The siege had ended in crushing defeat. Her husband was nearly fatally wounded. Another element dead. Applejack maimed permanently. Twilight had been captured. Cadence’s forces had been slaughtered, worse than decimated. Of the fifteen thousand, eight hundred and twelve guards ponies her husband had commanded seven thousand were dead, and six thousand wounded. The Prussians by comparison took two thousand casualties from their force of more than a hundred thousand.
The homes of her people had been damaged and shattered by Prussian shells. Without the barrier up to keep them safe the cold of winder rapidly killed crops and blew through the city, chilling the citizens to the bone. The Prussians had immediately set their soldiers to repairing homes and disposing of corpses, in an act of pity it seemed.
Empress Cadence sat in one of the many conference rooms in her castle, feeling like a guest in her own home. She had aides beside her with papers and folders, many looking unfamiliar while others she’d known for years. Across the round table from her the Prussian diplomat, Sir Hermann sat across from her with his fingers interlaced, a soft smile on his face, an attempt to disarm her. He had several documents sitting in stacks, and his aides sat nearby. Dotted around the room in five foot intervals Prussian “Line Infantry” stood at attention, rigid as a crystal home.
“Empress, let me lay out my nation’s demands and offers for you,” the Prussian began, smile not leaving his face as he stood and leaned over a map in the center of the table, “Your ‘empire’ will be demoted. Your nation will be known as the Crystal Protectorate. Your throne will be known as the Crystal Regent and will be guaranteed and protected by the Prussian empire. Am I understood so far?”
Regent Cadence nodded, her aides looking aghast while jotting down notes. She looked up at him and said, “How much autonomy will we be awarded.”
Sir Hermann looked at her for a moment, before asking, “What was the third word in that sentence?”
“I was asking how much self governance we’d have” Cadence said, quickly supplying a simpler term for the diplomat.
“That is an excellent question, Regent Cadenza. I have an answer for you, but I plan to give it to you in a few minutes. First, I’m going to lay out the new borders the Protectorate will receive. Please pay careful attention, as we plan to settle humans in the area and would like to have the ponies wholly within their own territory.”
Doing a double take, Cadence said, “What do you mean within their own territory, do you plan on removing our citizens from their homes for some kind of… of species state?”
“This area,” Sir Hermann drew a line from one coast to another in the north of the empire, completely ignoring her, “Will be broken off and given to Prussia’s colony. This land,” he gestured to a large area that bordered Equestrian in the Southwest of the empire that had a single pony settlement in it, “will be given to the Bavarians. The Prussian government is willing to foot the bill of resettling the town and compensate them for any lost crops. Prussian soldiers will also help them pack and move. We aren’t barbarians after all.”
Cadence opened her mouth then closed it, deciding not to bring it up. She spent a moment quietly talking with her aides to prepare messages for the village residents. Cadence then turned back to Sir Hermann, “And what of our self governance?”
Diplomat Sir Hermann nodded, sitting back in his seat as he said, “Your nation will be a protectorate, hence the name. A new flag that shows the bondage to Prussia will be designed at some point, but that is a low priority,” Hermann paused for a moment, searching through the stack before pulling out a documents and leafing through it, “The military limits are as follows; There is be a limit on the number of soldiers your nation can have, fifteen thousand. A small force of Prussians will be stationed in country, numbering just fifty thousand. They will be able to recruit your people as an auxiliary force, which may be sent throughout the empire. Military research for your nation will be permitted to continue as you wish, but there will be a Prussian observer present to aid and report to us. Is this all acceptable?” The diplomat leaned forward, a glint reflecting off his glasses as his grin grew slightly predatory, waiting for a nod before continuing, “Diplomatically is more difficult. You will be permitted to trade as you wish, although we will have preferential treatment in those deals. However, you may not, under any circumstance, form alliances without our permission. In fact, we simply won’t let you ally with anybody not on this list,” the Prussian plopped a sheaf of papers in front of Cadence, “and you are already allied with them. They are your fellow protectorates.”
Cadence took a moment to read the documents, each page listing a different nation, their geographical location, economy and more. It was impossibly thick, with over thirty pages in it. The increasingly strict regulations that she was learning scared her. Maybe this would be the extent of the restrictions.
