Just think of it as for Celestia's benefit, not Cadance's.
"Could I bargain for the same to be extended to Cadance, please?" I reluctantly requested. "Celestia would be devastated if she died, and it doesn't — even if I hate her, it feels wrong for her to be excluded when the two of us are safe. I know that you're already being exceedingly generous, but…"
I trailed off, wincing. There was no but there, if I was going to be honest. Even just extending the guarantee to Celestia was an incredible boon. Asking for anything more was risking offense.
Thankfully, Voice didn't seem offended by my request. On the contrary, she was smiling oddly at me. Not the stolen smile that usually meant I am entertained, so… I approve of you asking this, perhaps? Not the reaction I'd expected, honestly.
"I will raise the subject with her," Voice announced. "You do not need to worry about further services, Sunset. It shall be handled, or not."
And with that proclamation, the world blurred. Not half as badly as the night of the Dirge, but still enough to distort colors and space for what seemed like several seconds, but could have been even less time.
I don't have a good grasp on Voice's character, but I suspect that Cadence realizes or... No, not "suspects," she must realize that off-screen conversation probably came from Sunset rather than Voice's initiative.
I think that due to Voice's stated preference to not wield the reins of stories, she would not directly tell Cadence how this came about though. She'd just say something like "adding you to the list of Sunset and Celestia," and barring any distractions, that'd be enough for Cadence to work out that some impetus cause this change. I'm certain that Alvaril is clever enough to have done this deliberately- snuck this in as the "first blow" in the war to win back Cadence. A blow against Cadence's perceptions of Sunset, if not a vital blow.
So well done, and this is a note to consider other irons in the fire in the background.
Like, just universally good at it. Her sheer breadth of knowledge combined with her interest for the esoteric leading to her having interest in learning the odd things ponies have figured out about them on their own and being able to give them advice to be/get better.
In addition, Sunset would enjoy speaking with other ponies about things that they put 100% effort into, laziness being one of her triggers for dismissing others.
This is strange in that the narrator didn't hear what was said. The narration is from a 1st person PoV but just right here and nowhere else it's allowed to be omniscient. Not sure how it could be fixed without losing the fun line though.
Something to consider is that this is from first person past tense, which is often used with the framing device of the character in the future (relative to the timeframe of the story) telling the story about their past. As such they may well have had the opportunity to learn details about events that they missed in the moment, and may choose to relate those details in their telling of the story if they seem relevant to helping the understanding of the story. If that is the case here, likely sources for Sunset learning the detail missed in this scene would be Voice, Cadance, or Celestia.
So, uh — just as a quick side note. But that conversation between Cadance and Voice was on screen. In the same post that you're quoting, even. I might be misunderstanding what you meant? ^^;
I probably badly misinterpreted what the guard is able to do, but my first thought was Jojo; specifically the Esidisi fight in part two and the String Cats in Jojolands. I have no idea why...
So, uh — just as a quick side note. But that conversation between Cadance and Voice was on screen. In the same post that you're quoting, even. I might be misunderstanding what you meant? ^^;
Cadance wanted to cry. This was supposed to be a happy day! Sunset was being adopted! Cadance actually found she liked the idea; once she realized that Voice was right and all of Sunset's spikes were intended for self-defense or attempts at attaining acknowledgement, Sunset's behavior went from seemingly erratic to actually somewhat predictable. Unfortunately, all the power of her two family members seemed to have overloaded their brains and turned off some vitally important functions.
Take Celestia, for example. After Cadance had clearly stuck a hoof straight in tragedy by mentioning Spring Hail's probably-deceased daughter — or possibly an inability to conceive one — Celestia had clearly been spurred by Sunset's reaction to adopt her ahead of schedule. But after making that adjustment, Celestia was apparently still trying to stick to her original timetable in every other regard rather than reassessing now that a major shift had occurred.
Truthfully, Cadance harbored quite a few suspicions about whether this 'Spring Hail' was a pony at all. Cadance had seen neither flank nor feather of the alleged master of pegasus magic in the two years since Cadance had arrived at the castle, yet here Spring Hail was, coincidentally in position to be called in for long-term tutoring on short notice.
