Stainless Steel Fox

It isn't really a cross-over though.

(OOC: No, I just havn't had the time to spend over the last few weeks. Though I did get out of the habit of checking every day because it took a long time for updates. Dunder is the slowest one to post generally. If you can get this moved to the Free-for-all section, that's great!)

(OOC: Sorry guys, I've lost the character due to inactivity. I really don't feel like running through the approvals process again. After what happened with Cloudius, I've soured on the excessive level of control this site puts on players in the WoE. With Cloudius, a new ability which was later shown to be canon, altering the density of clouds so that non-pegasi could interact with them, was jumped on for being over-powered and having not been demonstrated in the show. I'm quite willing toi take this over to the Free-for-all board to keep it alive.)

(OOC: Sorry, Everyone. I have been unable to get in and do anything for two weeks. I'm wondering if I want to continue the story, as it takes so long for a round of replies.) The captain was thouroughly brow-beaten, and replied with nothing more than a "Yesir, I mean your Highness!" A few moments later found the group on the cargo deck, and the captain's gig being deployed. A two seater, two teamster chariot, similar to the Royal palace ones (it was even by the same chariot makers, Rolls & Flyes) but decorated in White Horn line livery. Normally it was used for short range travel by non-pegasus officers. It was also well maintained, and Tin Pan had somehow managed, despite the chaos, to prepare and send down a pack of food from the galley for later, and some unserved food from the aborted lunch, so the two pegasi had a chance to get their strength up. The Cupid's crew was capable, and had it rigged in a few moments, quickly adjusting the harness for the standard Royal Guard armour attachment points. Blueblood used a sticking charm, to attach the map to the inside of the antyx, the curved wall at the front, where it was easily visible and unlikely to be blown away. He cast a glance over the two pegasi. "Leiutenant, we are in your wings. Are you and Dunder ready? Once we leave, we won't be stopping."

Actually, Harry Potter fandom had scads of creative people. The reason it's dying is that those same creative people felt betrayed by the later books. They'd signed up for school adventures in a fantastic and not too serious world (heck, the Dursley's set the tone, they're right out of a Roal Dahl story) and then sudden;ly it was no longer about the magic or the humour, it was a deadly serious war in a crapsack world where anyone could betray anyone, and a casualty count straight out of a slasher movie. Not only that, but everybody suddenly seemed to be hugging the idiot ball so hard they left hand imprints. It was like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory suddenly morphed into a Dan Murphy thriller half way through, with the Templars trying to steal Willy Wonka's secret recipes. Actually, that might be quite good fun. So the creatives bailed, and you were left with a fandom comprised almost entirely of 14 year old girls who either wanted to have Harry, wanted to have Draco, or wanted to see Draco have Harry. Well maybe not quite, but it's not surprising that such a huge proportion of HP fic nowerdays is time travel 'Fix right what once went wrong' stories or AUs in which the characters weren't such failures. Can you tell this is something of a personal experience? Bitter? No I'm not bitter. ~ Does a convincing impression of Liarjack ~

Aha! Dangling participle. 'It' could (and did the way I parsed it when I heard it) have refered to his magic. Celestia has always referred to Discord as a he before, hasn't she?

