Transmission, Part 1
Celestia's nerves were taught as a string as she remained outwardly stoic, a skill that came with both work experience and, eventually, with age. The rhythmic march of a wall-mounted clock hammered on her eardrums in the emptiness of her office, Celestia steadying her breathing as she reached for her phone, entering a number, all but praying that what she had in mind would work.
Her fingers tapped to the beat of a song she remembered fondly from her youth, the gesture mildly effective at calming her nerves as she heard the ringing over the line. Seconds passed as she waited, and just as Celestia began to wonder whether or not she put in the correct number, a voice spoke over the line.
"Hello? Who's this?" Alex spoke calmly with a hint of disinterest in his tone.
"Alex, this is me, Celestia. Do you have a moment?" In her mind's eye Celestia saw the man's brow quirk in the silence that followed.
"How did you get my number?" His voice did little to betray his surprise, the beat of silence between replies doing most of the work.
"CHS keeps records on each student that studied here, I went through some old ones and found your number." She chuckled, mainly to diffuse the atmosphere. "Lucky you haven't changed it, right?" Alex snorted in reply, a surprisingly genuine sound.
"You can thank Danny for that. Never had the heart to change the number ever since he got us nearly identical ones back in middle school." Celestia's lips quirked upward as she reminisced alongside her ex-student. "Can you imagine? Just one digit difference!" He sighed, all mirth gone from his voice as he finished. "I suppose I have a minute to spare. Lay it on me."
"I've been thinking about what Sunset said at our last meeting." Celestia began, her eyes glued to the girl's profile laid out on her table. "Perhaps I might have overestimated myself." She paused, waiting for a responce that never came. "If something dangerous came through the portal, something that threatened the lives of my students, of people of Canterlot... What could I do to stop it?" She shook her head. "I am out of my depth in this matter."
"For once we agree. But I fail to see why you've called me." He answered calmly. "Why not go to the police?"
"Because they wouldn't believe a word I say? Because all calls out of the city are still blocked? Because you and I both know you're not from the ASA, and neither is Daniel?" Celestia felt her nerves taught once more as silence took over the conversation. Deciding not to wait for a responce, she continued, a little bolder than before. "I am asking for your help, Alex. I may not completely agree with your methods thus far, but I understand some things are a necessity. I hope that if I know what you are trying to achieve, I can help make the lives of my students, and the people of Canterlot, safer."
A tense silence was broken by a defeated sigh.
"Meet me at Spicy Crust Pizzeria, 497 North Parker Drive, at 13:00."
Clip-clops of hooves hitting marble reverberated off the walls of the throne room as Twilight paced nervously from one end of the room to another, glancing periodically at a contraption of her own making standing in the corner. Each glance sent another wave of nausea through her, prompting her to stop after a couple of times in fear of painting the marble floor with her breakfast.
It was a really nice breakfast, after all.
It had to work, Twilight reasoned, taking deep, slow breaths as her sister-in-law instructed her. She'd checked it a dozen times already, and all of her calculations predicted it to work all but flawlessly. So what was bothering her? Or, perhaps, who?
A silly question, all things considered.
Twilight has never seen Celestia so tense, not when Discord was released from his centuries long stony cage, not when Chrysalis was on the verge of taking over Canterlot, the closest she'd been to being this harried, was on the eve of Twilight's journey to the frozen north.
Sunset means a lot to her, it seemed.
Twilight bit her lip as a momentary jealousy was squashed by an overwhelming sense of shame. Was she really jealous of Sunset? The girl who was currently stranded on an alien world, supposedly alone and in the middle of something sinister, a girl who, while not completely innocent, tries to do better, to become a better person.
A better me...
A shiver went down Twilight's spine as she remembered the letter in vivid detail, despite seeing it a week ago. She never intended to come off as Sunset's superior, never wanted to stick all of the girl's mistakes in her face, never wanted to look like a replacement.
She wasn't a replacement, right?
A single tear impacted the marble floor, thunderous in the surrounding silence.
"Your Highness!" A dozen voices spoke in unison as Celestia entered the Castle barracks, a corresponding number of ponies saluting the Tetrarch as she went. She nodded at her little ponies, moving past the lines of guards to approach a quartet standing right opposite of her.
