Ginger Mint

hi hi

Nah, that big, loud *crunch* from when she got clobbered by the pendulum was her little box of peanuts getting crushed. That poor little box probably saved her from breaking a rib though.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Ember Spark twisted in place, tried pushing herself up, then back down again and side to side. Briefly, her hind legs treaded helplessly in place, trying in vain to find purchase on something, anything at all. In the end though, she found herself stuck tight in the little crevice and had to be content with simply dangling for a while. She wiped the dust off of her goggles, which took a little bit of effort, considering that her hooves were covered in dust as well. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the lack of lighting up in the crawl space, or whatever it was, and wondered if she shouldn't have eaten so much food at the banquet. [colour=#773344]But it was so good![/colour]

Eventually though, she acclimated enough to pick out some lumps of rubble laying around her and, with a bit of stretching, grabbed hold. [colour=#773344]If it weren't for the fact that this is definitely stone, this might count as playing with fire.[/colour]

After a few false starts, she found a good spot to wedge the stone block into the crevice. Pressing it in between the two halves of the ceiling, she could feel the pressure ease off on her sides, not only making it slightly easier to breathe but also giving her just a smidgemeter of leeway to move. She had heard, or at least she thought she heard, Pocket Change's call for her to climb down, so as soon as she felt her monkey wrench slip free, she left the relative safety of the crevice and wiggled back down into the hallway.

Reaching out with her hind legs, she was able to grab hold of the swinging pendulum that she'd climbed up in the first place, however, not being in any immediate danger, she took her sweet time in making sure she had a good grip. From there, she had to leap from chain to chain, going down the line of pendulums to where Pocket Change and Emerath were resting. It was a lot easier to do up near the top of the ceiling, but in spite of Pocket Change's vote of confidence, she was no acrobat.

On the second to last jump, she slipped.

With a startled [colour=#773344]*Eeep!*[/colour], she felt the chain pull itself away and she began tumbling towards the darkness below, head over hooves until, after a few pony lengths at the mercy of gravity, the last pendulum's chain caught her and tossed her into the hallway wall like a rag doll. Finally coming to rest on the hallway floor a few feet away from her companions, she unsteadily lifted herself up to a sitting position, but quickly thought better of it and decided to lay back down until the world stopped spinning.

[colour=#773344]"Ow, ow-ow-ow-ow, ow!"[/colour] She gingerly pulled her saddle pouch off and unclasped her tool belt in order to get a better look at her side. The hit from pendulum had left a large, tender bruise under her coat. While Pocket Change was examining for any broken bones, she reached into her saddle pouch and pulled out her little box of peanuts. It had been crushed right down the middle.

[colour=#773344]"Awwww! These were supposed to be a gift."[/colour] she said with a little pout. Her distress was short lived though, as she busied herself trying to bend the container back into shape. [colour=#773344]"If we do meet any shadow monsters, maybe they'll like eating peanuts more than they like eating little ponies... ooooor, they should be distracted long enough for us to run away."[/colour]

While she still winced in pain as Pocket Change finished his examination, without her saddle pouch jabbing into her side, it was a lot easier to breathe, and she couldn't help but smile. Once again, things were starting to look up.

hi hi

Well, I don't have much to do other than dangle in place, so I guess I'll just find a way to get myself down.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Ember Spark felt the tickle of magic wrapping around her first, causing a moment's confusion. Only a moment though, because as soon as the magic took hold, her plummet abruptly halted in a sensation not unlike hitting the water after a jump from a tall diving platform. Tossed about and springing back again, she tried to orient herself again as quickly as possible and found herself just a few inches away from the unforgiving stone wall.

She wanted to jump for joy, but that would have been impossible, seeing as how she was suspended in midair by magic. She settled instead for an ill advised hoof pump, which she only got halfway through before her rib reminded her of what she'd just put herself through. The sharp jolt of pain did, however, quickly set her mind back on track. With a meek wave to Emerath and Pocket Change, she pointed with her good hoof up in the direction she was hoping they'd take her.