I didn't know why the story worked, I just knew that it did. Now I know why it did. I was scared stiff that it would ruin Discord as a character, but instead it added new dimensions. Not that there weren't problems, like the pacing, and the initial premise, but if you're willing to overlook that, it does work. Also, I don't think the other poneis turned into one dimensional jerks who were OOC, they were just scared of what could happen if Discord did trick them. Certainly they were nowhere near as bad as Dash in Mare Do Well, or Twilgiht in Feeling Pinkie Keen. Those were one dimensional portrayals, or should I say betrayals of the ponies' character traits. As too the problems Ginger Mint raised: Cadence I can justify in that she can only awaken love where it already existed, not impose it where it didn't, effectvely making it a super reminder spell like Twilight used in Return of Harmony, but with emotions rather than memories. Pinkie Pie's clones weren't thinking beings, they were just echoes, mirror images who only reflected the one part of her personality that was at the fore when she made them, having fun with her friends. They acted alive, but they were purely reactive, couldn't learn, couldn't grow, couldn't change. The others i have no answer for, though I'll have to go back and see if that's what Celestia really said about Discord, or if there was another way to interpret it. There was no justification for making the Crystal Empire thing a personal test for Twilight, other than to set up the conflict about having Spike help her. It's pure artificial difficulty, and doesn't play well. I do remember Rescue Rangers, it was one of my favourite series, (just look at my fanfiction net page) and i can concur that they sometimes did exactly that. I always felt sorry for Chip, Dale gets a free pass so often while Chip does all the work and then gets made out to be the bad guy when he calls Dale on it.

"Indeed I have!" Blueblood exclaimed. He noticed Dunder's limp. "That might prove a problem. Are you still flight capable, and fight capable? It is my intention to follow these ruffians and hound them to their lair. Though Firewalker, your point about a tracking spell is well taken. I shall create a second map which targets us." He suited actions to words, then rolled it up and levitated it over to Muggo. "Hold this, and be ready to present it at the appropriate time." He examined the reamains of his wardrobe, then looked down again at his jacket. "Hmm... not the most suitable of outfits for hunting, but I seem to have little choice. As I explained to the lieutenant here, I intend to commandeer whatever small craft this boat has, hopefully a chariot and chase them down. Dunder, go see the ships surgeon immediately. If you are unable to assist, we shall have to make other arrangements." He moved out of the room, and called back to Firewalker and Muggo. "Come with me. We have to see the captain." They were stopped at the entrance to the bridge by a rating. "I'm sorry sir, but the Captain is too busy to see anyone at this time." He recieved the full power of a glare backed by generations of nobility, or at least unthinking arrogance and privilege, and a voice that while not the full Royal Canterlot one, had a tone that would have frozen Windigos. "He will see me. I am Blueblood, Duke of Canter, and my guards are the main reason his passenger list is not a casualty list! Do not bar my way, for I am not in a good mood, and you do _not_ want to be the recipient of it!" The browbeaten rating scurried aside, and Blueblood entered. The Captain spotted him as he approached, actually had probably heard him first, and said, "Prince Blueblood! I'm most dreadfully sorry, but I have too many things to deal with replacing your stolen goods right now. We are summoning up a full Royal guard patrol, and I have to make sure that the ship is still flying when they get here." "Good. Muggo, the map." He motioned to the second map. "My secretary has an updating map that shows my location, and that of the pirate ship. You will provide the Royal guard patrol with it, and myself witrh a chariot or other flying vehicle that this ship posesses." That stunend the Captain. "But how..." "Do you really think that a Royal prince would be allowed to travel without some way to track his location, or that of his belongings?" The prince had a wonderful sneer. "But you can't be serious, you can't be thinking of taking on that entire ship! If I let you go on such a crazy expedition, I'd be arrested!" "You talk as if you had a choice. However, I am not insane. I have no intention of attacking, only finding. However, I will leave you with a letter absolving you of any responsibility for my actions. Now, find me a chariot!" (OOC:There are occasions when being a complete and utter jerk who'll ride roughshod over anypony that getsd in his way actually comes in useful. Sorry about the big paost and need to fit yourselves around it, but Blueblood is not in the mood for discussion IC, and I want to get this thing moving again OOC.)