As the rest of the royal guards, the ponies wore enchanted golden armor, painting their coats a snow white color. A unicorn, Gleaming Shield if Celestia remembered correctly, took a step forward, saluting her.
"Your Highness!" Celestia replied with a curt nod, one she'd regret under other circumstances. "We are ready to move on your orders." The captain reported, his firm voice failing to conceal an unsure gleam in his eyes.
"Something the matter, captain?" Celestia asked with a raise of her eyebrow, the tone reassuring the mare she was in no trouble. "I would like to know of any complications before our excursion." She saw the captain flinch as he caught himself starting to trot in place, the stallion regaining his composure and looking at Celestia directly.
"It's nothing serious, ma'am, I just... Would like to ask for a boon." The captain finished, his breath hitching mid-sentence.
"Speak your mind, captain."
"My wife sent me a telegram, saying my little Sunshine's ain't feeling any better since my last visit." He looked at the ground and cleared his throat, just in time to miss Celestia's gaze softening. "I know it's a long way to the frozen north..." He took a deep breath, looking the Tetrarch square in the eyes. "After this excursion, would you mind if I took a few days off? I'll pull a double shift for a month if necessary!" He added, voice nervous but gaze unwavering.
A warm feeling spread through Celestia's body at the sight. Who would she be to deny a father a chance to see his sick daughter? Even in a time like this, she couldn't put her own interests over those of her subjects.
"This won't be needed." She said with a warm smile, one that put the captain at ease. "You are free to visit your daughter, captain, if you hurry, you may be able to catch today's train to the Crystal Empire." She curiously watched the captain's expression shift from relief to confusion, to distress, finally settling to a mix of the three.
"Thank you, Your Highness, but I assure you I can attend the excursion." His features harden for a moment, a commanding inflection entering his tone. "It is my duty as a captain if a royal guard to protect you, wherever you may go." His mouth quirked into a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Next train won't be in Canterlot for a couple of days, anyhow."
"Very well." Celestia said with a nod, gesturing to the quartet of guards to follow her. "Although I must ask, are you feeling well, Gleaming? It wouldn't do stressing yourself if you're sick." Her tone carried a motherly concern that never failed to fluster her little ponies.
"I'm quite alright, Your Highness." The captain replied, clearing his throat and shushing a snicker or two coming from his squad. "I caught the Cutie Pox when I was a colt, so I'm in no trouble." He said with a nostalgic smile, one that shifted into a frown as he continued. "Sunshine's a different story, though..."
"Oh?"
"Ruby's the one left caring for her most of the time, with me being away and all, and I feel the filly's a little too sheltered." He said ruefully, although Celestia could tell the emotion wasn't directed towards his loved ones. "Didn't catch it in time like all the other foals, now it's harder on her." A small frown graced Celestia's features as he finished, disappearing as she turned her head to address the captain.
"Perhaps you'd like to be stationed at the Crystal Empire instead?" Celestia offered.
"I'd love to, but the law enforcement there is jam packed with locals. Can't blame them, honestly, I'd be wary of outsiders if I were in their place." He said with a shrug. "Anyhow, It's not my place to complain. The pay is great here, and it's an honor to serve in the capital, Your Majesty."
"I'm glad to hear." Celestia offered, smiling warmly at the captain as the group stopped in front of massive double-doors.
A steaming black liquid slid down the man's esophagus, burning the tissue on its way down, bringing a mix of mild pain and a comfortable warmth that seeped into his core. A wave of wakefulness washed over Daniel as the man shivered, rubbing his eyes as he took another document from a stack, giving it a look-over.
Available Personnel, the paper read, followed by a depressingly short list of candidates. Truth be told, things have been looking up this past week, the flow of workforce steadily increasing as The Foundation's HR got its act together, but the options presented were still worryingly sparse.
"Not to mention the lack of people without Canterlonian descent. The hell is our memetic division getting paid for?" Daniel wondered silently, going over the list of his soon-to-be co-workers.
"Let's see here... "
'Dr. Time Turner, MIT Doctorate in Physics. Occupation: Senior researcher. NOTE:Previously involved in an accident with SCP-███, creating a self-sustaining time loop.'