“Now for the actual self governance. Initially there will be none. You will be under the command of Ludolf Krämer. And I think he can explain what will happen better than me.” With that, the doors were opened by two guards and an eccentrically dressed man strutted in, a can in one hand and a top hat in the other. He had glasses that gleamed in the magic lamp light of the room, obscuring his eyes.
With a flourish he flicked the cane down from his side, it tapping on the ground as he put on his top hat. He grinned and loomed forward, head rolling slightly as he did so, leering jovially at Cadence. Straitening up in a fluid manner, looking like a flag in the wind for a moment, he said, “Hello, Regent Cadenza. I am Ludolf Krämer. I will be modernizing your country over the course of three years. Would you like to learn more…”
As he trailed off Krämer shifted to the left, side stepping around the table to walk up to beside her. He leaned in close; one eyes growing larger and larger, almost comically large, and he asked, “Well, do you?”
“Yes. Please do.”
With a sense of excitement and joy, Krämer shot back up theatrically, throwing out a hand, pivoting with his cane, “Well good, because I have everything planned out down to the week! First, first we must repair and fix. We can’t modernize what does not work. The first three weeks will be fixing what we Prussian broke.”
Krämer threw his cane over his shoulder and trotted over to a bookshelf and pulled out a seemingly random book and peered at the title. Cadence craned her neck and saw that it was a book in German. The crazed man pulled it out with a flick, spinning before tossing it down right in front of Cadence. “Next, we must learn what level every factory, workshop, farm and trade hall in the nation operates at. Ten weeks. Then we will begin the real fun. First the farms. No industrial nation can exist without food. They will be first to be improved,” Krämer laughed at something, or perhaps nothing, before continuing, “The shield must be brought back. That pillar system? It will be done, and a year-round growing zone will be established.”
Krämer prattled on and on, prancing about the move, never sitting still and finding the entire event hilarious. His exuberance was unmatchable. It was startling to see a man so carefree and fun-loving emerging from such a dull, rigid society like the Prussians. As it became relevant the man would flick documents and books from around the room and place them in front of Cadence, pulling them from anywhere and everywhere. Once he even yanked one from beneath a Prussian soldier’s hat. It was astounding how much effort he put into just the presentation of his plan. Two hours after he started the crazed man finished explaining the schedule of the Crystal modernization.
With the thoroughness of Ludolf’s plan, it left only one question for Cadence, “What if you fall behind.”
The grin slid off the face of Ludolf Krämer and he said, “I will be fired, and a suitable replacement will be found to keep the schedule. In three years, modernized fully or not, I will have no further power over your nation. It will be in your hands.”
A diplomat, wrapped in thick fur, attached a letter to a grey pegasi’s saddle. Her yellow eyes, one of which was a lazy eye, were bright and ready as she fluttered up off the ground and flew off into the wintry sky. She flew past other pegasi who were working to keep the skies over the city clear, punching clouds and herding them into groups to be dealt with.
Below her thousands of ponies and humans were walking through the streets, carrying wood nails and buckets of paste. The pure Crystal houses that were cracked open were being torn down, while those with minimal damage had the wounds packed with cloth, pasted over, and then painted over. The newer stone and wooden buildings were repaired with conventional supplies as the cobble stones were returned to their slots. The empty spots were measured, and new cobbles were prepared to take their place.
In the farms Prussians were helping farms quickly harvest the ripe crops and prepare them for storage. Seeds for winter crops were brought in from outer villages by cavalry, dropping a measured amount in front of each field. The civilians the Prussians forced into the city for the siege were escorted out in columns by the Prussian army.
The wounded of both sides were laid out in tents marked with the cross of the Lord. Doctors and surgeons, having dealt with all the critical cases days ago, now tended to the less emergent wounds and issues, conducting surgeries or just simply providing care. Here, too, were soldiers, nursing the sick and dying in their final moments as they plummeted into the afterlife. Chaplains walked between the rows, giving the final rights to man and pony alike as they passed on.
