14. Arise, Knights of the Realm
Trixie had been before the Selenic Cathedra before, of course, but for all her friends, it was a new experience. They really should have had the time to admire the scale, the architecture, the presentation of the grand throne room that lead up to the throne of Equestria, the literal seat of power from which the fate of the nation, and countless others, was orchestrated. Bon Bon and Dinky should have been allowed to come in as well, but only Trixie had been summoned, and Luna had only allowed her five closest friends entrance alongside her, no more. As such, the remaining two members of their little party had been required to wait in the antechamber outside.
The throne room was built to be able to house nearly two hundred and fifty standing ponies. With only the six of them, it was a long, echoing walk through the shadowed hall, towards the Selenic Cathedra, giving them ample opportunity to study the look on Luna’s face – and for Luna to study them.
She did not look happy, but that was understandable – the throne room may have been soundproofed, but the nobility upon leaving it had been anything but quiet, and the Gala attendees had heard more than enough snippets of conversation to know that something major had happened before the Selenic Cathedra, something that had scared the Night Court enough to send them scurrying off to their homes and apartments within Canterlot as soon as they could do so without actually looking scared.
More than anything, though, the Princess looked hurt. Luna regarded them for some time before speaking. “I have only one question,” she said as she stood, descending the steps before the throne, voice echoing through the nearly empty hall “It is apparent to me, now, that your true intention was not to capture Zizanie, but to get me to act the way you thought I should. You knew that I would wish to speak with Zizanie – knew that there would be consequences on the Night Court because of that. You manipulated me and used me towards your own ends.”
Luna stopped at the base of the throne, looking down at the six ponies in turn. “Why?” she asked, in hardly more than a whisper.
The six ponies looked between themselves, each wondering who would speak first. It was Cheerilee. “We didn’t…use you, your Majesty,” she said. “We just…your Majesty, the Night Court had to be dealt with now. Not a year from now, not ten years…not after Stars know how many more attempts to manipulate us or anypony else, not when Corona comes back to Canterlot…now. We just wanted you to act, your Majesty.”
“Oh, well, you have succeeded, then,” Luna said in a droning voice, stepping before Cheerilee. “I acted. I loosed a rage upon the Night Court such as it has not seen in centuries. Though the ponies of it live a hundred years they will not forget what…what I did. What I said.” She looked away, silent for several moments as she scuffed a hoof on the ground beneath her. “They will not forget their fear.”
“Good,” Lyra said. She spoke somewhat louder than she had probably intended, and her word echoed sharply through the chamber. Luna looked at her, and Lyra wilted before continuing. “I…I’m not really the pony to say this, ‘cause I’m a musician, I make my own hours, I’m my own boss…but good. Being a member of the Court is basically their job, so the Night Court should be afraid of you, afraid that if they mess up, you’ll fire them.”
“Nopony should have to live in fear,” Luna objected.
“They wouldn’t have to if they weren’t acting the way they were,” Raindrops said. “Lyra’s got the right idea. That buck-all attitude is half the problem with the weather captain we’ve got back in Ponyville. She’s got connections in Cloudsdale, she knows she won’t ever be fired…so it means she can goof off and be lazy whenever she wants. She’s getting better…but only because I’ve been riding her flank about it.”
“Which you wish me to do,” Luna said, her expression finally changing, taking on a look of slight anger. “To never trust them again. To involve myself so totally that I practically run everything myself – to transcend mere monarchy and become a tyrant.”
“No,” Carrot Top said, tapping her hooves together and looking up at Luna nervously. “No, we get it…that one pony shouldn’t run the whole Court. I’m…I’m sorry if this comes across as blunt, your Majesty, but there are degrees between monarch and tyrant. Nopony expects you to run everything…and I know that you do occasionally act, when there’s a full trial for some noble who can’t get away with something they did…but all it meant was the members of the Night Court would just try not to get caught. It wasn’t preventing anything. They could do whatever they wanted, take whatever they wanted.”
“But now, they will be paralyzed,” Luna countered, wings ruffling. “And I have delivered my ultimatum…a single misstep, and I come down hard upon all of them. That is no way to run a nation.”
“Maybe not,” Ditzy said, raising a hoof. “but…but look at what it was like. Look at Night Light. He wasn’t afraid of you. He knew how far he could go with threatening Ponyville, and he went there, because he knew that you wouldn’t do anything about it except warn him off.”
