A Reply
Dear Spike,
Words cannot express how proud I am of you. It was always my hope that dragons and ponies would find a common ground, and your great ancestors would live among us as allies, not natural disasters. You have rekindled that hope, for while you are still a child you understand the burden of an immortal among mortals. I have borne that burden like a common carthorse, for I am of Earth as well as Magic and Flight, but I never spoke of it to you because it is indeed not something a little boy should be forced to think of. The reasons you gave are similar to those I have held close for so long, and I thank you for them. You thought of this rationale on your own, and pieced it together from philosophers of your own choosing. Those old tomes are much easier to read when you care about what is inside them, are they not? It is good to hear that one of the pillars I lean upon to remain sane also gives comfort to a maturing child. It is better to hear that you started with only the love in your heart and the wisdom in your mind, but ended with a sturdy support very much like my own.
Letting go of the ones you care about is hard. Letting yourself care about them while they are here, knowing that you will see them pass, is harder. This is not unique to immortals. I knew hundreds of ponies who loved their mates to the end of a terminal disease. They were faithful until the bitter funeral, then lived while their beloved rested in peace. Fewer suffer so now, thanks to medical advances made by previous generations. Such tragedies have a way of spurring minds against fate's cruelty. Even as I write this, I know a colt who mourns his wife, and the children they never had. He knew of her illness when they wed, but they reveled in one another's company for what little time they could. These are weighty thoughts. I write them because I know you are ready for them. No burden has been given to you except that which is common, even in some ways to mortals. You can find strength in their examples, for there are many. I cannot list all the soldiers who found love, then left that precious bond for their nation's sake and never returned. I know what half of a heart looks like. It is a weeping spouse, who is now single. They do not weep for themselves, but for a union that will never again be complete. This is the price of love, be it love of a dear friend or the true love that matrimony seals. I have paid for almost every type of it many times. You know of this price, and yet you accepted the cost because you decided the love is worth the pain.
You are the next advancement, my little dragon. You chose peace and coexistence. Your little heart even found somepony who makes it race. Many of your kind look down on us as weak, those who are too young or too ancient to remember the Great Crusade that ended Discord's dominion, but you live with a bookworm and serve her tea. You are not perfect, just as I have my faults, but this letter tells me your heart is set on great things. I hope you will never be able to empathize with how much stress that choice has lifted from my shoulders. When you were offered a place among other dragons, you rejected their cruelty. Even though you became a monster for a day, you defied that insatiable greed with the help of your anchor. This does not mean you rejected your kind, or your heritage. What makes you a dragon is your body, what makes you a boy rather than a beast is your ability to live in a civil society. In that sense, you are more of a dragon than the great mammoths who fly from volcano to cave and slumber away the years, for your kind's history is epic.
Before I sent the two of you to Ponyville in the hope that Twilight might save my sister, that six Element Bearers might be able to salvage what I alone could only banish, I cared for you as my only child here in Canterlot. When you were old enough, I gave you a good mentor who I had trained as my personal protégé. She welcomed you into her structured life, never treating you as a burden she had hatched and was now stuck with but a worthy aid. I read every scroll sent by your fire, for the style of your writing and the shapes of your letters tell me far more about your thoughts than one might suppose. I know that this last scroll was at least a fourth draft. You must have pored over it for many hours, surrounded by little scraps of paper on which you tested words and the large books in which you found them. Your writing is too passionate for your affection to be anything less than heartfelt, and too honed for it to be a matter of passing fancy. I know you have wisdom, for I always required it from you, in contrast to the way all but a noble few of your race are now raised. I expected wisdom from you because the pursuit of wisdom and virtue is the true pursuit of happiness. That is one of your rights in my kingdom, and I would have been very remiss not to stir up a hunger for such in you. But your heart, your affections and the pursuits you enjoy, that is your own. Your life, your time in this world, should always be your property unless you give it to another. I have no more authority to tell you who to love than I do over any of my subjects. In this case, I also have no reason to advise you against something you have clearly thought through.
