Abide With Me; Abide With The Vulnerable
The lavender unicorn looked the moon in the distance through the cold iron bars of a high window. It was you average stone cell. She thought she felt bad before... but it’s honestly never that simple is it. Nothing... nothing ever is. There’s always going to be something else that can’t be planned for that’ll come up.
She’d thought that she’d only momentarily derailed some random beings life by taking their body. After that she never really gave it much more thought than that. It was highly possible that at the time, she subconsciously didn’t want to think about it because she sure doesn’t want to now.
The large white pony narrowed her eyes and deepened her gaze at the unicorn. “I’m not going to argue or try to defend myself against you.” The alabaster pony clenched her eyes shut trying to stop the flow of fresh tears but was unable to thwart their escape.
She opened her eyes and looked into Ashley’s eyes with and started to speak with hurt in her voice. “I only want you to know that solely because of you, my student, the one I considered a daughter was tortured because of mistaken identity.”
Hot tears ran down her face and she turned to the silent armor clad ponies in the doorway. “Guards, please just take her away.”
Ashley tried not to feel any kinds of pity for the pony with the erethral. She’s bad because she inadvertently is responsible for the death of everything she knows and love, right? But alas, her logical side as well as her conscience worked against her. She’s still a person... well pony, it they told her. She felt the smallest bit of pity for the one who killed every person on earth with a simple order and hated herself for being the caring type. As much as she liked to consider herself to be tough, she knew she was just as soft as her eight year old sister, Samantha, in some aspects.
She felt a small amount of pity towards the alabaster pony, sure, but the rest of it went out towards the pony whose life Ashley had uprooted. The rest of her pity went to this “Twilight Sparkle”. She also felt guilty. She... she had uprooted someone’s life and gotten them tortured or something like that. Even if it were towards the effort of saving earth, it didn’t make her feel it was any less wrong for her to do so. What, if she had family, friends or children that are worried about her? What if she had disrupted and destroyed a family...
Ashley then stopped thinking. At the thought of family she realized she’d never see hers again. Her mother died when she turned twenty-two but she still had her father. She’ll never see him again. She’ll never get to see her sisters again, either. Nor her friends, or anybody else ever again, for that matter. She was truly alone for the first in her life. She usually had her family there for her, if not friends, but now she didn’t even have that. It was only her betting against the world at this point...
She continued to solemnly stare at the moon and she then felt compelled to look for the voice recorder and tell of the days events. It was required for her to do so every day by the scientific team behind this mission to make sure she was sane. They’d then open up a small portal momentarily, that’d consume little energy, to allow a signal through to receive that recording and the officials back home would deem if she’s fit to continue. It was a pointless measure because they obviously didn’t have a way of getting her back if it took so long to open a large enough portal anyways.
Regardless... she still felt compelled to go over what today’s, or since she was knocked out it could be a couple of days, events. It was a habit now. A habit she didn’t feel like breaking either because it helped calm her nerves to some degree. She looked around for a nice spot to lie down in. There was not bed, only a pillow and a blanket that had been tossed into her dark cell.
It was better than nothing...
Ashley lied down on the blanket and levitated the pillow with her magic putting it in between her head and hooves. She was still facing the window and noticed the sky was getting brighter meaning it was closer to being morning. She sighed and started speaking to no one in particular.
“Day... what I believe is 27... Well I guess this is it... It’s the end of all life as we know it. Good job Ashley, you failed and killed everybody. Woohoo...”
Ashley threw up her hooves and waved them around in mock celebration letting the pillow fall down to occupy the space they gave up. When she brought her hooves down she allowed her head to rest upon them. She stared at her lavender hooves. God, she missed her own voice... now she was stuck with “Twilight Sparkle’s” voice and there isn’t anything she can do about it.
“I failed and I’ve apparently made some bodies life a living hell. I’ve probably hurt so many...” Silent tears began fall from her eyes. She bit her lip. “...But I don’t regret doing any of it and I’d do it again if I had to... But god, miss my family so much. I’ll never see them again. I’ll never get to see...”