Cadance's bits were on some manner of friendly weather spirit. Sunset had that smirking I know something you don't when she mentioned Spring possessing even more variety than an entire weather factory, but on a smaller scale. Mastery was not a claim Sunset would ever make without ample evidence, and that meant credentials even Sunset could respect. Ponies weren't the only ones to be driven south by windigos.
Mythology was unclear on the origin of windigos. Some claimed that they were the tormented spirits of ponies they'd frozen, twisted by hatred until victims became the same as the entities that had slain them. Cadance didn't much care for that theory; it sounded appropriately poetic, but that was exactly the problem. It sounded right. How would anypony know? By the time windigos reached the point of freezing ponies, they were freezing ponies. Either they would subsequently be banished by a catalyzed Fire of Friendship and ponies safely thawed, or the lingering embers beneath ice would sputter out far away from anypony alive to witness it.
Another theory, the one Cadance preferred, was that windigos could convert once-ambivalent weather spirits into beings of malice. There had to be a reason that so many weather spirits — which was to say, a few dozen, given the rarity of spirits — decided to flee the windigo-infested frozen north despite normally having no issues with cold weather. Few spirits subsequently settled in any one nation, and most steered clear of Equestria and its well-managed weather, often instead preferring to wander according to their whims — or, in a few cases, the rampant bribery of Zebrican shamans. Perhaps Spring Hail was on the extremely short list of spirits that preferred Equestria's tidy weather? She could migrate to different parts of the country according to publicly available scheduling so that she was treated to her favorite types as often as possible without ever needing to put in the work herself.
...Or Cadance might be mixing up popular fiction and mythology again. Outside windigos, were weather spirits real at all? Cadance couldn't remember Celestia or Sunset ever saying anything about them. Hay, spirits might barely be real in general. Excluding windigos, the closest Cadance was certain she knew of outside mythology or fiction was Voice of Impossible Dreams, who seemed to be some sort of primordial goddess from beyond reality.
I suppose spirits are another topic I'll need to read up on if I want to avoid looking like an idiot, Cadance thought gloomily. The list only ever seemed to get larger. Admittedly, some of that was due to avoidance, but still only some. She could work as unhealthily hard as Sunset and barely even touch the surface.
She shook her head and refocused on her aunt, who had taken to methodically eating at a mildly intimidating pace while Cadance marshaled her thoughts. She already felt guilty for letting herself be distracted by an unrelated topic while Sunset was all alone.
"I want to preface this by saying that Sunset hasn't put me up to this," Cadance started. "But Sunset really, really needs you right now, Auntie. I know it would be disruptive, but I think you should take at least a week off from Day Court to help her. This isn't working."
A telekinetically lifted fork halted halfway to Celestia's mouth. She soon sighed, set it down, and turned her full attention to Cadance.
"I remain intimately aware of that," Celestia said calmly. "Unfortunately, I already spent too much time with Sunset while she was sedated. Would you care to hear about a few of the cases which have already been delayed more than I would prefer?"
Celestia didn't wait for an answer, possibly too used to what would have been a rude retort from Sunset.
"No less than nine ponies were found guilty of Premeditated Grand Larceny or conspiracy to commit the same, but claim that the countess they stole from was illegally levying unreasonable taxes and fees to the point where they could not afford to feed a combined foueteen underaged and three elderly dependents in all. They do not appear to be lying, but at the same time, seven of them are skilled tradesponies — there existed alternatives available to them that did not involve committing crimes. Some of those recourses involved appealing to me, but their community is relatively isolated; given Countess Aedes' misbehavior, she may have failed to adequately arrange for any of them to actually be taught or told their rights. It is a complicated mess of greed, spite, and ignorance, during which time the defendants know not what their fates will be. Their crime is not harsh enough to warrant jail time, yet sentencing them to community service or issuing a fine would only exacerbate their financial troubles. Every one of their foals risk being torn away from friends should their parents need to move in order to escape Countess Aedes' long-term retribution.
"Baltimare's mayor stands accused of directing tax funds to his cronies, but despite slightly overpaying, the quality of their work appears to be beyond reproach. The subsequent problem is that this exclusivity has resulted in competing companies departing for greener pastures, leaving Baltimare critically understaffed should another set of sea leviathans duel off the shore and induce flooding again. Further investigation indicated that this is far from the only area in which corruption has left Baltimare utterly unprepared for a reasonably predictable occurrence, and I strongly suspect that the mayor intended to pay high overtime rates to his cronies when the next natural disaster struck — but I do not have sufficient evidence of such plans, and I cannot condemn based on suspicion alone, only for what he has already done.