You have already penned so much about her that there is little for me to write. I can give you some advice that I have learned over my centuries, but you seem to have laid a strong cornerstone for your foundation. Just be wary that the house you build atop it is equally as sturdy. Take care to learn her habits and interests before committing too heavily. Love is blind, but true love is so valuable because it is between two creatures who find solace in one another. It does not "conquer all", it gives the strength to overcome selfish desires for your love's benefit. Do not be afraid to ask deep questions, for the answers will either give your mind peace or a warning. The knowledge of something unsettling before commitment is always better than learning it yourself after the ceremony. Also, I know that your mentor is quite the storehouse of "pure knowledge". If you need answers that only come from experience, do not feel bound by protocol in asking me. There are many ways to twist an ankle on the path of love, and I have both more years and ankles than you. You have written a wonderful defense of your feelings, but I am not a prosecutor. If my stumblings can help you, I am the one who will be honored.
I did everything in my power to give you reasons to love our kind, without forcing adoration down your throat. Without the liberty to choose wrong and its consequences, how could I be pleased if you did what was right? I have not ruled for a thousand years as a dictator, but as a Princess who understands what true tyranny is. It was a morass of madness, a world carved by cosmic horrors where every illusion of choice was only part of Discord's cruelty. Where all who lived were unable to dream, unable to escape, unable to even conceive true rebellion. From that hopeless horizon of despair my sister and I were made incarnate. A twin-tailed comet announced our manifestation, a sign from old world lore that put the first crack in Discord's control of the skies. We were not born to condemn the world, to flaunt our lifespans and abilities as some right to despotism, but to lift it from ignorance into individualism. This is our fate, it is our destiny, and we embrace it. Thanks to your mentor we stand together, as the Sisters Astral once more. Thanks to you, for you were my last link to Twilight when Discord returned, there was no need for another Great Crusade. I do wish to apologize again for the transmission-sickness I forced upon you in that dark hour. Now that you have fully grasped the concept of love, I hope you can understand being in command means you must be willing to sacrifice the things dearest to you. It has been much longer than a millennium since that conflict. This is the bright future that so many hearts were torn apart for. A future where your choices forge your fate. Do you think it is worth what it has cost?
You have chosen the good path, my little dragon, and I am now confident you will stay on it. We all make mistakes, we all fall from time to time, but that is how all creatures of sapience learn. This world cannot be perfected, but there are consequences for evil, and for good. Harmony does not mean perfection, nor does it mean absolute peace. It means an ordered chaos, a just law that despises corruption and allows the individual to exercise liberty. It means that the good outweighs the bad. This is the greatest society in all history, and those are not my words. They have been written and spoken by my little ponies over the ages, those who looked back through our generations and weighed past deeds. There is no one factor that causes this, but so many working together that they boggle the mind and can only be described if you think of a great orchestra. So many instruments, so many sounds that on their own might grind the ears, but when played together from a good sheet of music there is Harmony. Yet, there is one thing that all the sheets or conductors in the world cannot replace. Love. If the orchestra does not love their music, it is obvious, and the orchestra will not last long. If a nation is not filled with wise citizens, if they hate one another more than they love their children, it cannot stand. That is why true love, of all its varieties, is so important for the individual, and for Equestria.
One question that has continually troubled you is your ancestry. I know you look to Twilight Sparkle as a mentor and a friend, but you cannot see her as a maternal figure. In the past, I have deflected that question with skill that only comes from a thousand years of kneecapping bureaucratic growth. I will be much more candid now. The answer you seek is locked away with many old things I buried after Equestria had been reborn in absolute war, along with many new things regarding your friends in Ponyville. Disclosing them is an act of high treason. Even I am not above the law, which is the only reason said law is still able to stand. I cannot answer your question, my little dragon. With that expressed, what follows is completely unrelated, merely the ramblings of an old mare.
