause. This one couple thought it would be funny to make invitations full of profanity and lewd descriptions. It got us into trouble, so the company put a ban on anything obscene.”
“Thank you, miss,” said Radish, closing the book. “I need more time.”
“No problem.”
Radish walked away and slumped on a bench. Spats sat next to him.
“I can’t even give her real wedding invitations, Spats.”
“Come on, that’s one printer out of dozens in town. Light’s got a hundred artsy friends who could make invitations for you.”
“And just mail my mark to all our friends and family?”
“Everypony who’s important to you knows about it. Nopony cares.”
“I don’t want hundreds of pictures of my mark out there in print. PC shouldn’t have to deal with that.”
“She’d be happy for you.”
“She deserves better. I’m not going to distribute obscene pictures of Celestia just because I want guests at my wedding.”
“So use the Guard emblem, or that radish you had.”
“That’s just hiding who I am, and everyone will know it.”
“Then make invitations without any marks at all.”
“And just throw out Fanny’s mark because mine can’t be seen? Hers is nice- it should be seen.”
“Rad, you’re letting one little piece of paper get to you. This is the least important part of your wedding.”
“It’s not just that, Spats.”
“What, then?”
“I’m just tired of them, Spats. It’s one of the most basic things about a pony, and it’s all complicated for me and I don’t know why. No one knows why. It’s like growing up with a name no one can pronounce.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to help.”
“You’ve been great, Spats. I just wish things could be different.”
Radish Root slept over at Light Fantastic’s house whenever he could, which wasn’t often. He slept there tonight. Light sighed contentedly, feeling his hooves around her. He breathed softly into the back of her neck.
She could have lain like that forever, except the several glasses of wine she drank earlier were done with her. She slipped out of Radish’s caress and used her bathroom.
On her way back, she stumbled in the dark on Radish’s saddle bags. She cut her curse short so as not to wake him. As they flopped over, some of their contents spilled out onto the carpet. She bent low to put it all back.
She saw a scrap of paper crammed full of notes. She knew better than to read something from a guard’s belongings- it could be state secrets.
But it had her name on it.
She glanced up at Radish and confirmed he was still sleeping soundly. She moved the paper over to where rays of light from slits in her blinds were illuminating lines on her floor. She read the paper.
Her heart beat faster.
Radish had sketched out plans for designing a custom ring- a ring made to be worn on a wing metacarpal, between primary feathers, the place where pegasi wear engagement rings.
He had written a list of possibilities for messages to engrave inside it. Some were simply their names. Some were short sayings about love, and he had scratched out a few that were too dorky even for him.
He had written down numerous ideas for gemstones, precious metals, and fittings, trying out various combinations. At the bottom of the page was Rarity’s contact information. He was going to ask her to build it for him. He had even put down a price he was willing to pay her. It was high.
She gazed up at Radish’s sleeping body. He looked so happy. Light put the paper back in his bag and set it upright again. She climbed back into bed with Radish and pulled his hooves back over her. Her heart beat so fast she could feel the blood racing under her face.
Radish softly whispered in his sleep. Light’s heart froze solid. She knew that tone. She knew what was coming next. It used to make her laugh.
“Mmm… Celestia.”
Light didn’t laugh this time. She curled herself under her bedsheet, pondering her future.
Short but heavy chapter. I don't think Radish will get a good response...
Poor Radish is gonna get rejected isn't he? Light is so non-traditional that she probably doesn't even want to get married and just wanted to bag the guy who had an obscene cutie mark. Not a long term commitment
Ohhh, right in the feels, ouch
I wonder how Radish will react to Starlight Glimmer and her Cutie Mark erasing spell. His Cutie Mark seems like such a massive point of insecurity for him that I can't help but wonder if he might be tempted by some of her rhetoric.
Since Starlight will be making an appearance very soon, I suspect that the author is trying to reignite Radish's Cutie Mark dysphoria specifically so as to lay the groundwork for a very interesting interaction between the too.
I'll be honest, I've been waiting to see how Starlight and her spell will affect this story since the moment that I started reading it.