Daniel took a sip of his coffee, rolling the black liquid with his tongue as he mulled over the red material.
"Doesn't state any casualties, so that's a good start, plus MIT is nothing to scoff at. Might want to keep him away from timey-wimey things though." Gulping down his coffee, Daniel read along.
'Braeburn Apple. Construction Major in Knoxville. Occupation: Containment Specialist. Field of expertise: containment of aggressive entities. NOTE: Due to the Specialist's familial ties with one of the POI (refer to SCP-4004 file for further information) , the employee is to be monitored closely at all times to prevent conflict of interest.'
Daniel groaned into his mug. "Jesus Christ, why don't we just drag the whole Apple family into this mess? Last thing I need is a goddamn family feud."
He blinked away the morning blurriness from his eyes, wiping away the crust that coagulated over the last sleepless night.
"Alright, last one for tonight." He took a peek at his wristwatch, the number slowly crawling towards 7 in the morning. "Scratch that, last one for today."
'Starlight Glimmer. Occupation: Head Of Internal Security/Mandatory Site Counselor.'
Daniel's eyebrow craned upwards as he re-read the rather short description, lips tugging into a frown.
"Shit, really hoped I could push Al' into ISD, especially after Pine took the other position." He chewed on his lower lip, the perpetually scabbed skin tearing into a copper taste in his mouth as he looked over the attached picture of a lilac skinned woman. "And she's a damn shrink, just my luck. With a stellar work record to boot." He squinted, going over the entry again. "Wonder where she graduated from."
Just as he went to grab another document from the mountain of paperwork, the door to his office slammed open, sending the entire stack of papers tumbling to the floor.
Danny stared amusingly at the exasperated form of his friend, hisface brimming with a mix of worry and urgency.
"You better have a good reason for making me pick all this up, Al." Danny mock pouted, getting up from his desk and bending down, grabbing a handful of papers. "Or no on the house pizza for a week-"
"The portal's opening." Alex said curtly, cutting Danny's banter short.
"What?!" Danny yelped, fumbling the papers and shooting up straight, turning on his heels to face Alex. "I thought it wasn't going to open-"
"For a few moons." Alex finished for him. "One of the field boys reported unusual activity a minute and a half ago, we scrambled what security we have and concentrated them around the portal." The man explained, exiting the office as he recounted the story, Daniel falling in step beside him.
"I'm heading there right now, Pine's waiting in the car." He checked the straps under his business suit, making sure his holster was in place. "Thought I should let you know."
"I'm going too." Daniel blurted out without a second's hesitation, stopped just short of the pizzeria's exit.
"No you're not." Alex said curtly, not letting him through. "You're the Director, and this is a first contact situation. If anything happens, we need you to keep things operational."
"That's exactly why I have to go!" Danny protested, pushing past his friend to no avail. "I'll help with negotiations, and just to be safe, stick to the back." When his arguing brought no fruit he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Alright, fine." Daniel relented, crossing his arms on his chest. "I'll go back to my office, see if I can draft a report about this to mainland." He sighed, his features softening. "Just keep me posted alright?"
Alex tapped the headset in his left ear, turning to leave when Daniel's voice stopped him once more.
"Oh, and one more thing. Try not to die, aight?" Daniel's voice carried a hint of humor, but was surprisingly serious for the man.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Danny." Alex replied, the door ringing behind him.
"What in tarnation is going on here?" A southern drawl cut through the murmur of a crowd, as its owner observed a gaggle of construction workers fussing over a statue in the middle of CHS, going back and forth, motioning to an excavator stationed not too far away from the statue. The sculpture had a deep row dug around it, soil and tile set into neat piles right beside a large Area Under Renovation sign. "They can't have this thing on school grounds, right?"
"How'd they get it past the Principal!?" Rainbow hollered, not addressing anyone in particular. "First they dig on school grounds for a week, and now they bring a damn excavator! No way Celestia's okay with this!"
"But what's the alternative?" Sunset asked dryly. "That she's been missing all this commotion the whole week?" She snorted. "Give me a break."
"Whatever their reason for being here, It ain't exactly reassuring." Applejack caught the questioning look from her rainbow haired friend. "I ain't one to jump to conclusions, but if the Principal's allowing these fellas to rummage around school property, they must've found a way to convince her."