There are times we must make sacrifices, and be apart from those we care about for the sake of duty. I know you have discretion, and that you will use it in regard to the things you have surmised about the Element Bearers. There is a good reason they are not bound by oath to defend Equestria, nor salaried for their heroism. By acting as individuals, they are far stronger in their use of the Elements than Luna and I. The Elements were intended for such as them, common ponies committing uncommon acts of valor. I have let them flourish on their own merits because that is their right, and it is also the most powerful way to train them. If one of them has a true love for a dragon, I of all ponies could not condemn her. With that said, there are also reasons that Ponyville is such a quaint little town, and that all six friends are in no way destitute. You may know that I personally granted that land to the Apple family, as well as the other settlers with them. You have seen that the mail is delivered on time, if a bit catastrophically. You know that the Mayor is fair and unobtrusive, unlike the political machines in some cities. There are reasons for these factors, and only a few of those reasons are Equestria's natural magic. I leave the rest up to your imagination, except to say that I owe the Element Bearers far more than I could ever repay, as does my little sister. So too does all of Equestria. It is a very good thing all six were able to wield their Elements, and were concentrated in one village on the edge of the Everfree Forest. After that first triumph, if I had given them the finest suites in Canterlot, if I even now placed them upon pedestals for all the nation to gawk at, I would destroy them. They deserve to be revered more than I, for they succeeded where I have failed, but would Applejack be happy if I drafted her away from her farm? Would Rainbow Dash be able to live if she had to file forms in triplicate every time she wanted to leave the sight of a bodyguard? As for Pinkie Pie... Laughter is one of my favorite Elements, but it is always the hardest to manage. Especially when packaged in an eldritch earth pony. Even a certain white unicorn would be miserable if she was only known for her Element's power, not her designs. Finally, you, my little dragon, found nothing of value at the Gala without your friends. Better is a bowl of vegetables where love is than a golden quartz vein in the company of hate, to quote an old proverb of your race.
I am weak. Long ago, when Discord was banished, it was not innate strength or magical ability that made me leader of that Great Crusade. Luna rather disliked the spotlight, though she always knew how to make a scene. It was her ferocity that fueled our armies, her cunning that crushed Discord's, and her blood that bonded the Nightguard. She was the true heroine of the Great Crusade, I only managed logistics and stood with those who mourned their dead. My tongue, not my magic, was my talent. I was the leader because I could rally many worthy allies. I could untwist the half-truths of Discord with facts, and wither his deceptions like the daylight burns away shadows. My power was in the endless armies that came to hear my words, for I tried desperately to use reason and logic, to appeal to what they knew in their hearts was true. The poor, the weak, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, their terrified minds found solace in my speeches. Each one knew that they were not meant to live like this, but so upended was their world that they did not know how to right it. What starts with cotton-candy clouds ends in horrible abominations, never forget that. Discord takes root with cute chaos, and creeps deftly into domination. I was a beacon, and many races rallied to that glimmer of hope. With that glimmer in their eyes, they waged war. There is evil in some of us, my little dragon. No matter what, that will not change. Many embraced chaotic tyranny, throwing away their own lives in pursuit of personal glory and the fleeting joy of power. You saw glimpses of Discord during his return. Did he ever share that power, did he ever laugh with others, or did he merely turn all he touched into stooges? And yet that power, the ability to answer to nothing but your own desires, is so entrancing to all intelligent creatures. Some simply knew nothing other than misery, and could only find joy in making others even more miserable. Others just wish to see the world covered in burning water. That is his strength, he offers power to those who please him, but it never satisfies the heart. He promises to cure that ache inside you, with just a little more power. Just a few more under your heel, while he laughs as you crawl under his.
Have you ever wondered what a draconequus is? Where such a creature comes from? Who its mother and father might have been? Dragons are some of the most ancient sapients known, order is in their very genes. A pure order, not harmony, just a structure that aligns everything, provides for some semblance of rationality. From that can come logic, and justice. Long ago, in the Metal Epoch as they call it, dragons ruled all things. Their Imperium Dracon held all things known and many things now lost in a scaly palm. It was not conquered by outside forces. According to a legend I strongly suspect to be true one of their great heroes destroyed three invasions by creatures from beyond the stars. The dragons' Epoch ended because so many became corrupt that city turned against city. They chose to hate one another, to pull down the great and lift up the corrupt who justified that hate with smooth words. All they had made tore itself apart through tribalism and infighting. Those great creatures now wander in small bands, migrating from one place to another, known mostly for their greed. They call some lands their own, but all things once belonged to them. Many remember their great time of unity as a dream, a legend they all made up together. A few know the truth. I learned such truths to burden myself with history, that I might be forced to learn from it. Long before we Sisters Astral, Discord was corporeal and roaming about as a roaring manticore. After the Imperium Dracon was a hollow name, chaos rose. All did as was right in their own eyes. Nature has little use for a vacuum, so ponies flourished. They were also tribalistic, suspicious of one another simply because of differences in body, and prone to barbaric acts even though the meek had literally inherited the earth. Chaos brought all races together, just as Order tends to, and so a prince of disharmony was born.