I'm excited but also somewhat apprehensive. I feel that the author's unwavering commitment to Canon Continuity has been to the story's detriment at times and I can't help but feel that trying to keep exactly to Canon in this instance will significantly constrain the quality of the Starlight arc. I do hope that the author sticks the landing here though. Very excited.
im begining to wonder what other ponies who have weird marks end up with in their lives. if you had a mark of a bucher with all the guts and gore in it would you be forced out of ituations where it can be seen? raddish deserves better and when he meets starlight i hope we get a few chapers afterwards where the rest of the world feels the effects of raddish being markless. maby celestia beings to feel muted and drained while raddish feels better and less focused on her. perhaps raddish would be able to gain a new mark? that would stir up things
I think Light is going to reject Radish, because she will realize that she will always come second place in Radish's hearth because of his mark influence on him. Radish will take that HARD, and from there i think a few bad decisions might happen, like him blaming himself, celestia, and his mark enough to maybe walk away from the guard. maybe from there on or before that happens he might come to learn about starlight and her mark-stealing magic. This of course is just a theory i came up with.
*Sigh*
*Erases and scribbles 0 on Days since Radish was screwed by the Mark*
PS however, if Fanny does say yes, yippe!~
sigh, guess the good times are over for Rad....these last few arcs have been going way to well for him...
she probably going to reject him, and he's gonna blame his mark for that and once the entire starlight thing happens he probably will be HAPPY to get his mark removed. maybe he won't be there initially , but he will hear about it and seek out starlight to make her remove his Cutie mark.
I mean I am the guy that said bring back the pain. So if this is going to be absolute Pain you all can blame me for it!!
11772869
that's why I hated the Tirek arc in this .... Just leave him out of canon events please if you aren't gonna change anything with it... I think I said it before that the big events in the story NEVER are about canon big season finales, those are almost always background elements. The big events in this story always are about radish and how he interacts with other ponies and "leaves his mark " on them.
that has always been the focus of the story, and with the Tirek arc we only really got that with scorpan but chances are we will maybe see him again once against the end of this story. So the main point of the Story wasn't really utilized in the Tirek arc...
I don't care if you change big canon events or not I actually kinda LIKED that canon events weren't changed because I think that improves the main message of the Story, but I very much thought they would STAY in the background like a majority of them had been up to this point , so the Tirek Arc felt REALLY weird.
This chapter feels rushed. Really, really rushed.
I can't say nice to this. I am sad
11772309
what do you mean there is no point of him existing ?
chances are you yourself aren't a super influential Person in world politics, you're probably just a person that works in some Store or something like that.
Does that mean that there is no point in YOU EXISTING ? Do you not have a right to live, should we just get rid of you to save society the burden of taking care of you?
NO of Course not! That's not how life works.
Radish has a reason to exist , both in Universe and out of Universe, he HAS a Story that can be told and IS being told about his Life!
11773288
Great argument to make, he has his own reasons to exist. BUT, narratively he has almost no agency during canon events. It really weighs down a story about self agency and freedom from the shackles of fate when he’s caught up in preordained events and they change in no effect on the outcome. It makes it feel like radish and everyone else is stuck on tracks that nothing will sway the story from.
It feels like an illusion of choice to the reader. There’s a multitude of doors of action for radish to open, yet they all lead to the same room and outcome. It’s annoying.
An example of this is the spores that should be able to kill discord, but due to the sacred cannon, we know it CAN’T kill discord. He’s got plot armor a mile thick because of the cannon. Either it doesn’t work, or he fails to hit discord with it. An otherwise great example of self agency and making a mark on this world made completely irrelevant because of the shackles of cannon driven fate.
As worrying as this is, I stay optimistic, Radish is capable of handling this. Also, I love all of Radish’s different friends, they’re all just fun. Really love this story, not often do you get ones with both quantity and quality. Wish I could favorite it twice.
ALSO, chapter 111 for the wish… hehe
11772348
I think the author wanted to stay within the cannon lad, Criticism is good but only if it's actually helpful. You, by this point, just displaying your preferences rather than actual genuine feedback. It's the author's decision whether or not to stay cannon. If they do decide to stick with cannon then it's just that, vice versa. Quite honestly don't know why people make so much fuss about it.
You can say your piece but you have no right for what the story should head towards, You can say your part and leave, It's that simple, Instead of trying to step on everyone's shoes.
So, every single prediction I've made regarding this story has been wrong so far (which I'm very happy with, because it means I keep being surprised), but I'm going to make another one now:
Radish and Light aren't going to work out.
I've actually been thinking that for a little while now (though this chapter seems like the first time the story itself could be acknowledging it), not because of any characteristics of either Radish or Light themselves, but for a different reason altogether.
I think there's an undercurrent to this story, with regard to Radish's cutie mark and what it means for him and Celestia. More specifically, I think that Harmony (or destiny, or what have you) wants him and Celestia to get together. For all that his cutie mark is exceptionally lewd, it's an indication of more than his and her sexual compatibility, but that they're meant to be together.