In the parade ground beneath the castle thousands of bodies lay in neat rows. The bodies were organized by common characteristics, each fur color beside each other, eyes of those fur colors next. Rough sketches of the branding on the side of each body were in front of each body. The deceased ponies had been laid out for identification, sobbing families being escorted by NCOs and officers. Once the family found a body, it was quickly packed into a coffin and escorted to their home.
After a week, most of the bodies were claimed, leaving a few alone in the stinking, rotting square. Pine boxes had been set beside them, and Prussians had begun to lift the decomposing corpses into their final bed. The boxes were then carted off to a simple cemetery on the outside edge of the city, where they were buried. A wooden marker held their description and branding on it, so that a more permanent marker may be prepared once Crystallian documents could be found documenting their names and ages.
Outside of the city the trenches were being refilled and compacted, soldiers undoing weeks of work to return the landscape to a somewhat natural state. The officer’s quarters had permanent stone barracks under construction, and the outlines of walls were being marked out. A new star fort would soon grow from the ground on the city’s outskirts.
A team of ponies and Prussians rode on a pump powered train cart with track and timber in tow. Picks, axes and rivets sat in buckets. Shovels and pine coffins were stacked on a second train, gently pulling out of the station to follow behind.
AS the aftermath of the siege was repaired and dealt with, Equestrians were escorted out of the city. The mane six, surviving Equestrian officers and soldiers, and even some members of Crystallian staff were shown the edge of the city. Hundreds of ponies were bundled tight against the cold, food in carts on their backs and the wounded sitting with it. Mounted Prussians and a section of the supply train trailed behind them as the group departed for Equestria, weeks of travel away with the train destroyed and thick winter snow covering the land.
Four weeks after the siege of the Crystal Empire had drawn to an end the princesses of Equestria met with Prussian diplomats to negotiate a white peace. Princess Celestia refused to recognize the Crystal Protectorate as a legitimate nation, claiming that the Crystal Empire was all that Equestria would recognize. A week later she was in the capital, which the Prussians had named Crystal City — although Celestia referred to it as the Empire still — to meet with Regent Cadence.
Celestia was escorted into the room by ornately dressed Prussian guards, wearing steel plate armor engraved with the designs of snow and crystal. They had a sallet helm on, obscuring their faces. A single white and ice blue plume jutted from the top, and a Prussian blue pelerine matching the colors of the new flag that waved all over the city. They carried halberds, with swords sheathed on their belts. Soldiers like this were scattered throughout the castle, and Celestia had seen in the courtyard ponies being drilled in similar armor.
In broken Ponish the guard introduced her to Cadence before stepping out and closing the door. Cadence sat alone in the room, drinking tea. She looked exhausted, deep bags under her eyes and Celestia could sense she was emotionally exhausted as well. She smiled weakly as Celestia entered, saying a quiet thank you to the guard as he stepped out. Once the door clicked shut, she conjured more tea for Celestia to enjoy and gestured to the seat beside her.
“How is Equestria in these trying times, Auntie?”
“Worse than I wish. Despite the peace Luna and I both agree that we need to keep a larger standing army, and maybe some reserves,” Celestia paused, taking a sip from her drink before changing the topic, “But my dear niece, I didn’t come to tell you about the bores of ruling, you enough about that as it is. Instead, we need plan to throw the Prussians from the Empire.”
In a moment, the smile slipped off Cadence’s face, and she deflated before saying, “No. We can’t. I won’t.”
Celestia gave Cadence a pointed look, “These foes are just like Sombra, here to enslave you. You cannot really mean to-”
“No. We won’t fight them more. And I don’t think they are here to enslave us. They did the brunt of the repairs and fixing of our city. They’ve been incredibly helpful and willing,” Cadence said, uncertainty in her voice, sounding as if she was convincing herself just as much as Celestia.
“A velvet wrapped steel gauntlet is still a steel gauntlet, Cadence. No matter how nice they are, they are conquerors here to inflict their will. They do not know friendship or peace. They wish only to make you like them.”
“I DO NOT CARE,” shouted Cadence suddenly, shocking Celestia causing her to recoil. The doors to the study were pushed open as the two Prussians burst into the room, one drawing his sword while the other held his halberd at the ready. They looked around for a threat, before slowly backing back out of the room, heads still swiveling about the room. The doors clicked shut again, and this time a yellow spell flashed across them. A sound proofing spell.
