5. The Unwelcome Visitor
5. The Unwelcome Visitor
Very few ponies knew that Evening Rose suffered from acute paranoia.
It was not that she was particularly good at hiding it: a lot of ponies did take note of how hard it was for her to trust new ponies, how she shied away from crowds, and how she always seemed to be very concerned with being aware of her surroundings. However, most tended to discard these signs as character traits rather than recognizing them as the symptoms of a mental illness, causing most to refer to her as paranoid only in a joking manner, unaware of how right they truly were.
Then there was the fact that her paranoia had not been necessarily helped by recent events. In fact, things such as being attacked by her father, being attacked by Granite, discovering the changeling invasion, and the current interest in her life, had caused an exponential growth to her condition, heightening it to a level she had not suffered from since before she graduated from school. And yet, regardless of this, she still managed to keep her condition mostly in check, with the exception of the occasional attack of paranoia, like the one she was having at that moment.
“It’s ok, Rose,” she muttered to herself. “You’re just buying some vegetables and going right back home, you have nothing to be afraid of.”
Rose continued walking through the Market Square under the stifling glares of the surrounding crowd, or at least that was how it seemed to her. Thankfully, Rose was extremely self-aware and was able to recognize the signs of her paranoia as soon as she saw them. After all, there was no reason she could think of as to why this many ponies would be glaring at her with evident disdain.
Out of curiosity, Rose chanced a glance at a nearby group of ponies.
“Yeah, still glaring,” she muttered to herself. “Wow, I haven’t had one this bad since that week I was avoiding Octavia back in school.”
Rose then went back to using a trick she had developed over the years, in which she walked with her head held high, focusing on a very specific point ahead of her in order to avoid all eye contact while also ignoring anything that might be in her peripheral vision. Using this method she managed to do the majority of her shopping, but the method did not cover everything.
“Here’s your change,” the mare at the lettuce stand said.
“Thank you. Have a good day,” Rose responded.
“Wow, she really sounded mad,” Rose thought as she walked away. “I’m really beginning to lose it. I should hurry home.”
Rose began walking quickly, reaching her doorstep without incident. She let out a sigh of relief as she began looking for her key, happy to have avoided all contact with everypony else, when she heard his voice.
“Not even a hello? I must say I expected better, Ms. Rose.”
Rose shuddered at hearing the voice, turning her head to look at the pony she already knew was there.
Leaning against her house, to the left of her doorway, was a blue earth pony with a blonde mane. Rose let out a sigh of exasperation.
“Oh, Dusk! To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, pausing as if to think for a minute. “No, not pleasure, that other word… misfortune, right, that one!”
Dusk merely chuckled.
“I guess that’s the best I’ll get in terms of a greeting,” he said. “Although seriously, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you did not notice me lounging by your door until I spoke.”
“No, I saw you; I was just hoping that if I didn’t acknowledge you I wouldn’t have to deal with you,” Rose responded sharply. “Now, out with it. What do you want?”
“Well, it has been a while since we last talked and before you know it, the rest of the summer season will be gone as well,” he said, “As such, I came to see if you’d maybe come to see reason.”
Rose clenched her jaw in anger.
“I did see reason, as a matter of fact,” she responded. “I saw it the day you knocked at my door. My stance has not changed, Dusk. I am not going to be your icon, I will not let your group use me for your campaign, and I will not play the activist.”
Dusk let out an amused snort.
“Oh come now, Ms. Rose, we both know that last one is not true,” he said, widening his smirk. “From what I hear, you’re content with playing the personal savior of a transcolt here in town, am I right?”
“That’s different Dusk,” she replied. “He’s just a colt that needed my help, whose parents needed my help in dealing with this.”
“It’s no different at all,” Dusk said. “They all need help and he’s far from the only colt or filly out there that needs support or guidance. What? You think that it’s different, somehow more noble, just because you’re personally advising his parents rather than giving a speech to thousands? In one public appearance in front of the right ponies, you could do more help than your ‘trans parenting tips’ ever could.”
Rose’s anger was rising again but she tried to keep it under control.
“You don’t understand, this is different,” she said. “They’re not asking to use me, they’re not asking me to sacrifice anything for them. They just needed extra support. They needed advice, not someone to fight for them.”