The ascent was nerve wrackingly slow to start though, and Ember Spark tried not to think about how much time they might really have left as the pendulums continued to swing past her. They had already used up their fair share and then some, but she couldn't let herself start thinking they were acting on borrowed time. [colour=#773344]This has got to work. It must. Work![/colour]

The lifting magic gradually picked up speed before it started to shudder with the strain. Having studied in Canterlot, Ember Spark knew enough about magic to realize the spell was about to give way, so she shifted from pointing at the ceiling to pointing back over into a pendulum's path. When the next chain rushed up to greet her, however, she was able to reach out and grab it. She didn't waste any time getting moving again, but with Emerath's subtle spell holding her steady, she was able to skip an entire step in her climb. Reach with the forelegs, push with the back, rinse and repeat.

She practically swam up the side of the chain, and in spite of the still growing ache in her side, she tried to shout out, [colour=#773344]"Don't stop, whatever it is you're doing. It's perfect!"[/colour]

All the crumbling stone and dust was making it difficult to see out her goggles, now covered in a fine powder themselves, but she knew her target. The dark, snaking crevice in the ceiling was burned into her mind, and the further along on the chain she got, the easier the task became. She pulled herself right up to the ceiling and with one last push, she squeezed herself headlong through the gap in the stones, only to get stuck halfway through.

[colour=#773344]If these blocks give way completely, I am going to make a very poor capstone.[/colour] The pressure on her sides felt like a gradually tightening vice, but at least her forehooves were resting above the ceiling, just within reach of the mainspring. She craned her head backwards to try to reach her monkey wrench, but found that it was jammed up against the stone wall, helping to keep her stuck in place. She settled instead for a screwdriver and, as delicately as possible, she poking, prodding and prying at the device. It was complicated and apparently delicate too, but lacking the time to study it thoroughly, she had to settle for using brute force.

Fumbling around half blind from the dirt and dim lighting, she wedged her screwdriver into the interface between the camshaft and the mainspring, and misused the poor little tool like a crowbar until she felt the two pieces come loose and pull apart. With the mechanism's fittings no longer being twisted under tension, the rumbling and crumbling quickly subsided, although a few residual bits of debris continued to trickle down, bouncing off her dangling legs. Along with the tension on the device, she felt the tension in her limbs unwind now that the immediate danger seemed to have at least subsided.

[colour=#773344]"There there, you can rest for now."[/colour] She gingerly patted the device on its top before putting her screwdriver back in her tool belt, and while she looked around the opening on the top side of the ceiling for some pieces of loose stone to help fill the crevice back in, she realized one flaw in her plan. [colour=#773344]"Emerath? Pocket Change?"[/colour] her voice was barely a whisper, [colour=#773344]"...how am I going to get down?"[/colour]

hi hi

Alright... Since it is almost Thursday, I don't have any more time to wait for a roll, so I'm just going to go disarm the trap I guess.

hi hi

If y'all can levitate Ember Spark over by another one of the pendulums (preferably when its near the top of its swing, so its moving slowly) she could potentially grab hold and use that to assist with the climb.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Even though Ember Spark was focused on her goal, the growing crack in the ceiling just barely big enough now to squeeze though, she could faintly hear Emerath calling out to her, urging her back. She tried to answer during the moment when she wasn't using her mouth to steady herself, but her voice refused to respond, a tiny squeak that was buried under the escalating rumble. [colour=#773344]"The entire Stormfast... is above... there's no telling..."[/colour]

She'd taken the span of three breaths, three tries, and she couldn't even hear her own voice, so she gave up and redoubled her efforts to reach the top as quickly as possible. Reach with the forehooves, push with the hind, steady with the mouth and then reach again, always keeping at least two points of contact at all times just like she'd been taught. It was supposed to keep ponies, who lack the helpful talons of a griffin, from falling.

No amount of technique would help when the chain itself began to fall though, and Ember Spark's heart nearly skipped a beat as it did. She twisted around, looking for the next chain over so she could grab hold, but it was too far away and it was swinging away from her.

