Quite a lovely story, if painful to see all those utter misalignments of Sunset's worldview from actual reality.
Definitely agree on that snippet being non-canon. It deserves its own story, and including it as canon in this one would leave too little space to tell both of them at once. Even though it's been pretty fun to see.
And now, unrelated, I'm just imagining Discord breaking out, looking for chaos and then seeing the Voice. Then just quietly sitting down next to them, pulling out a popcorn bucket and offering it to them as he watches Sunset sleep, along with the Voice. "So how bad is it?"
Well that brings up the kind of hilarious idea that Sunset accidentally defeats Nightmare Moon, before she becomes unsealed. Getting rid of the those that follow 'Nightmare Moon', rather than 'Princess Luna'.
Maybe also accidentally converting the tales of Nightmare Night, changing the reputation as 'monster', and more of it being a mask to scare away the real monsters.
Sunset still manages to misunderstand what is going on. Possibly even thinking the whole thing that happened in canon with Twilight dealing with Nightmare Moon was a test that was intended for her, but just didn't happen because the timing was off. Luna providing the 'bad guy' slot, after moving away from Equestria's secret operations for a thousand years.
Even the difficulties that Celestia had with moving the moon could be chalked up to as 'passing information over'. After all, why deliver it all in person, when you've got a handy resource no one else could really be able to tell what was being said even with it in plain, obvious sight. (Maybe with the idea that Luna is the one moving the moon the entire time, Celestia focusing more on faking the control, the effort is different than what non-canon omake Sunset believes it to be sourcewise.) Which actually could be extended with how Celestia handles the sun. Either as a whimsical distraction to better hide the messages solely with the moon, or as part of her passing messages as well.
Celestia just ends up confused as to what just happened.
Normally, I would wake up with the rise of Celestia's Sun and go about my morning routine. Instead, I ended up sleeping all the way until a pair of doctors and a nurse came in and started fussing over me. Or, no, fussing would be preferable. They essentially ignored me in favor of acting like I wouldn't understand a single word they said to each other. It was true that I didn't know all the vocabulary they tossed around, but I knew most and it was humiliating to be treated like a brainless, ignorant filly.
Lifting the paralysis spell, albeit with strict orders for bedrest and to trigger an alert cantrip if I needed anything, earned them some degree of forgiveness. Some. I still made a mental note to delve deeper into healing spells when I got home. I had learned all the basic first aid and stabilization spells as part of my preparations for summoning Voice, but at this point, proving that I could do better than underperforming 'experts' had become something of a game for me. Spite was an excellent motivator.
Then again, it's not as though I'll ever need a healing spell. Or, actually–
I blinked and realized that Voice had been in the room with me all along, yet nopony had acknowledged the presence of an alicorn version of me. Even I had barely thought of Her until we were alone again. The casual display of power might be unsettling if it wouldn't make my life far simpler in the future; I couldn't exactly violate a pony's trust by declining to tell them about Her spying if I couldn't think about Her presence, now could I? I mean, I hadn't intended to tell them anyway since they wouldn't understand and Her presence didn't matter, but it felt nice to have an excuse, too.
"Good morning!" chirped Voice.
I stared blankly at her and wondered how anypony could possibly be this cheerful so early in the morning. The obvious answer would be that Voice wasn't a pony, of course, but she wasn't the only morning pony out there. They were truly a baffling sub-species.
"You're in a good mood."
"I am! Did you know that there's an entire district of 'bat-ponies' living beneath Canterlot?" Voice asked.
Despite Her excitement, the question didn't sound rhetorical. I rubbed at my eyes with both forehooves and tried to dredge up old lessons on Canterlot's layout.
"If you're asking about whether thestrals are a literal underclass, the answer is–" I paused to yawn. "The answer is 'kind of.' They tend to take all the night shift jobs that other ponies won't, but that also means the only ponies who cater to them are services that charge extra by virtue of staying open into the night. Or, well, the occasional thestral-owned business, but those are far and few between in Canterlot. It's supposed to be better in Manehattan."
"Indeed! So many little stories of struggles for acceptance among ponies who seemingly accept everything but them. And how are they supposed to visit Day Court to air their grievances when they're nocturnal?"