He was content to tinker, until the pony tribes found a common ground in this magical land. Their love threatened him, for the three breeds understood they could have better lives together. So he took a far more active role in sewing chaos, and found that a throne was far more pleasing to him than roaming about. While Discord ruled, most dragons lived far underground, or in distant lands where he could not be bothered to reach them with the full surreality of his power. Some slumbered, forming a metaphysical barrier with their own timelessness that Discord often did not bother to breach. A few of them gave shelter to my little ponies before I was incarnate. This offered sanctuary to many minds, and preserved much of pony history. Generation after generation lived this way, almost worshipping the ancient titan who more often than not only woke up to accept their offerings of gold and jewels. I hope you do not drool too much and spoil this letter, my little dragon. When we Sisters rose up, many of these ancient titans fought in the Great Crusade. They were hardy allies, and worse enemies. Yes, some preferred the way things were, their greed demanded that the sacrifices to their hunger continue. The ones who stood on our principles were some of the most highly decorated of all our warriors, though I will confide a secret. I had to stop giving out medals, for not a one of them could quite grasp that they were meant to be worn, not eaten. At the height of the Crusade, there was a... well, a daring, highly-trained, special mission force. I could always count on them, no matter the odds they never gave up. A little chaos is a good thing to have on one's side. There were many in that unit, but among them were a keen Griffon commander, a bounty hunter wrapped up in technomagical power armor, and one dragon-duke who wielded an arsenal fit for a king. There were others, even a few turtles who were masters of ninjutsu, but I do not wish to ramble any more than I must. Harmony was a cause that all sapients could understand, and I had a gift for teaching. I shone light into hopeless minds, and that light led them from Discord's quicksand to solid ground. Those times are long past, those old friends and comrades... much the same.
I am weak. I know this now more than ever, combined with the sting of my own blindness in the face of insurgency. As you saw at the wedding, my true strength is not in outright battle, but as an unifier. I should like to have seen the Changlings be so bold when I had at my side... again I ramble. I apologize, I do not have as much time to edit my writing as you. Discord's essence came from chaos, and he was born from a dark union between our two races long before my sister and I emerged. As such, his appearance reflects that misery, and he cannot blend in with a civil society. Your scales, my little dragon, are those of an ancient and worthy race. Many of that race fought for us, and so we look with kindness toward their remnant in gratitude. One was truly exceptional, I would not be boasting to call him the greatest warrior Equestria has ever known. He fought for me because he believed in the things I preached, for he had clung to those same principles while the Imperium devoured itself. I was the dawn he thought would never come, I spoke clearly the truths that twisted his tongue. He was brighter than a thousand suns on the battlefield, for that was his talent. His heroism was a beautiful part of the harmony that overcame Discord's dominion, even though he was a disgraced ruler of a broken race. What matters more than your parentage, my little dragon, are your own contributions to that harmony in these modern days. You tugged at your mentor until she fulfilled her duties, and met her friends. You were the deliverer of the Element Bearers when Discord re-emerged. You carried the Crystal Heart, though it was almost as big as you. You found love, not a passing fever of the heart or seduction of the mind, but an honest love that accepts imperfection. These are a few of the many things that prove you have a noble spirit. I hoped, desperately, that would be true when I found a key to match your egg's cute little purple spots. All ninety-six of them. You are my hope for unity between two races, not chaos for all existence.
Again, even I am not above the law. I am sorry there are some questions that cannot be answered to your satisfaction, my little dragon, but I hope I have given you a little reassurance. You have a worthy heritage, but all the noble ancestry in the world will not make a noble child. You already suspect, I am sure, the reason I kept you from my nephew. He is adopted just as all mortal royalty, and truly has no greater claim to my blood than any other pony. I hope he is an example, for that is the chief reason I keep a political class about, as a reminder for my citizens to keep their governors within hoof's reach. The decision is always in your claws, to choose the wrong or righteous road. The motivation for that decision, is in your own heart. If you love nothing but yourself, then you already know what your reward will be. If you have no love for yourself, then no reward can fulfill the abyss inside you.
I am so very proud of you, "true sucker".