"Those are only the first cases that I must deal with today, and the others are little better. What else shall I delay, Cadance? The suit against a major Manehattan landlord who neglected her duties and cut costs to a dangerous degree that saw at least two ponies contracting chronic illnesses, and who turned her tenants out when they opposed her? The pleas of a community of earth pony farmers without enough pegasi for their own rain, and who once relied on a creek now monopolized by a pipe manufacturer? Perhaps an elderly matriarch whose younger relatives appear to have been talked into joining a disturbingly exploitative cult apparently dedicated to me, even as its leader insists that all donations were used for the common good and kept the receipts to prove it?"
Cadance felt the teeth of impatience's bite sink all the deeper while Celestia continued her speech. She already understood all this already, although that mention of earth pony farmers hit uncomfortably close to home. At least she could be certain it wasn't Cadance's old village; they had plenty of well-water to pull from.
"Well, you need to figure out something," Cadance said impatiently, "because this isn't working at all! Hay, I'll preside over Day Court if I have to! Anything! Because as it stands, you have a teenage filly convinced that she doesn't matter to you and kicking herself for thinking that she did!"
Celestia winced, but just the fact that she was having such a muted reaction showed Cadance that Celestia wasn't fully comprehending the gravity of the problem.
"While I appreciate the offer," Celestia said evenly, "you lack the experience necessary for all but the simplest audiences. I have promised her what I can: that I will not take nearly as many cases on an ongoing basis, and that this will free up a great deal of time after I complete the necessary preparation work for it. I do not think either of you realizes how disruptive that will be on its own, but I shall be doing it regardless."
This time, it was Cadance's turn to wince. She was willing to bet that Sunset knew exactly how disruptive it would be. That was, in fact, part of the problem. Sunset didn't believe that Celestia would go to the trouble for her.
It was time to pull out the big clouds. She'd wanted to ease her way into this, but between the speech and Celestia commuting from the hospital, they only had a hooful of minutes left before Day Court was scheduled to start. Perhaps even more importantly, Sunset had been left to eat alone and arguably even excluded. It was better than having her hear this, but that didn't make it good.
"What do you know about how Sunset's tutors treated her?" Cadance asked.
Celestia started to tilt her head sideways before halting the motion, apparently nonplussed by the apparent non sequitur.
"I do not understand the relevance to this conversation," Celestia admitted. "She learned her lessons well even though she chooses not to utilize many of them."
Cadance closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and wished she didn't have to be the pony to handle this. She was, as Sunset was so happy to remind her, a glorified pegasus — and hadn't been very good at that, either. Just like when she'd faced Prismia, though, there wasn't anypony else who could deal with this particular problem. Cadance had once again been hooved far more responsibility than she wanted to deal with, and all she could do was her best.
She opened her eyes, steeled her nerves, and began yet another task that she hated.
"I'm am truly sorry that I can't tell you this more gently," Cadance said, meaning every word, "but I don't think it's a good idea for me to leave Sunset alone with her thoughts for any longer than I have to. Her tutors abused her, Auntie."
Celestia flinched, eyes widening. Cadance didn't pause to let her get her bearings.
"At least some of those tutors called her, quote, 'a gutter trash charity case,' and if I'm understanding the implications correctly, convinced Sunset that the only way she could ever be worthy of your time would be if she proved herself worthy of it — or I might be mixing up causes and the second part arose through other factors rather than because of the tutors, but she explicitly told me about their insults. There was some physical intimidation, too, but that part was an afterthought to her.
"What you are doing right now, by acting as though this is business as usual, is reinforcing that she still needs to prove herself. Sunset called herself an idiot for believing that the adoption meant something to you rather than being 'a lever.' I understand this is important to you. You probably even told her that it is. But she won't believe words alone, and she needs affirmation right now, not a multi-month promise that she's convinced will be broken. Considering the history between us, it's a bad sign when she's confiding in me of all ponies."