"You think they threatened Celestia!?" Rainbow retorted with a scowl, turning to glare at the construction workers, the latter thankfully unaware of the girl trying to burn a hole through them with her gaze.
"Maybe." Applejack replied, wearing a perturbed expression. "Or maybe they didn't have to."
"Huh?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "You think they bribed her?"
"No, you airhead!" Applejack retorted, rubbing her forehead. "I'm saying that they found somethin' on the other side that was scary enough to make Celestia let them do their thing."
Rainbow snorted, arms crossed on her chest. "Twilight came from there, and she was fine! So was Sunset!kinda..." She muttered the last part under her breath. "I just can't see anything scary coming out of that statue!"
"It's not all sunshines and rainbows on the other side, Dash." Sunset cut in, looking wearily at the surface of the statue, one she could've sworn was starting to shimmer.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Rainbow tempted fate with a roll of her eyes.
Just then, a surprised gasp followed by a startled scream cut through the murmur of the crowd, drawing everybody's attention.
"Look, the statue!"
The sculpture in question was usually quite a sight, expertly crafted and regal, it never failed to draw the attention of both students and teachers alike, no matter how much time they spent daily on CHS grounds. Now though, the craftsmanship of its creator was overlooked in favor of the uneatrthly shimmer that took over the base of the statue, followed by a twist and turn of the base's surface, one that slowly shifted into a progressively more lilac whirlwind of color.
Precious seconds of silence passed in a blink of an eye, finished with a terrified shriek from the crowd.
Students began to backpedal away from the construction site, some scrambling to get away at all costs, some pulling out their phones to film during their retreat. Other stood still, transfixed by the supernaatural occurence, while a small contingent had their phones to their ears, trying to reach emergency services.
At a glance it would seem that the workers had scrambled as well, but a closer look proved their reaction to be the polar opposite. A pair of workers scrambled to put barriccades in front of the statue's base, putting the plastic barriers in a semicircle. Another group turned to shooing away the students, urging them to leave the immidiate area. Curiously, they made no efforts to confiscate phones. One of them was holding a hand to his right ear, his lips moving, words drowned by the surrounding pandemonium, his distressed expression giving away the severity of the situation.
Applejack was broken out of her stupor when she heard sirens wailing in the distance, the sound close enough to become uncomfortable by the time she turned to see its source. Two black cars screeched to a halt way past the schools parking zone, a person jumping out of the first one before it stopped completly.
He wore a familiar business suit, his posure firm as he rushed towards the workers, stopping beside the one who spoke earlier, asking him something.
Alex? What's he doing here?
Applejack's eyes went wide as she saw another person get out of the car, the driver's side door opening to reveal familiar apple green hair tied into a ponytail. The cowgirl gawked as the woman hurriedly approached Alex, her much more casual attire consisting of blue jeans and a denim jacket worn over a plain white shirt.
That lady from the roadblock! She knows Alex?
Soon enough four more people in casual attire approached, settling into their positions around the statue as Alex ordered them around, periodically glancing at the other woman with an unreadable expression on his face.
Applejack took a step towards the group, stopping when she felt a pressure on her shoulder. She turned to see Sunset shake her head with a wary expression on her face. Before she could argue, a purple flash coupled with angry shouts forced her to turn towards the statue.
"We've got company!"
"We've got company!" Alex spoke over the commotion around them, loud enough for his fellow agents to hear. He watched the swirling vortex of he portal accelerate, forcing his heartbeat to steady. "Fire in retaliation, unless I say otherwise." Alex's grip tightened on his .45 HK USP as the man cast a side glance at Pine, the woman having no objections with him taking the lead.
Head of security my ass.
He kept the portal in his crosshairs as white light began to stream out of it, six shapes crossing the precipice, turning fully corporeal as they stopped before the impromptu plastic barricades. Outwardly Alex remained stoic, his posture steady and his muscles taut, his expression one of cold proffessionalism. Inwardly, the man gasped as he registered who came through the portal.