Voice released a contented sigh presumably borrowed from somepony I didn't recognize. Still, She was smiling even as she discussed the suffering of an entire sub-tribe of ponies. The reminder that She didn't particularly care about ponies as anything more than living stories was not a particularly comfortable one.
You could have summoned so much worse, I reminded myself. At least She wasn't trying to add to their suffering.
There wasn't really anything I could do about it, either, except maybe try to tell Celestia about issues she already knew of. The three major tribes might be a bit xenophobic toward thestrals, but they disliked and distrusted us right back. I doubted anypony would outright attack me if I visited Canterlot's undercity, yet I certainly wouldn't have anything approaching a warm welcome.
Really, this was a bit of an uncomfortable subject in general. I forcibly dragged my thoughts back to something I could change: improving my abilities with healing spells.
"I know practicing spells right now is a terrible idea," I told the trespasser. "But could you teach me some of the theory behind how you heal?"
The Outsider did not appear particularly unhappy about the change in subject. If anything, she seemed amused by my attempt to avoid an uncomfortable topic.
"I could," Voice acknowledged. "But not immediately, and my methods are of dubious usefulness for anything who is not an alicorn or my anchor. I am less 'healing' than 'convincing the world that you are supposed to be healthy.' This is easy for even young alicorns, as they become a staple of the world that is 'expected' to live for quite a long time. Meanwhile, the increased cost of reviving you is compensated for by virtue of your status as my anchor to this world. Your death is, essentially, more trouble than it is worth when reality is faced with the weight of an Outsider pushing from the other end."
I doubted that I would be healing many other ponies than myself, Celestia, and Cadance. Still, I supposed that it would be better to start with more broadly applicable healing spells, especially since the overall goal was to prove that I could do the jobs of hospital doctors better than they could.
"Should I rephrase and ask if there are any types of healing spells that would help me become an alicorn?"
"I don't know. Should you?"
I snorted. Well, okay then. Be that way.
"Are there any types of healing spells that would help me become an alicorn?"
"Not necessarily, but they would certainly prove helpful once you have ascended!" Voice cheerfully told me. "And as I have already done the 'imprecise language' joke once in this conversation, I will answer your unasked follow-up as well: yes, I can teach you some helpful healing spells that will work for ponies. Eventually. As I said, I cannot teach you immediately. I am not good at teaching with words alone, and I would reflexively attempt to manipulate your magic to help you learn. That could set back your recovery significantly. I will be willing to provide instruction when you are recovered, but not just yet."
My ears flattened. Having my magic move around without me being the one to use it? Although I never wasted time by reading them, it wouldn't surprise me if some horror stories went that way. For that matter, Voice's description sounded eerily similar to the possession inflicted upon helpless ponies by some monsters. I didn't think Voice would need to resort to something so crude, but it still sounded extremely uncomfortable.
"I could help you with the anatomy, though!"
Voice's form rippled, and the moment I started to see red in her form, I slammed my eyes shut. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ewwwww!
"Nope!" I squeaked. "No. Absolutely not. I'm okay, I'm perfectly happy with seeing representations in books!"
Voice borrowed Celestia's giggle, and I heard flesh shifting back into place.
"It's safe to open your eyes again; I'm back to 'normal.'"
I suspiciously cracked one eye, confirmed that She was back to her normal condition of looking like an alicorn-me, and opened both eyes.
"Not funny," I grumbled.
"No, it was a little funny," Voice disagreed. "Would you like me to pass you a book?"
"Yes, please. I hate how they put the bedside tables so far out of the way when it means stretching to reach anything."
Voice obligingly grabbed the book at the top of the pile and hoofed it to me. Honestly, I was a bit surprised by the book in question: one on explosive spells. Really? Celestia usually hated it when I practiced the more advanced ones even though I was very good at it.
"And still so much politer to me than to real ponies! We should work on that."
I froze halfway to opening up the book, a stab of pain biting at the inside of my barrel. I looked back up at Voice with betrayal in my gaze. I had trusted that Celestia hadn't managed to use Voice as her puppet, but first Voice had convinced me to tutor Cadance, and now this? That was two suspicious acts too many.
"Seriously? You too?"
Voice smiled and waved a hoof dismissively.
"Oh, not everypony," she elaborated. "Be as rude to Equestria's nobility as you want. No, I refer to being kind to 'the help.'"