By some miracle though, the chain caught on something else and held, though only just. She knew she was in trouble, but she forced the panic rising up in her neck back down and started climbing again. She had a long way to go, especially after having been set back several feet by the fall. [colour=#773344]Focus. Focus now, worry later. Can't dismount at this velocity, I have to climb higher. Come on, just a little bit farther. Hold together just a little bit farther.[/colour] She tried to encourage herself, but deep down she knew she was out of time. The chain was staggering forward, rapidly burning up what little slack she had left. If the chain would hold out until it caught up with its neighbor, she could try another jump, but it'd have to survive another pass across the bottom of its swing, the point where the tension would be highest.

Pocket Change's voice cut through the cacophony and Ember Spark didn't have to think about what to do next. She trusted him to keep his word, a lot more than she trusted luck at least. Her eyes clamped shut as she drew in a deep breath, trying to shout as best as she could, [colour=#773344]"Lift me up, to the ceil..."[/colour]

*Plink*

A seemingly innocuous note signaled the pendulum's release. Ember Spark felt herself falling again and her voice faltered, and with her eyes still closed tight, an old memory flashed before her eyes.

The first thing she remembered was the smell, the unmistakable fragrance of pine and coal. It was a sunny day, barely a cloud in the sky, but the warmth she felt was the flush of embarrassment as she dangled helplessly upside down by one leg.

[colour=#302030]'What were you thinking?! You could have been hurt!'[/colour] The stern voice came from up above her, somewhere out of sight, but she didn't need to look to see who it was. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Her own voice wavered as she gently rocked back and forth in the warm summer breeze. [colour=#302030]'Gwendolyn's... *sniffle* she let me borrow... *sniff* a- and I dropped it... *sniffle*'[/colour] It wouldn't have been a terribly long fall, she'd have probably walked away with a few bruises, but none so sore as the one on her pride.

[colour=#302030]'You've got to be more careful, especially around airships. I'm not always going to be around to catch you.'[/colour] Ember Spark remembered how much those words had stung.

[colour=#302030]'I know! *sniff* b-but, I-I thought... *snuffle* I could catch it before... *sniffle* ...now Gwen's gonna hate me!'[/colour]

She felt herself carefully being pulled back up, while that same familiar voice took on a more comforting tone, [colour=#302030]'Oh, Sparks... I'm sure she'll get over it. Its just a thing, we can always get a new one, but we can't ever get another you. Think about that next time, is it really worth it?'[/colour]

[colour=#773344]I hope I did the right thing. Saving somepony... yeah, I think it was worth it. Wait, 'was?' Pull yourself together, its not over yet![/colour]

Ember Spark opened her eyes and saw the wall along the side of the gap rushing up to meet her. Rapidly. She twisted herself around trying to make sure none of her hooves got tangled up in the now listless chain while she braced her head with a foreleg. She knew that if her unicorn friends couldn't catch her, her chances were slim, but a slim chance was still a chance and she wasn't about to give up.

hi hi

I am a big fan of Jackson Pollock.

hi hi

Its my turn to post already? Holy smokes, I better do something about that.

Also: Friendship is Magic doesn't shy away from real danger. Without someone to catch her, Ember Spark could potentially be in just as much danger as Rarity was when she fell from Cloudsdale. But even if the two of you cant lift her up, maybe you can at least slow her fall.

Edit: And Le~post! Sorry about the seemingly superfluous flashback, but I felt it was important to have at least some of Ember Spark's life flash before her eyes in a moment like this. (If Pocket Change and/or Emerath can't catch her, I expect the impact with the wall will knock her unconscious. In such a situation, the GM can figure out whether or not she falls into the pit or gets her toolbelt snagged on something. Who knows, maybe she'll land on something soft at the bottom?)

hi hi

As far as Ember Spark is concerned, the only reckless one here is Pocket Change.

Though admittedly, she hasn't had time to sit down and explain her reasoning in a calm and rational manner, her judgement is pretty simple. From her perspective, she's trying to save Pocket Change's life.

• If there is another way into the tunnels, the safe thing would be to back out and find it.

• If there is not another way into the tunnels, even if everyone makes it across, once the ceiling collapses, there is no way out. End of story.

Thankfully, she has some experience in climbing, especially after spending so much time climbing up and down the Polar Star's balloon.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Ember Spark was just reaching down to pull her screwdriver from its holster, having planned to use it as a chisel to break the statue free from its base, when she saw that Pocket Change was already on the other side of the gap. Her heart began to race and, for a moment, she could feel her cheeks start to burn before her attention focused onto the problem at hoof. Little unpleasant distractions like the falling debris, her plan to roll the statues into position, or her inclination to tell everpony to back out of the hallway all together, stopped being a bother.