Luna regarded each of the ponies who spoke, before finally looking to Trixie, her expression becoming hurt again. Trixie thought a moment, head bowed, casting her mind back to all the politics, all the sociology, all the lessons that Luna had tried to teach her over the years. Some of it had even stuck. “What’s better to rule by?” She asked. “Love, or fear?”
“Both,” Luna responded. “Failing that, whichever one suits the leader and the times better…” she shook her head sadly. “You believe that now is a time when it is better that the Night Court fears me.”
“No,” Trixie said, shaking her head. “Because neither are as important as avoiding contempt and hate. But…but that’s what had happened, Princess. The Night Court – your Night Court – held you in contempt. They knew your limits, knew what they could get away with, and how. Because they didn’t love you and didn’t fear you…didn’t respect you. You were just one more obstacle to work around.” Trixie spread her hooves. “Okay, right now they’re all scared out of their minds. But things will settle down…and like Lyra said, they should be afraid of you, or at least afraid of the Crown, and what happens when you hold the Crown in contempt.”
“But that is not for you to decide!” Luna exclaimed, spreading her wings as she glared down at Trixie. “There was a plan in place, Trixie – all of you! A system for dealing with this. Yes, it would be slower, but it would not make ponies fear the Crown, wondering if I might fall upon them at any moment – wondering if I might grow fickle and depose them all – wondering if I might become another Tyrant Sun!”
Luna whickered and stamped her hoof at that again, sending an echo throughout the chambers. She seemed surprised when none of the six ponies before her moved, more so when Trixie stepped forward. “So you’d rather be afraid instead,” she said.
The Princess blinked. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
“I can see it now,” Trixie said. “You’re not scared of being seen as a tyrant, you’re scared of becoming one, even though you never would. You’re so afraid – ”
“Trixie…” Luna warned. Trixie ignored her.
“ – that you’d rather just let Equestria go through these cycles then risk taking any real action, using any of your power.” Trixie bit her lip. “You’re afraid. All the time, you’re afraid. You’ve become used to it. You’re scared of yourself.”
“As well I should be,” Luna said. She leaned in. “You don’t – you don’t understand. None of you understand! You say I could never be a tyrant, but you don’t know. It would be easy.” She leaned back, looking up at the Selenic Cathedra. “Grogar is banished into Shadow, the Smooze was destroyed, Tirek and Discord are imprisoned, the dragons are subdued, the griffins are weak…” She looked back to the six mares. “There are no monsters left. No threats except Corona…and me.”
Luna shook her head. “I…I nearly became one in the past. Before Corona, I nearly did. I stopped only because of ponies reaching out to me and helping me. I’m not like Celestia was. She was the strong one, the sure one. But she fell. She became a monster, and if Celestia can…I can.” She looked to Trixie. “I can become a tyrant in a moment. I’m not…I’m not strong enough.”
“Yes you are,” Trixie objected. “You’re the strongest mare I know. Not just with magic…your heart.” She considered a moment, before stepping forward, touching a hoof to Luna. “And even if you’re right and you’re not strong…you’re not alone, either. You said yourself that ponies reached out and helped you before. It’ll happen again, too, if it has to.” She looked Luna in the eye. “You’re not your sister.”
Luna stared down at her student, blinking a few times. “I…” she began, glancing at the other Elements. She let out a long breath, and touched a hoof to Trixie’s own, closing her eyes. She seemed to draw on a reserve of inner strength as she did. “Perhaps…perhaps you are correct. I don’t know that you are, but…but perhaps there is a measure of truth to what you said. We’ll find out in the coming weeks.”
Trixie nodded. “And…I’m sorry. I’m sorry we manipulated and used you. Maybe it doesn’t make us any different from the Night Court. But there didn’t really seem to be any other way…”
Luna nodded in understanding, if not agreement. She released Trixie, stepping back and ascending the steps to the throne. When she reached it and sat back down, she somehow seemed to look small in it. “Just…do not ever do something like this again,” she requested. “You are the Elements of Harmony…you must set an example for Equestria, as I must. Can you promise me this?”
The mares looked between each other, before nodding almost as one. “We’ll try.”
“That is all I can expect,” Luna said softly, as she set her horn glowing. The doors to the throne room opened – but she beckoned Bon Bon and Dinky in, rather than requesting the mares inside leave. Bon Bon looked worried, hurrying over to Lyra, while Dinky took a moment to marvel at the architecture and scale of the throne room, apparently certain that her mother was fine. Luna gave the two additions a moment to go to their loved ones and speak, before raising a hoof for their attention.