Which is why I think Harmony is subtly manipulating Radish into becoming the perfect guy for her. It's not just that he's buff and that he has a mark of his sexual prowess on his flank. Everything that's happened in this story so far seems like it's almost specifically designed to make him appealing to Celestia. It's almost like he's ticking boxes: they've formed a cordial working relationship that let them get to know each other, they had a big fight that broke down the barriers between them, his presence has forced Celestia to confront the idea of love that she's been hanging onto after more than a millennium, etc.
So where does Light Fantastic fit into the picture? My guess is that Harmony wants her to act as a foil, showcasing to Celestia that she needs to confront and acknowledge her own feelings, mostly via a small seed of jealousy at seeing Radish with someone else. It helps that this also shows Radish's personal growth, in that he's able to not only have a healthy romantic relationship, but be a wonderful, caring partner. It's basically Harmony rubbing Celestia's face in how great of a guy he is, and that he could have been all hers, if she hadn't been so stuck on her idea of permanent romantic angst.
And now that Celestia has apparently admitted (if only to herself) how she feels, Light Fantastic's place in Harmony's plan is over, which means that it's time to quietly shuffle her off to the side.
Of course, being Harmony, it wasn't ever going to do that in some sort of violent or heartbreaking way. The odds of Light dying or cheating on Radish were always very, very low. Rather, it's going to be some sort of small thing that ultimately undoes their relationship, likely with the least amount of damage possible to either side, leaving Radish available (and maybe a little vulnerable) and Celestia realizing that this is her opportunity.
And if what this chapter is hinting at really is the case, we might be on the cusp of that...
Assuming that Radish doesn't stumble onto Starlight Glimmer stalking Twilight throughout this particular season.
11773443
I fully agree with this. I dont think its going to be a nasty breakup, just a sad one.
You think the dream that he consistently has is harmonies assurance policy? like, he will eventually drive whoever hes with away BECAUSE he says Celestia's name in his sleep?
11773450 My guess is that Radish's persistent dreaming about Celestia isn't so much Harmony's way of directly meddling/reminding him of anything per se, but rather is Radish being honest with himself. On some level he seems to know who he wants and is "supposed" (to use a loaded term) to be with, and in his dreams it's easier for that to come out.
11773344
While I don't like the guy's view on it they did just what you said. They said they'd like to see Radish fail and that's it. They were responding to a comment asking for further explanation so it doesn't make sense to insinuate that they were telling the author to change the story when there wasn't anything like that.
They also made great points, valid criticism, the story is becoming a little predictable. We all know Starlight is gonna come around and if we reference back to previous experiences then at most he'd get his cutie mark taken away or he's drained and then stuffed into a closet while the main six deal with her. Or like Radish not meeting her at all like sombra.
But I kinda disagree with the person, now that we've laid ground work for Raidsh and his insecurities we could definitely see a path where he deviates from. From an earlier comment he could definitely be rejected and make it feel the need to leave the royal guard. This could then lead to him wanting to meet Starlight, thus cause different things to happen. The problem I have with this person's idea of failure is that it has to be big, Radish has been taking L's a lot for the better start of the series which some rightfully deserved, but I still also agree Radish is a little too good at handling situations. It really makes him feel like he's better than other guards which I think is a super missed opening to show others doing great.
I think ultimately this story keeps Canon close to it's heart too much and while yes Radish is meant to be a background pony and he's just in for the ride. You'd think being in the royal guard would show exceptional people in his ranks more than the main cast? Always seemed weird to me.
Wow. That ending is fucking HEAVY. It's hard to predict what's going to happen with their relationship, but... it's going to be a struggle for both of them, and for a lot of differrent reasons. I have faith in Root and Light, but things are admittedly looking a bit grim.
And... if they decide to split up and go their own separate ways, Twilight could swoop in. Problem is, a relationship between them may end the exact same way.
It seems that Radish is still into the Downward Spiral of doubt and insecurities due to his cutie mark. And at the end we see Light is ecstatic about Radish's plans for marriage is also weighted by his dreams of Princess Celestia. We shall see what happen within the next couple of chapters.
11773468
I feel like it would be very meaningful for him to go ahead with the proposal, only to be shot down by Light because he can't get Celestia out of his subconsious, only for him to turn to removing his cutie mark via Starlight and actively resisting the Mane 6 to keep it away. Having a heartfelt moment with Celestia before he gets it back where he says something like 'it's tearing me apart' would be great IMO- exactly the sort of thing that would give Celestia a 'what have I done' moment (because at this point I have no clue why she's still saying 'no' aside from inertia and stubbornness- it's been made pretty clear that she actually does want what Radish can offer both romantically and personally on some level).