-Princess Celestia
Stats
Page generated in 0.026 seconds
Total duration
868 users online
1,389,109 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Words cannot express how humbled I am by you, my audience. The first chapter has three hundred and forty views as I write this. I hope this second chapter has not let down your expectations. I spent a considerable amount of time working on this segment, but I would not call it the greatest part of the story. I believe Spike's letter is the focal point, and this one is a worthy compliment. Originally it was a short reply, just a few lines about the pitfalls of love and a firm reassurance that Celestia had no plans to crush the little dragon's heart. Because of all the support for the first chapter, I had the drive to strengthen this letter with several more ideas from my original blueprint, and I hope it shows. Oh, who am I kidding. I just wanted to slip in a Derpy reference.
This started as a little musing I had one day to enhance The Show in my own mind. I hope makes watching adorable ponies all the more pleasant for each of you as well. If you enjoyed this, I hope you will mention it to others, or simply hold it close in your heart. An author's reward is the knowledge that their work is loved.
Sweet Celestia! That was brilliant!
Deep, thought invoking, clever (i could go on)... the origin story was cool
and the references I only knew a few
Griffon commander, a bounty hunter wrapped up in technomagical power armor, and one dragon-duke who wielded an arsenal fit for a king
The first- no clue, Samus, and again no clue-Help?
and few turtles who were masters of ninjutsu - TMNT duh.
Glad I'm tracking this
so awesome
yay
TMNT refrence
Dragon Duke? not sure but Spectral Duke Dragon maybe?
Griffin in magical power armour? no idea
i look forward to more
It seems for your vast, impressive, and truly poetic vocabulary and it's use, you have one word that's meaning is not quite what you think. Almost all fauna are sentient, but very few are sapient. You did use sentient correctly here and there, but in other places sapient was the correct term. I would tell you where, but I think it best you look it up and see for yourself. This is, as always, a truly magnificent read with strong emotions being played through.
P.S. TMNT reference,
Oh wow my brain hurts a little trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. then again its very well done. I would love to now how it goes now that the letters are done. Seeing how well you can write these 2 letters leads me to believe you can spin an amazing tale that can and most likely will draw in readers
Let's real talk for a moment, shall we? This piece is glorious in a way few other stories are. It kept me at rapt attention all the while and gave insight into how Spike and Celestia think, also keeping a spice of humor to it.
Simply put, I loved it and it truly deserves more attention.
Lovely, just lovely... I started reading, and it was as if I was sucked into your world. Few can do this.
Have a stache please!
1709246
This! This is what an author lives for! Well, at least one on the Internet who can go back and frantically edit such errors while applying the needed twenty lashes to the area of the body where it traditionally does the most good. Thank you very much, gracious Reaper.
While I was writing chunks of this, I kept thinking that sentient was not the right word in every case, it sounded too machine-like for creatures like dragons. Had that sorta C.S. Lewis-intelligent-critters mentality. I wanted to make it clear that even the animals cried out in pain while Discord tormented them, but it was the races with wisdom and love who were able to rise up against that oppression. It slipped my mind when I was in my editing phase, I was too focused on trying to get Celestia's "tone" right. Many less big words than Spike, much more confidence since she is speaking with her own authority and experience. That'll teach me to trust my memory over my notebook!
1710741
Happy to assist
Wow, that was deep, even for Celestia. I mean just wow. I have nothing to say about this at all, as you have done a great job on this tale.
I came across this story when an alert popped up from the "Protect Celestia" group, and as the Admin of the group I of course had to check it out. I am very much impressed with this, showing the connection between Spike and Celestia, as Mother and Son. I look forward to seeing more
1710741 While we're at lash-worthy offenses
: There's at least one instance of homophones tripping you up, where you wrote "pouring" over books when "poring" was what you probably meant. Unless Spike was actually bathing the books in something, which I doubt. 
'few turtles who were masters of ninjutsu' Reference got!
Others... not so much.
Still. Awesome and interesting. Still disagree about Celestia not being that powerful, controlling a sun and all... but I love what you did with her.
1770606
Ospero, big thanks for pointing that goof out. I finally have time to fix it on my source-document as well as the story above. Fun fact, I actually have a 1993 copy of Mage: The Ascension less than a meter from my head as I type this.
1709623
1709666
1710114
1712946
You folks rock! Thanks for the nice comments. All the thumbs and favorites are awesome, but actually hearing from readers lets me improve. I wrote Chapter Two because of the great response for the first letter, originally intended as a one-shot. My main struggle was trying to get Celestia's "voice" right, her attitude toward the reader, the way she phrases her sentences, and how she speaks with authority. Judging by your comments, I managed it. This gives me confidence for the next phase.