“I had intended to do this at dinner tonight,” she said, summoning a small, blue box and opening it, revealing the foci for the Elements of Harmony to be inside. “To correct an oversight on my part. This is something I should have done from the moment you earned the Elements of Harmony – I should have defined your positions, and your roles, within Equestria in general, within the hierarchy of the Night Court.” Luna looked to Dinky and Bon Bon. “Miss Bon Bon, Miss Dinky Doo, you two will serve as witnesses.”
“Witnesses?” Dinky asked. “For what?”
The ghost of a smile appeared on Luna’s face at the filly’s question, as she indicated that they should stand aside. She looked back to the six mares once they had, as she floated the six foci for the Elements of Harmony of the ponies’ heads. “Kneel,” she instructed them. There was the slightest pause, before Trixie’s face lit up immensely, and she was on her knees and hocks a moment later. The other five followed suit thereafter, smiles on their faces as well when they realized what was happening.
Luna looked to Bon Bon and Dinky, spreading her wings wide. “With you now as my witnesses,” she said, “I declare this: that whomsoever wears one of the Elements of Harmony – if that pony be worthy of it, if they swear to defend Equestria from enemies both domestic and foreign, if they act for the good of Equestria without compromising the ideals upon which this nation was founded, if they display a care for the fate of others, be it the whole of the nation, a city, a town, or even a single pony…then let those ponies hereafter be known throughout Equestria,” she looked back to the six mares who kneeled, “as Knights of the Realm. Let them be awarded all the rights and honors that station guarantees them, and let them further be awarded the Right of Approach – ”
Luna stopped there, as Trixie lost her balance and fell to the floor after making a high-pitched sound that strained even Luna’s hearing. She picked herself back up in a moment, looked grateful that the only ponies seeing her faceplant during her own knighting ceremony were her close friends, and resumed her kneel.
Luna chuckled a moment, before continuing, “Let them be awarded the Right of Approach. May they forever stand in the good graces of the eyes of the ponies of Equestria.”
Luna fastened each of necklace Elements around their owner’s necks, and finished with placing the tourmaline diadem atop Trixie’s head. “Dame Raindrops, Dame Ditzy, Dame Carrot Top, Dame Lyra, Dame Cheerilee, and Dame Trixie – Rise now as Knights of the Realm.”
The six of them did. Carrot Top and Raindrops stared at their Elements as though seeing them for the first time, while Lyra was swiftly joined by Bon Bon, and Ditzy by Dinky, both of whom gushed congratulations.
Cheerilee was frowning a little as she thought. “The Right of Approach…” she said. “That’s…that’s something that only the viceroys have, isn’t it?”
Trixie nodded, beaming up at the diadem that sat upon her head, spinning around in place a little and not caring at all for how heavy it was at the moment. “It means that if we want to speak to the Princess, only the Princess can turn us away. Her secretaries, her staff, her Night Guards, they have to let us see her.” She tapped her hooves together. “We have a direct line with the Princess…it’s…it’s power. Not much power, but it’s real, official power!”
“I am sure I do not have to warn you not to abuse it,” Luna said. She raised one hoof, getting the ponies’ attentions. “Technically, you have not been truly knighted. Much as how the title of Lord Mayor is attached to the office and not the pony, the titles shall apply to whomsoever is chosen by the Elements of Harmony – at the moment, you six. However…your place in the Night Court is now officially defined. You have been made Knights of the Realm – essentially, a branch of the Night Guard, working directly for the Crown.”
Luna inclined her head. “Nothing has changed for you, apart from minor privileges granted by being created as knights. You may still live the lives you always have, do what you always have. Your only responsibility is the defense of Equestria from extraordinary threats – threats such as the Tyrant Sun – ”
Luna stopped when Trixie came barreling up the steps to the Selenic Cathedra, throwing herself at Luna and wrapping her hooves around Luna’s neck, nuzzling her mentor closely. “Thank you thank you thank you! It’s a hoof in the door! A step toward the Night Court! Thank you!”
Luna was initially startled by the embrace, but after a moment she returned it, smiling. It occurred to the monarch of Equestria that not too long ago, Trixie had been wondering if she’d be forced to give up her ambitions in the Night Court for the sake of her friends – but now, Luna had opened the door for her, reinforced Trixie’s goals. “You still have some ways to go,” she told Trixie. “But remember Trixie – Dame Trixie – ” Trixie squealed slightly at being addressed as such, “I want you to be happy, first and foremost. And…” she leaned away from Trixie. “And thank-you. I do not know that what you did at the Gala was right…but I know that it was for me.” She smiled. “The Night Court will only benefit if – when – you fully ascend into it.”