I really hope im wrong about my theory i posted in my earlier comment 11773232 , as i would really like for Light and Radish to stay togheter.
But i also can't lie and say i'm not a bit curios to see with who Radish would ultimately end up with.
So, I took a walk to get my thoughts in order, and I'm just irritated that I'm worried about Radish for all the wrong reasons. I hope I'm wrong, but It looks like we're headed for another arc where he gets the crap kicked out of him and the story quickly moves on to maintain the canon and status quo.
My hope was for Radish and Light to stay together for the forseeable future since it was made very clear during the ascension arc that the two of them are very much in love despite his marks. The whole point of that scenario seemed to be based on that, and now it seems like it was all for nothing, like most major events seem to be turning out.
I have to put my usual disclaimer here that I genuinely love this story and the worldbuilding you've made, and I'm staying on board for that reason, but there has been a serious flaw in that it seems to be several 90% complete stories in a trenchcoat and every time we seem set on a resolution, it just fizzles out.
Celestia's blow up seemed to be a game changer, and it was shoved aside within two chapters with no meaningful fallout, with most of the main cast other than Radish, Celestia and Light seemingly forgetting it happened. Then it looks like we were finally heading to a big confrontation with Radish standing up to Shining in the Crystal Empire...and Shining's poor treatment of Radish isn't even mention and it mostly ends in an anticlimax. Then Tirek happens, there is a huge opportunity to call Celestia and Shining out on their BS, but other than some ribbing from Luna, we quickly move on. Plus, despite the surprise hug from Shining, it becomes clear in the next scene that he STILL hasn't learned from his actions and only sees Radish as a pervert for Celestia, leaving Cadance having to struggle between her husband and her friend again.
Now it looks like the big resolution with Radish and Light a few months back is about to be invalidated and I hope to every possible God that I'm wrong. The characters should control the story, not the canon and status quo, and that has been this story's biggest flaw. Take Changeling of The Guard and Welcome to Thestralia, for example. Both of them follow the canon 90% of the time, but aren't afraid to change it up when the situation calls for it. In this, it's just starting to feel like the story is deliberately trying to make it all nine seasons by any possible means. I'm not saying that's a bad thing in general, or that you should end it soon, but I just want every major character event to have lasting impact, rather than a stepping stone to railroad Radish's story forward.
I promise you that this isn't a hate comment, and I look forward to the next chapter, I'm just a bit frustrated. This story is fantastic other than that one major flaw, and I want to see it improve. For all I know, you're planning on Light saying yes or starting an impactful arc with this and I'm about to look like a doofus for typing this novel of a comment out. I look forward to whatever happens. :-)
11773603
There's also the possibility that radish and light realize that while they do love each other, they aren't the right pony for each other.
I really like how Cocktail introduced Light’s doubt here. It felt very genuine. Hearing Rad moan Celestia’s name while he’s planning to ask Light to marry him… “it hits differently.” Light does harbor some insecurity. Who wouldn’t?
The question is, what will she do about it? Light is not a passive pony. I find it very difficult to imagine that she’ll hold onto this knowledge and just wait for him to propose before turning him down (if she decides to turn him down). I think like Sky, she loves Radish enough to push him towards what she perceives as his destiny. Also, “Sky” “Light” “Celestia”- themes anyone?
So, will Light engineer a breakup? Will she end up saving Radish by giving up her life? Will she confront Celestia about her feelings about Rad (I hope it’s this one, ‘cause I want the trash talk from both of them… perhaps a resurfacing of a certain yellow alternate personality?).
I honestly can’t see Rad leaving the Royal guard. His sense of belonging there is in spite of his marks not because of them. If his personal life crumbles, it’s his work that will be his salvation. I think the only Pony that could get him to quit would be Celestia herself. Honestly, she’s been pretty terrible to Radish, so if that was going to happen it would have already.
Torturing Radish is a necessary evil. It forces the character to handle adversity (which hopefully leads to growth) and makes the story interesting. For those who bemoan cannon, Light and Radish’s survival is never guaranteed. Nor any of the other OC ponies we’ve grown to enjoy. So there are real stakes here- real consequences.