The human trapped in a ponies body continued to think aloud well into the morning. Even as she thought out loud, one of these thoughts went unspoken... It was going to be a really long day...
The sun rose on this day... a day which will go down in the as longest day in both human and pony history. The goddess of the sun has learned of her sins and is stricken with grief, but she will not get a chance to think on what she’s done as the protectors of earth knock on her doorstep...
What will the solar diarch do when these protectors, are the very thing she fears most?
END CREDITS MUSIC OF DOOM!!!! (Thanks Noyoki1!)
I attempted poetry and foreshadowing to the concluding chapters of When The World Bets Against You.
Everything has been done for a reason. We'll visit ol' Celly in the next chapter.
Preparing for battle,
--RoamingHooves--
Stats
Page generated in 0.035 seconds
Total duration
813 users online
700,124 hits today, 2,054,621 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.®
I can clop to this.
Looks like stuffs about to hit the fan!
CELESTIA, YOU BUCK PASSING BITCH!
2039529 Don't blame Celestia. Ashley is all to blame here for ruining Twilight Sparkle's life; she's the real bitch here! Celestia did do wrong, and I look forward to Twilight's revenge against them, but I look forward even more to seeing Ashley pay for what she did to that poor pony.
2039757
We discussed this somewhat already, and at least you acknowledge that Celestia shares the blame here, but I would argue that the majority of the blame for the situation falls on Celestia.
Ashley carries some of the blame, yes, but it was Celestia that decided to resort to torture, and it was Celestia that ignored any and all of Twilight's pleas for mercy and attempts at explanation.
Celestia has so far shown herself to be a self-righteous racist bigot who let her irrational hatred of an entire species blind her to the truth.
Even if she hadn't been confused by the mistaken identity thing, she still would have been responsible for inflicting horrific tortures on a sapient being. Nobody deserves what she put Twilight through.
Ashely was unknowingly responsible for Twilight's torture, and Celestia could have been unkowingly responsible for the deaths of billions of innocents. Neither intended to cause the harm that they did, in fact neither even knew about it until just recently. Though given what we know of Celestia so far she probably doesn't even care anyway. I suppose that is a point in Ashley's favor because at least she feels some guilt about what happened.
And if that doesn't convince you, imagine if you reversed the scenario.
Say Twilight Sparkle swapped bodies with a human in order to save Equestria. The U.S. government finds out about the apparent abduction, and ruthlessly tortures the human-in-Twilight's-body, demanding she tell them what she did to their citizen. Twilight attempts to return to Equestria to save it, only to be captured by U.S. Special Forces (including the brother of the body-swapped human) who believe they are on a rescue mission. As a result, Twilight is unable to return to Equestria in time, thus dooming it and everyone living there. The U.S. government finds out they have been horrifically torturing the wrong person the entire time, and respond by placing the blame entirely on Twilight Sparkle.
That is the exact same scenario, just with the roles of the humans and ponies swapped around. Are the actions of the U.S. government less acceptable than Celestia's? Are Twilight's actions more acceptable than Ashley's?
I imagine that Twilight will be much more upset with Celestia than with Ashley, once everything is said and done. Well, assuming she behaves rationally, though I admit that not a lot of people actually do.
2039885: Hello again, and why do you have to keep making so much bloody sense?!
I know and believe everything your saying, but it all wouldn't have happened if Ashley and the rest of her race had just tried to start things peacefully to begin with! (though with humans, despite my changed views about them, that's highly unlikely.) Ashley started this. Celestia may have tortured Twilight, but it all wouldn't have happened to begin with if Ashley hadn't stolen Twilight's body to begin with!! She's the one to blame for the most here, not Celestia. You have to remember: Celestia and Shining Armor did the torturing for the sake of Twilight, even if they didn't realize what was really going on. Their intentions were pure...even though there will be retribution. Besides, I do believe the humans would do the same if the roles were reversed, so their no better off either, except that the ponies are willing to be apologetic for their mistakes.
