A Drink

by Chemtest

Another Round

Celestia sits at the same table as the previous night, back in her disguised form, lightly sipping some vodka as she waits her guest. Elsewhere in the bar, an argument is going on between two ponies. One of them, a young mare wearing a black cloak, who had been sat in a corner table, and the other a mareish stallion wearing a black cowl, arguing over his right to sit in the corner. Their arguing stops as the owner comes over, chewing them out and forcing them to sit beside each other awkwardly. The two try to look mysterious, but it’s ruined as the owner sets a romantically lit candle between the two.

Her pony watching ends as Teardrop sits across from her, grinning, “Evening, Smiles, surprised you’re back.”

Celestia looks at her, and smiles lightly, “You caught my interest, Teardrop. I could hardly stop myself from returning.”

Teardrop smiles, “Well, I gotta wonder something, Smiles. You asked me what I do last time, but I had to leave before I could ask the same.”

Celestia smiles, “Indeed, you did leave before you could ask.”

Teardrop waits for a moment, and then grins, “Oh, I get it, you aren’t… alright, alright, that’s pretty funny. But seriously, what do you do?”

Celestia grins slightly, “I generally try to breathe, it is a very important skill. Eating as well, I’ve found, is a top-notch skill. And don’t forget drinking, that’s my favorite. I also enjoy long trots on the beach where I ponder the weight of my sins.”

Teardrop grins more, “Smiles, you aren’t going to get me off my question. What do you do for a job?”

Celestia smiles, “Oh, fine, I suppose I can reveal it. I take care of the Royal Gardens. I plant all that I can, from the beloved Midnight Lavender, the dreaded Thorny Lily, and my personal favorite, the Sunrise Orchid. I ensure they all grow well, even if I have to stamp out a few weeds to ensure the health of the garden. It’s very rewarding, you know, to see flowers grow together, even though you know they will die far before you do. A more cynical mare might say that it’s useless to care for the flowers, because they’re temporary, and you’ll far outlive them. But I think the growth itself is the point, the reward, of the effort. Sometimes, you’ll need to get your hooves dirty pulling out weeds or fending off invasive species, and using their nutrients to grow a lovely flower. It’s a hard job, but a good one.”

Teardrop smiles, “That’s actually a pretty poetic description of gardening. A lot of it feels like a metaphor, but I like it. I respect that a lot, really, only a few ponies can do what you do. Make the hard choices.”

Celestia looks at her, taking a sip of her vodka, “If I could, may I bounce a scenario off of you?”

Teardrop nods, “Definitely, Smiles.”

Celestia nods back at her, “Say you were leader of a nation, like.. Griffonia. You discover among you a mare of great magical talent, but with a very violent streak, and you decide to raise her up to serve you, and the nation as a whole. However, you discover eventually that she’s been using her power to attempt to destroy the nation, or you, the Queen. You know for sure that she has betrayed your trust. What do you do?”

Teardrop pauses, and taps her chin, “Hmm… that’s a good question, a difficult one. There’s three options, really. The moral one, the logical one, and the compromise. Morally, the best choice would be to forgive her, or attempt to persuade her to be more loyal or show her that it’s in her best interests that she stops. Logically, it’d be best to execute her, or to remove her magic entirely. While, of course, it’s horrible to kill anyone, or to mutilate them, it would remove her from the picture entirely. Thus, the best position should be that which lies between the two extremes. You need to ensure she isn’t a threat without becoming evil yourself. My solution? Remove their ability to do magic, and imprison them. Then, use Padlockian Conditioning on them. Offer them rewards for loyal behavior, and punishments for treacherous behavior. Slowly, their mind will associate good with loyal, and bad with treachery, and will begin to help you.”

Celestia blinks, “Padlockian Conditioning? I was… unaware of such a thing. Well, Teardrop, say that this is how it happened. Say that you had a magic that could change memories of ponies, and when you find out, you forcibly replace the memories of the mare, making her into an entirely new pony. A new personality, a new family, a new job, and a new look.”

Teardrop nods, “Well, that would be a very logical thing to do, really. You ensure the pony is loyal, she doesn’t even have memories of being treacherous, and you make sure she continues to benefit society. However, this is no better than murder, because you still are killing the pony. If we consider murder for the betterment of society a wrong, then we must consider mental murder the same. It is a violation of basic consent, and sets a dangerous precedent that can make many immoral actions moral. It also violates Aristrotle’s Golden Rule of Morality, for we would most certainly not want our own minds to be changed.”

Celestia slowly nods, “I see… I thank you for your answers, Teardrop. I’m sorry to depart so early, it’s been lovely, but I have a lot on my mind, and a lot to do tomorrow.” She stands up, tossing Teardrop three bits, “Here, buy some on me.”

Teardrop smiles, “Will do, Smiles. Oh, one more thing. You have very nice legs.”

Celestia blinks, her face breaking out into a blush as she quickly turns and trots out.