I am interested to see how this story deals with the final reckoning of Radish’s marks. The title suggests that his marks are second (or third, or 45th) to who he is; however if he had different marks his path would have likely been very different. Maybe we have a Forrest Gump situation where there’s a combination of destiny and personal choice (or at least the illusion of personal choice).
I love this story and regularly check this tab for updates.
11774023
Huh! I'd never noticed. Fair enough!
Okay, now I understand why the chapter feels rushed. Because it feels as if it is a set-up to make Radish hate his cutiemark. Again. So, ten bits saying he's gonna get sent to Our Town, Starlight will give a sales pitch for her concentration camp, Radish gets equalized by Starlight and realize that no, he wants his mark back because reasons.
...Just shove that root vegetable in Celestia's bed already.
I would have had much less complains about canon if Radish did not interact with canon characters so much.
And yes, if Radish ends up breaking up with Light, you might as well not have their conflict in Ascention arc.
11773603
Good to know someone agrees with me on the story being strangled by adherence to canon. Also, yes, I get that feeling of past events not mattering.
11773468
Failure with no consequences is not a failure. Have failures have some meaningful consequences for the character! Broken bones, powerful enemies among the influential beings that actually do something, dead friends, psychological damage... Anything!
11773298
THANK YOU for reminding me about damn spores.
11773699
I will believe the 'anyone can die' trope when I see it here.
11774114
Dude, reinforcement of trauma (as seen by him putting plenty of traps in twilights castle) is a form of damage. There is plenty of that here.
11774121
The way it was written it seemed more like Radish being 'this castle has manure defences and I am going to fix it'.
11774128
Thats the thing about trauma, you can fool yourself into thinking what your doing is for different reasons than it actualy is.
11774114
“I will believe the 'anyone can die' trope when I see it here.”
I didn’t say “anyone” I said that the OC ponies have real stakes. They could die. Technically, Radish has once already. I mean I’d get torn up if something happened to Spats, Light, or Sky. So would Radish. I mean, imagine if when Glim Glam comes back the second time if fucking around with time somehow retcon’s it so that Light ends up a casualty in the whole Tirek affair? And worse yet, what if they worked out the insecurity shown here, she agreed to Marry him and all of that was taken away but Rad still remembers and (however irrationally- emotions aren’t rational) holds Twilight responsible? There are loads of real consequences that can happen. Whether they do or don’t is the question for me and I’m loving all of it.
If, after 111 chapters, you don’t like it- there are lots of stories out there busy killing/maming/perverting canon characters and changing canon events. I’m sure those authors would appreciate your praise and support.
11774021
Guess I need to work on my reading comprehension, then! 😅
And, thanks for sharing your work with us, I've really enjoyed the story thus far.
11774251
Would I still have been here if I did not like or hated it after 111 chapters? Definitely not. I like the story, but it grows tiresome and stale. I begin to feel like Radish nas no agenda, no ambitions, no bigger desires of his own, other than "be a good guard, follow orders".
When did he die?.. During the "Canterlot's about to explode"?
By the word of canon, to which this fic sticks like a glue, when the whole ordeal with time travel was unnoticed and not remembered by anone not involved. So if she was a casualty in Tirek subplot, Radish will not remember them working out through the "dreams of Celestia while wanting to propose" ordeal, because it never happened in that timeline, thus nullifying the impact of them having making up.
And even then, when all returns to mormal, even that is negated, because it got cosmically retconed.
And even if not, even if her death does not get retconed, there is one, and only one pony he can be mad at: Celestia. Because who sent Discord to apprehand Tirek? Definitely not Twilight! Oh and it will give hin a reason to hunt down Discord and dose him in anti-chaos spores and kill him.
But that's not gonna happen, because of the holy canon.
I do not hate the fic. I am just trying to understand how things make sense.
11774680
during the teirek thing actualy, the potion restarted his heart.
Great chapter!
Princess. Princess, Princess, Princess,
I'm begging you please don't take my man
Princess. Princess, Princess, Princess,
Please, don't take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With waving locks of rainbow hair
With ivory coat on which he does obsess
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Princess
He talks about you in his sleep
And there's nothing I can do to keep
From cryin' when he calls your name, Princess
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Princess
Princess. Princess, Princess, Princess,
I'm begging of you, please, don't take my man
Princess. Princess, Princess, Princess,
Please, don't take him just because you can
You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
He's the only one for me, Princess
I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, Princess
Princess. Princess, Princess, Princess,
I'm begging of you, please, don't take my man
Princess. Princess, Princess, Princess,
Please, don't take him just because you can