She wore a long regal white dress, one that looked tailor-made for her, her multicolor hair moving gently in the breeze, shimmering as it did. Her gaint was graceful and light, her posture regal and commanding, yet without an air of a tyrant. Magenta eyes assesed the situation, a glint of worry appearing for a moment as she looked at the devices aimed at her group, despite having to prior knowledge of what they were, she understood what the gesture meant.
Alex was gratedul for the surrounding silence, for he was at a loss for words as he stared at Celestia, one that looked much like the Principal he knew, yet so different at the same time. His gaze flickered to another figure standing just behind the other-Celestia, peeking to look at the group with a surprised expression.
Her purple hair reached her shoulders, a long streak of magenta melding very well with her attire. She wore a pale blue shirt with a grape colored bow, and a skirt matching her hair color, high similarly colored boots adorning her legs. The girl's surprised expression scanned the enviornment, turning fearful as she noticed the weapons aimed at them, the girl tugging on other-Celestia's hand.
This one recognised our weapons. Could she have been here before?
Alex registered movement from behind the two figures, four more people donning golden armor that looked like something out of a low-budget middle-age fantasy movie moved to stand before other-Celestia and the purple girl, pointing their spears at Alex's fellow agents, standing at guard.
"Freeze!"Alex hollered, taking aim at one of the figures. "No sudden movements!" He watched one of the guards scowl, their features softening when a white hand was gently laid on their shoulder.
His gaze flickered to other-Celestia, the woman wearing a frown.
"Is this neccessary?" She asked, looking square at Alex, her gaze not sitting well with the man. "We came here in peace."
"State the reason of your arrival."Alex spoke evenly, not lowering his weapon.
Celestia sighed, her frown lifting into a worried expression. "We came here to visit a friend." She spoke patiently, her tone akin to a parent explaining something to a child.
Well, there's another similarity.
"Her name is Sunset Shimmer." She continued, her words prompting Alex to stifle a swear. "Do you happen to know where she is?" She asked with a small smile. "We are worried about her greately, and it would help greatly if you helped us find her." Alex thought over his next words carefully, hoping that the bacon haired girl had the presense of mind to retire form the premises before the new arrivals spotted her.
"I have no knowledge of a person going by that name." He watched the smile fade from other-Celestia's expression, a mask of disappointment taking its place. "Nor do I know their current whereabouts." His gaze flickered towards Pine, the woman reaching to her earpiece, her lips moving in a whisper.
At least she knows where this is going.
"Now, if you are inclined to negotiations, you need to follow us to a more private area." He watched the guards brace for a fight, squeezing his own weapon tighter. "It's simply a matter of security, I'm sure you'll understand." He watched other-Celestia stare him down for long moment, as if gauging his intentions.
"Very well." She said with a slow nod, once again motioning her guards to lower their spears. "My guards and I will follow you, but please make it a swift trip. I have matters of state to attend to."
The words hit Alex like a sack of bricks. Matters of state? Is she a queen or something? Shit, that complicates things. No way we can hold them in a cell without risking an alien SWAT coming out of that statue. He glanced at Pine once more, the woman nodding at him.
"The meeting room isn't far, follow us through the school." Pine ordered, lowering her weapon, motioning the others to do the same. Alex waited a second or two before lowering his own.
"I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement." Other-Celestia said with a smile, turning to follow Pine as the woman began making her way towards the school buiding.
Alex watched the aliens move, the guards walking on both sides of Other-Celestia and the girl, reaching for his earpiece. "We managed to get things under control, for now anyway. Danny, get your rear in gear and send me the full list of questions we have for our arrivals." He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, shifting slightly to see what the commotion was about.
"Sunset!" The purple girl yelled, rushing past the golden guards towards a girl in the crowd. "Sunset, we were so worried about you!" Before she could come close to the crowd, one of the agents grabbed her hand, holding her in place. "Let me go! Sunset's right there!" She protested.
"Hey, no stepping out of line!" Alex commanded, jogging towards the girl. "Leave your questions for later, now go follow Pine to the meeting room." He gave the girl a glare, one that only riled her up.
"You lied, you knew where she was! Sunset was right, you're one of the guys who locked the whole city down!" She fought against the agent, the man holding her down with little effort. "Let me go!"
"We agreed to do this peacefully." Alex spoke slowly, not too keen on resorting to intimidation. "But we can always void our agreement."