She bounded back into the center of the hallway and trotted in place while her mind was racing. [colour=#773344]"Too far, this is going too far..."[/colour] her voice sounded distant and was hardly audible above the sound of crackling and snapping stone, a pale reflection of the thoughts that were zipping through her mind far too quickly to speak out loud. [colour=#773344]We're pushing things too far. There's too much at stake and no margin for error. If we're on the other side and the hallway collapses, we could be trapped. Finding this treasure isn't going to do us any good if we end up stuck down here with it...[/colour]

The pendulums continued to swing back and forth, counting out their rapidly dwindling time. She knew what she was about to do would be dangerous -no safety line to hold her up this time- but as much as the gravity of the situation weighed down on her, she wasn't about to abandon Pocket Change.

Her eyes darted about as the pieces of her plan started to come together, and just a second or two later, she spurred herself into a gallop. Towards the gap, but not towards the edge, she aimed for the nearest possible statue. Ember Spark looked over her backside and called out to Emerath, [colour=#773344]"This trap isn't meant to be stopped or even circumvented at all, and ponies aren't meant for such places, but we are going to make it."[/colour]

She squeezed herself back up against the wall behind the statue and started scooting her way up to the top of it, one side against the wall, the other side against the statue. Her hooves slipped here and there only to catch a few inches later on a crack or a divot in the stone, but after some serious effort, she found herself perched on top of the stony griffin's head. Ember Spark watched the nearest pendulum swing towards her. [colour=#773344]I can do this, its just a single stone. It'll come back in exactly the same amount of time. One, two, three...[/colour]

Planting her back hooves firmly against the side of the griffin's face, she coiled up and let herself start to fall, then halfway through the tumble, she pushed off as hard as she could. It was a respectable jump, for a pony who was not by any means the strongest mare around. Having aimed herself diagonally across the hallway and out over the gap, there was nothing but darkness and presumably stone beneath her. She just had enough time to look back behind her when the pendulum's chain rushed up to meet her.

Stars. Stars everywhere.

[colour=#773344]"Aaah!"[/colour] Her entire world exploded in a multicolored kaleidoscope and she felt something go *crunch* up against the rapidly swinging chain as the wind was knocked out of her. Even though she had done everything she could to match speeds, climbing up to where the chain would be moving slower, and jumping in the same direction as its own motion, the pendulum still felt like an unstoppable force. It pinned her up against the side of itself, and it wasn't until it was reaching its peak and Ember Spark felt herself go weightless, that she instinctively grabbed on as tight as she could.

It took her a whole additional swing before she was able to force her eyes open again and take stock of the situation, but she didn't even need to look up to see that the roof was continuing to collapse, she could feel every shake and shudder as it vibrated down the pendulum's chain. She had managed to slide back down while knocked senseless, until the jagged stone block caught her at the bottom anyways.

She muttered a grateful, [colour=#773344]"See, you're not so bad after all. Thanks,"[/colour] before she started climbing her way up the chain, towards the gap in the ceiling and whatever was waiting on the other side. Carefully grabbing hold with two hooves on each side, she held herself steady with her mouth each time she had to reach forward again, though with each stretch, she felt another stab of pain in her side.

Even though simply breathing in and out was becoming difficult, for her companion's benefit, she dared trying to speak as she climbed up towards the ceiling. [colour=#773344]"I am going... to fix this..."[/colour]

hi hi

As it turns out, Ember Spark isn't going to try to jump across to the other side, though her plan does involve some jumping. As much as she'd like to help the griffins out by finding their ancient armor, she is more interested in making sure everyone gets back out again safely.

Edit: Aaand, ker-post!

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Ember Spark smiled as Emerath added his own suggestions to her calculations, making sure to write down some additional notes on what she hoped would be insights on the finer concepts of timing. She might have been able to figure out the whole mess of swinging motion using her knowledge of geometry, and if given enough time to study and measure the features at work, but Emerath was figuring it out just by looking at it.