It hurt, to see Celestia reeling with wide-eyed pain while knowing that Cadance was the cause. But it would've taken too much time to ease Celestia into the reveal, and almost as importantly, wouldn't allow Cadance to spring off it into the parts that mattered most in the present. Cadance needed that extra updraft right now. Celestia was no stranger to doing things that she hated; if Cadance didn't drive the thunderbolt home while Celestia's grounding rods were scattered by the storm, she might not be convinced at all. A thousand years of habits that worked for rulership, but not interpersonal relationships, were hard to overcome.
"Prioritize emergency cases even if it ruffles some feathers to have ponies skipping the queue, and take some time off for the tree-danged adoption. Because otherwise, I think that we're going to end up right back where we started: with Sunset doing something incredibly reckless and getting hurt in order to prove herself to you, and next time, it might not end with her making a new friend.
"I understand that there are no right answers at the moment, but what you've picked is not the better option. You weren't there when Voice was discussing Sunset's odds of surviving this stunt, but they were truly awful. A one in three chance of dying instantly, physically or by having her mind destroyed, on practically any day other than the one she picked. An unspecified degree of improvement during the Summer Sun Celebration, but still explicitly poor odds. That is Sunset's idea of what constitutes an 'acceptable risk,' and I'm inclined to agree with Voice that chewing her out for her lack of self-preservation is not going to help right now. She needs you to focus on what she's doing correctly, not her flaws."
Mentioning the risks of Sunset's ritual might have been a step too far. No, it definitely was. Celestia had frozen in a rictus of horror and self-recrimination, and Cadance wasn't certain that she had heard the part about not lecturing Sunset for her recklessness.
Cadance slowly eased out of her seat and crossed the distance between them, doing her utmost to avoid any aggressive moves, and pulled Aunt Celestia into a hug. Or as much pulling as Cadance could manage considering that she was the size of two normal ponies and then some. Cadance couldn't quite decide if she looked forward to being that large, or dreaded the day. Probably the latter. There wouldn't be any more hiding her wings beneath saddlebags so that she might blend in.
"It'll be okay. This isn't all bad; I mentioned that the adoption did mean a lot to her, remember? I think it will help a great deal if you can just convince her that it matters to you, too. I know you love her. Show her that, don't just tell her when she's learned not to trust 'masks.' These problems have been there all along. The important difference is that we know about them, and can start fixing matters.
"I'm going to be keeping her as distracted as I can today with magic tutoring for myself and a precocious lavender filly. You might be able to stall a little further by, I don't know, arranging for a dress to be made for her to wear during the announcement of her adoption, or other preparatory actions that show that you're taking this seriously even if they don't need you to be present for them. Maybe more lessons with Spring Hail; Sunset seems pretty enamored with her. She'll still need you to take some extra personal time, but not all day."
This was enough to provoke a response from Celestia, if not quite the one that Cadance had been hoping for.
"I was already going to give her daily lessons," Celestia whispered, sounding broken.
Cadance's heart clenched. Sunset wasn't the only pony who needed love and support right now. Cadance already regretted being so aggressive. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Celestia didn't need to learn about all of this, all at once. Just the revelation that Sunset had been abused might have been enough.
Cadance's inadequacy felt like an anvil around her neck, and she once again wished that somepony older and wiser could navigate this disaster. But the oldest and wisest mare in existence was part of the problem, and she wasn't doing very well, either. There wasn't anypony else. There was just a teenage mare in over her head.
"I'm sorry. I love you, and I wish I'd eased you into this more slowly. I'm sure it'll be alright," Cadance said gently. "The coming days won't always be like this. I know I talked about a small mountain of issues that need to be addressed, but I think you'll both come away from these trials much happier. I've seen you two together on good days! Once we get her feeling more secure, I think you'll be able to have far more of those. You're going to be a mom! That's genuinely something to be celebrated, and I think many ponies will be celebrating of their own accord!"
An idea crept in at the edges of Cadance's mind, but she shelved it for the moment. Such measures might be useful in the coming days, but the current conversation demanded Cadance's full attention.
"Sunset is now even more immortal than we are, alicorn or not, and Voice thinks Sunset will ascend within a decade. We'll have plenty of time together to live as a family. Plus, she was already trying to be friendlier even before adoption was discussed, and once we get past these first hurdles, I think she'll be trying even harder."