"Woah, slow down there, partner!" A southern drawl came from the crowd, the students parting to reveal a familiar cowgirl. "What give you the right to threaten Twilight like that!"
"Yeah!" A scratchy voice confirmed its rainbow-haired owner stepping to support her friend. "Get your dirty hand off of Twilight!" Alex raised an eyebrow, at their outburst but remained otherwise unfased. His reaction was apparent, however, when a third girl approached the two.
"You better listen to them both, you know." Sunset spoke lazily, reluctantly looking at both Twilight and Alex. "Twi's more powerful than she looks, and that's not taking into account how much you'll piss off Celestia if anything happens to her."
Shit. She just had to stick her nose into this.
"Sunset?" Other-Celestia's voice was surprisingly soft, but their weight felt like a mountain on Alex's back.
I really shouldn't have picked up my phone that night.
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I hope the foundation are not a bunch of pushovers they need to be cool too.
Pretty good chapter, I hope I can see more of this story.
Sequel, this kind of random addition to the story… something will happen in Equestria
Haven't he seen Sunset and her friends in the crowd? Would have thought that they would have noticed her presence.
Well, Princess Celestia is now really worried. Let's see if the conflict will be able to be resolved
I hope that the author understands that the Foundation cannot allow their authority to be undermined in this situation. They represent the government of that country, they have executive power, and if they allow themselves to be pushed around they lose all advantage in any negotiation. Especially if they are pushed around by a bunch of teens. Legally they have EVERY right to do what they're doing, Princess Celestia and Pony Twilight has NO RIGHT to even be there as she's a sovereign ruler of another state and her student who has entered the country illegally. To make matters worse, they brought armed servicemen/women into the united states illegally, constituting an act of war technically. The fact the Foundation is STILL trying to talk things out speak to their patience in this situation. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Sunset Shimmer really need to shush the heck up for the moment.
Here's to hoping OtherCelestia/Princess Celestia recognizes the problem and steps in to diffuse the situation rather than allow it to get out of hand.
11430872
He did, actually.
I'd say their attention was on the squad of aliens currently pointing strange objects at them, all the while ordering them not to move.
What do you mean? It's just a Cutie Pox! I Pinkie promise
alex has the problem that if being ignorant of the situation on the other side of transport is not an excuse, then everything is a deliberate escalation and you might as well just sit back and wait for the world to finish burning, as else anything he does will only poke the reactor further?
How many deaf or immigrants who cant hear or understand English get shot by American police because they cant understand theyre being screamed at because theyre not expecting to be screamed at by incoherent shouty shooty voices?
Imagine if one of those illegal immigants turns out to be more than capable of reponding in kind? And theyre the Scout or the Civilian, not the heavily armed Combot.
11430911
Sunset speaks English despite being from Equestria, and so is Twilight, if Principal Celestia's story from earlier chapters is taken into account.
I'd say Alex's responce was reserved enough, concidering they were dealing with potentially hostile aliens, previous chapters established that the mirror was used for magically proficient prisoners, after all.
11430880
I did not intend for The Foundation to come off as weak or incompitent, and I am sorry if it looks this way.
Even with shortage of staff due to portal's anti-memetic effect on all people of non-Canterlonian descent, The Foundation is more than capable of acting swiftly and decisively.
In this situation, however, I want to highlight the fact that Tia and CO arrived unexpectedly, taking Foundation staff off-guard due to previous established rule of the portal opening every 30 moons being broken.
Right now, Alex had very little forces under his command, and these forces had to be scrambled asap. Add on the fact that Tia came with armed guards, and is (at least implied to be) a leader of a nation, from a world filled with magic, no less, I'd say his responce was adequate enough.
11430915
I understand, and I think that makes sense.
I was talking more about the escalation of the tense situation from Sunset and Rainbow Dash, rather than Princess Celestia showing up. Due to their position the Foundation can't really deescalate, but are forced to maintain whatever level of threat presented to them. Sunset is implying that their lawful detainment of Twilight Sparkle will be met with force or violence from either Twilight herself or Princess Celestia, which would be seen as a deliberate act representing the will of the Equestrian state. That is to say that if Princess Celestia, Twilight, or any of the guards do something in response to the Foundation trying to maintain the situation it would, and should, be considered an act of aggression from an enemy state. This entire situation has some VERY serious implications on the level of state and country, and Sunset and her friends are fueling it to potentially disastrous effect. This is not criticism, by the way, I'm just trying to be more clear about what I meant.