[colour=#773344]"Oh! That sounds like a distinctively more tractable plan. I know those boulders are ponderous, but just think of it like playing on a swing, it should only require a delicate nudge at the correct..."[/colour] She started to speak as Pocket Change was getting ready to cast his telekinesis spell, but in the middle of her sentence, her ears picked up a sound that had no legitimate reason to come from a finely tuned contraption. She managed to look up just in time to get a face full of dust and grit.

She recoiled and sputtered, making a conscious effort not to rub her eyes. The crumbling stone might not have been particularly jagged, but she didn't want to risk injuring herself by aggravating it any further. Head held towards the ground, she shook herself back and forth and blinked rapidly while she recovered her composure. In that one brief moment, she had seen what was happening, and she could still hear the tiny fissure continuing its journey across the ceiling. [colour=#773344]Poor thing, giving so much and asking nothing in return. If only there was some way we could give it a helping hoof, or maybe a helping hand...[/colour]

[colour=#773344]"Uhg... Hey Emerath, Pocket Change..."[/colour] She tried getting her companion's attention, unsure if they were aware of the impending danger or not. [colour=#773344]"I don't think we have to worry about stopping the stones causing a cave in, I think we may need to worry about it right now."[/colour]

Giving her eyelids one last vigorous blink, she finally managed to get the irritant out of her eye, so while she wiped the tears out of her eyes and pushed her goggles firmly in place, the gears in her mind were already hard at work coming up with a solution. [colour=#773344]"If either of you is capable of holding up the ceiling, now would be an opportune time to interrupt. I won't take offense."[/colour] She paused for a second, more out of politeness out of any real expectation of a response, [colour=#773344]"Don't worry, I'm faced with the same physical deficiency. Since I'm pretty sure neither of you brought a couple dozen yards of bracing material, we're going to need a helping hand."[/colour]

She trotted briskly over to one of the griffin statues, one of the many with their hands reaching up to the sky. Perhaps reaching up to catch or to hold. [colour=#773344]"What do you say..."[/colour] she managed to interrupt herself with a strained grunt as she pressed her full, but rather insubstantial, weight up against the side of the statue, [colour=#773344]"Do you think we can roll a few of these into position? Tipping them... back up... shouldn't be... so bad."[/colour]

She was pushing as hard as she could, hoping the stone form might budge. [colour=#773344]"If we can't get this stable, we might have to find another way down... if there is one.[/colour] She didn't let her mind linger on such thoughts, instead she kept thinking of how to move forward, [colour=#773344]"Say, what do you suppose is at the bottom of that gap anyway?"[/colour]

hi hi

I suspect I may have come off as a little bit rude, and if so, I apologize. The reason why I mentioned it out of character instead of in character is because Ember Spark isn't the kind of pony who would object. In part because she's nice, but mostly because it really is a good plan, it doesn't suck, as long as you all are strong enough to stop one of the pendulums. Depending on what Pocket Change says, I've got a list of backup plans, each gradually more dangerous and rube-goldberg-esque than the last that she's ready to suggest if need be.

(Also: For all we know, the way forward is at the bottom of the pit, not on the other side of the trap.)

hi hi

Ha! Ember Spark would totally help out, but I wouldn't want to risk snapping Pocket Change's grappling line in half.

hi hi

I would just like to point out, for the record, that pushing a stone while it is moving is going to take less energy than stopping one of them completely. Momentum is conserved, so it doesn't matter whether or not the stone is already moving, adding energy along a different axis won't be influenced by its current motion. The whole point of pushing them while in motion was because Pocket Change said his magic wasn't strong enough to hold one in place.

Pendulums have the nifty feature where they always take the same amount of time to make one swing, for a given length of chain, no matter how far they have to go.

hi hi

Well, the winter holiday season is rapidly approaching. I suspect there will be a number of weekends during the next two months were I will be busy doing holiday stuff. Just part of the season I think.

hi hi

I submit for your consideration, the interrupted pendulum.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Ember Spark took notice of the intricate scenery, but most of her attention was focused on the amazing luminescent mushrooms. She wasn't the most expert botanist that ever lived, but seeing a new kind of fungus was always exciting. Not only that, but they were yet another encouraging sign, even more so than the room immediately prior.