“Oh, so they’re not asking you to sacrifice anything?” he asked mockingly. “So we’re still stuck on that selfishness. Well for your information, they ARE using you. They’re using your advice, your life experience, and they’re asking you to sacrifice your time. Yes, they’re minor things, but not much different from what we ask. As for the fighting, they haven’t asked you to fight for them yet, but they will, Ms. Rose. They will indeed.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought it out,” he replied. “They haven’t met any real resistance yet, but they will and when they do, you can bet that you’ll be the first one they come to ask help from. Whatever the problem is, you’re now involved. We’ve both seen what this world can do; do you honestly expect that they will go unchallenged? And when they do meet resistance, are you going to turn them away? Do you really have it in you to look at them and say ‘sorry but I did not sign up for this?’ No, you will fight. So why make a fuzz about the fight that actually matters?”
“You act like it’s a certain thing!” she yelled at him, letting her anger get the best of her. “This town is very accepting. They’ve accepted me; they will have no problem with Summer.”
Dusk rolled his eyes.
“They accepted you, a grown mare who can make her own choices,” he said. “But a transcolt is a different thing. Ponies, especially those with kids, don’t respect that kind of choice as well as you think. You’d know this if you had some real experience, the kind you can only get traveling Equestria fighting for those who need you, but as you are, you’re ignorant and unprepared. And so I ask again, will you have the strength to turn your back on this Summer the way you’re turning your back on every other trans colt, filly, mare, and stallion in Equestria?”
“If it comes to that, then I will stay and fight,” Rose responded coldly. “I will defend my friends, which includes Summer and his family. I will fight for them, but you, Dusk, you’re no friend of mine, and I refuse to fight for you.”
Dusk gave a deep sigh.
“This isn’t about me, Ms. Rose,” he said. “This is about all the ponies out there in need of your help, and as important as I think I might be, a hatred of me is not reason enough to abandon them.”
He continued to talk as he began walking away.
“In any case, that’s still not a good enough answer. You have until the first day of fall to come up with a better one, and know that we will talk again before then. I’m not done trying to make you see reason. Until then, you know where to find me.”
Rose watched him for a second before noticing a small cardboard box left where he had been standing.
“Hey, you forgot something!” she called to him.
Dusk turned to look at her.
“No, if you open it and read the name on the envelopes, you’ll find that the contents of that box are in fact yours.”
Rose stared in confusion.
“They’re letters?” she asked. “Why are you giving them to me? Who are they from? And what do they say?”
“I don’t know who specifically wrote them or what they say; after all, that would involve opening and reading your mail, which would be extremely impolite,” Dusk responded. “As to why, I figured you might want to hear from those you’re leaving behind.”
With that, Dusk began walking away, turning to look at Rose one last time before leaving.
“Oh, and it wasn’t in your head,” he said. “They were all glaring at you.”
This shocked Rose into silence, and she could only watch as he walked away, staying at her doorstep for minutes after his form had disappeared from view.
Eventually she regained her senses, after which she opened the door, bringing in her groceries and the mysterious box. Rose then made it a point to take as long as possible putting her groceries away, but even then she could only drag that chore out for a few minutes. Before long she turned her attention back to the box.
“Well, let’s see what’s in here,” she said, taking the lid off of the box.
True to what Dusk had mentioned, the box contained a large number of letters, all addressed to Evening Rose. However, despite his remarks, Rose could not help but be surprised.
For starters, she was surprised that anypony had actually taken the time to write to her outside of her family and friends. She was also surprised that apparently a lot of ponies had taken said time.
Being as careful as she could, Rose took out the letters, placing them in stacks on the kitchen table.
“There must be over a hundred of them,” Rose thought to herself as she finished getting them out of the box. “Only one way of knowing what they say.”
Rose picked and opened the first envelope, taking out the letter within. After placing the envelope to the side, she began to read.
“I will murder him,” Rose muttered to herself, sighing as she lay down on the couch. Behind the couch, one could still see the 213 letters that rested on the kitchen table, while 213 ripped envelopes littered the floor.
Rose had been expecting the letters to contain a wide variety of things. For starters, she had immediately assumed that the letters would be requests for aid or help. She had expected to read tantalizing tales of the hardships transponies were suffering all throughout Equestria. She had expected the letters to have suggestions as to how she could help, or detailed requests of what the ponies needed, all of which would try to lead her to join the Equestrian Equality Envoy. Finally, she had suspected that the letters would not actually be the heartfelt wishes of transponies Equestria-wide, but rather the writings of a few paid Triple-E members under Dusk’s employ.