My views and beliefs for humanity has changed, thanks to you, but for this story and this story alone, I. Demand. JUSTICE!! On EVERYONE!! For what they did to my favorite character!
2039981
Can't help it, sorry! Actually, that's a lie. It is actually quite difficult sometimes to remain rational, but it is ultimately worth the effort in my opinion.
I personally don't consider torture to be pure, no matter what the reason for it. I would be horrified to learn that someone tortured someone else for my sake.
Yes, it could be said that Ashley set into motion the events that caused Twilight to be tortured in the first place, but that does not mean the blame lies solely or even primarily on her. If that were the case, we could instead place the blame entirely on the asteroid itself, since if it hadn't been on a collision course with Earth Ashley never would have come to Equestria to begin with.
Furthermore, the problem with placing the blame on the original cause of a situation is that it tends to be used to excuse the inexcusable. This happens quite a bit in real life, where one group justifies atrocities on the basis that they were wronged first. For example, see the Rwandan genocide. The Hutus slaughtered the Tutsis, killing countless innocents. However, the Hutus only did so because a Tutsi monarchy had controlled most of Rwanda until just very recently (that is, recently with respect to the genocide), and had subjugated the Hutu people and forced many of them into slave labor. Though now free of Tutsi control (at the time just before the genocide), the Hutus feared that the Tutsi intended to once again enslave the Hutu and so had to be resisted at all costs. The Hutus only did what they did because of the past actions of the Tutsis, but did that make their actions any less abhorrent? Their intentions were pure, yes, but does that really matter in the end? Does it make it any better?
Celestia and Shining Armor are responsible for their own actions. They could have responded to the situation in any number of ways, but they choose to resort to torture. It was Ashley's actions that led to commit their terrible deeds, but ultimately they are the ones who are solely accountable for their actions.
Interestingly, the only one to show any signs of remorse so far has been Ashley.
I actually enjoy these conversations, they make me think a lot. And, I hope, they make others think as well.
2039981>>2040219
I enjoy the conversation's as well. It lets me know that people are actually thinking about what's going on beneath the surface. Little know fact is that most authors operate on feedback. I happen to be a comment driven author as well. Continue, gentlemen!
2039981
That's a load of baloney. Nobody forced Celestia to order the tortures, least of all Ashley.
So? Having a good cause doesn't justify torture, or excuse blame. It's pretty obvious that Celestia's blatant racism is what fueled her drive to have Human!Twilight tortured, and that it's that racism which made her reject everything Human!Twilight said under duress. I wouldn't call anything about that "Pure." The fact that Celestia used Shining to do her dirty work in order to spare her own conscious the memories of what she knew was a deplorably evil act is doubly damning.
This is a terrible Tu Quoque. Whatever the human's do doesn't justify the ponies actions, neither does feeling "sorry" about it either.
2040242: Stay out of this!!
2040219:
I would be too, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I know this better than most people; I'd probably do it too if it meant saying a love one from an evil force (whether or not if I knew if they were really evil)
I know they will; in fact, I look forward to seeing them cursed for vengance, but the source of all this heartbreak with everyone was Ashley...and she may feel a tiny bit regretful, but I'll believe she's truly sorry once she's on her hands and knees back in human form begging for forgiveness! And the only reasons she's the only one apologetic is because Twilight's not around for Shining and Celestia to apologize too; at least they know to save it for the actual reunion.
2040248 T
True enough; I look forward to seeing Celestia and Shining Armor get what's coming to them, but I don't see the humans wanting to apologize, even Ashley.
2040253 O.O
*puts up hands defensively*
Ok, ok, I'll stay out of it...
2040391: Sorry, didn't realize you were the author.
So how long is it going to be when Twilight gets her body back and all is right again?
2040296
Perhaps the humans will apologize, perhaps not. Will it matter to the reader? Probably. Will it matter to Celestia? Probably not.
Will Ashley be punished for what she did? Probably. Should she be? Yes. Though her intentions were good, stealing someone else's body is a terrible thing to do.