Oh. Maybe She's not being used as a proxy after all.
At this point, I was starting to get used to being left in a state of perpetual confusion. Still, being confused was better than feeling betrayed.
"…I think you might actually give half of Equestria's nobility heart attacks with that view. It's basically the exact opposite of what they say. But more importantly — why should I bother, exactly? I can understand being kind to volunteers if it ever comes up, but anypony else is getting paid for it."
"Interesting exception," Voice noted, before obligingly elaborating. "You view their payment as the sole reason that they complete their duties, correct? But that isn't true for most ponies at all. As with most civilized herbivorous herd species, a majority of the 'payment' is actually from your interactions with each other. This is much of why a great many isolated, but high-paying jobs are often passed over in favor of those that will allow frequent interaction with other ponies — or, when viewing the opposite side of that coin, why servants of rude nobles are paid so highly compared to, say, the cleaning services catering to commoners. The increased payment is necessary to compensate for the rudeness of their employers, and even then, they socialize with other servants.
"For example, take the curt doctors and nurse who seem to have induced you to learn healing spells through an honestly impressive level of spite. From what I overheard, your prior interactions with the staff have ensured that nopony wanted to volunteer to handle your case, and so it was subtly hooved off to some newcomers whom nopony particularly likes."
Anger flared. They had decided to be that petty simply because I was a bit short with them? It wasn't as though I'd ever outright attacked hospital staff, just ignored their pointless attempts at small-talk in favor of either analyzing what they were doing, or focusing on my studies.
"When you view most ponies as being 'beneath you' and powerless to affect your life, they reasonably decide that don't want to be a part of it at all."
"So, what, I'm supposed to suck up to ponies just because they might slight me in the future?" I snapped. "No. Absolutely not. I'm not Celestia, I'm not going to pretend to be some perfect pony just so that everypony likes me!"
As usual, Voice seemed more entertained by my anger than anything else. It made it very difficult to stay angry, I would admit. Why bother when my displeasure just made Her even happier rather than acting as any sort of deterrent?
"You don't need to go out of your way to get them gifts or anything, although such thoughtfulness would certainly earn you quite a bit of favor. No, just basic politeness like saying like 'please' and 'thank you' costs you not even a moment of your time, and makes you seem far less dismissive of them and their efforts. If you start being polite instead of so blatantly taking them for granted, they're more likely to be willing to actually spend time explaining things rather than treating you as an object. Servants will be more willing to complete tasks that aren't necessarily part of their 'job description,' and do you small favors in general."
"…But I am dismissive of them," I pointed out. "I mean, I don't believe they're worse than anypony else out there, but that's because everypony is underperforming. You say it takes 'not even a moment,' but that time adds up."
"It might, but only to a small number. If they're willing to save you significantly more time by being quick to run errands for you later, or improve the quality of their work in general, is that not still a net benefit?"
I grumbled under my breath, but didn't really have a rebuttal for that one. After all, I could confirm that Celestia's treatment of me certainly affected the quality of my work.
"Whatever. Fine, I'll start being polite to 'the help.' I'm still setting noble manes on fire if I can figure out a way to do it without getting caught."
"Oh, by all means!"
Okay, definitely not put up to this by Celestia. I felt a bit bad about suspecting Her of betraying me, actually. Voice had been nothing but generous toward me so far.
Now that her unsolicited piece of advice had been taken care of, Voice let me return to my book.
I didn't understand how most earth ponies could stand barely having control over their magic. Oh, they were rewarded with better health and vitality than the rest of the tribes, but the bulk of their benefits were passive — or, worse, self-opposing. What was the point of a farmer being able to grow a tree in seconds, if doing so exhausted the soil around that tree and rendered it barren? I wasn't a unicorn supremacist or anything, but still, I didn't know any unicorn who would give up their magic for the stubborn version of earth ponies.
Periods of being unable to use magic were absolute torture. It took me longer to flip pages, I was forced to actually look at my barely-legible notes while I was writing them, and I had to repeatedly stop myself from practicing spells as I went along.
As awful as it might be, though, I didn't regret it. Every time I started to get too annoyed and wanted to throw something, I focused on my reservoir and admired how much more magic I had now in comparison to before. I was already an incredibly powerful unicorn before Voice had intervened. Now I had perhaps half again as much unicorn magic as I used to, and magic from the other tribes on top of that.