What she did get, however, was completely unexpected.
The first thing that struck her was that none of the letters were pleas for help. None of them detailed the horrible conditions of the writer’s life, nor did any of them carry any somber or pressing undertones. Instead, each and every letter had the same cheerful and heartfelt message.
“Thank you.”
Each letter was different in the content, but they thanked Rose for what she had done to improve their lives. A filly in Vanhoover had written to thank her for giving her the strength to come out to her accepting family while a stallion in Los Pegasus thanked her for being an inspiration and for showing him that “life is tough, but if you can survive the bad parts, you can find happiness.” A mare in Cloudsdale wrote to Rose thanking her on behalf of her son, who could now receive the help he needed thanks to the conversations that had started after the Rhyme press conference.
Rose did not feel like she had done anything worth of praise, but two hundred letters sat on her kitchen table, all thanking her for existing and for the impact her existence had already made in their lives.
Rose could tell that these letters were genuine. They were the true sentiments of ponies across Equestria and they were in no way part of Dusk’s plot to have her join his cause. He had not put anypony up to this, nor had he falsified the letters. All he had done was deliver them. And yet, this complete show of honesty, both in the letters and in his lack of involvement, had proven more effective towards his ends than any action he could have undertaken would have been. After all, for the first time, Rose now found herself flooded in doubts.
“Why couldn’t you have just tried to blackmail me or something?” Rose asked the empty house. “At least I wouldn’t be conflicted over that!”
Rose hated to admit it, but Dusk had proven his point. These ponies were not asking her to be a hero; to them she already was one. They were also not asking her to be an activist or to fight for them, after all not one had mentioned their struggles in their letters, but failing to help would now feel no less shameful than it would be for her to turn her back on them. They all had insecurities, and fears, and problems. They all looked up to her. She inspired some of them to stand up for themselves. These were not exclusive facts: she had already helped them. Dusk had mentioned that she was in an odd position to impact the whole of Equestria, but it seemed like she had done so already.
She thought of Summer and his family.
“I had a part to play in that too,” she thought to herself.
Her newspaper article had sparked the conversation in Baltimare, a conversation that led Summer to ask questions, questions that led to answers and realizations Rose had not found until later in life. And now Summer had the chance to live his whole life properly, without the struggles Rose had encountered.
For the first time in a long while, Rose felt the weight of the responsibility she carried. The same Dusk had argued she had to carry out.
“Can I really just say no?” she asked herself. “They aren’t asking me to do more than I’ve done, nopony is aside from Dusk. I could just go about enjoying my life and nopony would have the right to tell me I’m failing my responsibilities. I do have the right to enjoy peace; nopony would think any less of me…”
She took a deep breath.
“But would I think less of me?”
And so Rose laid there, contemplating her role in life.
In the end she decided that she was still not going to help Dusk and she was still going to live the life she had struggled so much to attain. In essence, nothing had changed, with the exception that she now hated herself for her choices. For the first time through the entire conflict with Dusk, she felt selfish.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Rose sat up, startled by the knocking at her door. After a short second of hesitation, she got up to answer it, thankful for a distraction from her melancholy thoughts. She stopped in front of the mirror, fixing her mane, before placing a hoof on the doorknob and opening the door.
Waiting at her doorstep, Rose found a white unicorn with a black mane and tail. He was wearing black horn-rimmed glasses and a grey vest. His cutie mark was an ink blot.
“Hello, my name is Dr. Stage Theory,” he said. “You must be Ms. Evening Rose. May I come in?”
Whatever relief Rose had felt at the distraction from her thoughts quickly evaporated as soon as she heard the unicorn speak. There was something cold and authoritative about his voice that put her on edge.
“He’s not somepony I can trust,” she thought to herself. “Something is wrong.”
Still, she nodded, stepping aside to let him in. The unicorn walked through the living room slowly, analyzing his surroundings, before sitting on of the chairs. He then waited until Rose sat down on the couch.
“So, Dr. Theory,” she said. “What can I help you with?”
The unicorn stared at Rose for a long moment before he answered.
“It has recently been brought to my attention that you have been advising the parents of a ‘Summer Breeze’ in regards to dealing with her Dissociative Identity Disorder,” he said. “And I have come as both a professional psychologist and a concerned citizen to issue a cease and desist order on behalf of both the psychiatric profession and of Ponyville.”