Judging by Aunt Celestia's slow shift toward steely-eyed determination, it was the right note to end on. Give Celestia a problem she could work at, and she would throw herself at it until the problem broke — and she limped away injured herself, but that was also a work in progress. Similarly, it probably also wasn't healthy for Celestia to view Sunset's ingrained beliefs as problems in need of solving, but acknowledging them at all would be better than ignoring them or fleeing.
Cadance was the only vaguely well-adjusted pony in this entire room, she swore. How did that happen? The emphasis there was supposed to be on vaguely!
"I've been told that my combat applications of metal wire are a 'crime against Harmony never to be inflicted upon another pony,' Lady Shimmer. Nopony ever banned me from using it against monsters."
Everypony in the room save Celestia leaned away from the unexpectedly unsettling mare. Her eyes were filled with the terrifying zealotry of a pony who spent much of her life imagining different ways in which she might use her Special Talent against all manner of imaginary obstacles, but few to no actual opportunities to act upon these fantasies. I immediately had to reevaluate the ability of the Royal Guard to remain perfectly sane despite their roles. At least one of them very clearly was not.
On the other hand, it's reassuring that other ponies (probably other Royal Guards) pointed out the "crime against Harmony" part about Corporal Needle's talent. Rather than... idunno, getting into a competition of whose "War Crime" talent is the coolest.
On the other hand, it's reassuring that other ponies (probably other Royal Guards) pointed out the "crime against Harmony" part about Corporal Needle's talent. Rather than... idunno, getting into a competition of whose "War Crime" talent is the coolest.
A one in three chance of dying instantly, physically or by having her mind destroyed, on practically any day other than the one she picked. An unspecified degree of improvement during the Summer Sun Celebration, but still explicitly poor odds.
No, it definitely was. Celestia had frozen in a rictus of horror and self-recrimination, and Cadance wasn't certain that she had heard the part about not lecturing Sunset for her recklessness.
Celestia, I know it's hard, but you need to NOT get locked in a loop of self recrimination for the next three months. Sunset Can't tell the difference between distance created by self recrimination and distance created by dissapointment.
Look, Celestia, just hug her already!!!
...These ponies need so many hugs...
EDIT: another thing Celestia could do to show Sunset she cares is, you know, they could sleep together more. Cuddletime is happy.
I'm worried about Sunset deciding that Twilight needs special focus to avoid wasting her potential. I'm not sure if Equestria could survive the two of them together without the other Elements to keep them in cheque.
...allow Cadance to spring off it into the parts that mattered most in the present. Cadance needed that extra updraft right now. Celestia was no stranger to doing things that she hated; if Cadance didn't drive the thunderbolt home while Celestia's grounding rods were scattered by the storm, she might not be convinced at all.
I really love the sheer immersion of this story, the casual way metaphors and other figures of speech showcase just how utterly alien Equestria is to our human experiences.
"So — what spell are you trying to use for conjuring the tools you need?" I asked. "Replication is a good start, but it won't really help if you need to fight while we're outside the castle."
The 'statue' shifted back into a pony, and I was faced with the wild-eyed grin of a mare who finally had somepony willing to listen to her favorite subject in the whole world.
Just reread the chapter. If Sunset feels Needle is both competent and works hard (Sunset's definition) at mastering her abilities, wouldn't it make sense for her to be assigned to Sunset?
I could also see Sunset asking for demonstrations, using rope or ribbon, as she works out how best to direct Needle's studies. With Candace walking in at the wrong time... And getting the wrong, initial, impression. Or Celestia, if you want to be cruel.
I could also see Sunset asking for demonstrations, using rope or ribbon, as she works out how best to direct Needle's studies. With Candace walking in at the wrong time... And getting the wrong, initial, impression. Or Celestia, if you want to be cruel.
Sunset is still underaged; between that and simple self-preservation, and her own reputation, Silver Needle is not going to be doing any demonstrating of certain potentially misinterpretable actions without a great many witnesses, and an extra volunteer that is not the Princess of Equestria's daughter.
I mean even beside all the possible misinterpretations, it's just objectively easier to understand/learn from a demonstration when you aren't the test subject.
I mean even beside all the possible misinterpretations, it's just objectively easier to understand/learn from a demonstration when you aren't the test subject.
I mean even beside all the possible misinterpretations, it's just objectively easier to understand/learn from a demonstration when you aren't the test subject.