Will she be punished for what Celestia and Shining Armor did? Probably. Should she be? Hell no.
Will Celestia and Shining Armor be punished for what they did? Possibly. Should they be? Yes.
Will all this potentially trigger a terrible cycle of vengeance and demands for "justice" that causes the entire situation to devolve into a terrible, bloody, and tragically pointless and entirely avoidable mess where all parties involved will share the responsibility and blame for the whole thing? Most likely.
You know what they about an eye for an eye...
2040401
Spoilers... I refuse to break my spoiler rule.
Sorry...
2040415:
:
Semi-agreeable; the only human I want to see grovel is Ashley, after Twilight gets her body back.
I completely agree.
Agreed: the only ones who should pay for those crimes are those who did it, but Ashley should and probably will learn what she did was wrong, and should at least be apologetic for it...granted she lives.
Very much agreed, and I look forward to it.
I couldn't care less about what the overall races of ponykind and mankind will do; I just want things to be right again and for those who made the crimes punished for them...preferably in horrible and crushing ways: eye for an eye, after all...
2040439: Phoo.
2040452
But will that make things better? Will it make the original victims happier? Will it really set everything right again?
If Equestria and Earth go to war, how many lives will be destroyed one way or another? Will it include Twilight? Her friends? Her family?
You say "I just want things to be right again", but blind, brutal vengeance cannot and will not do that. It will only make things worse for everyone including and especially Twilight Sparkle. Your reaction is not unusual, many people feel the same way: An injustice has been done, justice must be meted out no matter the cost. It is an emotional response, an attempt to "fix" the situation quickly and directly, dismissing the "big picture" as irrelevant. Unfortunately, it turns out that life is not that simple. It is that very same emotional response that has caused and will continue to cause some of the greatest tragedies and atrocities in human history: One group takes vengeance on another group for a perceived injustice, the other group takes vengeance on the first group for their actions, and so on. Neither side actually works to solve the underlying issues (most of the time neither side even realizes what they are or were), and so the cycle of suffering continues indefinitely. Who is ultimately to blame? Both? Neither? In the end, does it matter?
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind”...
On another note, I want to thank you for this conversation. You have helped expose my own bias. I was being too lenient towards Ashley, too willing to forgive her completely because while she stole someone else's body she was doing it for a good cause. However, I myself just argued that the actions of Celestia and Shining Armor cannot be excused by the fact that they did so for a good cause. I realize now that I was being a hypocrite, and I apologize. I have adjusted my views accordingly.
2040545: Ugh, there you go again. Making sense and reversing the way I've viewed this story from day one...peace activists; never can tell what they're really capable of.
I don't think things can ever be the same again, but they can be corrected. There are two methods of retribution: Forgiveness and Vengeance. Both are key players in the battle for justice. While both are important, and people have different views about them, both of them won't work in every situation. There our times to forgive and times to avenge. The question always is, though: Which?
I see that everyone is to blame in this inner war...all but Twilight. That's why I'm so mad at this; the only one who's innocent is the only one who's truly suffered, and caused of it all I could think of was payback. They are those feelings of my own anger and blind hatred that had given me inspiration for the villain and the protagonist of my own story on Fanfiction (Quest for Harmony, a MLP-FIM/Spyro the Dragon crossover, if you're interested): both had suffered by mankind, and both at first desire vengeance...and it is our conversation that has given me inspiration to how the protagonist (Spyro) shall learn to let go and forgive, for the only ones suffering is himself and those he cares for...one of which is Twilight Sparkle, ironically...while the villain's (Tyrone, OC) ever-growing rage and revenge-lust is justifiable, but at the same time wrong, and it will eventually be his downfall.
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.."
I'm also glad to know I'm not the only one who has learned from our little conversations here. Forgiveness is good and all, but like I said before, forgiveness doesn't bring justice to crimes. It's good to know which one to give at the right times...but should war start in this story, which I know it will, and if the humans should start it, don't say I didn't warn you.