Cadence started again, calmer this time, “I do not care. These Prussians are overwhelmingly powerful, Celestia. Their weapons made that armor obsolete; they wear it as ceremonial pieces. Those soldiers aren’t expected to actually defeat more than an angry peasant. They have more soldiers in their empire than we have citizens. That force larger than anything our world ever saw? It was a cobbled together army thrown together in a week. When they made us a puppet, they limited our forces to a ‘small’ fifteen thousand. That is larger than both our standing armies combined. They considered it small. The Prussians will be leaving a small garrison force of fifty thousand, Celestia.”
Celestia shook her head, “Cadence, you could have used your magic to desert the army or flip sides, or, if it came to it, eradicate them.”
Cadence sagged, “Celestia, outside of love magic and emotional magic my skills are more akin to an exceptionally talented unicorn. And I refuse to use love magic outside of little nudges in the right direction. I refuse to violate that moral, Celestia. I refuse to be like Sombra.”
“That’s why you lost. And that’s good. But now Luna and I will be here to help. We can push them out of the Empire. We must. For the memory of Rainbow Dash and Rarity. For all the guards that died.”
Cadence shook her head violently, tears in her eyes, “Celestia, I can’t. They almost killed Shining. They still could if they wanted. You’ve seen that our guards are almost all Prussians. Not only that, but they’re training all the ponies that will take their place in the future. They could easily kill Shining Armor when he was at full strength, and he’s still recovering. He may never cast a spell again. They effortlessly threw aside our forces. If they had wanted to, they could have killed all my people. I can’t and I won’t risk their lives.”
“S0 you’d rather them live under the boot of an oppressor? How could you be willing to trade the future of your empire for this?”
“Because I won’t be. The Prussians are designing a better future for us,” Cadence said, again sounding like she was not just debating Celestia but herself, “For the first three years they have a well-known industrialist running the nation. After that he’ll take an advisory position and write up long term plans. They have a plan.”
“I doubt that plan is little more than numbers, Cadence. That man is lying or is going to be brutally cold in the process. You need to get rid of them before the Prussians make your nation worse. There was nothing wrong with it before, and this modern technology they’ll introduce is just another way to make you dependent on them.”
“Celestia,” Cadence began, almost pleading, “Please. I won’t risk anymore of my people’s lives. I will champion them and defend them all I can. But I won’t sacrifice them. I can’t live with that. I can’t let them kill Shining Armor.”
Celestia scrunched her face, “I thought I taught you better. The lives of the many over your personal connections,” said Celestia, venom seeping into her voice for a moment, “You remember I banished my own sister for my little ponies? Why won’t you make the same sacrifice for your people? Do you not care for them at all?”
“Get out,” Cadence said, her face darkening, and her horn glowing, undoing the spell on the door, “You can claim I never learned. But you can NEVER say that I don’t love my ponies. Now. Get. Out.”
The doors opened and four guards marched in, halberds held high. Celestia stood and they took a position at each corner, marching in perfect unity with her as she was escorted out of the castle. A fifth Prussian appeared at her side, cane tapping at the floor, top hat pointing to the sky and glasses in his breast pocket. He had a simple, serene smile on his face as he walked beside her.
With a police little half bow as he walked, he said, “Good day, Princess Celestia. I am Ludolf Krämer, Chief of Industrialization for the Crystal Protectorate. It is nice to meet you. I am also the acting head of state for the coming years. I hope we do get along well.”
With that, he abruptly stopped, posting his cane and letting her walk past. After a moment he turned and began whistling softly, swinging his cane in lazy circles as he waltzed through the halls of the castle.
Even the Elements of Harmony, can't stand the might of the Prussian Empire. Something tells me that Equestria will declare war against them in the near future. But I don't know, with the deaths of Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and Twilight becoming a prisoner, I don't think Equestria will take that risk.
BTW, it's pretty fun to read this story while listening to Purrssian marches, like:
Ain't that the truth?
Okay this got me a little confused. Are they training the people they just beat? I understand integration but this seems a little silly. Yes, I might have murder your dad but now here a gun.