It wasn't as good as being an alicorn, at which point I expected that my power would be multiplied many times over. But it was still a vast improvement.
Still, the more time that went by while I had trouble doing something as simple as taking notes, the more frustrated I felt. I wished Celestia had been able to take a few measly days off now, even if it meant she subsequently wouldn't have any time for me for the next month or two. Spring's lesson had been wonderful.
Two hours after the delivery of my lunch by the most dour-faced nurse I had ever met, another knock sounded at my door. I instantly perked up. I hadn't done anything unusual, so it wasn't time for a wellness checkup. Had Celestia managed to make time between appointments to visit? If one ended early, I knew she could squeeze in a quick visit if she teleported and rushed.
The door opened a few seconds later. This time, though, the partially pink figure wasn't due to the mane of Spring Hail.
"Oh. It's you," I growled at Princess Cadance.
The former pegasus rolled her eyes and trotted into my room, nudging the door shut behind her with one hoof.
"A lot of ponies dream about having the Princess of Love visit them in the hospital, you know."
A moment later, something about her own words made Cadance color with embarrassment. I wished I knew why, but whatever reference had been made flew right over my head.
"A lot of ponies also harbor pathetic dreams like 'eat a cake as big as they are,'" I scoffed.
The fleeting embarrassment faded, and Cadance shook her head.
"Yes, yes, we all know how disdainful you are of everypony who isn't you," Cadance sighed, lifting a small box of her saddlebags as she trotted toward my bed. "I'm just here to drop off a diction quill and page-turner. I'll be out of your mane in a minute, alright?"
I could have slumped in relief. Those alone would make my hospital stay so much more pleasant, and I could have hit myself for not thinking to ask for them earlier.
Still, as Cadance let the box slide off her wing and onto my bedside table, I was forced to make a decision. Even with the tools she brought, being stuck in the hospital was still going to be mind-numbingly boring.
Even while knowing that, habitual hatred was difficult to overcome. Cadance was halfway to the door before I managed to overcome the blockage in my throat and force a few vital words free.
"No. Sit down."
Cadance stumbled and whipped around to stare at me with wide eyes.
"Excuse me?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Please have a seat, Princess Cadance?" I said with false sweetness. After a moment, I batted my eyelashes at her for good measure.
The results were even better than attacking her would have been. Cadance looked delightfully horrified, her eyes flicking between my bed and the nearest window as though she might escape from it.
"Please tell me she didn't tell you about last night," Cadance begged.
This time, it was my turn to blink in confusion.
"Tell me what?"
A moment later, I remembered Voice's nocturnal visit to Cadance and realized what she had to be talking about. Voice hadn't told me whether or not Cadance had successfully bartered for temporary undying status, but presumably, Voice had made Cadance do something humiliating in exchange for the boon. I could approve. It was probably best not to ask for details, though — if She decided that meant it was acceptable to discuss subjects with other petitioners, She might end up telling Cadance about my business, too. I would content myself with speculating during downtime.
"Oh, thank Celestia," Cadance sighed, grabbing a pair cushion and moving to sit close to my bed, but still outside of hoof range. "Nothing. Anyway, what do you want? I'm not Auntie, I can't stabilize you if you turn into a fiery rage monster again."
I remained silent for several seconds more, fully embracing the excuse provided by her settling down. After the stab of pain from her calling Princess Celestia "Auntie," once again reminding me of everything Cadance had been granted without earning it, I needed that extra time. Eventually, though, that brief reprieve ran out, and I was stuck with the expectant gaze of the mare I most hated.
"That's — exactly the issue," I slowly admitted, needing to drag the words out one by one. "My hatred of you is — well, it's out of hoof."
Cadance's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she simply stared at me as though I was a complete stranger — and just kept staring in silence like she was trying to imitate Voice.
"What?" I asked defensively.
Cadance flinched, but aside from that brief reaction, didn't seem outstandingly bothered by my outburst.
"I'm trying to be considerate and not interrupt you when it seems like this is already really difficult?"
I gritted my teeth, exhaled out through my nostrils, and let it go. I was sure that wasn't all she was doing, but calling her out would just make me look even pettier.