Of course a whole lot of things can happen that would make my speculation inaccurate or invalid, we'll have to wait and see with the next chapter. I only thought to mention my view because sometimes in stories like this ponies tend to get a free pass to do and act however they want, even in other peoples countries where they have no authority or power, and I've always felt that to be a bit contrived and ends up making the story feel less than it could have been. Consequences are needed for a story to be interesting. I do have faith in your writing though, as everything I've read so far has been superb.
11430880
You do realize the Foundation is not a government organization?
In reality is a NGO that receives funding from world governments and respect a sovereignty is a quaint suggestion for them. Enemies of the Foundation, in they eyes, are not enemies of state, since they are beyond the squabbles of nations, but enemies of mankind and see themselves as representing humans. If you want something official you go to the GOC that receives funding of the UN and are the legal version of the Foundation.
11431085
I didn't say they were a government organization, I said they represent the government in this particular instance. That's two very different things.
I wonder if Celestia's mask will slip, she has to be just barely keeping her concerns for Sunset's safety from boiling over. We know she went into suoer worry mode before sending Twilight to Ponyville, how must she feel when what she assumes is the Human Goverment has locked down the city Sunset is in, and you know she rewd the journal entry. The guilt of how Sunset feels like she was replaced would weigh heavily on Celestia, while factual Twilight is a replacement for Sunset (Or rather whatnshe thought Sunset was) they are still two ponies she loves very much and would never want to hurt. Celestial may have started takeing personal students to find the Element of Magic , but she treated all like hermown children.
The foundation comes off as trigger happy, sort of? It's more the containment team did. The Foundation is a emoutinless organization that sees SCPs from a clinical abstract, the containment teams and the MTFs how ever are people who see SCPs up close and personally they see them as the creatures, objects and phenomena that can end you if your not careful, many in ways much worse than death. So Yea you see what looks like a Greek Goddess(It's pretty much agreed Celestia has a powerful presence you feel) step out of a magic portal, and you have seen similar enitites just kill people casually, your jumpy, aggressive, and holding your weapon like it's your life line.
Just a tip but a long time ago the title of prince and princess were once used by rulers of the realm or kingdom, it was only later that was incorporated as children of kings and queens.
Celestia has many titles while ponies tend to call her princess. In the comics a dignitary call her queen, possible a unnoficial title, and possible the ones that grumble against Equestrian hegemony call her empress, due to the large landmass, there is no way that Equestria get that big with only land purchase without involve itself in some wars either for land grab or to stop Equestrian expansion.
11431879
Haven't read any mlp related comics, so that's some new info!
11453751
Now I can officially say that my procrastination has killed someone!
I actually thought of this exact same story idea (except it was after the Friendship Games, but that's totally the same thing, totally) and wanted to write it, like, two years ago. But then I realized I am non native English speaker, a writing noob and cringe. So I ditched the idea but still sometimes though how cool it would be. And I definitely didn't ditch it because I was lazy.
So thank you random citizen for making my dream that you didn't know I had a reality.
Also, I have five more inocent children so speed up!
Also also, you stole my idea, moron.
https://s.amsu.ng/WI4uR90SKJIN
11454681
None of these facts stopped me from writing this story. A word of advice: you don't know how good/bad you are at something if you don't try it. I started writing just to pass the time, and while I wasn't good at it (still don't think I am, imo) I was having fun.
Brother, you have five dead bodies at the rate I'm writing these chapters. Fr though, the next chapter is about halfway done. I'll try to publish it before new year, but right now I'm focused on my term paper, it's supppsed to be approved pretty soon, so fingers crossed.
Fun fact, I am a resonance based lifeform that onvaded your mind a little over two years ago, and stole all the good ideas from your head.
This is a fun read, powered through the whole thing in one sitting. Thank you, and keep up the good work!
11471553
No, mnestic is correct. Refers to the opposite of amnestics and makes you remember stuff you forgot or keep the memories of it despite being an antimeme.