What they said. If it's done right, it could be fantastic. If done poorly, it could ruin the whole character. Please let it be a Luna Eclipsed. To be honest, I can actually see Discord being redeemed. He could still be chaotic, but the randomness could truly be something like Pinkie Pie, rather than always making ponies unhappy. In my head canon, I can hear a speech. "Actually, I changed when Fluttershy helped me realise I wasn't really living up to my full potential. Oh, the means were endlessly inventive, but the end result was always the same, misery, misery, misery. How bland, how boring, how... predictable. So I resolved to up my game. There are plenty of places in the universe that are dull and miserable, plenty of times when bad thing happen to good ponies. What they need is someone to mix it up a little, add some new options to the mix. In other words, me! But they won't be sure of a happy ending, I give them just enough help to give them a fighting chance. Will they win or lose?: Well that's the fun of the thing, not to know!" Actually, I was going to use this in one of my more surreal alternates for 'One Bad Apple - Consequences'. Discord, having been reformed, goes back in time and enters Babs' dreams the night before she's set to go to Sweet Apple Acres. He then proceeds to show her Episode 4 of Season 3. Let her judge her own behaviour from the outside. Of course, when she wakes up, she will only have as much recall of it as a regular dream. Is that nudge enough to change the outcome? And if so, how?

Our other playwer seem to be taking their time getting back to us.

The suit was excellent, but for the moment Blueblood was more interested in the drama going on between the ponies in the room. So these were Rarity's parents, and it did not take a student of pony nature to tell that she was less than enthused about their arrival. Sweetie Belle's enthusiastic introduction probably went right past them. Of course, it was possible a lot of things went right past them. He was sure Fancy Pants would have been charmed by their 'down to earth nature' and 'forthright congeniality', though most of Blueblood's social circle would have used the term common. Indeed, they seemed to define the term. Their gift was a perfect example. Ye aunts, it was dreadful! It was clear Rarity considered herself to be an elite pony, one who might fit into the sort of social paddocks Blueblood himself moved in. She certainly had the tastes and the eye for fashion to pass herself off as such, even if she was just a simple filly from this one pony backwater. To someone like that, being given, let alone wearing such an eyesore of an item of apparel was the perfect storm, the alicorn horn blast, the ballistic quintuple layer cake of humiliations. After their verbal sparring, her parents had come in and delivered a far more telling blow than he could have ever come up with in a week of trying. It took all of his considerable training and composure not to burst out laughing at her expression. This was more fun than the finest theatre. Colt friend? Really? As he thought, they either hadn't heard Sweetie Belle's identification of him, or they didn't care. His cousin Princess Cadence might enjoy that 'just plain folks' thing, but he would normally have ripped a strip of both of them for their impertinence. Normally. However, considering how mortifying this must be to Rarity, it was more fun to 'roll with it' as the comon parlance had it. He gracefully intercepted the bottle of... Tutti Frutti Gran Galooty? That tacky fruit cocktail they sold over in Los Pegasus? He would have been insulted if he hadn't been so amused. Now a nice Itailian rose wine from the southern provinces, that would have been different. Placing it down gently, he simply inclined his head in acknowledgement of the gift. Oh, there were so many possibilities here. "Actually, my full title is Prince Blueblood, 53rd Duke of Canter, Guardian of the Princesses and Defender of the Weak. However, your Highness or even your Grace is acceptable in certain circumstances, as I was instructing your younger daughter. It is always a pleasure to see a young pony with a willingness to learn about etiquette and how to conduct themselves in society. "I am pleased to make both your aquaintances, and I thank you for your kind gift, though it is not necessary. I must say, this is the first time I've ever gotten a father's permission to marry a mare before actually having considered dating them. While we did meet soicially once at the Grand Galloping Gala, that did not end well. I still have flashbacks every time I see a desert trolley. "I am indeed here merely to collect a suit I had comissioned from your exceptionally skilled elder daughter. Not the dress, however. While I was not certain I would be completely happy with the design of the suit after only a single fitting, I must say it is an exceptional piece of work, everything I could have hoped for and more. Indeed every aspect of this visit has exceeded my expectation." he had to politely put his hoof to his muzzle and cough to cover the snicker that was forcing it's way out.