I am working on a third letter. It is... different in style, to say the least. It will be published, of that you can be sure, but it is harder to write. How dare my audience force me to challenge my skills and improve as a writer?
1708772
1709072
Yes, References! In the interest of fewer spoilers and shorter comments, I put a post on my blog with a few more hints about the aforementioned references. I plan to flesh them out a little more in the future, but just in case I get run over by a stampede of bunnies I left a few clues along with more info on the upcoming chapter:
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/99773/the-referenced-road
Thanks for sticking around since the first letter, and I hope I didn't disappoint!
1773767
Awesome point about Celestia's Power-Level. For this story, consider the difference between building a robot and creating a new medical drug. Both are applications of science, but the Electrical Engineer and the Chemical Engineer would probably be lost if given the other's task. Magic in The Show seems to work like science, so it makes sense that raising and lowering the sun or moon represents a specialized skill set. Sure, that requires a lot of power and intellect, but it's not the same as going to the gym and working out until you can throw cars at your enemies. It's science, not smackdowns. Luna seems to be the more assault-oriented sister. She was champing at the bit to give Sombra a thrashing, and acted like she was roaring commands to an army in Luna Eclipsed. Celestia usually comes off with a more "Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars" mentality. She's sculpted an entire society that produces heroes. When she says she is weak in this letter, it is to underscore just how powerful the creatures who fought for her were, and are.
That's my opinion, anyway. Thanks for voicing yours!
1796639
Hmmmm... well that's a very interesting mentality behind it. Honestly through... I see Celesita being more powerful in a brute-strength kind of way, but prefers not to use it.
1796749
That's interesting. I see Princess Luna being the more "brute strength" princess, and Princess Celestia being the more "diplomatic."
1798027
Princess Luna comes across more of a... subtler type of power.
1798923
I hate that I'm derailing the comments, but I respectfully disagree. In the episode about Luna and Nightmare Night, her power wasn't very subtle (high winds, thunder, and lightning flashing everywhere).
1798970
Oh I disagree. Although you see those powers as bold and daring, I can see how they can be used in a much more subtle and sneaky way. Besides, just because she can do that doesn't mean her main power is based on that.
1798974
Indeed they could be used in a much more subtle and sneaky way; however, we have not yet been shown this in the show or given any references towards that.
1799002
She's the Princess of the Night, a Princess of darkness.
1799034
And your point is, sir? Also, shall we take this discussion elsewhere? A series of PMs maybe? I really hate to ruin the author's comments with this.
1800687
That what she is the princess of is subtle, so it makes sense for her powers to reflect it.
Sucker? That's her adopted son she talking about.
Wow- this is just superb. The philosophy and all that, you know. These first chapters have enlightened me, for little is my knowledge of such things of which you speak. Thank you.
Heroes in half shell?
>>>By acting as individuals, they are far stronger in their use of the Elements than Luna and I. The Elements were intended for such as them, common ponies committing uncommon acts of valor.>>>
Oh thank god I'm not the only one who understands this! I just ended a long-winded battle with someone who didn't seem to grasp even a fraction of the rational hypothesis quantifying the mechanisms of the Elements' functionality via the Bearers.
>>>I could untwist the half-truths of Discord with facts, and wither his deceptions like the daylight burns away shadows. >>>
Ah, so glad to see this as well. So many wish to brand Celestia with the mark of ignorance and feeble-mindedness; they wish to believe her mind as vulnerable to Discord's lies as an emotionally unstable teenager distraught over a recent breakup and high as a kite on drugs.
Absurd, say I. No one could rule for a thousand years without a mind staunchly anchored in reason and wisdom.
>>>Discord takes root with cute chaos, and creeps deftly into domination. >>>
Oh now that's VERY similar to how I've imagined he'd work. Only my theory postulated that the longer he was free, the more his mind deteriorated into more and more random and eccentric behavior, culminating in his becoming almost a beast of pure impulsive destruction (akin to Majin Buu). That was also his weakness, though, and the means to his initial defeat. In such a bestial state, he could no longer think clearly and became easy to outwit him.
There are so many dismal cliches on this site that receive hundreds of votes a mere chapter in, with the vacuous gushing over their feeble scribblings as though it were the latest volume from one of the great masters.