“Excuse me?” Rose asked.
“I am a professional psychologist with a doctorate in developmental psychology,” he explained. “And I have learnt that you are advising the parents of a foal suffering from ‘DID’ without any type of expertise in any relevant field, with the exception of your own life experience which is tangential at best. Not only that, but you have advised for them to indulge a very serious condition instead of seeking a treatment, which is not only dangerous, but outright irresponsible. I’m afraid that if you do not desist from doing so I will be forced to take action against you and the involved family.”
Rose slowly narrowed her eyes.
“First of all, I have never heard of giving advice to be something somepony could take action against,” she said. “And shouldn’t you be discussing this with them rather than trying to intimidate me?”
Dr. Theory straightened his glasses.
“I have already consulted with the family,” he explained, “but they seemed outright opposed to my suggestions and professional opinions on the matter. Not only were they unwilling to listen to me, but they were happy enough to inform me that they would rather follow your directive in indulging the foal despite the risks, which is hazardous to the point of being negligent. As a professional, I will do what I have to do, but I figured that as the main cause of this commotion, I should pay you a visit to warn you against getting involved.”
“You want him to go back in the closet, don’t you?” Rose asked.
Dr. Theory seemed to be taken aback by the question, but answered it nonetheless.
“I want Summer Breeze to attend therapy sessions in order to find the root of her “DID,” after which there should be adjustments made in her life in order to correct her behavior and mentality. She can be a normal filly, but not if we encourage this abnormality with praise and accommodations.”
“He’s not abnormal, Dr. Theory,” Rose said. “He’s a young colt who needs support. He knows full well who he is. The ‘therapy’ you are suggesting would only serve to instill shame and self-loathing into his mind.”
“For her to feel shame, her illness would have to be something that she feels she’s responsible for, which we will assure her she isn’t,” Dr. Theory responded. “After all, she’s only now trying to live as a colt thanks to irresponsible parenting and bad advice. As for her knowing who she is: you’re really willing to trust a foal to know what’s best for her? It’s illogical to expect her to be able to make such choices, and therefore it is up to the parents, or in this case the state since the parents are clearly uncooperative, to provide proper guidance and aid in the form of reformative therapy.”
“He is not too young,” Rose exclaimed. “Gender Identity is one of the first things that foals are aware of, which is cemented at around age four.”
Dr. Theory rolled his eyes.
“Yes, thank you for the lesson on developmental psychology 101,” he said mockingly. “But I find it convenient that you left out the social learning theory from your claim. Here, let me refresh your memory if you haven’t heard it in a while. The theory states that foals learn from their environment through observation, a theory proven through various studies in Vanhoover. If a foal sees something, they learn to mimic it, following examples. This proves that foals are highly impressionable. As such, I find it dubious to believe in the claims of a filly believing herself to be transgender after the media storm sparked by you at around the same time.”
Rose could only stare in anger.
“You think I caused this,” she said.
“No, Ms. Rose, I know you caused this,” he said. “From start to finish this has been the mess you made. You did not do it without aid; the foal’s parents are to blame as well, but they were scared and ignorant. Their only crime was asking advice from the wrong pony and then sticking by said advice and disregarding experts in the field. Normally this would also be your mess to clean up, but I do not feel comfortable giving you the chance to mess up this filly’s life any more so than you have already done. Therefore, I will fix things. My being here is simply to warn you against interfering.”
“Well then, I guess we’re going to have a problem,” Rose said glaring at him. “Because I’m not going to just sit around while you destroy the life of a young colt who is by all accounts healthy and happy.”
Dr. Theory seemed unfazed by the outburst.
“Then we do have a problem indeed,” he said. “I must admit I’m not altogether surprised, though. I just wished that you would help make the process less arduous. However, you will find that I am not always as pleasant to deal with, especially when the life of a foal is on the line.”
“Is that supposed to scare me, Doctor?” Rose sneered. “Because let me be clear. So far I’ve been very tolerant. You have come into my home, disrespected me and a family I rather care about, and now you have the gall to threaten me? I’m not sure there’s much more I can take before I take action of my own.”
Dr. Theory let out an amused snort.
“And what action would that be Ms. Rose?” he asked. “Call up your parents and play on their influence? Try to press charges against the one on the lawful side of this debate? I hope it wasn’t just kicking me out, because I was just leaving.”
Dr. Theory got up from the chair, walking towards the door. However, he turned around to look at Rose before leaving.