Trixie smiled at that, wiping her eyes as they began tearing up, before leaning in and nuzzling Luna again. “Thank-you, Princess.”
---
Long after the chaos of the Gala had died down, long after the first train had finally come in and the ponies of Ponyville had boarded it, eager to go home and rest and get to work on fixing Ponyville again, a white unicorn stallion in his apartments in Canterlot, thinking over what had happened as he rubbed a glass of something both very cold and very nearly poisonous to his forehead. Viscount Prince Blueblood was weighing certain pros and cons of certain information he possessed, when there was a knock on his front door.
Blueblood counted himself as particularly clever for making sure to remain just slightly tipsy and therefore prevent a hangover that would have turned the knocking into a cacophonous assault of sound. He opened the door telekinetically, without standing, though he did when Trixie, the Element of Magic perched upon her head for some reason, trotted in, smiling brightly and levitating a variety of drinks and mixes after her.
Blueblood regarded her with one raised eyebrow as she started mixing everything together. “Now, I made the barpony make this earlier tonight,” she said as she mixed, “and it’s very good, and I have to think of a name for it.”
Blueblood raised an eyebrow as Trixie finished mixing and poured her concoction into two glasses, levitating one over to Blueblood before draining the contents of her own. At length, Blueblood took an experimental sip of the cocktail. It was actually quite good – Trixie apparently had a hidden talent. “What do you want, Trixie?” he asked.
“Dame Trixie!” Trixie corrected, smiling brightly as she mixed another cocktail for herself and drank it down. “Luna knighted me and my friends. And even gave us the Right of Approach!”
Blueblood blinked at giving mere dames one of the hallmark powers of a viceroy, but decided that it made sense – and really, at least in Trixie’s case, all it really did was formally recognize her already close relationship with Luna. Ultimately it was only a small modicum of power in the grand scheme of things. “Congratulations then, Dame Trixie,” he said. “Now what do you want?”
“I think it’s more about what you want,” Trixie said, as she set aside all her cocktail mixes and settled on just straight vodka. “Or…what you plan on doing.”
Blueblood regarded Trixie as he took another sip of the cocktail. “You used me,” he said, “to get to Zizanie. For some bizarre reason, I agreed. Then the next thing I know, Zizanie is at the Gala, having become some kind of monster, and this all happened while the entire Night Court was running off their mouths and exposing their darkest secrets. Everypony but me, thanks to my choice of companions in the night.”
Trixie nodded. “Even you can see the connections,” she said, taking another shot of vodka.
Blueblood scowled. “Yes,” he said. “I can. And now I must decide what to do with that information. Because right now, all anypony knows is that you helped to capture Zizanie. Nopony knows anything about how you put her up to poisoning the Night Court in the first place. If that were to change, the consequences…to you, to your friends, to Ponyville…could be very great indeed.”
Trixie nodded. “That’s right,” she said. “But you’re not going to do anything about it. You’re going to stay silent.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Because it’s the right thing to do.” Blueblood scoffed at that, drinking the cocktail again. “Because Princess Luna wants all this to end…all the extortion and blackmail. It doesn’t get anypony anywhere.”
That actually gave Blueblood pause. The castigation of the Night Court that had happened earlier in the night was still fresh in his mind, and would be for some time. He had never seen Luna so angry before - mere anger didn’t seem to encapsulate it. And her ultimatum...even if it had been delivered in the heat of the moment, even if it was unlikely, impossible, even, that Luna would carry through with dissolving the Night Court if even one of them stepped out of line...Luna was clearly in a mood to come down exceptionally hard on anypony who dared step out of line in the near future - and for an immortal alicorn, the "near future" could be quite a long time indeed.
But all that meant was Blueblood had to wait things out. Sooner or later, things would calm down, and then...well, who knew where the six Elements of Harmony would be then, how much personal ability and prestige they might have amassed thanks to their positions - and how much might they be willing to trade that in exchange for Blueblood’s simple silence?
Trixie had noticed Blueblood’s momentary hesitation followed by his return to form. She didn’t seem troubled be it; indeed, she was smiling. Trixie smiled. “And you’re going to stop,” she said, as Blueblood finished his cocktail, “because I have poisoned your drink.”