Stories of vampires and tortures, misery, rape, and gore galore, dull-witted relationships which all bear identical characteristics of pointless adolescent infatuation idealized in unremarkable and unrealistic ways, that the simpering masses rush to satisfying their primitive carnal lusts as little more than the tendencies of their tree-swinging distant ancestors desired.
But at least here (and of the works of about a dozen others), I find some true thoughtfulness and creativity, deep musings that stir the consciousness (rather than the loins!). So shines a small light, glaring bright across the dark mires of the fandom.
2261020
Celestia's echoing his words. Remember how Spike started out his own letter, by saying that she must think he's a sucker? Ever hear the old phrase "love is for suckers"? She's trying to tell him that it's okay to be a sucker sometimes, to love another with all your heart, and she still thinks he's a sharp young dragon.
2725945
I think these first two chapters are the best out of this whole story.
I'm glad you enjoyed this, and I hope you've enjoyed the other chapters as well.
3061785
Huh. Your idea for how Discord deteriorated is pretty similar to mine. I always felt that he was affected by the world around him, and only found amusement in chaos. However, chaos is a relative concept. If the entire world is overrun with chaos, then chaos is the norm. The more chaos is the norm, the less "fun" it becomes. This led him to pursue even more insane kinds of chaos, and commit unspeakable atrocities. However, the more he did, the less fulfilling it truly was. At his core, Discord wanted to feel happy, and raw chaos just couldn't do that. It just made him a powerslave.
Oh, that doesn't excuse anything he did, of course. Celestia wasn't "merciful" when she wanted to reform him. She didn't have a schoolgirl crush, or some secretly lusty motive for trying to turn him to the side of good. She realized that he couldn't be exterminated, or truly imprisoned. Eventually, he would get free. The only option that would ensure the security of her little ponies was not to obliterate him and erase him from history, but to turn him from an enemy to an ally. This was accomplished similarly to how Burke laid out the idea that civilized man living under the social compact were more free than savages living in anarchy. Chaos was more fun for Discord if he restrained his powers, challenged himself to work within the confines of a civil society. In order to motivate him, she tried to give him a friend. In the end, it worked, or at least it has seemed to so far...
Bah, we all know that even John de Lancie can't resist Fluttershy's cuteness!
cdn.derpiboo.ru/media/BAhbBlsHOgZmSSJjMjAxMy8wMS8xOS8xOF81NV81MV8xMDNfMjE3NjE1X19VTk9QVF9fc2FmZV9mbHV0dGVyc2h5X2FuaW1hdGVkX2Rpc2NvcmRfc3BvaWxlcl9zMDNlMTAuZ2lmLmdpZgY6BkVU/217615__safe_fluttershy_animated_discord_spoiler-s03e10_keep-calm-and-flutter-on_crossdressing_50faee31a4c72d0a860002c4_50faee31a4c72d0a860002c5.gif.gif
Let's see... commander keen, samus aran, and duke nukem. Neat.
It seems Celestia is implying Spike is the child of her greatest dragon ally and herself. Interesting.
I caught Samus and the Turtles. Not sure about the rest.
And as for this:
Is this one? I have a nagging feeling I should know what this is a reference to, but at the same time I'm not even sure it is a reference.
Amongst the ideas Celestia was presenting to Spike, which were in and of themselves very well done, there was interspersed the story of Discord. I think that the ideas behind it as presented in the story and expounded upon in the comments paint one of my favorite pictures of him.
*looks up some WH40K memes to make parallels between the dragons that fought against (Space Marines) and for (Chaos Marines) Discord, and because dragon imperium is reminiscent of The Imperium of Man*
*gleans enough lore off of the memes to understand even more WH40K references*
qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-7e35d42a42bd8b6294acecd54f253c75
Bonus meme that flies in the face of Celestia's "I am weak" assertions:
static.wikia.nocookie.net/a12c426d-6938-482f-b1dd-28cae5ac14b2/scale-to-width/755
I was beginning to lose some interest because of the sheer almost unbroken wall of text, but my interest was renewed by the imperium of dragons, and the Discord wars lore.
I do like Celestia remembers exactly how many spots (96) were on Spike's egg.
Really shows that she's had him sitting on a shelf for quite some time, and has even held and stared at him in his egg multiple times for significant amounts of time.
Seems kind of inorganic to spell out the words "ninety six", rather than write the numbers "96".
Since this is correspondence between family, it seems more natural to use numbers.
If this was official government stuff, then spelling out the words would be normal.