"Well, you're not wrong. Anyway. My hatred for you is, frankly, a potentially crippling weakness that I need to get over. Voice proposed tutoring you in unicorn magic as a method of 'mending bridges,' and I loathe the very idea. Luckily for you, I'm used to doing petty tasks that I hate."
Cadance's jaw dropped. Truthfully, seeing her wide-eyed shock wasn't nearly as good as being darkly satisfied by her pain, but it would suffice as a consolation prize. I reveled in her shock for as long as she could, waiting for her to just give me an excuse.
"…Is this what it looks–" Cadance eventually managed, then stopped, wincing.
"No, go ahead. Say it," I urged her.
Give me an excuse to end this pointless endeavor early.
Cadance sighed and hung her head.
"'Is this what it looks like when you try to be nice?'"
Cadance tensed as though expecting an outburst. Despite my flare of irritation, Voice's prior advice stayed at the forefront of my thoughts. There wouldn't be any point if I wasn't at least civil enough for Cadance to be grateful.
"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed. "I can be nice."
Despite her show of pretend regret a few seconds later, my disagreement with her promptly led to a raised head and visible disbelief.
"Name one time," she demanded. "And no, simply refraining from cruel behavior doesn't count."
I didn't even have to think about that one.
"I'm nice to Voice. You were there."
Cadance rolled her eyes.
"Nice to somepony who is not offering you ultimate cosmic power."
"Well," I scoffed. "I see Celestia has already taught you the art of 'shifting requirements until nopony can meet them.'"
Certainly, she wasn't exactly wrong, but she made it sound like a bad thing. Why would I bother being nice to anypony who couldn't help me meet Celestia's expectations?
"Ugh," Cadance grumbled. "No, you're right, you're extending an olive branch and I'm making it harder for you. Sorry. If you're just going to humiliate me like the last few tutors Celestia brought, though, that bridge isn't going to last long."
I seized the opening.
"Oh, I don't expect it to," I admitted with half-faked cheer. "This is Voice's idea. I think your lazy tendencies are going to express themselves within a few weeks, and I'm not going to bother dragging you around by the hoof when they do. At that point, nopony can say I didn't try."
Cadance's eyebrows shot up, the young mare straightening while her wings flared wide with offense. The fact that her wings remained a tell at all was perhaps the perfect support for my point. She should have been trained out of that reflex by now.
"Excuse me? 'Lazy tendencies?'"
Oooh, and there was a chance to attack her without her being able to reasonably criticize me for it! Perfect. Still, I took several deep breaths and restrained myself to a white-hot core of rage rather than letting it spread everywhere.
"You asked yesterday why I hate you. The answer is that you did, and continue to do, nothing to earn that horn of yours," I hissed, and Cadance reeled away from the sudden vitriol. "Better ponies than you have done more to help Equestria, whether that be through charitable ventures, constructing communities in hostile environments, advancing the state of their art, or inspiring others for generations to come. But because you got lucky and happened to fulfill some nebulous criteria all at once rather than one by one, you get to be blessed where they weren't.
"Worse, you aren't even taking it seriously. You talked about your magic tutors 'humiliating' you? That's nothing! Do you have any idea how many of Celestia's tutors and schoolteachers disparaged me for being a 'gutter-trash charity case?' So many I didn't even bother to keep count! But the moment the pwetty pink Pwincess Cadance's feewings are just a teensie bit hurt, she runs away and refuses to learn how to actually use any of the gifts she's been given. You are an utter disgrace to the title of princess, and you don't deserve even a minute of Princess Celestia's time, let alone becoming analicorn!"
I was beyond satisfied to see my blows land. Cadance had gone from wide-winged offense, to crouching with a hung head, ears laid flat, and wings held at just the right angle to help her with an emergency liftoff to flee from her problems. Maybe she was aware of her failures, and simply tried to ignore them like so many other ponies often did.
Or, more likely, she was just running away from people saying mean things just like she'd fled from her previous tutors.
"I… don't think I can start on magic today," Cadance said shakily, sounding as though she was holding back tears. "And not because of any 'lazy tendencies,' either. I just—I need to think about this."