I do think Cadence is in the right here. Subjugation under the Prussian jackboot is unfortunate but evidently Equestria is incapable of protecting the Crystal Empire without massive loss of life.
11586160
Sounds a bit silly when you put it like that but theres plenty of examples in history where occupying regimes immediately get to recruiting collaborators and auxiliaries from their conquered populations.
(Foolish, Celestia. She appears to be the one who has not learned. Her rashness brought about this fate for the Crystal Empire, which she has clearly failed to protect, and she even goes so far as to call Cadence ignoring of her people's needs for caring for their LIVES.
The war is not over. And now Celestia will make Equestrian lives pay for her refusal to accept reality. No, this is not an optimal situation, but in defeat, Cadence has learned. Celestia's arrogance here will cost everyone.)
Way to show your true colors, Celestia. And honestly, things could have been much worse for Cadence.
Lol I thought they took over all of the world hey is America still a thing in the human world
11586204
Yes that is true but usually when this happens the regime that the former country or territory was under was already bad or equal. There is a big difference between Equestria and the presence. But I will admit if they're able to keep the alicorns leaders controlled that they might have a chance of taking over. But it was interesting to hear that. Cadence is far more deadlier than she let on. But the bigger problem is you can't hold a knife to a country's neck forever. You either have to quickly integrate them to a level where betrayal seems futile or silly or get rid of the native population before the recover and definitely before you put them in your army.
Oh boy, I love a good argument in the morning. In my opinion, I believe Celestia has the right mindset. Overall, the current situation can be seen as growing pains resulting from being out of combat for an extended period. It's natural that lives will be lost in such circumstances. However, it seems odd to me that one would willingly subject themselves to subjugation just because there's a chance of losing the fight for independence.
To me, it's simple. If you love your homeland and don't want a foreign invader taking over, you should fight for it, and your leaders should be ready to defend it rather than giving up. Having leaders who are willing to surrender indicates poor leadership, and Celestia is correct in pointing out that Cadence has prioritized personal feelings over the long-term safety and control of her country.
Even if the invaders are not purely evil and genuinely want to advance the Crystal Empire, they will undoubtedly bring about significant changes that alter its original character. This is what we typically refer to as colonization. From what I understand, colonization is generally considered a negative thing. Just look at the historical examples where more advanced societies would take over less advanced ones with the intention of "civilizing" them. It often led to detrimental effects for the native populations
11586340
I hate those arrogant smiles. I hope the Prussians end up losing them.
While Celestia shows a lack of compassion for the Crystal Empire and for Cadence, she does have some points.
Furthermore, the Crystal ponies (and ponies in other occupied areas) will likely get fed up with the occupation and launch guerilla warfare against the invaders, even if Cadence herself rebukes such actions; with the Prussians forcing unwanted change, it's inevitable that some kind of pushback will occur.
And I don't see how Twilight can't just teleport away from whatever dungeon she was put in, unless her horn was damaged in the previous chapter. It's not like the Prussians have anti-magic stuff.
11586160
The reasoning is that Cadence is the only member of her line fit to rule. As such she needs to be protected by a large number royal guards until she has an heir. By training the locals the Prussians guarentee that there will be ponies to protect her that are loyal to her, at the very least. If the training goes well the pony section of the guard will also be loyal to Prussia, but that probably won't happen.
11586441
(I'm sorry, however Celestia is making rash arguments, and showing a rash mindset. Such as attempting to plot the overthrowing of the Prussians IN their occupied territory WITH Prussian guards outside before any kind of silencing spell was cast. And continuously attempting to involve Cadence and her people in something that they have already paid rivers of blood for.
The fact of the matter is Cadence and the Crystal Empire LOST. Not a little, not moderately, not in a manageable percentile, but they were completely, and utterly, stomped into the ground. The Prussians could have done ANYTHING they wanted, including slaughtering them all, and sacking their entire city, and there would have been NOTHING they could have done to stop it. This is still the case.
Equestria has already failed to defend the Crystal Empire. There is no sign that there has been any kind of significant change that would lead Cadence to assume that Celestia has a chance to defeat the Prussians. There isn't a 'chance' of defeat, right now, defeat is an absolute certainty. It would be killing her people, her husband, her empire, and herself, for no possible chance of victory, if Cadence made a move right now.