“Also, I am not issuing idle threats,” he said. “Everything I warned you about will happen. I have already filed a petition to separate Summer Breeze from her parents due negligence and the possible harmful upbringing that may damage the foal’s psyche. I have also already filed to have you exiled from Ponyville due to being a possible risk, both to impressionable foals and to ignorant parents, as you have already demonstrated you can be. You should also be aware that I did not find this case on my own, but was instead contacted by concerned parents from the filly’s school, meaning that should either or both of my filed petitions fail, I still have leverage to deny Summer from being misgendered under the eyes of the law, including her standing in school.”
Dr. Theory opened the door and stepped outside, uttering a final sentence before closing the door.
“You will not ruin this foal’s life any longer, Ms. Rose. I shall make sure of that.”
Rose continued to glare at the door long after Dr. Theory had left, unable to calm down or restrain her anger. In silence she replayed the conversation over and over in her head, trying to come to terms with what had happened. Failing to do that, she instead began to focus on making a plan with which to stand up to the unicorn. Having identified every possible course of action, which of her friends she would need to contact, and every other detail of the plan, she then headed towards her bed in attempt to get some sleep to prepare for the long day that awaited her once the sun rose.
However, as she walked up the stairs, a segment from a different conversation played in her mind.
“They haven’t met any real resistance yet, but they will, and when they do, you can bet that you’ll be the first one they come to ask help from. Whatever the problem is, you’re now involved. We’ve both seen what this world can do; do you honestly expect that they will go unchallenged? And when they do meet resistance, are you going to turn them away? Do you really have it in you to look at them and say ‘sorry but I did not sign up for this?’”
Rose smirked.
“I told Dusk that I was ready to fight for Summer and his family,” she thought to herself. “But I didn’t expect that it would feel so satisfying to do so.”
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I HAS FIRST COMMENT
Yay, I also get first legitimate comment! Do people actually do shit like that in real life? That's so messed up. I hate this guy. Chop off his horn and ass rape him with it.
2502557
Psychologists classifying gender fluidity as a disorder which they then tried to cure? Yes, it happens, though thankfully a lot less now than it used to...
As for Dr. Theory, do know that he seriously thinks that he's saving Summer.
2502582
Some Southern Baptists seriously think that the planet is only 6,000 years old. Some Teabaggers seriously think that Obama is a socialist. Some North Carolinians actually think Pat McCrory has any clue what he's doing with education. My respect for different opinions gets a lot more difficult to maintain when you cross the border into the land of stupidity.
That came out of nowhere, bastard doctors.
2502557
What?
2502639
Don't pay any attention to me. I rant a lot. Most of my friends just learn to ignore me once I step onto a soap box.
2502639
2502648
He's right, he's outspoken but harmless.
Also, did it really come out of nowhere? Damn...
I mean I know that Dr. Theory came out of nowhere, but I mean more of the having to fight for Summer, I had hoped that would be something natural.
2502654
I think it seemed to surprising because Ponyville in general is portrayed as such an open-minded, accepting town, but I, personally, wasn't surprised by the problem with the school. Parents are stupid.
2502654 Well mainly I just thought the chapter was mainly going to focus on Rose and her conflict with Dusk and the EEE, I was definitely expecting conflict later involving Summer but I was thinking of a smaller scale like angry parents, citizens, or plain ignorance rather than a doctor threatening a petition. (and possible legal action?)
When it rains, it pours don't it?
2502999
That it does, but rain begets rainbows so I'm ok with it ^_^
2502593 In all honestly I find it hard to contain my respect for you when your first comment is something that;s a bannable offense on the site and the second comment sounds like something those you claim to hate would say. Anger and violence rather than debate.
I get it's just a fic but I woulfd be surprised to know you didn't act similarly in your normal life. (I mean by what you say not that you'd actually do anything like that
)
Interesting fic and yeah the doc really did sort of come out of nowhere. Nothing wrong with that though n_n Are you planning on keeping him purely as an antagonist or will you (hopefully) be showing the opposite sides POV and their arguments and reasons?
While I definitely don't agree with people who feel this way I do strongly feel they are entitled to their opinions and deserve respect for keeping to their points. Not all folks from that POV do so out of anger and fear, some do genuinely feel they are right and whether we feel it's from ignorance or entitlement it's still wrong to praise those you agree with and then disagree with those who disagree even i they share traits.