Blueblood froze. He looked down at the empty cocktail glass in horror, before looking back at Trixie. “But…but you made it in front of me. You drank it too!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, but I have the antidote, and it’s not a normal poison anyway,” the newly-created dame said. She held her front hooves up. “It’s the truth poison Zizanie let loose on the Gala tonight. It’s a two-parter. The first part – which was in the drink I made – is utterly harmless on its own. Once into your stomach and intestines, settles in, and it can remain dormant for years, waiting. If the second part – a little magical spark – is introduced…” Trixie smiled. “Well. You saw what happened at the Gala. Imagine that, but just you, for however long it took the truth poison to wear off. Hours? Days? What would you say that you can’t take back?”
Blueblood stared at the cocktail glass again, before hurling it away from himself, as though it were coated in a far more deadly poison than what Trixie was implying. He glared at the blue unicorn, nostrils flaring and having to restrain himself from physically charging her down and making her give him the antidote. She wouldn’t, he knew. She was far, far better at this game then he had realized, and now he was paying the price. “What do you want?” he demanded once more.
Trixie spread her forehooves. “Not much,” she said. “Just don’t mention that I set up Zizanie. Really, it’s in your interests to – you set me up with her, after all. I don’t think anypony you told would be very happy about that. And Luna…well, I wasn’t there, but I hear there was some kind of ultimatum…”
Blueblood’s lip curled. “And?”
Trixie shrugged. “And nothing. That’s it.” She locked eyes with Blueblood. ”The rules have changed, Viscount. Or rather, they’re being enforced now. I don’t need to trade favors and vices with you. I’ll get into the Night Court the way a pony is supposed to. I’ll earn it, and all the other power I gain there, I’ll earn as well. I won’t have to trample on other ponies to do it.” Her eyes narrowed. “But if you want, then we can play the game the old way instead. And the first pony I trample on will be you.”
Trixie used the bottle of vodka to salute Blueblood as she stood, then trotted over to the door. “To your health, Viscount Prince Blueblood,” she said.
Outside, her friends were all waiting for her. None of them looked particularly pleased at what they had heard. “That’s what you wanted us to miss the first train for?” Raindrops demanded. “How is that better than anything the Night Court ever did?”
“Didn’t Luna just finish telling us not to do this kind of thing anymore?” Cheerilee asked.
Trixie smiled, leading her friends away before leaning into them conspiratorially. “He’s not really poisoned,” she said in a low voice.
The other Elements stared at Trixie. “Huh?” Carrot Top asked.
“If I really poisoned him, there’s, like, a dozen anti-venom spells he could use to get rid of it. And Truth is a Scourge doesn’t last that long anyway, it’d flush out of his system in less than a day. But he can’t use the anti-venom spells without identifying it first…and to do that, he needs to find it. As long as he doesn’t, he’ll have to assume either it’s not there – or he missed it or can’t detect it.” Trixie smiled. “It won’t last forever. But it’ll last long enough for everypony to calm down. It’ll keep Blueblood from doing something stupid. It’s not really using him, it’s more like…like giving him something to do to distract him. By the time he figures everything out, if he even does, the Night Court should be a long way towards reform.”
“I still don’t like it, though,” Cheerilee said.
Trixie paused a moment, before nodding and sighing. “I don’t either. But I know Blueblood. He’ll try to come back and haunt us with what he knows someday unless we keep him busy right now, demonstrate to him that we can play his game and play it better. He was a loose end to tie up.”
The other five jumped slightly at that, and Trixie held up her hooves. “I don’t mean it like that - ”
“Good,” Ditzy interrupted. She could have sounded angry when she did, but she didn’t. She sounded disappointed. “And I want you to promise me something, Trixie. That this is it. We’re not going to get involved in these political games anymore - and you’re not going to, either.”
Trixie didn’t hesitate, putting a hoof over her heart. “I promise,” she said, and looked to each of her friends. “Because you’d never forgive me if I did turn into another Blueblood, another Greengrass...another Night Light.” She shook her head. “It wouldn’t be worth it. I’ll mix up another batch of truth poison to prove it, if you want.”
The other five ponies looked between each other. Raindrops acted first, trotting up to Trixie and putting a hoof on her shoulder. “You don’t need to do that,” she said. “Just...promise that the next Gala will just be a Gala.”