She knew some mushrooms didn't like being disturbed, so she didn't try poking or prodding them. She just moved up close to one of the clusters, hoping they might at least enjoy a little company. [colour=#773344]"Well now, those big scary shadows don't mind you little guys, do they? Who could hold animosity towards such resplendent mushrooms as yourselves anyway?"[/colour]

A click and a subtle shift in position were all it took to get her attention, the sound of clattering chains was all it took to spur her into motion, and by the time she felt the gentle gust of displaced air, she was already hiding behind a griffin statue in one of the hallway's many niches. She stayed there for a few seconds until the steady rhythmic swooshing noise convinced her that no sudden dangers lurked out in the hallway.

Ember Spark cautiously stepped back into the hall and blinked, then she blinked again. Somewhere in her mind, a little hamster was running for all she was worth on a hamster wheel and, understandably, not getting anywhere. The questions just kept piling up and there weren't any answers in sight. [colour=#773344]Who would build something like this in the first place? And why? It couldn't have been built to keep the formless monsters away, not only were weapons useless as they said, but who has time to build something so intricate and elaborate in the middle of an invasion? Did the formless things build this? They ought to have known griffins could fly around this trap with ease.[/colour]

Pocket Change's question finally made something in her mind click though, a question about how to get past the obstruction rather than the incomprehensible nature of the device itself. There still wasn't an answer to the question, instead there were dozens. The principles of pendulums were positively elementary for a mechanic. She smiled, she laughed. It was an unrestrained sort of laugh that matched the sparkle in here eyes, halfway between what you might expect from a mad scientist and a light hearted giggle.

She rubbed her pastern across the side of her face as she calmed back down again, as though she was trying to get something out of her eye. Still trying to catch her breath, she said [colour=#773344]"Aww, look how restless they are, they just need some friends."[/colour]

Ember Spark made a casual glance around the statues in the hallway, but didn't see any of them carrying anything like a spear or a staff, just claws pointed towards the sky. [colour=#773344]"Hmm... we seem to be missing a lever, but if we can't find a pole, we can still do this the easy way. Emerath, Pocket Change, would you be able to give one of those chains a nudge? We just need to get it swinging side to side a little bit...hmm, let me see."[/colour]

With a look of determination, Ember Spark crouched down on the ground and placed her notepad out in front of her, then using her protractor and level, she started sketching out her plan.

[colour=#773344]"There! See?"[/colour] Ember Spark shuffled her notepad towards her two companions a little ways, [colour=#773344] "If we have the capacity to push one stone into another's path at the right moment, it should set off a chain reaction and they'll all end up in one big, friendly tangled up hug with each other."[/colour]

hi hi

Hmm, should be a pretty simple trap to bypass, but I'll let you take a crack at it first.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

Now that Ember Spark had the procedure down, fitting through more tight spaces was a matter of going through the motions. She was sure that there would probably be spaces she wouldn't be able to fit through so easily, but those would be spaces that Emerath and Pocket Change wouldn't be able to fit through either, so she didn't worry about it too much.

[colour=#773344]"If only I had some roller skates, this would be just like luau night at the roller rink."[/colour] Ember Spark chuckled to herself as she stood back up on the other side, [colour=#773344]"I don't suppose anypony makes spelunking grade roller skates, do they? They'd make running away from scary monsters a breeze."[/colour]

She brushed a bit of the dirt and debris off of her flank and once she had herself straightened out, she pulled her monkey wrench out of its holster and turned back around. Reaching carefully through the hole, she used the wrench to grab hold of some of Pocket Change's pushed away rocks and moved them back into place. It was a little bit tricky work, given that she didn't have the same kind of fine control as unicorn telekinesis, but she had plenty of experience using a wrench. Before long she had the stones pushed back into the rough ballpark of their original spots. Then she took some pieces of rubble on the near side of the hole and stacked them on top of each other, so that anything else moving through the hole would risk knocking them over and making a racket.