For whatever reason, hearing Cadance's audible misery somehow messed up the signals in my brain. Rather than pure, undiluted dark satisfaction, something in my stupid instincts seemed to have decided that I should be feeling guilty! Why? Cadance was awful! If she'd decided to feel even a fraction of the pain that her presence caused me, that was good!
I took a page from Celestia's book, and refused to let any of my mixed feelings rise to the surface.
"Oh, by all means," I allowed, waving a hoof toward the door to my hospital room. "Come back when you've decided it doesn't change anything, and you're ready to pretend to be–"
I blinked as the Princess of Love outright galloped toward the door to my hospital room, using her wings to pull it open and slam it shut behind her. Judging by how she was still moving at speed even as the door shut, I would be surprised if she stopped her flight before she was all the way back at the castle.
Well. That's going in the tabloids tomorrow, I thought darkly.
Really, it wouldn't matter how polite I was to ponies if they'd already met up their minds by the time they met me. I would still go along with Voice's whims, if only to show Her that they didn't match whatever models She'd constructed based on experience with the corporeals of other worlds.
And shut up, guilt glands! This doesn't concern you! Stop misfiring!
Oh Sunset, you are so terrible at... well, everything, really. You're trying to mend bridges with Cadence but all you're actually doing is making Cadence endure you being unpleasant in order to help you manage your own emotions.
Celestia really fucked up by adopting Sunset into a high pressure situation and then not being around enough to properly guide her, or realize that she desperately needed time spent outside of Canterlot. Celestia could have moved outside of Canterlot disguised as a normal pony and then commuted in via teleport.
And how i have treated *checks notes* literally everyone i have ever met, in the past has had no bearing on it whatsoever.
On one hand, i am enjoying the writing, and i think i can see where this is going and i am liking the destination.
But, on the other hand, Sunset Shimmer is such an unpleasant person to be in the head off.
On one hand, i am enjoying the writing, and i think i can see where this is going and i am liking the destination.
But, on the other hand, Sunset Shimmer is such an unpleasant person to be in the head off.
Yeah. The enjoyment of "holy shit are you bad at this" eventually runs out compared to the sympathetic pain of "holy shit are you bad at this". I really hope Sunset starts getting better soon. Or that there's at least a chapter where she's just hanging out with only Voice so her condescending asshole aspect isn't front and center.
The story hasn't hit misery porn yet, but you can see the border from here.
You talked about your magic tutors 'humiliating' you? That's nothing! Do you have any idea how many of Celestia's tutors and schoolteachers disparaged me for being a 'gutter-trash charity case?' So many I didn't even bother to keep count!
It says good things about your writing that I can't tell if this is why Cadence is running off (to tell Celestia) or if it was, yknow, everything else in the conversation.
You're trying to mend bridges with Cadence but all you're actually doing is making Cadence endure you being unpleasant in order to help you manage your own emotions.
No this is amazing progress. She is actually communicating her issues instead of just building up resentment. It hurts yes but it hurts less than just tiptoeing around the issue and letting resentment fester. Sunset is getting over her learned helplessness and Cadance understands that Sunset doesn't just hate her for no reason.
It is implied that Sunset has been mistreated from a young age by people who did judge her before meeting her because she is a common born orphan getting special treatment from royalty. Her obsession with magic and proving she is more talented than almost everyone else (and especially the nobles) likely arises from that insecurity.
"You asked yesterday why I hate you. The answer is that you did, and continue to do, nothing to earn that horn of yours," I hissed, and Cadance reeled away from the sudden vitriol. "Better ponies than you have done more to help Equestria, whether that be through charitable ventures, constructing communities in hostile environments, advancing the state of their art, or inspiring others for generations to come. But because you got lucky and happened to fulfill some nebulous criteria all at once rather than one by one, you get to be blessed where they weren't.
"Worse, you aren't even taking it seriously. You talked about your magic tutors 'humiliating' you? That's nothing! Do you have any idea how many of Celestia's tutors and schoolteachers disparaged me for being a 'gutter-trash charity case?' So many I didn't even bother to keep count! But the moment the pwetty pink Pwincess Cadance's feewings are just a teensie bit hurt, she runs away and refuses to learn how to actually use any of the gifts she's been given. You are an utter disgrace to the title of princess, and you don't deserve even a minute of Princess Celestia's time, let alone becoming analicorn!"