Trixie nodded, and began to promise, but Blueblood’s door chose that moment to open. The six looked, and saw a pink-maned, pink-coated, pink-tailed pony bounce out backwards from Blueblood’s apartment. “Buh-bye!” she called, waving in. “I have to get back to Poynville to help with opening the bakery and ordering new stuff for the Cakes! Ooh, but I’ll come by this weekend! And I’ll bring syrup!”
Pinkie Pie turned, and saw the six from Ponyville. “Oh, hi girls!” She said, bouncing on past them. “Sorry, can’t talk, gotta catch the train!”
The six ponies watched her go, before looking back at the door to Blueblood’s apartment, where the unicorn was looking out, at first glaring at Trixie, though his expression changed to one of confusion at the sight of the newly created dame. She had frozen in place, mouth hanging open and shivering slightly, as the color drained from her coat as the full implications of Pinkie leaving Blueblood’s apartments hit her. “S…” she stuttered, “s…s-syrup…?”
Blueblood blinked, then smiled wickedly. looking past her and at Pinkie Pie. “And blueberries!” he called.
“Okie-doky-loki!” Pinkie called back.
Trixie eeped and shot off at full speed, realized she was charging towards Pinkie Pie, and turned, bolting in the opposite direction. Blueblood watched her go, considering for a few moments. Political revenge? That was off the table, but Blueblood saw no reason why he couldn’t still find some way to get back at Trixie, even if the means had to be more...benign. “I suppose…” he said, “…yes. I suppose I’ll consider that a start.” With that, he closed his door.
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Well, they have sort of what they wanted....and, oddly enough, so does Blueblood.
I can't believe that after all the complaints of hypocrisy and double standards about Trixie trying to manipulate the court you decided to end with exactly that.
Ah more B5 references you do like your Londo don't you.
Graceful as always Trixie.
Luna's fear of herself comes over very well and is a real possibility as well. She was saved last time because ponies reached out to her and their not going to do that again if their all scared of her.
Okay... did you really have to have Trixie faceplant like that? Not one shred of dignity for her?! Come ON!
Other than that... not bad. Good insight into Luna, good with Blueblood there, too. Heh, Trixie 'Londo' Lulamoon is quite adept, there.
Okay, so is this where the "kinda sorta almost treason" comes in? The manipulation of Luna to lay down the law on the Night Court. Hmn, I'll have to think about what I think about that.
Knights of the Realm, an unofficial branch of the Night Guard? Sounds good, and absolutely something that should have been done from the beginning. Does it come with more salary?
All of my yes!
Good chapter, I felt the L!6 lecturing Luna was a bit to easy for them, but I really liked the discussion itself especially Luna's side, her line about there being no more threats but Celestia and herself was great.
Luna and Trixie hugging was just pure sweetness! 
They've been knighted awesome!
I will concede to having somewhat mixed feeling about what Trixie pulled on BB. But Pinkie bouncing backwards through the door was very in character and PinkieBlood is hilarious and disturbing at the same time and Trixie's reaction pure greatness.
Seriously I have to watch B5 sometime, if only to get all these references I keep hearing about. and for another reference, Trixie's plans was so cunning it could have been thought up by a fox who'd just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University")... now I really want to see an L!verse fic like Blackaddrer 2.
....so it's official? Pinkie Pie and Blueblood!?
....SQUEE!!!!!!!!
...Why was pinkie there?
That was great! A truly satisfying conclusion.
I find it hilarious that even though her knighting is such a important moment Trixie can't help but sequee.
Nice ending with Blueblood to what with the fake not poison
and all and
Wait...
What's Pinkie still doing he-
Trixie Mollari strikes again!
Wow, Luna really needed that kick in the flank to get invested again, didn't she?
YES.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES.
PINKIExBLUEBLOOD YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES.
GLORIOUS OTP!
Good chapter. I really wish I could say more but so much off what I would say already has been. It's been a long and emotionally draining ride, but in the end everything worked out and the future of the setting (and the group) never looked better.
2271532
It's not like it was all the embarrassing. No one but her closest friends where there to see it, and they won't hold it against her... well, except in jest. Besides, it's fitting to the occasion. It didn't happen because she was clumsy or anything -- rather -- It happened because she was just awarded one of the highest privileges in the land, honor normally reserved for ONLY the viceroys. Anyone would get a little week kneed at something like that, especially someone who has been dreaming of gaining political favor for years.