I'm sure that's not what I said. There's a difference between saying 'This story the writer wrote was a bad story in my opinion because these things didn't make sense.' and 'Anything this writer writes is garbage.' I believed I was doing the first, not the second. I also believe the second is a bad thing.

With all respect to what Hope Fox said, and I agree that ad hominum attacks against the writers are not the sort of thing I'd expect to see here, I did not enjoy this episode for much the same reasons that other people had put down. FiM _has_ set the bar high, and after two episodes where they hit the gold, this one comes as more than a bit of a let down. Spike feeling he owed Applejack for saving his life? Wonderful idea for a story, nicely set up. We get to see Timberwolves again? Excellent. They are really made of pieces of wood held together by magic? Cool. They regenerate? Awesome! Then it all starts to go to pieces. What's this 'noble dragon code' he's suddenly spouting off on? We've seen dragons and their culture in Dragon Quest, and noble is the last thing I'd call them. Then, Spike, who basically cares for Twilight, is suddenly a clutz at any kind of housework? And boy do they hammer it home that he's more hinderance than help. It would have been enough to have him do everything well, and have Applejack feel guilty simply because he's doing so much to repay her, but this plot isn't too different to Mysterious Mare Do Well and Feeling Pinkie Keen. You can't have humour without humiliating the main character (After all they're practically next to each other in the dictionary). Except you can. 'Spike goes above and beyond the call of duty' could have been made just as funny. Look at Apple Family Reunion. Twilight's inattention I can forgive, as I've done exactly the same thing myself. I can even, wincing a little cope with her running away from the large Timber Wolf despite the fact that she was ready to duke it out with a Cerberus. She thought the others were all escaping too, and wasn't going to get into a fight just to show he could. And then the climax. The timber wolf/ves, having shown they can reassemble from being pretty much smashed to pieces, die from choking on a small stone? They're constructs, you already showed us, they don't have an anatomy! Oh, they breathe out noxious gasses, but that's simple decomposition, they're made of dead decaying wood. Alternate suggestion, that would have been so much more Spike, and far more heroic. Dive in under the big timber wolf or even leap onto it's back from the rock and then set it on fire. It is made of wood, and dragon fire would destroy it to ashes, making it impossible for it to reconstitute. I am not insulting the writers, but I am making what I think are valid and honest criticisms. This episode had the potential to be so much better than it was. As it is, it felt like a cookie cutter kid's carton episode. The animation, music and voice acting was everything I've come to expect from MLP, i.e. brilliant, but it couldn't save the actual story. It's down at the bottom of my least favourite episodes, right there with Mysterious Mare Do Well and Feeling Pinkie Keen. I guess we were due, after an unbroken run of excellence all the way from the season premiere. (Except for One bad Apple, and that's more of a personal thing. I'm far more willing to accept children not doing the obvious thing and bringing in an adult to handle it, even if I wanted their reaction to be that or fight back right away. It's more of a personal thing than anything else as anyone who's been bullied will tell you. Thankfully Apple Family Reunion allows me to rewrite my head canon and ignore it.)

It doesn't conflict with anything in the actual episode. They could have offered Lightning Dust the Wing pony badge after stripping her of the leader badge. Give her a chance to realise how badly she'd messed up, and then throw her a life-belt. My own head canon has Spitfire taking RD aside at the end of her training, asking her to take on a new weather pony in Ponyville, Lightning Dust, in the hopes that she can teach her the same lessons Dash has so clearly learned, and then she could retry the Academy. Of course, this also means making peace with the Ponyville natives she ticked off as well, an excellent lesson that being a Wonderbolt is about more than just the flying.

On the inclusion of Babs, for me it actually gave closure. As long as i don't ever have to watch 'One Bad Apple' ever again (except for the A Team scene) I will be very happy to take away this version of Babs as the version that should be. She's Gandalf the White to One Bad Apple's Saruman (which would mean Monkey-man in Japanese).