For all of Celestia's arguments, it's on her to reoccupy the area and show that she CAN defeat the Prussians, that this is something that is possible. Otherwise, it doesn't matter whether the Prussian's colonial conquest is 'good' or not, and it's not, but it's going to happen. The question is how many bodies need to be stepped over. It is up to Celestia to disprove this, not for Cadence, the defeated party in an extremely tenuous and weak position, to do so.
And she won't. Celestia continues to both underestimate, and misunderstand, her enemy. She is picking a fight with a massive super-empire ready for war, and giving them casus belli to invade her and occupy her lands. A lot of suffering is going to be caused, and for what gain? The collapse of her nation? The death of her people? ... This all started with Celestia making a rash and arrogant move. Her attempts here, and her stance, are more rash and arrogant moves. And Cadence? Is doing the only thing she can right now to prevent a straight-up slaughter of her people. More than has already occurred.)
11586864
I I believe it's fair to say that Celestia may have appeared arrogant, but it's important to note that her ignorance stemmed from the unexpected nature of the enemy's arrival and their introduction of new ideas, concepts, and strategies. Just like someone who had never heard of the atom bomb might allow a bomber to slip through, Celestia and the ponies were caught off guard. However, it is worth mentioning that Celestia and Luna have been training their army while the Crystal Empire was in need, and they wouldn't be as easily overrun as the isolated empire.
Furthermore, the invaders would face significant challenges in reaching the heart of Equestria, where the main power lies. They would have to go through numerous obstacles and face well-trained unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. Additionally, there are countless magic items locked away and the formidable powers of Celestia and Luna, who control the sun and moon.
The main argument here is not whether Celestia or Equestria needs to win, but whether the invaders can afford to fight for their victory and sustain it afterwards. History has shown that such attempts often end in failure. While you may argue that might makes right, I believe that the ponies possess numerous advantages and are the dominant force in their own territory.
And like I said, cadence is going to trust a foreign nation that brutally took over her city to treat her people fairly. That is the height of fullestness and Yes, they probably should not plan an interrection where there's a chance that the guards get here though, but casting the spell that would make sure you could not be hurried is still silly to do. It would lead to suspicion if two people this suddenly stop talking for hours.
11586608
Okay, now I understand but I still think it would be a bad idea to do this. I would give it 5 to 6 years before letting the conquered people join into my army unless it was an emergency and I needed the numbers but it doesn't seem to be that here. Plus I can't wait to see the next major battle. If they have to come from the crystal empire or the mountains they can only go into a couple places for the next fight. If you're using the equestrian map
11586955
(Okay, actually, let me turn this around for a moment. Let's not talk about Celestia and Equestria's chances, let's talk about Cadence's.
What should she do? The Prussians are occupying her city-state after decimating her army. Their guards are in her palace, and the acting Head of State is a Prussian. Her husband is still recovering, gravely injured, and instead of murdering them all, which the Prussians were entirely capable of doing, and still are, they are helping repair the homes of her beleaguered and besieged citizenry, who have just lost many of their loved ones in an absolute curb-stomp of a campaign.
The surrounding territory is ice and snow. There is next to nothing out there that will hamper the Prussian military's progress if it is destroyed, save for perhaps some village slaughters that would give the Prussians an excuse to slaughter Crystal pony villages in turn.
Guerillas cannot retreat to the Crystal Empire proper because the Prussians control it, and are present in great enough numbers that they can effectively crack-down on the city at any time. This leaves small villages as options, of which there are only a small number, because of the ice and snow, and those cannot sustain large populations, or move good troop numbers, or, again, hit many targets of value to the Prussians. The one exception to this I can think of at the moment, is the railway. Which the Prussians themselves already destroyed to halt Equestrian forces, and if they decide to rebuild, have the manpower to guard.
So what should Cadence do besides what she's doing? In a palace, surrounded by the enemy army, with their control firm and numbers populace enough to practically match what remains of her citizenry, after having expressed complete and utter domination of her kingdom. Oh, and actively having her husband hostage, and are actively working with the local citizenry to rebuild their homes, said citizenry certainly already being exhausted by a lost war.