This right here is a perfect dissertation on Sunset's mentality and evaluation of worth in herself and others. If Cadance manages to remember the wording and pass it on to Celestia then she will be able to use her millennia of experience to figure out how to fix their relationship.
It is implied that Sunset has been mistreated from a young age by people who did judge her before meeting her because she is a common born orphan getting special treatment from royalty. Her obsession with magic and proving she is more talented than almost everyone else (and especially the nobles) likely arises from that insecurity.
And?
So far, outside one individual promising her ultimate cosmic power, she has mistreated pretty much everyone we have seen her interact with.
Yes, i can see how she could have gotten where she is, that does not excuse being where she is, and unless that mistreatment has been universal, she should have had examples of not horrible people as well.
This right here is a perfect dissertation on Sunset's mentality and evaluation of worth in herself and others. If Cadance manages to remember the wording and pass it on to Celestia then she will be able to use her millennia of experience to figure out how to fix their relationship.
Oh Sunset, you are so terrible at... well, everything, really. You're trying to mend bridges with Cadence but all you're actually doing is making Cadence endure you being unpleasant in order to help you manage your own emotions.
Celestia really fucked up by adopting Sunset into a high pressure situation and then not being around enough to properly guide her, or realize that she desperately needed time spent outside of Canterlot. Celestia could have moved outside of Canterlot disguised as a normal pony and then commuted in via teleport.
Huh. I think this is the most unpleasant Sunset has acted for the entirety of this story so far. I hope the honesty and relative clarity of communication makes up for it. And the 'misfiring' guilt glands. Sunset, did you remember Voice suggested this so you could try and make Cadence develop some gratitude towards you?
Because it is perfect. Her entire life she didn't learn that masks can be true, instead she learned how to see the cracks and attempt to figure out what's behind them. A perfect mask doesn't exist to her so this must be the real personality.
And?
So far, outside one individual promising her ultimate cosmic power, she has mistreated pretty much everyone we have seen her interact with.
Yes, i can see how she could have gotten where she is, that does not excuse being where she is, and unless that mistreatment has been universal, she should have had examples of not horrible people as well.
Yeah, having suffered is an excuse, but it only goes so far. It's possible to be both a victim and a victimizer. And while sunset has never done anything particularly bad, she's made the life of pretty much everyone she's ever met worse for meeting her. A bit hypocritical too, since when she complains about nobles wanting favors from her and treating her badly, when she then turns around and those the same to everyone.
Honestly, i kind of feel for celestia. Spending time with someone you care for and want to help, but who just insists on being an asshole, is miserable. She still docked up really badly, but sure is not the only one.
FAKE EDIT: thinking about it, I feel this chapter might have gone too far in making sunset an all around asshole. Like, maybe I'm reading too much into sunset not being able to come up with any example of being nice to someone except for the one person she wants something from, and the rest of the chapter on not treating others with disdain, but she's honestly kind of awful.
Do you have any idea how many of Celestia's tutors and schoolteachers disparaged me for being a 'gutter-trash charity case?' So many I didn't even bother to keep count!
I just realized something else. It's probably those fake tutors who made Sunset who she is. They effectively gaslit a young child, trying to make her fail and prove unworthy of Celestia's attention.
They would be responsible for teaching her the basics in everything, so by the time Celestia started advanced lessons Sunset already learned that anything that isn't a 100 is instead a 0. So Celestia being nice is just a new method of tricking her and morality lessons is just moving the goalposts after she should have succeeded.
I believe what Sunset here really made Cadance to question herself and opened up all those hidden emotional wounds and self-doubts she had. Also, where is Cadance parents? Can she see a Dark mirror in Sunset? Can she perceive Love what Sinset feels for Celestia, that wish for motherly affection?
I just realized something else. It's probably those fake tutors who made Sunset who she is. They effectively gaslit a young child, trying to make her fail and prove unworthy of Celestia's attention.
They would be responsible for teaching her the basics in everything, so by the time Celestia started advanced lessons Sunset already learned that anything that isn't a 100 is instead a 0. So Celestia being nice is just a new method of tricking her and morality lessons is just moving the goalposts after she should have succeeded.
Problem i have is that while i can easily see Sunset being accurate about treatment she has received.