2271665
Where done with corruption in the court, with the nobility as outright villains. That doesn't, however, mean we are done with the shadow games, the stuff the Night Court was supposed to be about before the narrative went the wrong direction with it. And that's a good thing, without a bit of duplicity the Night court would be a very dull resource to tell stories with, at which point we might as well have gotten rid of it all together.
...I approve the shipping of Blueblood and Pinkie.
This is my favorite line and I want to immortalize it before you do any editing
This is an interesting speech from Luna. She doesn't exactly approve of what happened at the Gala, but she is grateful for how it worked out. The fact that she doesn't trust herself is rather poignant, as is having Trixie and her friends reassure her that she isn't alone.
The knight Dame Trixie cometh! Behold! Behold! That's a huge step for her, and it's lovely to see just how happy it makes her. They've all earned it, of course, and it's a truly fitting symbol of how much they've strived and sweated to protect Equestria.
Luna's comment about not being strong tugs at the ol' heartstrings. (And is also a bit eerie since I wrote something similar just the other day...)
Also: Blueblood and Pinkie? Did I read that? And it seemed plausible?
This universe is messed up, man! (And I love it! Except when it gets heartbreaking! And even then!)
BlueBlood scored with the pink party-planning party-pony, Pinkie Pie.
Sorry about being late to this party, but the siteupdate messed up notifications. Looking at the number of reads for this chapter and the number of comments, I am not the only 1.
¡On to the epilogue!
Aw Yeah, knights for the win.
I really enjoyed this chapter. It addressed the issue of what the L6 had done and show both sides of the arguement of whether or not what they had done was right, while I side with the 6 on this I do feel like Luna had some valid points. If the Lunaverse was more centered around the Night Court (which I know it's not I'm in no way saying that it should be) it would have been interesting to explore what effect Luna's ultimatum would have.
The part where Trixie was comforting Luna was just wonderful as was the Knighting of the 6
The scene with Blueblood was good in that it closed that chapter too. I understand how it may seem that it undermined the whole "End Blackmail and Corruption" message but the only who seemed OK with this was Trixie who, while definitly good and well intentioned, is not the most straight and narrow of ponies. Also, to be frank, my satisfaction at having that particular loose end tied up far out-weighs any moral ambiguity I may feel about Trixie's actions.
Also PinkiexBlueblood, that is brillant
I highlighted a few key scenes in my mind there. This not only sheds a few key points towards Celestia's inevitable redemption, but sets a clear point on how she will be able to smoothly(more so) reintegrate herself into her rule.
Wait, would Blueblood even have any leverage over Trixie in the first place? The sting was cleared through Luna herself and the entire Night Guard was in on it.
You really have to feel bad for Luna here. Her student, one of the few ponies she thought could bring a change for the better to the Night Court, tricked her. All because she was afraid of becoming as bad as the Night Court was.
How can anyone not like Luna? Holding herself in check century after century...
Awesome story, even if we didn't get to see certain....ponies...get their comeuppance.
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All he has to do is threaten Trixie with 8x10 color glossies from a long weekend with Pinkie Pie
Otherwise, no I dont believe he would. All it would do is make him look bad, so really Trixie is doing him a big favor.
I was hoping the two of them would get together. But I'm really confused what was happening in that final scene. Is Trixie supposed to be freaked out by the sex? That would fit her character. But I don't get why "blueberries" would be the tipping point. That isn't a euphemism for anything (that I know of). What's the significance of whether she runs in the direction of Pinkie Pie or not? There was also no mention of what the other assets, the five mares, were doing or felt when Pinkie walked out. And I know that it was supposed to be ambiguous, but I really have no clue what Blueblood if referring to in that last line. Him getting a girlfriend? Having some power over Trixie, even if it is just to gross her out?...The reformation of politics?
I do find the mechanics and theme concerning the deal with Blueblood could have been handled better. Firstly, dropping the poison on him felt like cruel overkill, since it didn't seem necessary. Blueblood’s situation already seemed close to Mutually Assured Destruction, since the Night Court would be pissed at Blueblood for his role in their downfall. In fact, they would probably suspect he was an active participant, because as he’s pointed out, he wasn’t running his mouth off from the poison. He also can’t take the chance of pissing off Luna (anymore). His career would have been dead in the water. Furthermore, pulling this stunt on Blueblood will probably just make things worse for Trixie, since it just gives Blueblood a reason to hate her. Wasn't pissing people off and burning bridges something that caused a lot of problems for Trixie and her friends, and something she had resolved to work on? So from a logical standpoint, threatening Blueblood just carries more risk.