What kind of resistance, could she mount in this situation, that would have any efficacy, and not end in the death of her, her people, and her loved ones?)
11586973
Oh boy you're getting me excited, Cadence indeed has numerous options at her disposal. She can employ strategies such as spying, espionage, and sabotage to aid her allies without exposing herself to direct danger. Furthermore, as the princess of love, she can utilize her magic and powers to their fullest potential, leveraging them for her advantage. So, it is evident that Cadence does possess options to resist the enemy's advances.
As for the discussion on sacrifice and ethics, it is true that the line becomes blurred when the enemy resorts to dropping chemical weapons on her people. In such dire circumstances, it becomes difficult to uphold traditional notions of sacrifice and ethics. However, the primary issue lies in Cadence's apparent lack of resolve. She seems to have completely given up and is merely hoping for a positive outcome without actively planning for it. This weak will and absence of foresight jeopardize the well-being of her people and family.
Celestia, in her observations, has highlighted this weakness. Cadence appears unwilling to make sacrifices, a quality that is crucial for any leader. Leaders must be prepared to make sacrifices not only of others but also personally. It is a trait that might not be comprehended by everyone, but it is an essential aspect of effective leadership.
It's the inverse of the old saying. Hoping for the best but plan for the worst. In her case it's hoping for the best but won't plan for the worst.
11586988
(In my opinion, all three of those expose her to direct danger. Spies are the ones in the most precarious of situations and frequently killed for it. Though I can think of a potentially optimal method of spying and information exchange. The best option available to her would be to communicate with Princess Luna at night in dreams information that she sees. That would perhaps be the lowest-risk move with the most potential information given. But I doubt the Prussians intend to have her sit in on military meetings, and too much interest could be a red flag. As for her powers? So far, none of the ponies powers have struck me as particularly subtle to witness. I get the feeling that anything SHE tries will be seen, and figured out. Certainly if the head of state starts doting on the 'princess of love' or the like, it would bear noting.
As for Cadence's decision? I feel as though it was entirely rational. Celestia was not listening, but was making demands. Cadence is responsible for her people's well-being, and in her current state, the choice for them is either submission, or death. Celestia should not have pushed so hard and aggressively. If she'd been calmer, perhaps the idea of sharing information through Luna, a method the Prussian's can't track, could have come up. But as it is, Celestia kept pushing while Cadence made the very proper assertion, that any fight they have, they can't win. I still view her as doing what is best for her nation in the sub-optimal situation she has found herself in, and blame Celestial for being rash and heavy-hooved.)
11586999
I guess that's the difference between what I believe and you believe in my opinion Celestia hasn't been heavy. Hoofed. There's been misunderstandings because of a language border and cultural border. But other than that if I told you to get the fuck out my house and you decided not to and then decide to take it over we would have problems. This started with a simple misunderstanding in escalated into thousands dead. In the superpower that now wants to unjustly take over a land that's not originally theirs.
11587016
(My argument has never been that the Prussians are morally righteous, though remember, it was ironically enough the Equestrians who decided to resort to violence before diplomacy, and killed their people. That would be enough casus belli for pretty much any nation of strength at the time. My argument is that the situation needs to be dealt with as it is, and as it is, far more harm than good will come from any attempt the Crystal Empire makes to oust the Prussians. As for the Equestrians, they have their own war to wage, and while there are many things they could use, nothing seen suggests to me that they will effectively.)
11586955
WoW WoW wait, tell me who says that magic items, alchemy, scrolls and others could not be used by Prussians are human when they see a threat with which they have an advantage they make it quite literally they could look to the side and ally with a A race like the changelings, no matter how much advantage they have over their territory, it could be the enemy's by playing the right cards and there they would be more than screwed, apart from that, normal ponies are one thing and prodigies like Candance and twilight in most of them are another. the cases of normal unicorns are half of them 2
11587016
It does not mean that they gave him the excuse, apart from a misunderstanding that was not addressed literally, they came with an army instead of seeing what the hell is happening, or is it stupid or some kind of racism based on their experiences
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Yes there was unfortunate misunderstandings but in the land that's not yours. You cannot blame the equestrians for the fending their home from an unknown entity. It was unfortunate anyone died but it happens. It says more about the presents that they started the war for what was completely accidental in the misunderstanding. Like I said, are you enter my home without my permission and I suit you and you die a tragedy but that's what happens. Maybe we're looking at two different pictures. Equestria has magic a very effective tool when you have things like teleportation, transmutation, necromancy, dark magic and other different kinds of skills, plus a magic that automatically makes you talented and one thing you're passionate in. Plus having the home field advantage knowing the dangerous spots, what you can eat what you cannot eat and all that stuff. Plus being aware of dangerous areas in animals. And having treaties with other races that lives around them. Anyone who wants to take over Equestria is basically walking into a death trap.