2040939 Why thank you.
Oh, and by the way... please keep your hands and other appendages inside the fic at all times and make sure your safety belt is buckled. It'll be a bumpy ride.
Operation Hail Mary:
The Earth and humanity has impending doom on our horizon but not all hope is lost. U.S. military forces have launched a full blown invasion of an alien planet after diplomatic actions failed. Additionally we have decided to send a dozen nukes with the soldiers for emergency purposes. Basic technological, historical, and other information has already been sent to assure history and our advances shall not be lost. The last part of our final act efiance is to attempt to diminish the impact of the asteroid by launching all remaining nuclear warheads, ICBMs, and any other weapons able to launched into space at the celestial body. NASA reports the actual chance of completely making the asteroid non-impacting (destroying it enough to reduce all or most pieces into ffragments small enough to fully burn up) to society is less than .001% Our hope though lays in that of less destruction. We do have a 25% chance of being able to break half the asteroid off the path of Earth decreasing its destruction immensely. Some nuclear bunkers would actually survive the blast, and some scenarios played out leaves part of the world in a nuclear winter of sorts. Additionally we have a 15% of ridding enough mass on the asteroid to protect vital peoples in the country and it's allies. ( We have 10 underground bunkers completely suited for 100 yrs of inhospital planetary envirorment. All have been given the ability to build a portal, and energy sources based both on geothermal and exterior heat/cold) Russia and China have both agreed to launch at least 75% of their arsenal, India and Pakistan 50%.
President.....
God bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
2040959
you are very much welcome (it always tickles me when I get a shout out by authors)
now I'm left wondering what Twilight is gonna do (2 weeks of torture is not good for the mind & a simple apology could very well make her explode on SA & Tia)
2041177 Hint: It's Always Darkest... ...Until Dawn
2041177 Bad hint is bad hint. I'm doing sneaky shit with the chapter titles.
2041190
you play sneaky all you want, I'm just gonna sit with my popcorn and watch
2039981
the road to hell is paved with good intentions... also no i am not contributing to your debate in anyway, i just felt like saying that.
2041186 isn't the saying - It's Always Darkest... ...Before Dawn?
It would be priceless if Ashley asks Twilight, in total honesty: "If they were your family and friends and you loved so much each other, how could not recognize you no matter the form you took?"
Winter is coming.
“I only want you to know that solely because of you, my student, the one I considered a daughter was tortured because of mistaken identity.”
Sorry, just had to
Anyways... Celestia, you will learn soon enough that passing blame onto others for your mistakes gets a one way ticket to Tartarus
Twilight will never forgive you, nor will she forgive her 'friends' or her 'brother' anymore
2039757
Except, Ashley wasn't malicious. She thought Twilight was merley going to be inconvenienced.
The first reaction Celestia had to an unknown anomaly was vicious torture.
She isn't owning up to the FACT that Twilights torture was her order and therfore entirley her fault.
Yes, Ashley is responisble for the identity swap, but she didn't force Celestia to torture Twilight, nor did Ashley make Celestia
refuse to accept the answers Twilight gave her because they were the ones she didn't want to hear.
Celestia acted on a baseless suspicion and because of that she is also responsible for genocide on such a scale that we don't even have a word for it. Possibly.
The fact that she is trying to blame others for her crime is what irritates me.
2051120: I've already had this conversation with Humanist, so don't start it again...and I don't care what Ashley thought; she did a terrible crime, on purpose or not, and she will hopefully face justice for it. Celestia will also face justice for her crimes, and I look forward to it.
2051144
Humanist ?
I am not supporting or condeming by the connotation of species.
In most HiE fics I will agree that ,compared to ponies, humans are kinda wicked.
But the fact is that all the characters could be human or ponies and Celestias actions would still be abhorrent.
I don't disagree that Ashley did a terrible thing, basically the most extreme version of identity theft, and should be punished for it.
I'm saying Celestias crime is worse.
Twilight will never trust Celestia, her friends or her own brother ever again.
She will always remember that none of them, despite being those closest to her, could recognize her for who she really was.