Last week I read Machiavelli's The Prince and I noticed some parallels to this chapter, have you read it?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again now:
Trixie is best Centauri.
Because she is stunning in purple.
...NEVER in my life have I even CONSIDERED Pinkie Pie and Blueblood together; but it fits incredibly well together here. I'm... not really sure what to think about that.
Why do you hate this fic? It's epic, moving, and is the first real step to getting Luna to be the ruler she was meant to be rather than doubt herself at every turn.
They are the Knights who say Neigh, and they demand...
a Shrubbery of Harmony.
The day has been won!
PLAY DAT FINAL FANTASY VICTORY THEME.
GOOD!
--Spade
I applaud this edit. Very nice.
First off, the Lunaverse 6 getting knighted is a scene so awesome, so cool, and so grand...that it needs an awesome song to accompany it.
Now, as for the scene that appearently you added...
I sort of like it. Trixie had no choice here, it was either have to deal with Blueblood hanging overhead for years, or deal with him. There were several different ways and the unicorn trio (sunset, Trixie, and Twilight as I have come to call them) have their own specialties. Twilight, being the Lawful good, would find a way to trick him into messing up or find a way to give him something to ge off the trail. Sunset would find a way to send him far away or to essitantially mind rape him. This is Trixie's, and it makes sense. She is not powerhouse Twilight or Sunset, of the three...she's the most normal (So says the guy reading about techincolor horsies) of the trio. This was the only way she could.
Is it the right way? who knows? maybe I might have something to say about it when I get to this episode in the live read (Wich, judging by the way the releases are goign, might be in the fall or winter o this year) but right now, this is her way.
It's curious but if Zizanie didn't flee, she could very well used her blackmail to get free from jail thanks to some nobles, not to say put Trixie with her, after all she was her boss.
Not to say what Luna did is illegal, first there is no proof about Zizanie activies, except that she put a truth poison or that she spiked the punch. Second, if the truth poison can't be accepted, her testimony forced by the magic of Luna is also not accepted. And third there is still the think about she working for Trixie, it was her the one that put the job, if she go to jail, Trixie need to go also to jail as her accomplice.
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Ehhh wrong she actually confessed to Shining Armor that she poisoned the punch. That can be used as proof.
FWIW, I think you did the right thing in that scene.
presentation of the grand throne room that lead up to
1. Led.
I haven't read it yet. But I heard that Archduke Fisher does indeed go over the line that Luna drew in Season 2.
And I'm dying to know this (because Puissance can't be allowed to continue at all, and the whole Vault thing as it is breaks several laws, ethics, and is ammoral to the extreme (and I can go in great detail on that (although one ran by Luna, with allowances to contact outside ponies, and the ability to have children of their own, as well as funded by the crown / charity organizations. Would be a good change for the Vault, while still protecting individuals who would be faced with danger / hate from the populace otherwise. Yet being treated as citizens rather than collectibles.)).
Does Luna dissolved and rebuild the Night Court? Does she actually go through with what she said in her castigation of the Night Court? Or does she back down and let ponies know that if she drops the gauntlet as she did in this fic, she won't follow through with it?
Still. Good fic, and a good end to the season. I seriously look forward to you starting the last two planned stories in the Season. Almost as much as I look forward to you bringing in Discord and the Lings in future seasons. Especially now that we have tons of Discord as a good guy now in current seasons, and with the tons of cannon fodder for Lings.
And yet she doesn't T_T. I mean sure there are a few good ponies in Night Court. To an extant. But Luna's ultimatum is never acted upon, and that sends a rather clear message as well.
_____________________
Seriously though. Why doesn't Luna at least come down to those who're still corrupt? I mean, yes as you state in the A/N, Trixie is a Trickster Hero. Guile is her thing. But at the same time, you have left over Night Court Members who are obviously still corrupt / evil.
That said, this was a good near end to S1. Now to re-read the Crisis Mini-series before hitting S2.
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I would have thought S2 would have cleared that up, no?
I'm just glad "that scene" is back.
As for you being firmly in charge, that IS a plus.
There was a guy a while back who compared the issues I've seen that you used to have as the maker of the Lunaverse to the issues Luna is seen in this story having as Equestria's ruler.
I don't remember the guy's name, but he had a point.
So... what's the controversy here?