[colour=#773344]"There we go,"[/colour] She said with a tone of satisfaction in her voice, [colour=#773344]"That ought to hinder any scary monster's attempts to sneak up on us from behind."[/colour]

Ember Spark put her monkey wrench away again and filed back in line with a cheerful, [colour=#773344]"Onward! To a dead end, and hopefully one that has a specific set of ancient griffin armor there as well."[/colour]

hi hi

Removing anger or temporary barriers is still very immoral. I know I've gone over this before, but barriers and negative emotions can be entirely justified, and they are not just little hang-ups to be circumvented. When you impair someone's judgement like that, you are taking away their ability to consent.

Suppose you love someone and they start getting into gangs and hard drugs, not being able to get angry with the person you love could have dire consequences.

Whatever the circumstance, the only person who has the right to judge their feelings is that person. Other people may be able to judge how they act on their feelings, but for the feelings themselves, no one can say that someone is right or wrong to be angry any more than they can say someone is right or wrong to love someone of -for example- a different race, the same sex, or whatever criteria they use for themselves. Regardless of which choice you make, if you do not have the right, let alone the ability to make that choice, you're not a partner, an equal or even your own person; you're just an object at that point. Just a means to an end, rather than an end in and of itself.

hi hi

Being that humans are sapient, just like Discord and Chrysalis, they are the perfect comparison to predators and predatory nature. Humans are our world's most successful predators. Even when you only consider our agricultural practices, we have appropriated more than 40% of the Earth's surface to our own ends, which is driving a massive and ongoing extinction event. I can only suspect that future generations will judge our irresponsibility unfavorably in this regard.

It is human nature to want things. We want things we don't have, but so strong is this drive that even people who have everything anyone could possibly need -the richest people in the world- they still want more. In fact, detaching one's self from the need for things is such a difficult task that people can spend their entire life trying to do so and still not succeed.

However, simply wanting something does not necessarily give people the right to have it, especially when the thing they want is someone else's. Theft, rape and slavery are all crimes where people take something they have no right to take, be it property or people's freedom to choose.

Princess Cadence's use of mind manipulation without permission was certainly an evil act. Whether that makes her evil or not depends partly on her willfulness, although like Twilight Sparkle from Lesson Zero, or the Cutie Mark Crusaders from Hearts and Hooves Day (who's actions in both cases were rightly considered wrong), she can get the benefit of the doubt for having been young and not knowing any better, possibly having had to pay for her misdeeds off screen. We don't ever see her use that ability without permission as a responsible adult.

Also: In the context of Equestria, being bug like does not follow that they are without intelligence. Even insects such as a humble monarch butterfly have been shown to be capable of comprehending concepts like friendship and loyalty.

hi hi

I can scarcely believe that this is an actual debate that people are actually having. Are you serious? The things that Chyrsalis and Discord did were absolutely evil, and I'm a little bit unnerved that I am going to have to explain why.

Argument 1: Changelings were invading Canterlot strictly for food. Can you fault a predator for trying to catch prey for food?

Rebuttal 1: First of all, you need to cross out the word "strictly," there was nothing precise or stringent about Chyrsalis's invasion plans. They were there for power as well as food. Chrysalis herself states that there was more love in Canterlot than they had ever had before, thus, it was their choice to try to take all of it for themselves, and far from being a non-sapient predator, Chrysalis showed the mental capacity to make that choice.

There are absolutely conditions where you can fault a predator for trying to catch prey for food. Human beings are subject to this judgement frequently. It is what has lead to the creation of the concept of "poaching." Furthermore, even non-sapient predators are subject to direct intervention when they are inadvertently introduced into a foreign environment lacking in natural controls.

Argument 2: They're not evil for reason one.

Rebuttal 2: As reason one is not valid, neither is reason 2, however I will leave you with this quote:

"Chrysalis had been wrong; she had always been wrong. A changeling needed others' adoration to keep moving, to keep breathing. That, she could have stolen; she could've taken it and eked out an existence as a footnote, always hungering for more. With friendship, freely given and returned... With friendship she could truly live." - Who We Are, kits

Argument 3: They're also not terrorists. What defines terrorism, and would this invasion define it?