But, um, anyways...that's just me
Ugghhh, I'm so conflicted! On the one hand I kind-of agree with Dusk's points...but he's just such an asshole.
2503115
I apologize if my comment caused any offense. I do get very angry with people who hold the sort of archaic, bigoted views that Dr. Theory holds, and it's definitely true that those people are my biggest challenge to "love and tolerate," but my comment on here does not actually reflect how I really am. thedarkprep and I are friends outside of the author-reading relationship, and as such, my comment was meant to be non-serious with the knowledge that she would understand because of knowing me personally. Clearly, I'm a bit bone headed, and it probably wasn't the best decision I've made today, but it is what it is. I'm sorry if I offended you (or anypony else). It was not my intention, and it was only meant as a joke between RL friends. Please forgive me.
This psychiatrist needs to be cunt-punted. Hard.
Dusk remind me of the zen Buddhist monk who responds to everything you say by smacking you with a bamboo stick. You think to yourself, man, what an ass, but then you realize that he's right. And then when you tell him he was right, he just hits you with the bamboo stick again.
2504061
You're thinking of Rafiki
2504199 Oh, right...
I've never met a psychologist who knew half of what he thought he knew. We don't have a clear understanding of Equestrian law, but whether or not it would be legal to file for separation from the parents, the motion to have her exiled from Ponyville sounds as illegal as illegal gets.
2502593 Wow bro, not just "southern baptists"; that idea comes from fundamental Christainity. It's at the roots of my religion, and is not specific to any region or denomination. Don't get me wrong, I'm still an evolutionist, but it's just not fair to just dump a theory ignorantly like that.
2509295
Please don't get too offended, he was being over the top to get a chuckle out of me (cause him being over the top usually amuses me) and to get me to send him something on facebook.
He's a more sensible person in.. well person.
2509312 It's fine, I just get a little overreactive to certain topics. It's the lawyer's blood in me, it makes me love a good arguement.
Wow, Dusk really knows what he is doing with getting Rose to do something. The one nice thing he did was to warn her about what was coming.
As far as the townsponies suddenly becoming more hostile with the news of a transgender foal, I called it. Dr. Theory rubs me the wrong way obviously. Sadly, the medical community was almost entirely that way not that long ago and many parts still are.
Good that Rose is up for a fight.
2509295
There's not one single scientific datum that supports a planetary age of anywhere close to 6,000 years. It's not ignorantly that I dump and scoff at the theory.
2509374
Political Science minor here; believe me, I'm on the same page with loving a good argument.
2509312
Look at me, causing problems left and right...
2509895
Really? This is the best place to have this debate? PMs exist for a reason.
Also, nice job on your new chapter. Could have used more Gilda though.
2509901
I know we're friends for a reason.
Just give me a minute to remember
2509912
FINE. I'M SORRY. I'LL GET MY POLITICAL SOAPBOX OUT OF YOUR STORY'S COMMENT SECTION. STOP YELLING AT ME.
2509934
I wasn't yelling, I only threatened to force you to watch Gen 3 MLP.
2509937
Dude. You're not helping here; that's every bit as bad as yelling if not worse.
2509895 What I meant was, it's not fair to dump that theory on a single, specfic regional and denominational group. I'm not sure why I worded my comment like that though. I must have mistyped.
2509937 that's just sick bro.
I just thought of something that I need to put out here, even though it is probably not what you have planned, but just in case it is, I want to call it. Or in case it doesn't, I still want to say it because it is neat.
Rose should give Luna a call so to speak right now. I don't know what Luna currently thinks about her given the whole involvement in the Changeling invasion (helped the Changelings but also helped Equestria stop them, so maybe it is a wash) but Luna was intrigued and did appreciate a letter sent to her as opposed to Celestia. So, maybe they are on good enough terms for Rose to call on her. Luna is the princess of sleep dreams and she more than anypony knows how important and powerful sleep dreams are. It would stand to reason that Luna would also know how important and powerful the other kind of dream is and how the two types are sometimes connected. Equestria's transponies dream of being able to live as who they are (whatever that may be), accepted as such, and treated well. I think Luna, more than many, would appreciate the importance of making one's dreams come to fruition. Also, with she might be of some use to rip Dr. Theory and those like him a new one. She could go into the dreamworld of a few transponies and would probably find that it is most indeededly real and not a phase and that even young ponies could know. Also, she, being one of the diarchs, could put a stop to the legal stuff that Dr. Theory and undoubtedly other medical professionals in Equestria are doing with other transponies to a stop. Could also maybe get a little more cooperation out of various government institutions including local ones like schools (remember, the school left Cherilee entirely on her own and holding the bad). Rose knows ponies in high places, which might be a way she could help transponies far more perhaps than if she did what Dusk wants her to do.
images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130402164003/mlp/images/4/4c/Princess_Luna_giving_advice_to_Scootaloo.png
2519357
What can I say? It gets results. Notice how everyone is playing nice now.