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As I said in my comment, everything you just said about the advantages of Equestria and its world does not mean that humans no can use it in some way, or their allies or mercenaries could also, directly the creator of this story did not give set limits to this human species apart from being humans without more
11587038
I completely agree with your point of view
11587060
I keep on giving this example but because it's good I'll give it to you guys one more time. Do not go and do anyone's home and then get surprised when you get shot. It doesn't matter if you knew or did not know someone live there. You also do not set up a colony and expecting the natives to be like hello neighbor. It was a misunderstanding. There was a reasoning that the police attacked. It wasn't blind racism or prejudice. A simple misunderstanding.
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I'm not the writer of the story so I don't know. The humans can use magic items or scrolls. But if you're silly enough to use an unknown property in a battle situation without testing it first. And definitely if you have no experience with magic in the first place, you will quickly learn not to do that. This would be like ponies trying to use guns. It's effective until it blows up in your face.
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Put that away from treatises, where did you get it from? I don't remember what season this story is in, but I can say that it isn't after the end of the series or when they started to go around the world like in the comics, there are literally like 9 races with which they don't even have treaties, I don't know if deer exist here but unless the Prussians prey on fire, I'm telling you that they wouldn't even come close, except the minotaurs, the only ones I see in this are the griffos, dragons (if they have any kind of organization), reformed changelings and maybe hippogriffs and parrots that weird
11587068
Look, I'm going to make it clear to you, that does not give you an excuse to shoot FIRST without speaking. They are supposed to be a diplomatic and "pacifist" Race if only they had asked first and the Prussians attacked them or possibly left to return with them 100 more times. troops would have been right but they attacked first and that doesn't take away the consequences
and as for magic, remember that these are moron humans, first they took the information out of someone, if not for good, before using it without further ado or having an idea of his abilities, did you see Trixie's face or what?
11587071
You seem to be pretty knowledgeable so I have a question for you. How will the Prussia make it to cantalot.
11587076
Trixie is a unicorn that is trained in the basics of magic and understands on the instinctual level about it. Humans that have no way to know about magic except for asking the ponies. You believe that this because some people died. That gives you a right to take over a country. It does not. I believe if you walk into someone's territory and end up getting killed on purpose or because of a misunderstanding, it's your fault. Plus we both know this is not about the dead soldiers. This is about an empire that's trying to expand at the expense of the natives so you can pry me inever free about the poor dead innocent trespassing soldiers.
11587077
Later I will answer you about how they get to Canterlot I have to see the map and how fast the ponies are and the limits of their magic and the possible improvised weapons the Prussians could have and what they learned from the ponies especially the obvious and little surprise that the pegasi can give
and with the second, it simply does not remove what is an abuse of power in a certain way based on past experiences and very little or no effort to resolve the misunderstanding, I am not saying that prussia is the only good, one who gave him a perfect excuse in capital letters
and good night at least where I am
11587082
Wait, by doing this, don't I solve several unknowns for the writer of this story? *looks at him suspiciously*
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11587038
I love that the three of you are debating. I'm glad that I could write something that causes that. But at this point you three are all repeating yourselves. Please take it to DMs or stop
11587158
(Fair, my apologies for any aggravation.)
11587349
It wasn't aggravating in the slightest, I just want to leave space for other people to comment, and the last couple exchanges had been repeats of the first. Figured I'd put a stop to it before we made a full revolution.
As all things do, change is inevitable. And the repeat of history, is constant. No matter how small, they may be.