Part of me can't help but wonder just how much of that is accurate, and how much projection, because sofar she has had basicly 0% accuracy on reading people.
Could easily be just some random comments from her age group, or only one or two teachers with almost all being kind and supportive, and Sunset just allowing her own expectations and couple bad experiences snowball.
Remember, Twilight Sparkle was, not as bad as Sunset, but still pretty terrible, at the start, and she had loving and supportive parents, siblings, and a baby sitter, on her corner.
"Worse, you aren't even taking it seriously. You talked about your magic tutors 'humiliating' you? That's nothing! Do you have any idea how many of Celestia's tutors and schoolteachers disparaged me for being a 'gutter-trash charity case?' So many I didn't even bother to keep count! But the moment the pwetty pink Pwincess Cadance's feewings are just a teensie bit hurt, she runs away and refuses to learn how to actually use any of the gifts she's been given. You are an utter disgrace to the title of princess, and you don't deserve even a minute of Princess Celestia's time, let alone becoming analicorn!"
I was beyond satisfied to see my blows land. Cadance had gone from wide-winged offense, to crouching with a hung head, ears laid flat, and wings held at just the right angle to help her with an emergency liftoff to flee from her problems. Maybe she was aware of her failures, and simply tried to ignore them like so many other ponies often did.
Yeah, having suffered is an excuse, but it only goes so far. It's possible to be both a victim and a victimizer. And while sunset has never done anything particularly bad, she's made the life of pretty much everyone she's ever met worse for meeting her. A bit hypocritical too, since when she complains about nobles wanting favors from her and treating her badly, when she then turns around and those the same to everyone.
Honestly, i kind of feel for celestia. Spending time with someone you care for and want to help, but who just insists on being an asshole, is miserable. She still docked up really badly, but sure is not the only one.
FAKE EDIT: thinking about it, I feel this chapter might have gone too far in making sunset an all around asshole. Like, maybe I'm reading too much into sunset not being able to come up with any example of being nice to someone except for the one person she wants something from, and the rest of the chapter on not treating others with disdain, but she's honestly kind of awful.
"Interesting exception," Voice noted, before obligingly elaborating. "You view their payment as the sole reason that they complete their duties, correct? But that isn't true for most ponies at all. As with most civilized herbivorous herd species, a majority of the 'payment' is actually from your interactions with each other. This is much of why a great many isolated, but high-paying jobs are often passed over in favor of those that will allow frequent interaction with other ponies — or, when viewing the opposite side of that coin, why servants of rude nobles are paid so highly compared to, say, the cleaning services catering to commoners. The increased payment is necessary to compensate for the rudeness of their employers, and even then, they socialize with other servants.
Wow. Sunset, wow. You aren't just anti-social, you are positively misanthropic (well, pony equivalent of), or psychopathic (not sure which, help?).
And not just a little bit! An entity from beyond the veil of existence, whose hobby is to watch the stories of "corporeals" and maybe imitating them, manages to navigate all of this better than you! Though okay this is like saying that a non-native English speaker knows English better than a native speaker. After all, Voice enjoys analysing, dissecting and poking "stories"...
...
Hey, hold up. Is Voice basically a generic "story/fanfic reader" embodied and poking AT the story from inside? Like, this is basically us here, watching and commenting and maybe suggesting stuff about this story.
Though okay, I feel Voice is kinda, dunno, a "weeb" but like, whatever the equivalent of an "Outsider" being fascinated by "Corporeals" is.
Mind reading is honestly a given for the Voice. Though I suspect she might happily pretend to not be doing that. All her actions are just a funny mask to this eldritch entity. She probably can easily pretend to be a completely normal and original/unique pony, given enough samples and such. But that's not fun.
But yeah. She's absolutely poking at Sunset. Probably more so that she can actually influence her story enough, and, well... So that there is a story at all. After all you really don't want your "anchor" to slowly but inevitably collapse from fucking everything up about their social life.
Miserable stories don't go on for too long, and... not guaranteed to have much happen either. Maybe sometimes, with enough push, but... Why wait until then if you can push for better story from the start?
I agree about the mind reading - at minimum they seem to have a finger on the pulse of her emotional state - but it comes across to me like Voice is just adroitly threading the needle past all of those landmines to stay on her good side.