2509934 I wouldn't say "political". Maybe philosophical is more accurate?
2519360
As always, I can't tell you if you're right or wrong because of spoilers, but your theory has been noted and if you're right you have bragging rights for calling two in a row.
And now we wait and see
2519362 Very machavalian. You have created order by terrorizing the masses.
2519393
2519387
Well, to give credit where credit is due, the idea that Luna would really see the importance of one's non-sleeping dreams is not my own. Ever since I read Eternal, that is something I figured she would really value. This was before Sleepless in Ponyville so I have say the author made a decent call on Luna's dream powers among other people (not the only person in the fandom to predict that). Something reminded me of the fic yesterday and today and then it just clicked.
2519407 Just to say though, I do identify with this part of the story in a way. I have Asperger's Sydrome, and I hate how people classify and call it a disorder. It's not right, I just make connections differently, but whenever I hear someone say that I have a disorder or a disability it just burns me on the inside. I also feel like it's something I have to keep secret, or else others might look at me differently, like with pity or something like that, a lot like how Rose feels. I just wanted to let you know that, even with people who don't struggle exactly the se way, you are reaching with the fic.
2519447
That means a lot to me actually.
Thank you for letting me know
*hug*
I had a classmate with Asperger's Syndrome in my education classes, and he told us how he would keep it a secret and hide it from people because of the connotation alone and how it changed how people talked and acted with him, so I've heard how challenging it is to live with the syndrome because of people rather than the syndrome itself.
I'm glad my story connected, though I wish you didn't have the negative experience at all.
In any case
2519470 Luckly I haven't, but then again I try hard not to advertise it. It's just that thing about society; if you aren't normal, you're less. It doesn't help that autistic is given the same connotation as "retarded" in modern speech. That makes it impossible to save face when anyone has to ask what Asperger's is. But it's nice to know that some ponies understand what it's all about, even if they are rare.
2519470 Almost forgot: hug back. Be warned though, when I work out, I concentrate on hug muscles.
I think that Rose is going to realize that she needs backup in this fight, and then turn to Dusk, who has seen this story play out in many towns across Equestria. He'll get his own followers to come a la "Act Up" and start a scene, which will lead to Rose coming across said scene with posters and all, turning around, and then banging her head against a nearby building, muttering to herself, "freaking a**hole Dusk."
2519755
Your prediction has been noted.
This is getting exciting, seeing the predictions come in. 6:00pm will be rather interesting I think.
Well, I'll try for 6pm, I'm working tonight and I'm not sure when my break will be, so it might be a bit early or late, but still today.
Hugs go to the winner!
hey, don't you give out hugs to everyone all the time?
Shh, they might not know that
I think they do
Do you have a better prize that you can give anyone who guesses right?
....
hugs go to the winner!
2519777 Can you at least conclude this one with Rose punching either Dusk or Theory in the face? With all she's been through, I think she deserves at least that. Can that be a prediction, too? And a correct one, at that?
2519821
I guess you'll find out either this chapter or the next
But yea, I'll count it as a prediction. If it happens you get hugs.
2519350
Coming from a family consisting almost entirely of Southern Baptists and having spent many of my formative years in a Southern Baptist church, I have bit of a negative view of the denomination as a whole. And I generalize a lot. About everything. And under normal circumstances, I'd use a lot of big words that may or may not even be relevant to the conversation to make it look like I'm not just talking out my ass, but it's 3 am (I just finished a 10 hour shift at work), I've been up since 8 am, and I have to be up again for class in five hours, so I'm waaaaayyy too tired for all that. I'll just wave the white flag and surrender.
That, and I'm terrified of thedarkprep's Gen 3 pony threat. She'd totally do it. Sadistic shrew....
That last paragraph made me smile. just letting you know I think your a great writer... if I said this already then I'm sorry, but I mean it. I just have bad memory problems.