Rebuttal 3: There is no ubiquitous, legally binding, criminal law definition of terrorism. This makes this argument highly subjective, but honestly the point is moot. "Not a terrorist," is not the bar set for good, moral behavior. However, by one common definition, "deliberately targeting non-combatants (civilians) is an act of terrorism," which Chrysalis clearly does. By another definition, "using violent acts which are intended to create fear," is terrorism. The Changeling army does this as well, as they need love, not fear, to survive, yet they run amok through the streets blasting buildings and causing ponies to run in terror.

Thus, they are definitely terrorists.

Argument 4: Same deal with Discord -- he's not evil. He was acting on his nature as an entity of chaos.

Rebuttal 4: Discord was also sapient and could have chosen alternative means to his own ends. You say that his targeting of the mane 6 made sense because they were his biggest threat? Guess what, that's not chaos, that is a deliberate choice to further a specific end. So it would seem he can choose to do something orderly and not chaotic, but only when it is in his best interest? This would be a double standard.

Discord is a textbook sociopath, but I guess maybe his popularity explains why sociopaths keep finding themselves in positions of power and so readily able to exploit the people subjected to them. Some faith in humanity, lost.

[colour=#BFBFFF]hi hi[/colour]

[colour=#773344]"Alright, here I go!"[/colour]

Ember Spark crouched down as low as she could and checked her clearance side to side. She didn't want any of her tools to catch on an outcropping, and she avoided ducking her head underneath the overhang in order to make sure she would have clearance for the oil can strapped to her back. It wasn't too difficult of a squeeze for the smaller mare, but she took her time anyway. [colour=#773344]Next time, I must endeavor to construct a quick release mechanism for these tight spaces.[/colour]

Emerging on the other side of the truss, she smiled and said a quick, [colour=#773344]"There, easy as pumpkin pie!"[/colour] before trotting around the room to take stock of her surroundings. Her hooves made a sharp clip clop sound even through the thick layer of dust on the ground. The claw marks along the murals were certainly an unwelcome sight, but Ember Spark wasn't entirely sure what to make of them. She walked right up to the wall and very nearly pressed her nose against it.

[colour=#773344]"Hmmm... *sniff sniff* mmhmmmm... *sniff*"[/colour] She wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting to discover by smell either, just the smell of stone, dust and distant water. While the room certainly looked like like something out of a storybook, that particular segment of wall smelled remarkably normal.

[colour=#773344]"Ahh... *Achoo!*"[/colour]She stifled a sneeze, which ended up being little more than a squeak, [colour=#773344]"It seems that there is even dust in the grooves of these claw marks. Whatever did this, it did so a long, long time ago. In fact, I don't think I see any kind of tracks in here except our own, do you? I admit the ambient light makes such a detailed examination difficult."[/colour]

Ember Spark slowly pirouetted, taking in the sight of the room as a whole rather than just looking at the individual details, and what she saw made her smile. It reminded her of the scrap yards back home, holding together in spite of the best efforts of the Iceguard of old, like a stubborn old ship that hadn't quite given up the ghost.

[colour=#773344]"I admit, I'm pleased that this place is in such good condition. The architecture is remarkably over-designed! The load bearing properties of these columns is simply astounding."[/colour] her enthusiastic smile tempered itself into a dimly lit grin, [colour=#773344]"Still, we should be careful not to disturb the load bearing debris if possible. As for the rest of the rubble, Emerath, Pocket Change... how large a stone do you suppose you could lift? I mean with your magic, if you had to."[/colour] Ember Spark paused for just a second before realizing that the looks on her companions faces meant that an explanation might be needed, [colour=#773344]"These claw marks are a good sign. I mean, they're only 35 smidgimeters deep. Impressive yes, but hardly cloven in two wouldn't you say? If we do find ourselves in a bind, a solid piece of rubble should provide respectable protection."[/colour]

She sniffed at the air again as strange scents tingled her nose. There was water down one of these tunnels somewhere, that much she recognized, but there were so many unfamiliar smells as well, she wasn't sure she trusted her gut to lead her in the right direction. [colour=#773344]Well, Emerath said that Pocket Change was the spy glass...[/colour]

Ember Spark finally settled down, coming to a rest in the middle of the chamber. [colour=#773344]"So, Pocket Change... You're our avant garde, do you see a path you might prefer to advance down?"[/colour]